Disclaimer: None of the work in Reading With Star belongs to me. The author owns all right to the book. They have given me permission to share a bit of their work with you.

Release Date: August 29th, 2023

https://readerlinks.com/l/2731232

Twisted
Dark Road Series Book 5
Written by Krys Fenner
© Two Realms Publishing LLC

April 27, 2014

Heather stood there by her brother as he protectively blocked his girlfriend from the federal officers. Not that it was necessary. No, these guys were there for their parents, but she couldn’t tell her brother she knew that. Or that she’d turned them in for their crimes. It was rather satisfying to watch two staunch government officials haul her parents out of the house in handcuffs.
“I feel like I’m missing something, or I’m being punked,” her brother said.
Some small part of her felt bad for hiding this from her brother, but if he’d known what she intended to do, he might’ve tried to stop her. Their parents were horrible people, and they deserved what came to them. The only way to hide her pleased smile was to remain silent.
“I promise you, that’s not the case,” Detective Owen commented. “They have a legitimate warrant to arrest both of your parents for a slew of crimes, including money laundering and embezzlement.”
“I’m sorry, what?” David’s eyes widened.
Her gaze snapped to the detective. Money laundering? How the fuck had that popped up? She and Luis had carefully gone through every shred of evidence they’d found. Nothing amongst those files pointed to money laundering. Had they missed something? No, that couldn’t be the case.
One way to find out.
“You think you know someone.” Heather barely contained a smirk. The things her brother didn’t know about their parents was rather extensive. None of that mattered. Right now, she needed a quick escape. “Excuse me. I’m going to call our lawyer.” Stepping off to the side, she put enough distance between them that no one should be able to overhear her conversation.
It would ruin everything if the FBI discovered how a chunk of their evidence had been obtained. Though apparently, they had gotten more on their own outside of what she’d delivered to them. Glancing over her should, she ensured her privacy and dialed her co-conspirator, Luis. He answered on the second ring.
“Whatever you want, I’m not helping. We agreed to part ways after our work was done,” Luis said before she could get a word in edge wise.
“We did,” Heather whispered. “Except my parents just got arrested.”
“Newsflash. That’s what’s supposed to happen.”
“For money-laundering,” she snapped. Somehow, she got that out without tacking on ‘you, idiot.’ It wasn’t like he could’ve known. Right? She folded her arm across her chest and peered back at her brother, his girlfriend, and the detective. The three of them just stood there as more and more federal officers disappeared inside the house.
“What? That’s not possible. We didn’t find any evidence of that.”
“I know that, but I’m telling you they’ve been arrested for embezzlement and money-laundering.” Though Owen had said there were other charges. Shit. She hadn’t thought about that. What other charges? “We need to meet.”
“Fine,” Luis sighed with exasperation. “When?”
“Two hours. Valley Coffee and Beans.” It wasn’t the most secluded, but it would have to do. They were in a bit of a crunch, with no time to plan anything out. To figure out where it all went wrong, they’d have to go through everything they’d found.
“I’ll be there.”
Good. She didn’t need him to argue or fight with her about this. Yes, they’d broken up months ago and for good reason, but he’d helped her hack her parents’ records and set this up. He needed to see this shit through. “Then I’ll see you soon.” Without another word, Heather disconnected the call.
“Did you get a hold of the lawyer?”
Heather bit her tongue, barely holding her shock in place. She glanced over her shoulder at her brother. Christ, she hadn’t even heard him approach. Maybe she should put a bell around his neck. It would be harder to hide things from him in a smaller living space. Flashing a pearly white smile, she faced David. “Uh, no. It went to voicemail. Of course, it is Sunday, so that could be why.”
“Did you try his cell?”
“I don’t have that. Do you?” If so, why the fuck was she pretending to call the damn lawyer in the first place? Right. The additional charges filed against her parents. Not that it should matter. It simply meant they’d go away for a lot longer than she originally expected. That was fucking great! Unless, of course, something blew back on her and her brother. She definitely didn’t want that. Better to react now rather than later.
“Of course.” David smirked. “Don’t worry. I’ll call the lawyer.”
“Good.” Then she didn’t have to lie to the lawyer. Heather crossed the driveway over to the truck they had mostly loaded. She peered at Detective Russell. “Since you spoke with those agents, did you look at the warrant, too?”
“Yes. Everything is in order on their end. We just need to stay out of their way,” he replied.
“Right.” She eyed the time on her gold watch. Maybe she should’ve told Luis a few hours. Although, did they really have to stay? Heather pursed her lips. “I assume it only mentioned items that belonged to my parents, along with this residence.”
“That’s correct. Are you worried they might find something… illegal?”
“Of course not,” she smirked. Oh, no. She’d moved her and her brother’s electronic devices last night to their new apartment. No way had she intended for feds to get their hands on her equipment. All the stuff she’d paid for with her own money. Well, money from her parents, but they’d deposited those funds into her bank account. Their warrant shouldn’t apply to that, but she refused to take any chances. Right now, she simply needed to focus on getting them out of here.
“Thank you,” David said as he approached the group. He tucked his cell phone into his back pocket. “Alright. Our lawyer says just to hang tight. He’ll be here as quickly as possible.”
“Great,” Heather muttered. “Just great.” She folded her arms across her chest and scrutinized every person who traipsed in and out of their former-home. Someone had to watch them, ensuring they didn’t take anything they weren’t supposed to take. Too bad she hadn’t planned this all a little better. With any luck, once the lawyer got here, they could collect the rest of her brother’s belongings and leave.
Either way, time wasn’t on her side.

Note From Star:

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse of Twisted. Please consider clicking the link above and grabbing a copy of this book. I also fully encourage you to check out the first four books in the series. All of the covers are gorgeous, and the books are intense and addictive.

Have an excerpt you want to share? Contact me at nikkiereads@starsbooksandtea.com so we can discuss it!