Chapter 2 - The Brass Key
The key fit the wall panel beside the wine cabinet.
Ryan moved fast.
“Claire, give me that.”
I backed away. “Why?”
“You’re upset.”
“No. I was upset when your father put a cigarette against me. Right now I’m very clear.”
Grant snorted. “She’s being dramatic.”
I turned on him. “You burned my sweater while your son held me.”
“It barely touched you.”
“That sentence is going to sound incredible on a recording.”
His eyes narrowed.
Ryan lowered his voice. “Baby, don’t make this worse.”
I almost laughed.
Baby.
He had not called me that in months.
I slid the key into the brass lock.
The wall panel clicked open.
Behind it sat a black security console and a narrow safe.
Diane pushed back her chair. “What is that?”
Ryan said nothing.
I knew about the console. I had approved it when the penthouse was renovated. But I had forgotten one feature: the system stored ninety days of interior security footage on a private drive unless manually deleted.
And the safe contained the ownership binder for Mercer Heights Holdings, the LLC that owned the penthouse.
My LLC.
Not Ryan’s.
Not Grant’s.
Mine.
I entered the six-digit code.
Denied.
I tried again.
Denied.
Ryan looked away too quickly.
I slowly turned toward him. “You changed the code.”
He rubbed his jaw. “For security.”
“Without telling me?”
“Everything doesn’t need to become a federal case.”
I lifted the phone and took another picture of the console.
Grant laughed under his breath. “This is exactly why Ryan should handle the finances.”
I looked at him. “What finances?”
He smiled.
Too confidently.
Diane whispered, “Grant.”
He ignored her. “The accounts. The property. The company. All of it. A pregnant woman with moods like this shouldn’t be making expensive decisions.”
My stomach tightened.
Ryan had told me he was helping with household payments while I prepared for maternity leave. I had given him limited access to one operating account.
One.
The safe keypad flashed red again.
Then my phone buzzed.
A banking alert.
WIRE TRANSFER COMPLETED: $185,000.
Recipient: G. HART DEVELOPMENT LLC.
Grant’s full name was Grant Hart.
I looked up.
He saw the screen.
May you like
For the first time all night, he looked afraid.
The House He Thought Was His
