Part 1 of 2
I carefully trimmed the thorns off a dozen long-stemmed, blood-red roses, my movements rhythmic and unconsciously precise. The air inside Petals & Pine, my small but successful shop nestled in a quiet, aggressively wealthy Connecticut suburb, was thick with the scent of damp earth, crushed eucalyptus, and blooming lilies. It was a peaceful smell. A civilian smell.
“Don’t work too late, Maya,” I said, tapping the Bluetooth earpiece tucked beneath my hair. “The midterms are over. You survived. You should be celebrating.”
On the other end of the line, my daughter’s laughter tinkled like wind chimes. “A group of us are going out, Mom. We got invited to Leo Sterling’s estate. It’s the ‘Heirs’ Gala’ at his place. I’m only going for the networking, I promise. It’s a huge deal for a scholarship kid like me.”
A familiar, icy prickle crawled up the base of my neck, right over a jagged bullet scar I kept perpetually hidden beneath soft wool cardigans. Vanguard University was an institution built for the global elite, and I knew exactly who the Sterlings were. Julian Sterling was a ruthless venture capitalist who practically owned the state legislature; his son Leo was royalty by extension.
“Just stay safe, honey,” I murmured, my eyes instinctively scanning the shop, noting the front door, the back exit, the blind spots behind the refrigerated displays. Old habits. “Keep your phone charged. Don’t leave your drink unattended.”
“I’m nineteen, Mom. I’m a big girl,” Maya sighed, the fond exasperation clear in her voice. “Besides, what’s the worst that could happen at a billionaire’s mansion? They have more security than the White House.”
“I know. I love you, Maya.”
“Love you too, Mom. See you tomorrow.”
The line clicked dead. I looked at my reflection in the dark, rain-streaked shop window. I saw a tired, forty-two-year-old florist in a canvas apron, her hands stained with yellow pollen. But for a fleeting, terrifying second, the glass reflected a ghost: a woman in a heavy tactical vest, her face smeared with greasepaint, standing over a broken warlord in a windowless room in Kabul. I blinked hard, forcing the phantom back into the locked basement of my mind—a literal and metaphorical door in my house that Maya was never, ever allowed to open.
I swept up the discarded thorns, determined to finish the week’s inventory. The antique brass clock on the wall struck midnight, its heavy chimes echoing in the empty shop. Just as I was wiping down the cutting counter, my cell phone rang.
It wasn’t Maya’s ringtone. It was an unknown local number.
“Hello?” I answered, a sudden dread coiling in my gut.
“Is this Sarah Thorne?” the voice on the other end was breathless, the background noise a chaotic symphony of alarms and shouting. “This is St. Jude’s Emergency Room. We have a Jane Doe brought in by an anonymous drop-off. She’s in critical condition. We found your business card crushed in her coat pocket.”