Page 3 of The Heiress

“Good because I’ve got something to tell you.” His eyes darted down then back up.

That sounded ominous. I hung my arms over the window instead of opening the door and climbing in. “What’s up? There a problem?”

“Everything went smooth with the Pythons. No problems there.” He didn’t look at me really. More like he was looking through me.

Which was really fucking weird. “Then what’s up?”

He licked his lips nervously and dread hit me like a brick to the chest. “I just got a news alert and I thought you needed to hear it from me first.”

News?What news could matter to me? I gripped the window frame a little tighter. “Spit it out already.”

He swallowed hard. “It’s the Rossis. Hiking accident. Freak rock fall. They’re dead.”

Everything became very silent. The crickets faded into nothing. There was no breeze through the leaves, no croak of the frogs. Nothing at all.

How far are you willing to go?

I didn’t get there fast enough. I didn’t get to the fucking end fast enough. “No!” I yelled, but it didn’t sound like me.

“I know. Sam’s got to be devastated.”

The Rossis. They’re dead.I replayed Home Run’s words just to make sure I’d heard him right. “Sam’s...okay?”

Home Run’s eyes went wide. “Oh shit. Yeah. She wasn’t with them. It’s just her parents. Sorry, Jace. That was a shit way of saying it.”

I released the truck and staggered back, gasping for air that didn’t seem to come.Sam’s not dead. Sam’s not dead.Fuck.

Sam.

Mr. and Mrs. Rossi were like the mom and dad I never had. They half raised me when Todd ignored me and Mom forgot about me.

And Sam…

How far are you willing to go?She might as well be standing in front of me right now, yelling those words. Wanting me to be someone different. Not understanding the lies I kept from her.For her.

1

Sam

Iknew who I was, until I didn’t.

In a single letter everything I thought I knew changed.

And I really didn’t know what to do about that. Plus I didn’t have the time.

“Samantha, how are you holding up?” David, my boss, stopped in front of me. I think it was the first time I’d ever seen him in black and it looked strange on him.

“I’m getting by.” It was a sufficient answer that bordered on lying because I was most definitely not good and had no idea how I was going to get through the rest of the day without some serious pharmaceutical intervention. Heck, I was already on a mild sedative. The doctor prescribed that immediately. I think it might be standard protocol for people who receive shocking news like their parents being killed in a freak rock fall while hiking. My parents were obsessively outdoors and always doing something new and adventurous. But this wasn’t supposed to happen. Not now. Maybe when they took that motorcycle tour through the desert or when they climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. Not their totally safe and normal annual spring hike to Yosemite.

I was devastated. My parents and I were close. I was an only child.

And then the letter came…

“It was a beautiful service. They were such lovely people. I’m so glad I was able to meet them.” David was the most amazing boss I could have ever asked for. He ran the Excel Research Group like a family. He was a surrogate father to all of us, so it was no surprise that half the office was here to support me even though it required a three-hour car ride to get here.

“Thank you.” I was done making flowery statements. Besides, David wouldn’t want to hear any bullshit from me.

Hazel, my best friend and fellow researcher, hugged me. “We’re about to head out unless you need something. We don’t want to wear out our welcome.”

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