by Sophie Davis
Asher returned with two knives and the pad of paper from the living room. He dropped the latter on the carpet and handed me one of the knives. With each of us taking one side, we worked the tips of the knives into the seams. It took a great deal of finagling and jimmying back and forth, but finally, finally, the panel began to come loose from the wall. Once there was enough material to grab, I dropped my knife and pulled it free.
Even though I’d fully expected to find it, the sight of the metal box made my breath hitch. When I met Asher’s eyes, he, too, wore an expression of shock and awe. My heart was racing so fast I thought it might run right out of my chest. I wished that I had x-ray vision. Even the moments it would take to enter the passcode were too long. I wanted to see the contents right then.
Some of my excitement dimmed when I realized there was no keypad. I’d expected ten buttons, each one labeled with a number from zero to nine. Instead, the front of the safe had a slick, black, rectangular box in the center. That was it.
Shit. What if it’s a biometric lock? I thought grimly. A safe that costs ten grand might come with a fingerprint scanner or something equally Jason Bourne-ish.
Fingers trembling slightly, I reached out and ran a fingertip across the screen. I let out a yelp when it sprang to life immediately. Thank goodness. A neon green touchscreen keypad appeared.
“Do you want to do the honors?” Asher asked quietly.
I nodded. “Read off the numbers to me?”
“Sure.”
One by one, Asher slowly read off the numbers that corresponded to the capitalized letters. One by one, I input them.
“Last one…,” he said.
I reached for his hand, needing the moral and physical support. My head was spinning so fast, it was entirely possible I might pass out before ever seeing what was inside. Asher laced his fingers with mine and squeezed. The gesture was small, but had the desired effect. I felt grounded holding on to him.
“Four.” Asher’s voice was barely above a whisper now.
I pressed the square with a four inside and held my breath. Two sharp, electronic beeps rewarded our efforts. A heartbeat later, the door eased open an inch. Excited as I was, I didn’t reach for the door right away. Since finding Lark’s journal, I’d been living in this alternate reality. No, not exactly an alternate reality. More like I’d been living her life. I’d been so consumed with finding out what happened to her that I hadn’t thought of much else. Now, on the precipice of possibly finding out Lark’s biggest secrets, I found that I was a little sad. I’d come to think of Lark as a sort of kind of friend, and I was going to miss her. Not that any of that was important. Because we were going to find her.
My feelings had been premature. I soon realized that the mystery was far from over. In fact, just like every one of Lark’s clues up to this point, the contents of the safe brought about more questions than they answered. But unlike the previous clues, this one was extremely personal. And left me speechless.
Inside the ten thousand-dollar safe, hidden behind a false panel in a penthouse apartment rented by a diamond heiress who had vanished into thin air, was a manila envelope. Inside that envelope was a passport, a debit card for First National Bank, and a credit card. Every single item bore the same name. And it wasn’t Lark’s…
Raven Ferragamo.
I stared down at the picture on the passport, unable to believe what was right in front of my eyes. It was definitely me in the photograph. Later, after several shots of cheap liquor, I’d calm down enough to realize that it was my senior year school picture. But in that moment, coherent and rational thoughts weren’t possible. One thought continuously resonated through my mind. Finding Lark’s journal wasn’t random. Somehow, some way, she’d orchestrated the whole thing.
Now I had the biggest question of all to answer: Why me?
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Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Fragile Façade!
As a reader, reviewing books is the most important things you can do: they allow little-known authors like me to gain new readers! When finding a book that they’ve heard nothing about, many readers will give it a try if they’re able to check out opinions of the books from readers like you!
So, I hope you’ll consider leaving me a review—whether good or bad—on both your E-reader’s site and Goodreads.com. Read on!
xoxo, Sophie
There are more people than I can possibly name to thank for contributing in so many ways to the completion of this book...but I’ll do my best.
Firstly, of course, my partner-in-crime – we make quite a team, huh? Thank you for always being there for me, for your support, your encouragement and, most of all, your loyalty. All of our success so far is definitely due to all of your hard work. I’m really glad we decided to do this whole thing together, and I am so excited for what we have coming up.
To my family- thank you for supporting me and believing in all of this.
To my street team: thank you for your unwavering devotion, and for the time and energy you devote to me and the books. Whether it’s spreading the word about the books, coming up with slogans, or giving me your opinions on book covers, I really appreciate that you always come through for me. I’m really looking forward to us growing together!
To all the indie authors, large and small, who have embraced us and kept with the true nature of this community. There has always been someone there to help when I’ve had questions, concerns, or could just use a little light in my day. (Shine on, Madison Daniel!)
To the bloggers, for reading my books and posting about them. Some of you have been around since I first released Talented! The fact that you were not just willing, but even eager to read it, despite the fact you’d never heard of me is nothing short of amazing. I am so grateful to all of you, for that and everything since then.
To Ashley, for being a super fan, and for allowing me the gift of reading your writing. You’re going to be a huge success someday, I just know it. Thank you for showing the world that there isn’t anything that can’t be overcome.
To my readers, for taking a chance on an unknown, and for the enthusiasm you’ve shown towards both me and my work.
And finally, to the girls who are closest to my heart, who have done more for me than I can begin to think of, let alone say. Thank you Barb and Justine for being so incredible. Thank you for the time you give me, the assistance and the advice, and for joining the SDB team. You guys are both such an integral part of my days, I can’t fathom getting by without you anymore.
xoxo, Sophie