“Valerie?!” Bruno’s voice boomed from the front foyer, followed by the heavy thud of his front door closing. “Valerie, where are you? The notary is here! We need to sign those refinancing papers right now!”
My heart stopped. The notary was with him. The trap was snapping shut today, not next week.
“Valerie?!” His footsteps were loud, deliberate, and heading straight up the stairs toward the office.
With frantic, feral energy, I dropped to my stomach, reaching my arm under the desk to grab the stray deed. My fingers brushed against the crisp paper, but it was wedged tightly against the baseboard. I pulled hard, ripping a corner of the document, but managed to slide it out. I threw the papers into the manila envelope, slammed it back into the hidden floorboard safe, and stomped the wood plank back into place just as the brass doorknob of the office began to twist.
