Chapter 6 - The Break-In
I stared at the threatening text message, a cold sweat breaking out across my forehead.
They were watching me, or at the very least, they were watching my house.
"They know exactly what I am about to do," I told Sarah, showing her the ominous text.
Sarah frowned, crossing her arms over her chest defensively.
"Leave Sophie here with me, she will be completely safe in my guest room."
"You need to get in and out of that house before they realize you actually called their bluff."
I thanked Sarah, gave my sleeping daughter a gentle kiss on the forehead, and borrowed Sarah's car.
The drive back to my neighborhood was agonizingly slow as I kept checking my rearview mirror for headlights.
I parked two blocks away from my house and walked the rest of the way through the dark suburban alleyways.
My house was completely pitch black, the front porch light intentionally turned off.
I slipped through the side gate and used my physical emergency key to unlock the back patio door.
The inside of the house was eerily silent, the familiar scent of my home now feeling tainted and unsafe.
I crept up the carpeted stairs, avoiding the third step that I knew always creaked.
My home office was at the end of the hall, the door slightly ajar.
I slipped inside, pulled the heavy curtains closed, and clicked on the small flashlight Sarah had given me.
The fireproof safe was hidden behind a false bookshelf panel near my desk.
I quickly punched in the code, praying Amanda hadn't somehow managed to change it.
The electronic lock beeped green, and the heavy metal door clicked open.
I pulled out the thick manila folder labeled "Wedding Documents" and started frantically flipping through the pages.
Right near the back, I found it.
It was a remarkably good forgery of my signature on a comprehensive power of attorney form.
But Sarah was right; the notary stamp at the bottom was completely completely smudged and lacked an official registration number.
This was exactly the leverage we needed to force the bank to freeze the transfer.
I rolled the document up, shoved it into my jacket pocket, and closed the safe quietly.
As I turned to leave the office, a faint noise from downstairs made my blood run cold.
It was the distinct sound of the front door deadbolt sliding open.
Heavy footsteps echoed in the foyer, followed by the clicking of high heels on the hardwood floor.
"Are you sure he isn't here yet?" Amanda's voice echoed up the staircase.
"I checked the driveway, his car isn't here," Marcus replied, his voice gruff and impatient.
I quietly ducked into my office closet, pulling the louvered doors shut just as they walked into the room.
"Grab the insurance files from the desk," Amanda ordered him.
"Once we process the life insurance claim on the kid's real mother, this whole miserable charade will finally be worth it."
I stopped breathing, terrified by what I had just heard.
My phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket, the screen lighting up the dark closet space.
May you like
Before I could silence it, Marcus stopped moving and stared directly at the closet door.
"Did you hear that?" Marcus whispered, pulling a dark object from his waistband.
