“Sold them?” Dakota asked, trying hard not to shout. “Father left those items to me for a reason. You had no right, Helen.”

She shook her head, placing her palms on the large, marble desk in front of her. The woman sitting behind it just sighed, steepling her perfectly manicured fingers together.

“Dakota, darling, calm down,” Helen said, while a white cat strolled over from the corner of the room, weaving in between her legs. “You can still claim your share of the inheritance. I’ve sent you a copy of the court order. Didn’t you read it?”

“Oh, the order where you had me declared dead?” Dakota arched a brow. Screaming didn’t seem to be having the expected result. She was resorting to quivering fury instead. “That was a little presumptuous now, wasn’t it?”

“I always hoped that you were alive and well, dear,” Helen replied, pursing her thin, red lips, looking remarkably alike someone who did, in fact, not hope for Dakota to be alive and well. “But I couldn’t let the estate go on bleeding money. You understand, don’t you? But now that you’re here, we can figure all this out.”

She smiled, tilting her head at Dakota.

“This isn’t about the money,” Dakota huffed, moving to pace around Helen’s study. “Some of those items were… valuable in other ways.”

It was the best response she could manage without shaking Helen so hard that she’d run the risk of dislocating Helen’s sense of cold pragmatism along with the stick up her proverbial behind. Dakota couldn’t exactly come out with the truth about why her father’s collection was so important, and why it was imperative it didn’t fall into incompetent or clueless hands. The consequences of that could be downright dangerous.

Like ‘end of the world as we know it’ dangerous. And Helen’s just handed them off to the highest bidder.

The only danger right now though, was Dakota’s rising temper as she glared at Helen. The woman still looked like she remembered her from a couple of years ago, only the lines around her eyes were more pronounced, and her gray, curled hair had more silver in it.

“Well, I’m sorry if you were emotionally invested in any of that junk, but I’m not the one that disappeared off the face of the earth. We contacted the guide you hired in Guatemala, and he said you just disappeared into the jungle and didn’t come back. What was I supposed to think?”

“Everyone knows I sometimes go off the grid on my expeditions,” Dakota countered, standing in the middle of the room, hands on her hips. Strangling still seemed like a mighty fine option. “You could have waited. Dad’s barely been gone six months, and you’ve already sold everything, including the house in Whitefish. What was the rush?”

“There was no rush,” Helen denied, bending down to pick up her cat and pull it onto her lap. “Hello, Charlotte,” she cooed, running her fingers down the cat’s long, smooth fur. “Did you miss mommy?”

Excellent diversion tactic. Truly groundbreaking.

Dakota couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She couldn’t even be surprised Helen cared more about petting her cat than talking to her grieving niece, freshly back from the dead.

“You always did love that cat more than people,” she remarked, an edge creeping into her tone.

“At least Charlotte doesn’t disappoint me,” Helen huffed, her eyes fixing back on Dakota. “You come here, demanding explanations, when you weren’t even here when I buried Ben. No, you were off procuring some knick-knacks for his dusty old collection, feeding into his obsession. Isn’t it about time to start your own life, Dakota?”

“Don’t talk about him like you care,” Dakota scoffed. “You didn’t even bother showing up for mom’s funeral, so you don’t get to act all high and mighty here. I didn’t know dad had died, or I would have been here. You know that.”

Helen had hit a sore spot, but Dakota couldn’t let that show. Of course she felt guilty about not being here, of not having a chance to say goodbye to her father. He was the only hero she’d ever known. But she couldn’t dwell on that now. There were more important things she had to deal with.

Helen started to say something, but snapped her mouth shut at the last moment. Running a hand through her black hair, Dakota took a deep breath, centering herself. This back and forth wasn’t going to get her anywhere, and Helen wasn’t one to be swayed by emotional arguments.

Time to speak her language.

“Look,” she started, walking to the desk and looming over Helen. “Let’s lay it all out there. You have been living above your means for years, and when dad died, you saw an opportunity to make some quick money. I know what that house is worth, and we both know that ‘junk’ dad was ‘obsessed’ with had pieces people all over the world made offers on all the time,” she said, watching Helen lean back and narrow her eyes.

“We both know dad meant for that collection to go to me, and you know full well I could drag you through the courts for years,” Dakota continued. “Having me declared dead in such a short time?” she scoffed. “I bet there were some shady deals that went into pulling that off.”

“Dakota…” Helen started, her expression falling just enough to make the casual observer think that the stick was mid-dislodging, but Dakota knew better. She cut her off, purposefully ignoring the placating tone of her aunt’s voice.

“No, we are way past talking this through. If you want to see a dime of that money before I get my own lawyers involved and make this all very complicated, you better listen,” Dakota warned. “You can keep whatever you made off the house, I don’t care. But you are giving me a list of all your buyers. Anyone who bought anything that was meant to be left to me, I want to know their names.”

“Is that all?” Helen asked, a lot less arrogant than before. More placating, probably as a result of the very real relief she must have felt to keep herself and Charlotte in the finery she was so attached to.

“No,” Dakota replied, staring Helen down. “I also want the money you made off the sales, so I can buy it all back. Every piece of dad’s collection that was meant to go to me.”

Nervous laughter slipped past Helen’s lips, the cat in her lap all but forgotten as she leaned forward, studying Dakota with wide eyes. The animal squirmed, jumping off Helen with its tail twitching.

“You can’t think it’s that easy,” Helen said. “Some of these people have been eyeing your father’s collection for years.”

Ah, so now she admits it’s not ‘junk’.

“I can be very persuasive, now can’t I, dear aunt,” Dakota countered. “I’ve managed to come back from the grave you so hastily put me in. I think I can handle some stuffy rich dudes with a thing for knick-knacks, as you called them.”

“There’s no need for threats,” Helen replied, squaring her shoulders. “And neither of us wants to let the courts to get involved with what is clearly a family matter,” she added, voice as smooth as honey once more.

Oh, so now we’re family? Dakota thought, but refrained from saying aloud.

She had only ever remembered seeing her aunt around when the woman needed something from her dad, and Helen had never even attempted to have any kind of relationship with Dakota herself. Still, she hadn’t expected Helen to go as far as to steal what was meant to be hers.

“So we have a deal?” Dakota asked.

“Yes. You will have the list, and the money. I’ll get it all settled, and we can get everything in writing, ready to be signed by tomorrow,” Helen replied.

Crossing her arms in front of her, Dakota stifled a groan at the insincere smile plastered on her aunt’s face. At least once this deal was over, they could both go back to pretending the other didn’t exist. Before Dakota actually put her last remaining relative in a grave far more real than hers had been.

Now let’s just hope none of the people that bought dad’s stuff have realized what they really have on their hands.