The Foster Daughter: An absolutely heart-pounding and gripping psychological suspense novel by Laura Wolfe

Author:Laura Wolfe [Wolfe, Laura]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2024-10-11T00:00:00+00:00

TWENTY-FIVE

Cody handed me an envelope bulging with cash. “Here’s another three thousand. It’s pretty much all I have.” He’d taken out the maximum last night and again today, plus the money he kept at home. “That’s eight thousand in total. I wish I had more.”

“No. This is great. Thank you.” My fingers clutched the envelope, but my heart sank. I was two thousand dollars short. I had three hours until the deadline.

“You shouldn’t be meeting this guy alone.” His eyes creased with concern. “Let me come with you.”

“No. He won’t like that. It will only make things worse.”

“I’m worried about you.” Cody had insisted on sleeping on the couch last night, refusing to leave me and Noah alone in the apartment.

“How about you stay here with Noah while I meet him in the alley? It would put my mind at ease to know you’re with him.”

“Okay. Yeah. I can do that.”

“Can you come back at three thirty? I’m going over to Harper’s to see if she can lend me the rest.”

“Yeah. I’ll be here.”

I thanked Cody, hugging him before he left and wondering what I’d done to deserve him.

With Noah buckled into his car seat and a piece of medical tape wrapped around my finger, I drove toward Harper’s house.

Harper flashed her white teeth when she opened her front door. “Come on in, guys.”

Noah darted ahead and found April near the living room shelves where the toys were kept while Harper and I sat at her kitchen table.

Nervous energy coursed through me, and my fidgeting fingers picked at the edge of a plastic-coated tablecloth. “Sorry to invite ourselves over like this.”

“I was having a lazy afternoon, anyway.”

The doorbell rang just as I prepared to explain my financial predicament. She tipped her head back with a groan. “Shoot. That’s my neighbor. She wants to talk about the annual neighborhood picnic. Before I knew you were coming over I told her I was available for a quick chat.”

“No worries. I’ll wait.” I forced a stiff smile. The delay was tortuous—my time was running out.

Harper headed toward the door. “We’ll talk outside if you don’t mind staying with the kids. I promise to be back in ten minutes or less.” The front door opened, and Harper’s voice went up an octave as she greeted her neighbor. “Hi, Jenny! Let’s go sit on the bench.” The door closed behind them.

“Mommy, April needs a Band-Aid.” Noah’s voice pulled me toward the living room, where April crouched forward, tears leaking beneath her thick eyelashes. She straightened out her leg, revealing a scrape on her knee, droplets of blood poking through. “I hit my knee on that plastic thing,” she said through heaving sobs.

“Oh, no. Let me get you a Band-Aid. Where does your mom keep them?”

“In her bathroom.”

I gave April a wet paper towel to hold on her knee, then found my way upstairs to the primary bedroom and the attached bathroom. A linen closet stood just inside the door, and I opened it, scanning for bandages but not seeing any.

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