Chapter 2 – THE FALSE BOTTOM UNDER THE SEAT

The night air was thick and humid as Madison and I ran down the dark street.

My heart hammered against my ribs with every step.

“Are you sure he didn’t follow us?” Madison whispered, looking over her shoulder.

“Dad won’t leave the house,” I said. “He knows Mom is watching him now.”

We turned the corner behind the abandoned grocery store.

The blue 1972 Ford F-100 was parked in the shadows, perfectly hidden behind a rusted dumpster.

Madison handed me the keys. Her hands were still shaking.

“Olivia,” she said quietly. “Why did Dad have Grandpa’s gold watch? Aunt Linda said it was stolen at the hospital.”

“I don’t know,” I said, unlocking the passenger door. “But we’re about to find out.”

I climbed into the cab. The familiar smell of old leather and motor oil hit me, bringing a sudden wave of grief.

I felt under the passenger seat.

Grandpa and I had restored the upholstery ourselves. I knew every inch of this truck.

But as I ran my fingers along the rusted metal tracks, I felt a small, unnatural latch near the back.

I pressed it.

A metal panel dropped down with a heavy thud.

Madison gasped, holding up her phone flashlight.

Inside the hidden compartment was a thick, weather-beaten leather coat.

I pulled it out carefully. It was heavy. Much too heavy for just a coat.

I unzipped the inside lining.

My breath caught in my throat.

Wrapped in plastic were stacks of hundred-dollar bills, bundled together with rubber bands.

“Oh my god,” Madison whispered. “How much is that?”

“Tens of thousands,” I said, my voice trembling.

But that wasn’t all.

Tucked beneath the money was a small, black velvet box, and a handwritten letter sealed in an envelope.

The envelope had my name on it.

To Olivia.

I ripped it open with shaking hands.

“My dearest Livvy,” the letter read in Grandpa’s familiar cursive.

“If you are reading this, I am gone, and David has shown you who he really is. I did not leave you this truck to fix. I left it to you to escape. The money is for your college. The box contains your grandmother’s heirloom.”

I paused, tears blurring my vision.

“But you must never let your father find the ledger. He doesn’t want the truck, Olivia. He wants what is sewn into the lining of this coat.”

I dropped the letter and immediately felt the thick leather collar of the coat.

There was a hard rectangle stitched inside.

I grabbed my pocket knife from the glove compartment and sliced the leather open.

I pulled out a small, black notebook.

“What is it?” Madison asked.

I opened the pages. They were filled with dates, bank account numbers, and transfer amounts.

“It’s a ledger,” I said. “Grandpa’s business accounts.”

I flipped to the last page.

There was a circled amount: $250,000.

And beside it, written in red ink, was a single sentence that made the blood freeze in my veins.

David stole the money to pay off the Vieri family.

Madison stared at the page. “The Vieri family? Like… the mob?”

Before I could answer, a blinding white light flooded the alleyway.

A heavy tow truck had just pulled around the corner, blocking our only exit.

And stepping out of the passenger side, holding a crowbar, was my brother, Tyler.

“Give me the notebook, Liv,” Tyler said, his voice completely dead.

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