Impact (Iron Orchids Book 3) Read online

  “Mr. Christakos, sorry to bother you again, but you should come up here and see this.” I cast a glance at the man who had handed me the sock a few moments ago.

  I followed him back up the stairs, rubbing the side of my face to try and relax my clenched jaw. I was afraid that more shit was getting ready to be piled onto my already overloaded work life.

  “What am I looking at?” I snapped.

  “We found these, they were in the bottom dresser drawer.” He handed me several pieces of paper.

  I flipped through them, examining each one closely. A child’s artwork, from what I could tell, maybe of herself and her mom, and they were standing in front of a house, not just any house, this house. I flipped to the next page, it appeared to be the same child and mom, since they both had blonde hair and red crayon colored lips, but this time they were sitting in a bed. I scanned the folded comforter, the arched headboard with carved leaves and instantly recognized that it was this bed. Every picture was of the same two people and of things in this house.

  “Guys, hold off for a second. I need to call someone.” I pulled out my phone and dialed my secretary, my former secretary.

  “Hi, Sloane. How are you doing?”

  “I’m fine, Damon. What can I do for you?”

  “Earlier this year I remember you telling me about something peculiar in one of the model homes, but I can’t remember what it was. Someone found something, or something was out of place?”

  “Umm.” The line went silent for a second, and then she offered, “We found toothpaste in one of the sinks, as if someone had brushed their teeth and spit but didn’t wash the sink. I said it had to be a kid because it was near the rim and my kids always spit on the rim. They’re not tall enough to hit the drain yet. Why? Something else happen?”

  “The movers just found a kid’s sock.”

  “It probably got kicked off a baby in a stroller or something when people were touring.” She tried to assure me.

  “No, this was wedged between the mattress and footboard.”

  “Oh. Are you thinking there might be squatters?”

  “Maybe.” I paused, thinking. “It’s probably nothing. Don’t worry about it. Give that baby a hug for me.”

  “I will, but let me know if you need anything else, okay?”

  I wouldn’t. She had enough to deal with, but I still said, “Will do.”

  After I disconnected, I called Sophie to ensure the sock didn’t belong to my nieces and for some reason the drawings weren’t her daughter’s since Harlow had blonde hair. When she confirmed what I already knew, that it wasn’t theirs, I got a weird feeling. I couldn’t explain it, but I wasn’t worried about the home, and I probably should be. Instead, I was curious about who the child was and why they were coming into our model homes.

  Back downstairs, I Googled security companies, realizing for maybe the first time that I missed Radio Shack as I clicked on the first link and then made a call. Ten minutes later, a technician was on his way to the property.

  “Hey, guys,” I hollered up at the movers. When I saw them both on the stairs, I knew my next words were going to aggravate them, but hell, it was my money. “I need you to leave this house as is. Move on to the other models for today.”

  “We already got the bed torn apart and the dressers taped closed.”

  “That’s fine. Put the bed back together and remove the tape from the dressers. I’m paying by the hour so it shouldn’t matter. And put these back where you found them.” I handed him the kid’s drawings.

  “You got it.” They disappeared up the stairs.

  I dragged a hand over my face as I headed back to my seat at the counter. God, I needed a secretary to handle this shit because I really didn’t have the patience. I opened my iPad to search Monster. I started a list of possible candidates for the position of assistant, said goodbye to the movers, and continued working until the doorbell rang.

  “Come in,” I shouted, figuring this had to be the tech guy from SpyGuys. The guy who walked in didn’t look like he was old enough to shave, let alone know enough about security systems to be able to install one, but who was I to judge? “SpyGuys?” I asked.

  “Yes. Where can I put this down?”

  “Right over here.” I made space on the kitchen island so he could set his bag down. “Hi, I’m Elliott. Why don’t you tell me exactly what you’re trying to discover, and I’ll help you figure out the best solution. I have an entire van full of equipment outside.”

  We shook hands, and I proceeded to tell him about my suspicions of someone living in the house.

  “You mentioned this is a model home, does it have Wi-Fi?”

  “Yes.”

  “Perfect. Have you walked around to check doors and windows to see where or how they are getting in?”

  “Uhh, fuck. I didn’t think of that. I think I’m shocked someone is doing this.”

  “Okay, let’s have a look around and then we can talk options.” We started in the kitchen, checking the door and windows before moving to the garage. “More than likely there will be multiple points of entry, a back up in case a door gets locked, and odds are it’s going to be on the ground floor.” We discovered a window in the garage unlocked and made a note before moving back into the house.

  “I think I found it.” I pushed the door off the pool bath open and then closed. It didn’t catch. Crouching, I peered into the catch plate in the doorframe and pointed to a wadded-up piece of paper.

  “I’m going to recommend a router with a camera. That way you can watch what is happening on your computer, laptop, or phone. It’ll record for you, but you can also live stream. This is where you’ll want to put the camera.” He pointed to a spot just outside the door. “It doesn’t seem as if they broke anything getting in, so maybe it’s an opportunity thing. You can just make sure the lock is secured before you leave at the end of the day.”

  “No.” Those pictures and that damn pink sock in my pocket gave me a weird vibe. I didn’t want to lock them out yet. There was a child involved. “They haven’t done any damage. I want to see what they’re doing in here first.”

  “Okay. We can attach the camera to a spot where it catches the main part of the house.” He opened a small box and handed me a tiny camera.

  “How far will this thing pick up?” I examined the device, which was smaller than my thumb.

  “Should cover this entire area, the mic will pick up most anything in the house. It could sound tinny, so for cleaner audio, I’d suggest some noise canceling headphones.”

  “Let me guess, you happen to have those with you.”

  “As a matter of fact, I do. I have a few brands. My personal favorite is the Klipsch, but some prefer the Bose. I’ll need to grab those out of the van. Also, you’ll need a router for the camera to connect directly to your Wi-Fi. Where is the modem located?”

  “In the laundry room.” I pointed to the room off the kitchen. “How soon can I have this done?”

  “I’ll have you up and running in an hour.” He pulled out a postcard and handed it to me. “This is the app you will need to download if you’re going to live stream the camera feed. The website for you to log on to is on the bottom if you want to watch from your computer. While I’m installing, why don’t you go ahead and set up an account so we can connect to the router when I’m finished.”

  It was fucking scary how simple it was to set this up, and when I was done, I went to stand in front of the bay window. Parked along the curb was a large Sprinter van, and I didn’t even want to know what else he had in that twenty-six-foot cargo space. We had a few for Christakos Construction.

  Thirty minutes later, the guy was back to standing next to me at the counter. “Okay, let’s do a walkthrough.” He pulled out his phone and opened the app. “You’ll log in, and all feeds will show up on your home screen, click the number or name if you’ve nicknamed them, and that camera feed will come up live. If you also have audio enabled, you will see a speaker icon and be asked to
accept before audio is turned on. Even if you don’t enable it, it will still record.”

  “Is this legal?” I asked.

  “Is breaking into a home that isn’t yours legal? You are watching your own property, not the neighbors.”

  “Good point. Continue.” I pointed to his phone. He finished showing me how to operate the system and move the camera should I want to catch different angles or areas. I picked out my earphones, and Elliott left with almost five hundred dollars of my money, the headphones being the majority of the bill.

  When everything was done, I headed home, not turning my iPad off once.

  Chapter 3

  Katy

  In a series of rapid movements similar to stop, drop, and roll, I was out of my car and headed up the stairs to the community center to pick up Bee.

  They charged a late fee of fifty dollars, and there was no fucking way in hell that I could afford fifty dollars.

  “I’m here. I’m here!” I shouted as I pulled open the door

  “Hi. Are you Bee’s mom? I’m Sophie Lang.” A tall brunette woman gracefully swept in front of me. I felt like a clumsy clodhopper next to her.

  “Yes. Hi.” I was skeptical as to why this woman was greeting me instead of it being Denise, the head of the center. “Where’s Bee?”

  “Oh, she’s in the other room playing with my girls. My husband, Carter, is watching them.”

  “Where’s Denise?”

  “She had to leave early today, so we agreed to stay late.”

  “I’m so sorry for cutting it so close. I had a class at Valencia College after work.”

  “Ms. Nichols, you’re fine. Denise told us you probably wouldn’t be a minute early. I wanted to come out and introduce myself. My daughter Harlow and Bee have become besties, so I thought that maybe they could get together sometime and play.” She handed me a business card that read: Sophia Christakos, Children’s Author.

  Her phone number, email, website, and address were listed.

  “Christakos? I thought that you said your name was Lang?”

  “Pen name.” Oh, I hadn’t even thought about that. “If you ever find you’re running late, don’t hesitate to call me. I’m usually working from home, but if I can’t help, Carter can always come by and at least stay with her.”

  “Carter? As in Deputy Carter who volunteers here?” I asked.

  “Yes. Your daughter has him wrapped around her pinkie. She is going to be quite the heartbreaker someday.”

  “Thanks. I’ll just go get her.” I headed toward the television room. I liked Carter, he and Bee had a special bond. I’d always hated the fact that she’d never have that kind of relationship with a dad. Carter was one of the good ones, that four-leaf clover in a field of crabgrass.

  “Absolutely. But please keep my number. I don’t mind; I’m usually around.”

  “Well, aren’t you fortunate.” Okay, I was being a bitch, but she’d no clue how much I wished that I could just be around for my daughter.

  “I didn’t mean it . . .”

  “I’m sorry, I know you didn’t. I’m tired, and I’m taking it out on you. If you don’t mind, I’ll get Bee, and we’ll be on our way.” If she had been about to say anything else, she changed her mind. I needed to work on my attitude. I didn’t have any friends, and my attitude was only part of the reason. The other part was I was afraid. What if they found out, what if they turned us in, what if…the story of my life began and ended with what if.

  I headed down the hallway. “Bee, come on, let’s go!” I shouted.

  “Bye. Bye, Harlow. Bye, Gianna. Bye, Avril. Bye, Carter. Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow.” There was a beat of silence, and then Bee’s voice sounded again. “Okay, I’ll ask my mom.” Bee’s voice was filled with excitement. She obviously had enjoyed spending the extra time with—I looked down at the card—Sophia’s family.” She ran out to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Hi, Mom bug.”

  “Hi, Bee bug. Did you have fun?”

  “Yep. Did you know Harlow is my best friend?”

  “I did, her mom just told me. What do you have there?” I pointed at a bag full of goodies.

  “The Santas came today.”

  Bee loved the Santas. From what I’d gathered, they were a nice older couple that helped financially support the community center and had a special fondness for Bee. It was where she’d gotten the Kindle. “What did the Santas bring everyone today?”

  “They bought a new television—a big one—and bean bag chairs. Mrs. Santa gave me another card so I could put some more books on my Kindle, but she snuck it to me. It’s our secret.”

  I looked up and caught Sophie’s eyes as we passed her in the hallway but tore my stare away and focused back on my girl. “Well, why don’t you tell me all about it while we grab some dinner.”

  “I already had dinner.”

  “You did?”

  “Yep. Miss Sophie brought . . . ummm . . . Miss Sophie!”

  “Shhh. Don’t shout.”

  “But I don’t remember the name,” Bee said, as if that was reason enough for why she should scream from the parking lot.

  “How about you describe it to me.” I opened my car door and waited for Bee to run around and jump in on the other side before I got in.

  “She said it was the geek version of beefaroni.”

  “Geek version?”

  “Yup. She’s geek, and she says these weird words that are geek.”

  I chuckled. “I think you mean Greek.”

  “Yeah. That’s what I said.”

  “No. You said ‘geek,’” I clarified.

  “Same thing.”

  “Let’s not tell Miss Sophie, okay? Well, I’m going to grab a burger, then we’ll head home. Homework done?”

  “Yup.”

  I kept an eye on the road for that black Charger as we pulled into our normal secret hiding spot in the woods. It was nearly eight, but thanks to daylight savings time, we still had about thirty minutes of sunlight. Shifting into our routine, I got out first and looked around before knocking on the car and signaling it was safe for Bee. I opened the trunk and switched out clothes, tossing the dirty clothes in a basket and putting a fresh set for each of us in the duffle while Bee gathered her stuff.

  When we walked in, we moved like a well-rehearsed play.

  “Hurry up, Bee bug, get your bath and up to bed.” I set our stuff down and dug into the bag to find her bath stuff plus her pajamas. Pulling out our flashlights, I switched one on.

  “Mommy.”

  “What?” Even I could hear the exasperation in my voice, but I knew she was going to ask for something, she’d used Mommy.

  “I forgot to charge my Kindle. Can you plug it in?”

  “Bug, we’ll have to wait until tomorrow, and you can plug it in when we are in the car.”

  “Mommy, plug it in here.”

  “No.”

  “Why?” Bee looked as if she was on the verge of crying.

  “Don’t. Sweet girl, I will do anything for you, and I try to give you everything, right?”

  Bee nodded.

  “Then you need to let me give you this, understand the difference between right and wrong. This is not our house. I’m trying hard to save up enough money for the deposit to rent a place, but it is hard. We are staying in this house free, so we are not going to cost the owners any more money. Electricity costs money. Water costs money. Taking a bath costs the people who own this house money.”

  “Do you pay them?”

  “I work it off. I clean the house and scrub the floors. If I didn’t, they would have to pay someone to do it.”

  “Can’t we work off charging my Kindle?”

  “No. Bee, we take enough from this owner. You can charge it in the car tomorrow morning. I’m sorry. Now go take your bath and remember not to drain the water, I still need to take a bath.”

  While she played in the bath for a bit, I raced upstairs and made our bed. When I came back down, I was headed for our essenti
als bag but stopped when I saw several sheets of paper on the kitchen bar that hadn’t been there this morning. Picking them up, I flipped through them. It was company letterhead, but only one sheet had writing. One line stood out: find a secretary. I snapped a photo of the page with my cell phone and returned the stack to where I had found it. I’d call tomorrow.

  I resumed my nightly chores. I opened our bag and pulled out a bottle of vinegar and a stack of old newspapers. Tearing off a sheet, I began cleaning the glass sliding doors, removing all dust and dirt from construction going on in the area.

  “Yuck,” Bee said from behind me. “I hate the smell of vinegar.”

  “I know, but it cleans the best, and the newspaper doesn’t leave streaks.”

  “Did your mom teach you this?”

  I set my cleaning stuff down and pulled my girl into my arms to help towel dry her hair. “No. My mom didn’t clean. We had a lady who would cook and clean for us. Her name was Mercedes, and I learned from her. She spanked my butt one time.”

  “Did you still like her?”

  “I loved her. I didn’t tell my parents she spanked me because they would have fired her. Plus, I knew I deserved it and she did it because she loved me. Kind of like the few times I’ve swatted your butt. I love you, but you were being a little shit.” I pulled Bee to me and snuggled her tight. She let out a giggle.

  “I love you, Mommy bug.”

  “Love you too. Now go upstairs and get to bed. I still have to take my bath and clean up a little before I come up.” I gave her a giant kiss and a hug and watched her run upstairs.

  Heaving myself up, I grabbed my toiletries, pajamas, and another towel before heading up to the bathroom. Adding a little hot water to the cold bath water, I quickly bathed and was out. Slipping on my pajama shorts, I groaned. Fuck. Twisting, I pulled out the waistband and tried to read the label, medium. These motherfuckers were getting tight, which was probably because of all the damn fast food we ate. I was going to have to buy size large. I wasn’t even five-foot-five.