Kori Vaughn thought her past was buried the day she left the block. Thirteen years later, a key shows up, along with a name she hasn't heard since the night everything changed. The inheritance is real but so is the danger that's been waiting for her...
I used to eat lunch at my desk. Not because I was trying to be a workaholic, but because it was quiet. Predictable. I knew what to expect from myself more than I did from other people but recently, I'd been trying to change that.
Get outside. Move around. Breathe air that didn't smell like toner and takeout.
I sent a text to Azaria.
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She replied ten seconds later.
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I shut my laptop, grabbed my purse, and walked out like it was just another Thursday but the key at my house said otherwise. I didn't head to Azaria's right away. I drove around the block first. Not out of paranoia just habit. I liked giving my brain a chance to catch up to my body. Let myself think without feeling watched. Something about driving alone helped.
The voicemail kept playing in my head. Not the words. The tone. That man wasn't nervous. Wasn't forcing anything. He didn't ask for anything at all. If anything he was begging for me to come take care of this property.
Azaria lived ten minutes away in a small brick building with white trim and a row of bushes out front that she trimmed herself. Her juice bar was three blocks over, but she kept her home space private. Always had.
When I pulled up, she was already outside, locking her door. She climbed into the passenger seat with a soft sigh and tossed her sunglasses on the dash.
"You good?" She asked.
I nodded once. "You?"
"Hungry," she said. "And nosy."
I pulled off and we drove in silence for a few blocks. That was one thing I appreciated about Azaria she didn't force conversations. She could wait. Sit in silence. Let things come out when they were ready.
"I got something in the mail." I started.
She dropped her phone and looked over. "Like what?"
"Property deed from Chicago."
She didn't say anything for a second. "From who?"
"No name. Just a note. Said it was mine. Had my name and a key."
