ane

, and Brandi sprinted down the hallway toward

urned and sprinted up the service s

door of the second-floor stud

er had put lock picks in my hands before I was tall enough to reach the counter. I slid

Click

ed back with a muffled sna

and dropped to my knees in front of the

h year for everything. I spun the dial right to 62,

everal unregistered handguns,

rley-Davidson Softail Custom. Inside was the pristine DMV title, legally

ooks documenting the five hundred thousand dollars of my parents' life insurance pay

inst my ribs, pulled my dark j

dded heavily

oice screeched from the lower landing.

door was

looking the backyard, and pushed the glass up. The thick bran

out into empty air, and scurried down the limb like a c

open. "The safe is open!" Beau ro

rounded the corner of the detached garage, a

n the padlock on the s

te floor under a thick canvas drop cloth, was t

er of the canvas a

cated shovelhead motor that my father had balanced to absolute perfection. Just matte bl

ne Ke

frame. Judith marched in, her face twisted with pure

t the bike. "You touch that machine and I'll have the She

," I said, stepping betwe

Back off, Sloane. You don't know what you're do

ut the cream-colored DMV title, and

anded, my voice cutting throu

e paper. His jaw twitched as he read

step toward me, I'll pull the secondary ledger out of my coat and hand it directly to the club Treasurer at tomorrow's Chur

g from her cheeks until she looked l

," I wh

addle. I reached down, switched the pet

life with a deafening, chest-rattling roar. The vibration wen

g backward. Beau stood frozen, staring at me as

d tore through the open bay door into the morning light,