AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He slipped his laptop into a separate case and then wedged the case on top of his wheeled bag. “You all set?”
“Yes. It’s not like I don’t trust the hotel safe, but I’ll feel a lot better when these are back in my safe deposit box.” She patted her bag where she’d stashed the drives.
“Onward to Maryland, then.”
On the drive east, they kept the conversation light—no abusive fathers, no nervous breakdowns, no terrorists. This was what he looked forward to in retirement. He’d never pictured a woman by his side before, but Claire’s presence felt right, felt good.
By the time they reached the bank, he felt as if they were on a date—the small talk, the mutual discovery of the petty likes and dislikes that comprised a person, the palpable sexual tension that buzzed between them.
In fact, he hadn’t had such a successful first date in a long time—or maybe ever.
* * *
WHEN THE BANK came into view, Claire’s stomach sank. For a short time with Mike in the car, she’d felt almost normal.
She liked him, everything about him. Why did she ever think he was standoffish? He’d revealed quite a bit about himself today. The story about his abusive father had her heart hurting for the pain Mike must’ve endured as a child.
Ethan would grow up without a father, but she’d make damned sure she’d surround him with love. Who knew? Maybe one day she’d meet a man good enough to be Ethan’s dad.
Mike parked her car at the curb about half a block down from the bank. “I’ll wait in the car.”
“I won’t be long—in and out.” She grabbed her coat from the backseat and put it on while standing on the sidewalk. Then she waved to Mike and slammed the car door.
Entering the bank, she veered toward the end of the teller windows and stopped in front of Dorothy’s desk. Dorothy looked up from a computer screen, where she was helping a teller. “Be right there, Claire.”
Two minutes later, Dorothy’s heels clicked on the floor as she approached her desk. She opened her drawer and withdrew a key chain, and then buzzed the security door for Claire.
Claire joined Dorothy on the other side of the door and followed her down a short hallway to the safe deposit area. Dorothy used her key along with a code to open the main door of the safe. They both stepped through the door, and rows and rows of metal boxes stretched out on either side of Claire.
“Twenty-two sixty-one, right?” Dorothy moved to the left and bent forward to insert her key into Claire’s box.
“You have a good memory, Dorothy.”
“Well, I did just open it earlier today.”
Claire nodded and smiled as Dorothy backed out of the room. Maybe Dorothy’s memory wasn’t that great. Claire had been here yesterday, not this morning. She inserted her own key into the second lock on the box and slid it out of its cavity.
She turned and placed it on the table that ran the length of the small room. She reached into her purse, her fingers searching for the two drives. Curling her hand around both at once, she pulled them out.
She lifted the lid on the box and froze. Licking her lips, she tilted her head to check the number on the box and then glanced to her left to squint at the number on the empty slot.
With her heart pounding, she plucked the first stack of bills, neatly bound, from her box and ran her thumb along the edge.
Where had this come from? Even though she knew she was alone in the room, she looked around as if expecting to find an answer from the tight-lipped safe deposit boxes guarding their own secrets.
She dropped the packet of money on the table and picked up the second stack of bills, again neatly bound. Four more bundles nestled in the safe deposit box, giving her a total of six.
How could the bank make a mistake like this? She was the only person with the other key. She didn’t want to leave the bills in her box. She’d better bring them out to Dorothy.
She dumped the money onto the table and scanned the room for a bag. Of course, the bank didn’t just leave those lying around, and she couldn’t walk into the main area clutching the cash in her hands.
Her big bag gaped open on the table, and she started stuffing the stacks inside. She left her box open on the table and hugged her purse to her chest as she walked out of the safe deposit box room. The door slammed behind her as it was designed to do.
