Chapter 7 - THE AMBUSH
The house was completely dark when Paige’s car pulled into my driveway at 8:00 PM.
I was sitting in the living room, hidden in the shadows of my favorite reading armchair. Noah was standing in the foyer, the porch light casting long, nervous shadows across his face. Ben was safely upstairs, asleep in Chloe’s old bed, completely unaware of the war happening below him.
The front door opened. Paige walked in, wearing a sleek trench coat, looking entirely out of place in my cozy, middle-class entryway.
“Make it quick, Noah,” Paige snapped, not even bothering to close the door fully. “Russell is waiting in the car down the street. I don't want him knowing I’m giving you cash.”
“Why?” Noah asked, his voice remarkably steady. “Doesn't he like it when you spend his money?”
“Don't get smart with me,” Paige hissed, reaching into her designer purse and pulling out a thick envelope of cash. She shoved it at his chest. “Take it. And don't call me while I’m on the cruise.”
Noah didn't take the envelope. He let it fall to the floor.
“Is Arthur going on the cruise too, Mom?” Noah asked.
Paige froze. The color drained from her face so fast she looked like a ghost. “What did you just say?”
“I saw the tickets,” Noah lied smoothly, playing the part exactly as we had rehearsed. “I saw his name. You told me he was dead, Mom.”
“He is dead!” Paige stammered, stepping back. “That… that was a clerical error! It’s a fake name Russell uses for privacy!”
“That’s a lie, Paige.”
I stood up and walked into the light of the foyer.
Paige let out a sharp gasp, stumbling backward until her back hit the door. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be evicted!”
“It’s my house,” I said calmly. “And my lawyer has already filed an emergency injunction on the deed. The forgery was pathetic, by the way.”
I held up a copy of the cruise receipt.
“You and Arthur have been bleeding Russell dry for eight years,” I said, stepping closer. I let thirty-five years of teacher-stare bear down on her. “And now you’re trying to steal my home to fund your getaway.”
Paige’s panic suddenly vanished, replaced by a cold, venomous sneer.
“You think you’re so smart, Wendy,” Paige laughed harshly. “You think you can prove any of this? Russell is a fool. He signed the liquidation papers. The money is already moving offshore. By the time your cheap lawyer gets a court date, Arthur and I will be gone, and Russell will be holding the bag for the forged deed. He’ll go to prison, and you’ll still be homeless.”
Answer One: Paige admitted to the entire conspiracy.
But Open Two immediately followed. If the money was already moving, how could I stop it?
“You really think Russell won't figure it out?” I asked.
“Russell only sees what I want him to see,” Paige mocked. “He thinks I love him. He’s pathetic.”
A shadow moved on the front porch.
The door swung fully open, hitting the wall with a loud bang.
Standing on the porch, his face pale and contorted in absolute horror, was Russell.
May you like
He hadn't been waiting down the street. Noah had texted him to park in the neighbor’s driveway and walk up quietly.
Russell had heard every single word.
