“I’m sorry, Alexandra, but your mom and dad owed a lot of money.  Everything including the house has to be sold to pay off that debt.  All that is left is the life insurance policy that your mom left in your name so that can’t be touched.  It’s not a lot but it’s enough to get you out of here before...”  Alex glanced up at her parents’ attorney and watched as the sweat dripped down the side of his face.  

Alex Marsh narrowed her eyes at the lawyer.  “I go by Alex, and I don’t understand, Mr. Peters.  Who did my parents owe exactly?  I checked and they don’t have any credit card debit.  The financials and balance sheets showed steady and increasing growth.  My parents told me the company thrived.  In fact, they offered me a job in the business with a great salary once I graduated.  Now, you’re telling me there is nothing left and we have to sell our home, including all the antiques in it to pay off this debt.  This doesn’t make since.  None of this does. And why do we have to give this person all of my parents’ equipment including the computers?”  

Alex watched as her parents’ attorney wiped the side of his face again.  Her skin crawled as she watched Mr. Peter’s flip through some papers. The man sweat like a stuck pig.  She never liked Mr. Peters.  The way he looked at her gave her the creeps.  She felt like taking a shower after being around the man.  Except this meeting was different.  He had a hard time looking at her.  Nothing added up. 

His vision constantly darted to the door as if someone was going to bring him a big fat check. Even the dingy office air brought back images of the stinky, smelly boys’ locker room in high school. Why they used this man as their attorney she would never know. They always said that Jackson Peters needed someone to give him a chance.

How could this be happening? She expected to pay off some small liabilities but this explanation seemed utterly ridiculous. Her dad always stressed to her to pay off any debt. They drilled that information into her head. Even though she had experienced little in the corporate world, she understood her parents spent frugally and never missed paying their bills.

“You never answered me; who did my parents owe?”

“Well, you see—” They both jumped when his office door banged open, slamming against the wall.  He launched to his feet when a man the size of a bear filled the threshold.  His suit and vest matched, pinstriped white, and for goodness’ sakes, he had on a fedora.  Who wore a hat, except mobsters and the Joker?

Whoever he was scared Mr. Peters, but she stayed seated and waited.  She already decided that no matter what, she wasn’t leaving until she had answers.     

“Sorry, I’m late. Miss Marsh, as Peters has informed you, your father owes me a lot of money,” the man said, pointing at himself.  A long scar ran down the side of his face.  She took a sharp breath at the way his eyes seemed to bore into to her soul.

Something was definitely not adding up.  She knew her mom and dad would never go into business with a bully like this. This man wasn’t a person anyone with a brain got into business with. Hell, you may never get out. The idea of judging a book by its cover was appalling to her, but could possibly be true regarding this man.  He appeared to be more of a loan shark or gangster type instead of a businessman. Lying would be second nature to him.

As god as her witnesses, she would figure this out. Even if it was a scam.

“And you are?”  Alex asked, watching the man’s black eyes focus on hers, once again.  

Lumbering across the room, the man stopped in front of her holding out his hand. “Where are my manners? My name is Dominic Santora.” Staring down at his hand, Alex hesitated returning the gesture. Anxiety swirled around her when Dominic’s cool hand gripped hers.

After dropping her hand, he seated himself in an upholstered chair and put his feet on the coffee table. Where had she heard that name before?  

Alex leaned forward and looked the man straight in the eyes.  “My parents have never said anything about you to me.”  She didn’t know if she should laugh or cry.  What did this man think would occur today? She’d just sign her name saying he could take it all?  “And I’m supposed to what, just give everything to you--my home and the money my parents left me and my little brother.” 

When the top of his ears turned red, she surmised Dominic Santora wasn’t a happy camper. Still, the man’s smile leered at her. A chill went through her as she leaned back in her seat. This whole conversation stunk of lies.

She watched as Dominic pulled out a small notebook from his coat pocket and flipped through the pages. “Ah, yes, here it is, Peggy and Ross Marsh. Yes, they owe me over a million dollars. I take it you don’t have that kind of money, Miss Marsh? This includes the computer of mine your father worked on. I want it back, as well.”

She could hardly breath. “No, no, I don’t have that kind of money. Even if we got top dollar for our home and gave you all the computer equipment, it wouldn’t come to a million dollars. Maybe if I cashed the insurance policy my mom left me and Haine, but if I did, we wouldn’t have anything to start over with.”

“Well, you see, Miss Marsh, I owe a lot of people, too. When your parents needed startup money for their business, I had to borrow that money to give to them. Now that they are dead, I’m sorry to say their loan is due.”

Alex glanced up quickly at Mr. Peters who appeared to be contemplating crawling under his desk. No, sir, that money would never be handed over to him just because they said so.  If there were signatures, she would pay someone to authenticate them.  “Mr. Peters, I want to see the documentation verifying this business agreement. I want the original papers my parents signed showing they owed that money to Dominic Santora.”  Mr. Peters poured more sweat and she knew he lied. If he didn’t stop, he would melt on the floor in a big puddle of water. “Mr. Peters, do you hear me?”

Dominic huffed like a bull drawing her attention back to him. Even his nostrils flared. “I don’t think you understand, Miss Marsh.” The bull leaned forward still smiling. “The loan is due now. The people I deal with,” the vein in Dominic’s neck start to pulse, “well, let’s say they won’t wait until you can get papers authenticated.”

His eyes squinted. “They want their money now. I wouldn’t want you or your little brother to get hurt. I’m just trying to help you, Miss Marsh.”

Was this man for fucking real? Helping her? “I can’t just sign everything over to you. I need a few days to think. This is a lot of information to take on and make that kind of decision.” Alex leaned over putting her head in her hands. She couldn’t believe this. Her home? She couldn’t think, here.

The hairs on Alex’s arms stood as Dominic picked up a piece of her hair and twirled it around his finger. His voice low as he leaned in close. “You sure are pretty. I would hate for something to happen to you or your little brother, like your parents, or worse.”

Alex trembled as Dominic licked his lips, his eyes focused on her chest. “But I’m sure you’ll do the right thing. For everyone’s sake, Miss Marsh.”

She gave him a once over then looked away. Getting up slowly, Alex moved to Mr. Peter’s desk. The papers in his hand shook violently as he handed her the insurance policy.

Taking it along with her parents’ death certificates, Alex headed for the door when Dominic confirmed what she already knew. “Oh, Miss Marsh, I will need everything signed and tied up in a neat little bow by tomorrow.”

Alex only nodded and walked out. When she hit the bottom of the stairs, she took off running for her car. She had to get Haine and leave. Run for her life before he came for them. The only answer she had was to go to the police.

And she wouldn’t forget about Mr. Peter’s involvement either. He joined in this scam they had prepared, and her parents paid the ultimate price. Dominic Santora either arranged for her parents to be killed or he did it himself. His comments clarified that for her.

* * *

It didn’t take Alex very long to google Dominic “The Bull” Santora.  He was a self-made man with the Malton crime family from Brooklyn, New York.  What the hell had her parents been doing while she finished up her college education.  They said business exceeded their expectations, so much so, they wouldn’t have a problem bringing her on with a fantastic salary.  But now her world had been turned upside down.  

She graduated from college with a double major in computer science and accounting.  She loved numbers and figuring out problems and writing codes.  Accounting made her more valuable in the job market. Companies were looking for people who could do both. She could easily find out if someone hacked into a system or stealing from an account.  She received numerous letters of recommendations from her college professors that said she was a natural.  Going into business with her parents was a great place to start. They were growing, making a name for themselves as, well.

But that changed once she returned home one week ago. Her whole life had transformed in to hell.  She buried her parents the following Monday from what she believed to be an auto accident, but The Bull told her otherwise.  Now, she was twenty-four years old without a job and the guardian of her eight-year-old brother.  

Alex sat in the police station lobby with her brother Haine.  When she left the lawyer’s office, she rushed back and checked Haine out of school then packed as quickly as she could, only taking one bag a piece then left the house with her brother.  

Now she prayed the police could help her.  She couldn’t go back home with the threats Santora issued, but she couldn’t continue without telling the police what happened either.  She needed help.  

“I have to go to the bathroom, sissy,” Haine said, jumping down from the chair.

“Okay, but we have to hurry because we are waiting on the detective to arrive.”  Alex waited in the hallway for her brother to finish. She stared in the mirror hanging on the wall as her green eyes stared back. God, what a mess. Would the police put them into protective custody? Or brush them off as crazy kids trying to get attention now that their parents were dead?

She needed to talk to someone soon. Her anxiety skyrocketed when an older man in a suit walked into the police department.  That had to be the detective, but she couldn’t leave Haine so she kept her eyes on him as he spoke with a couple cops in uniform.  She glanced down at the name on the card the clerk gave her. Detective Robert Blake.  This had to be him.

Panic seized her as the chill ran up her spine when Dominic Santora walked inside the police department. He was holding a towel against his face.  It was pure instinct as she hugged the side of the wall. She watched as Dominic walked right up to the detective. She eyed their hands as Dominic reached out shaking the detective’s hand. Obviously, they were friends. This wasn’t good. All she could think about was getting away.

Alex continued to hide in the shadows of the bathroom hallway. She couldn’t trust the police.

Haine walked out of the bathroom but thankfully they didn’t see him as she pulled him around the corner putting her finger over her mouth.  “Let’s play the quiet game.”  

“Okay,” Haine whispered. She took a deep breath and watched as Dominic pulled the towel away from his face showing the detective something. This couldn’t be good when she saw the detective cringe.  Whatever happened to him, she had a bad feeling that she was going to get blamed.

Alex continued to hide in the shadows of the bathroom hallway until she could leave. The movies were right when they said the mob had contacts inside the police.   

Haine leaned against her knowing something wasn’t right. He did her proud when he never spoke a word, but she could feel his heart thundering against his chest. Her brother knew something was wrong.

Thankfully, the detective motioned Dominic to follow him down another hallway.  She checked around the corner, then pulled Haine quickly outside.  The clerk never looked up allowing her to slip out unnoticed.

She couldn’t use any of her credit cards because they could track her, so she did the next best thing. She went to the bank and withdrew every cent from her account and her parents’.  She had already talked with the bank and she had been placed over all the accounts.  They were now on the run.