Footsteps in the Foyer
274 Words
Chapter 12
The digital chime of the front security keypad cut through the morning silence like a shattered wineglass.
Katherine froze on the bottom step of the grand staircase, her hand hovering over the cold brass banister. Her heart slammed against her ribs, a wild, trapped bird beating its wings in panic.
From the shadows of the foyer, Tiana stepped into the pale, slanting light of dawn. The heavy silk of her emerald robe was rumpled, the hem faintly stained with damp garden soil. Her hair, usually sculpted into an immaculate crown, fell in loose, chaotic waves around her face. But it wasn't her disheveled appearance that made Katherine’s breath hitch it was the small, unmarked leather satchel clutched tightly against her chest, and the sharp, calculating glint in her eyes.
Tiana stopped dead in her tracks as she caught sight of Katherine standing on the stairs.
For three seconds, neither of them breathed. The air between the two sisters felt thin, charged with a sudden, volatile static. Tiana’s gaze swept over Katherine taking in the slightly untucked collar of her blouse, the flushed heat still lingering beneath her skin, and the unmistakable look of a woman who had spent the night hiding in a place she had no business being.
A slow, dangerous smile crept across Tiana’s lips, cold and sharp enough to draw blood.
"Up early, sister?" Tiana murmured, her voice dripping with a terrifying sweetness as she took a deliberate step toward the stairs, clutching the satchel even closer. "Or did you spend the whole night looking for things that don't belong to you?"
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