I couldn't move, but I could hear every word, clear as day.
What were they saying? My parents' house had been bought by Thomas?
They'd set me up?
Leah unzipped the money bag. "See? It's all right here."
Thomas's eyes lit up. "Perfect. Hand it over. I've still got predatory loans to pay off."
Seeing Thomas about to walk off with all the money, Donald finally spoke up.
"Leah, I know I promised to give Thomas the money from the house sale, but I can't be left with nothing. My daughter's still in the kidnappers' hands."
"I'm not ignoring your situation." Leah pulled out ten thousand dollars. "Here's what you do. Max has a whole stack of counterfeit bills. At first glance, they look just like real money."
"Put the counterfeits in the middle of the bag. Who's going to notice? The kidnappers will take the cash back to check it more carefully, and by then the police will have pinpointed their location and rescued Sabina."
"Fine."
Using counterfeit bills to fool kidnappers. Only Leah could come up with something like that. It was no different from signing my daughter's death warrant.
And Donald actually agreed to it.
I forced every ounce of strength I had into a single scream. "Donald, are you even human?!"
Only then did Thomas notice me lying on the floor. "Well, well. If it isn't Zoey. My personal benefactor."
"If you hadn't handed over your parents' house to me for free, I wouldn't have been able to marry my girl."
"Great location, gorgeous renovations, plenty of space. My sweetheart absolutely loves it."
"So thanks for that."
He burst out laughing at the shock and fury on my face.
"Oh, right. You still don't know this was a setup my sister and I planned for you."
"What, you thought your house just happened to sell in a single day?"
When I'd first gotten the call from the kidnappers, I was desperate, scrambling to figure out how to come up with the money. It was Donald who suggested selling my parents' newly purchased house.
He'd said, "Your folks' place will be easier to move. They've still got the old house they built out in the country, so it's not like they'll have nowhere to live."
"We list it below market value. I know a realtor who can find a buyer fast."
With Donald pushing me, I'd sold a house worth three million dollars for two.
I never imagined the buyer was Thomas, Leah's brother.
Back when my parents first bought that house, Leah had come to me about it.
"Zoey, your parents are getting up there in years. There's really no need for them to live in such a big, nice place. My brother's about to get married and doesn't have a house yet. Why not just transfer the deed to him so he can get married first?"
I'd shut her down flat. I'd chalked it up to grief making her delusional after losing her husband.
Never in a million years did I think they'd use my daughter's crisis to steal my parents' home. And that my own husband was in on it.
Donald walked over to me. "Honey, I'm sorry. My brother died young. The Ball family owes Leah a debt."
"I just wanted to make it up to her. I'll pay back what I owe you. Slowly."
"Don't worry. I'll bring Sabina home safe."
Then Donald left, carrying a bag full of counterfeit bills.
I struggled for what felt like forever before I managed to get off the floor. By the time I stumbled outside, they were gone.
I had no choice but to hail a cab to the drop-off point I'd arranged with the kidnappers.
When I got there, Donald was standing like a statue, clutching the money bag to his chest.
Leah was right beside him.
I ran over. "Donald, why do you still have the bag?!"
"Honey, I didn't expect the kidnappers to make me open it and check the money right there. Their guys were hiding nearby. They spotted the counterfeits immediately."
