Chapter 1: The Recording
“Dad, there's more.””
Jordan's voice was quiet, but it carried across the living room.
I stood behind our father, Marcus Carter, staring at the black phone in my brother's hand.
My mother, Denise, had moved away from me.
That hurt more than I expected.
“Jordan,” Dad said, “what else do you have?””
My brother glanced at me.
“Before you listen to the rest, I need you to understand something. I didn't want to get Maya in trouble.””
I let out a bitter laugh.
“That's funny. Because you've spent the last twenty minutes trying to ruin my life.””
Jordan's jaw tightened.
“I spent the last three weeks trying to keep you from ruining it yourself.””
“Enough,” Dad interrupted.
He held out his hand.
“Give me the phone.””
Jordan hesitated before placing it in Dad's palm.
Mom stood beside the fireplace, one hand pressed against her chest.
“Marcus, maybe we should all sit down.””
“No,” Dad replied.
“We've been sitting down and avoiding problems in this family for too long.””
He looked at me.
“Maya, I want you to tell me exactly what happened.””
I swallowed.
“I already told you. Jordan threatened me.””
“What did he threaten you with?””
I looked at my brother.
He didn't move.
“Something personal,” I whispered.
Dad frowned.
“Personal enough for you to shove him across the room?””
My cheeks burned.
Jordan rubbed the spot on his chest where I'd pushed him.
“I didn't even touch her,” he said.
“She came into my room, demanded that I delete something, and then attacked me when I refused.””
“Because you had no right to keep it!””
“What did I have no right to keep?””
I couldn't answer.
Dad tapped the screen.
“Let's hear the rest.””
The recording continued.
My own voice filled the room.
“If you tell Dad what I did, I'll make sure he knows what you did too.””
Mom covered her mouth.
Jordan looked at the carpet.
Dad stopped the recording.
“What does that mean?””
I shook my head.
“It was taken out of context.””
Jordan laughed once.
“Of course it was.””
“Jordan!”” Mom snapped.
He looked at her.
“Mom, you have no idea what I've been dealing with.””
“Then explain it,” she said.
“I've been asking him to explain it for weeks!”” I shouted.
Dad turned toward me.
“And what exactly did you do, Maya?””
I felt my throat tighten.
The truth was sitting in that phone.
Not all of it.
But enough.
Three weeks earlier, I had made a decision that seemed harmless at the time.
I had taken money from Dad's business account.
Not thousands.
Not enough to destroy anything.
At least, that's what I'd told myself.
I had needed the money urgently.
My boyfriend, Tyler, had called me one Thursday night, crying and telling me he was in trouble.
He said someone was threatening him.
He said he needed $8,000 before Friday morning.
He promised he'd pay it back.
And because I loved him, I believed him.
I had access to Dad's office.
I knew the password to the accounting system because I'd helped with paperwork during the previous summer.
So I transferred the money.
I told myself it was temporary.
I told myself nobody would notice.
But somebody had.
Jordan.
He had found the transaction while helping Dad organize the company's financial records.
At first, he'd promised not to tell anyone.
Then he'd discovered something else.
Something I still couldn't explain.
“Dad,” Jordan said, bringing me back to the present, “the recording isn't the worst part.””
My stomach dropped.
He reached for the phone.
Dad held it tighter.
“What do you mean?””
Jordan looked at me.
“Ask her where the money went.””
Mom turned sharply.
“What money?””
Nobody answered.
She looked from Jordan to me.
“Maya?””
I stared at the floor.
Dad's voice became dangerously quiet.
“What money, Maya?””
I forced myself to look up.
“Eight thousand dollars.””
Mom blinked.
“Eight thousand?””
Dad didn't move.
“From where?””
I could barely hear myself.
“Your business account.””
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Dad took a step backward.
“You stole from me?””
“I was going to put it back!””
“When?””
“Dad, please—”
“When, Maya?””
I started crying.
“I made a mistake.””
Dad placed the phone on the coffee table.
“A mistake is forgetting to lock a door. A mistake is missing a payment. You deliberately accessed my account and transferred company money without permission.””
Jordan folded his arms.
“And that's not even what I found afterward.””
Dad looked at him.
“What did you find?””
Jordan unlocked the phone again.
“Dad, the transfer wasn't made to Tyler.””
My head snapped up.
“What?””
Jordan turned the screen toward him.
“The account number doesn't belong to Tyler. It belongs to a company registered under a different name.””
I felt cold.
“That can't be right.””
Jordan stared at me.
“You should know. You approved the transfer.””
“No, I didn't.””
He zoomed in on the screen.
“Then explain why your electronic signature is attached to it.””
Mom slowly lowered herself onto the sofa.
Dad picked up the phone.
“Jordan, what company?””
My brother took a breath.
“Carter Financial Solutions.””
Dad frowned.
“That's our company.””
“No,” Jordan said.
“It's a second company.””
He looked directly at me.
“And somebody opened it using Dad's identity.””
I couldn't breathe.
Dad's face went pale.
“Who?””
Jordan turned the screen toward him.
A name appeared beneath the registration information.
Not Tyler's.
Not mine.
Someone else's.
Someone sitting in our house.
Dad stared at the screen.
Then he slowly lifted his eyes toward my mother.
“Denise?””
Mom stood up so quickly that the decorative pillow fell to the floor.
“What?””
Jordan whispered, “That's the name attached to the registration.””
My mother looked at me.
And for the first time that afternoon, I realized something terrifying.
May you like
She wasn't surprised.
She was afraid.
