Page 109 of Stuck with my Mechanic Daddies

My gaze swept over the bookshelves, the filing cabinets, the stacks of forgotten ledgers. And then my eyes locked on the massive, dust-covered cabinet shoved against the far wall.

My pulse kicked up.

I strode toward it, yanking away the stacks of papers and books piled on top. My fingers found the edges, and I gave it an experimental shove.

It didn’t budge.

I tried again, harder this time.

A deep groan of wood and metal filled the air as the cabinet scraped against the floor, revealing something I hadn't noticed before. A panel behind it, barely loose at the corner.

I sucked in a breath.

Beatrice was right. There was more here.

Dropping to my knees, I pried my fingers beneath the panel and pulled. It resisted at first, as if it hadn't been moved in years, but with one final tug, it came loose.

And there it was. An old iron safe, built into the wall.

My hands shook as I reached out, running my fingers over the cool metal.

It was heavy duty, the kind of thing built to withstand time.

I swallowed hard.

This was it. This was what my uncle had been hiding.

I pressed my forehead against the safe for a second, exhaling.

Okay. Think.

The key. The old key I had found in my uncle’s desk.

The key I’d seen a copy of at Grady’s Auto Shop.

I fumbled in my pocket, my fingers closing around the small, worn key.

My pulse pounded in my ears as I slid it into the keyhole.

It fit.

I turned it.

Nothing.

Frowning, I tried again, twisting it harder.

The lock resisted, unmoving.

I exhaled sharply, pressing my palm against the safe as frustration surged through me.

The key was right, I knew it was.

But the lock, it was stiff, rusted from years of neglect.

I sat back on my heels, staring at it.Think, Aurora.

There was no way in hell I was stopping now.

---