“Hey,” I said softly, gently turning her face toward mine. “Any good detective gathers all the available information before drawing conclusions. Don’t you want to know everything there is to know about your parents? And what about the little boy in your dreams? Maybe the information in the box will point us in the right direction.”
Liza’s eyes searched mine, and when she found what she was looking for, she relaxed against the leather of the seat. “Thank you. Maybe I shouldn’t always jump to the most fucked-up conclusion, but after everything, it’s kind of my default.”
I watched as she closed her eyes again, taking a moment to take a few deep breaths to steady herself, her chest rising and falling with each exhale. She was trying a breathing exercise we’d read about online when we’d searched for simple solutions to control anger. When she opened her eyes again, there was a glint of determination that hadn’t been there before.
She unbuckled her seatbelt. “I’ve gathered my thoughts, at least the ones I could focus on long enough to tame. Let’s goinside and face whatever’s in that box. Here’s hoping it doesn’t involve severed limbs.”
The chatty branch manager greeted us with a wide grin. “Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Keller. We’ve been expecting you. I must say, it’s not every day that we have a deposit box like this one.”
“Nice to meet you,” Liza said politely, eyes darting around the bank. “What do you mean, like this one?”
“Oh.” The manager seemed surprised. “The box has been in this bank for many years, and no one has opened it before. We’ve all been curious for a very long time.”
I sized the manager up. He seemed like the typical bank manager, not threatening in any way.
“Glad we could bring some excitement to the bank today.” I raised an eyebrow and glanced around, making sure there weren’t other lurkers hoping to get a glimpse of the omega or her security box.
“Indeed, the anticipation has been quite intoxicating.” His enthusiasm bordered on unsettling. “It’s all anyone has been able to talk about since your call, Mr. Keller.”
“Really?” My eyebrows shot up. What an odd thing for people to be so interested in. “Well, then, I suppose our presence here is the highlight of your day.” I was being sarcastic, but the manager nodded and smiled from ear to ear.
The guy gave me the fucking creeps.
“Shall we get down to business, then?” The manager gestured for us to follow him down a narrow hallway.
“Lead the way.” I placed a protective hand on the small of Liza’s back as we followed him.
Once we entered the vault housing the security deposit boxes, my gaze fell upon the box placed conspicuously on a red cloth that had been draped over the table.
The manager gestured to it with a grand flourish. “Here it is! Please, take your time. No need to rush.”
“Thank you,” Liza said, her gaze fixed on the box.
The manager hovered near us, his eyes flickering between Liza and the box eagerly. His lingering presence grated on my nerves. What the hell was wrong with the guy? Did he seriously think he could stay in the room while Liza opened the box?
“Is there something else you need?” I shot him a death stare, hoping I wouldn’t need to ramp up my threats to get my point across.
“No, no, of course not. I’ll leave you two to it.” He backed out and shut the door behind him.
“Finally.” I turned to Liza, who was staring at the key she held with trembling fingers.
“You don’t have to do this if you’re not ready.”
Her eyes met mine, her jaw set. “If I don’t do it now, I’ll never be ready. I could keep working myself into a frenzy and talk myself out of it, but that’s not the path I want to take. I don’t want uncertainty to render me completely paralyzed.”
“All right.” I swallowed hard. What if Liza’s instincts about the contents of the box were correct? I sure as hell didn’t want to see something gruesome, and I certainly didn’t want Liza to be even more traumatized by her parents’ past. Whatever was inside that box, we would face it together, even if it was a bag of teeth.
As I watched Liza put the key into the lock, my senses heightened. The air was thick with anticipation. Liza slowly lifted the lid, revealing a single envelope nestled on top of a stack of paperwork. She set the envelope aside and pulled out the documents.
“These are deposit slips and information for an offshore account.” Her eyebrows lifted in surprise.
I shook my head, wondering just how much money Liza’s parents had had. It was certainly more than Liza could spend ina lifetime. At least I could be certain she wasn’t with me for my money. If anything, she was my sugar momma.
“I can’t believe this is it,” Liza said, her voice shaking slightly as she picked up the envelope again. “After Castro’s call, I suppose I was expecting something… grander. Clearer cut and revealing.”
“Sometimes the most important messages are hidden in plain sight.” I couldn’t ignore the protective instincts surging within me. If her parents left this note for Liza, it had to be something major.
We sat there for a few minutes as Liza absorbed what she was looking at. When she stood, I followed suit. “Are you ready to go?” I tried to gauge her emotions, but I couldn’t quite get a read on them.
