The Pretended Heiress of a Powerful Family
Chapter 1
1.
The night my parents were snatched, my cop brother was ditching us to take his fake girlfriend bungee jumping.
I didn’t try to stop him. I dialed 911 and started figuring out the ransom.
Last time, he bailed on her to save Mom and Dad.
The bungee cord snapped, she went over the cliff, and they never found her body.
He didn’t say a word afterward.
On my birthday, he drugged me and dragged me to that cliff edge.
“You planned the whole thing, didn’t you? You’re so desperate for attention, you’re a monster!”
“If Tiffany’s dead, you don’t deserve to live either!”
I woke up back in my own bed, the night it all started.
This time, Mikey wasn’t playing hero. He was running to her.
He was gonna regret that decision so bad.
—
I bolted upright, soaked in sweat.
My heart was hammering like it wanted to break free.
The fear of falling was still hanging on me, but I knew the room.
I checked the time.
I was back.
Back to the night Mom and Dad got kidnapped.
Five minutes and the phone would ring with the demands. An hour to get the cash or else.
I was a lost-and-found kid, back with my folks for less than a year. They were everything to me.
No way I was letting the last life happen again.
I ran downstairs and sat at the phone, my cop brother Mikey right behind me in his track suit.
“Relax, Willow. Who are you trying to impress? Mom and Dad aren’t even here.”
“Maybe because you kidnapped them?”
Mikey smirked.
He was telling me not to even bother.
Without him and my parents playing along, this would be over even quicker.
Last time, he was convinced I masterminded the whole thing to get attention, to make Mom and Dad love me more.
I have no idea where he got that twisted idea.
He was gonna ignore my “trap.”
“Willow, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Conspiring in a crime is a crime.”
“Don’t come crying to me to get you out when you’re behind bars.”
I started to say something, but the phone ripped through the silence.
Each ring was like a needle in my heart.
Mikey acted like he didn’t even hear it.
He glanced at me, a little smile on his lips as he walked out the door.
“Suit yourself. I’m taking Tiffany bungee jumping.”
“They’ll be fine. Don’t bother me unless it’s important.”
He didn’t say that last time.
Mikey used his cop skills to find the kidnappers fast.
He got Mom and Dad back in one piece.
That day, I was so relieved and happy for my parents, I didn’t notice the doubt and anger in his eyes.
Later, at the cliff, I learned that Tiffany had called him a million times while he was off playing hero.
He wouldn’t answer, so she went alone and got hurt.
Now, the phone was screeching at me.
I picked it up. The kidnapper’s voice hit my ear.
“Two million. Two hours. Or your folks are dead.”
I stared.
What? Last time, it was only a million!
2.
I gripped the phone, my hands sweating.
The real world was a little different this time. The drop location might have changed too.
I wrote everything down on a piece of paper.
Two guys, young, hiding out at one of their places.
A million in cash, dropped in the third trash can by the South Station entrance.
Mikey nailed them before they could grab the money. Everybody was okay.
I grabbed my cell and called 911.
Then I called my dad’s best friend, Uncle Ron, who was also a shareholder, and told him to pull out the cash.
He was freaking out too.
“Call the cops, Willow. I’ll handle the money.”
My heart settled down a little.
Two minutes later, a cop from the local precinct showed up.
Mikey’s buddy, Nick, came in frowning.
“Willow, your brother just called me. Lucky I was nearby…”
“False reports are against the law!”
My hope was gone.
Mikey thought I was the mastermind. He sent his buddy to shut me down.
With no cops and no location, how was I gonna fix this?
I crumpled the paper in my fist.
I pictured Mom and Dad getting hurt. I started to cry.
“Nick, I’m not lying. I’m an adult. I’m responsible for my actions.”
“Please, I need the police. I need you to help me save my parents!”
I couldn’t breathe.
It had already been ten minutes, and there was not much time left.
Nick leaned back on the couch, scrolling through his phone.
He didn’t care if I was crying.
“People always say foster kids are manipulative. You think crying is gonna get you anywhere?”
“Your brother’s right. You don’t know what’s important. Tiffany’s way better than you…”
Tiffany had been adopted by my parents, just like me. She grew up as a princess.
Mikey especially was obsessed with her, almost in a weird way.
They were always hugging and stuff.
The clock ripped me back to reality.
I had to calm down.
“Nick.”
I said his name carefully.
“You’re on duty. You have to listen to me.”
He just laughed at me.
“You think you can tell me what to do now that you’re a Banks? You’re still an outsider.”
His words cut me.
“Your folks don’t even love you that much. Mikey told me they always call you Tiffany.”
“You’re so jealous. You’re always scheming, making Tiffany move out.”
Nick ate from a bowl of chips, talking down to me.
Mikey filled his head with this garbage.
I wasn’t gonna let it stop me.
“What do I have to do to make you believe me? My parents are in danger.”
“This is an emergency. Can you live with the consequences?”
Nick stopped chewing and stood up.
“Go ahead and report me. Girls like you need to be taught a lesson…”
Two other cops walked in the door.
“Willow? We got a call about a kidnapping.”
My legs almost gave out.
Mom and Dad were gonna be okay!
3.
Nick rushed to the door to shake their hands.
“Just helping Mikey’s sister. We’re all on the same side.”
I noticed that Nick wasn’t in uniform.
He ran out the door.
The other cops stopped him.
I stepped forward.
“Officer! My parents have been kidnapped. I have a recording!”
I played the phone call.
Nick turned white.
“Mikey said it was an act…”
“He said you made it all up.”
I ignored him.
I unfolded the crumpled paper.
I tried to remember every little detail from last time.
I remembered a way to lead them to the old drop site.
“Officer, I can give you descriptions. The suspects were near my house.”
“I think they asked me for directions. I can’t be sure.”
A sketch artist arrived. They listened to my description. They compared it to past offenders.
Two guys with records popped up.
One of them had rented a place using his real name. The police prepped a raid.
I sat on the couch, completely drained.
I was covered in sweat.
Twenty minutes later, the cop with me got a call.
“I’m sorry, Willow. We didn’t find your parents at the location.”
“But we did find this.”
They had a bunch of pictures of me and my parents.
“They’ve been watching for a while. We’ll get these guys.”
My mind was racing.
My worst fear was coming true.
They changed the drop site.
Everything I knew was useless.
Nick was calling my brother.
He was whispering, but I could still hear him.
“It’s real. There’s a suspect. You need to come back…”
I heard Mikey laughing on the other end.
He said it loud enough for me to hear.
“Give it up. You’ll fall flat on your face…”
“Mom and Dad won’t forgive you. Don’t come crying to me…”
The fear and resentment from last time rushed back.
Even if he hated me, he shouldn’t ignore the cops.
I was right. Mom and Dad didn’t deserve this.
Their perfect son was off with his girlfriend, and Mom and Dad were suffering.
It was awful.
I wiped my eyes. Then the phone started ringing.
The cop listening gave me a look.
My heart pounded.
The kidnappers were calling again!
4.
The cop gave me the OK signal.
I picked up the phone, shaking.
The cop held up a card.
[STALL FOR TIME]
I took a breath, but my voice still trembled.
“I’m getting the money ready. Please don’t hurt my parents.”
The kidnapper laughed.
“Hurry up! One hour! I told you, they’re dead if you don’t.”
The cop showed me another card.
“Where should the money be dropped? Where will my parents be?”
He was getting impatient.
“The money goes in a locker at the bus station. Don’t worry about your parents. The money arrives, they come home.”
My head was pounding. Even the drop was different.
I talked as much as I could.
“Are my parents okay? Can I hear their voices?”
He cursed. “You ask for too much.”
Then I heard my mother.
“Willow, we found you. That’s enough for us.”
“Don’t risk your life for us. Take care of yourself.”
“We love you more than you know. We haven’t been great at telling you that. I’m sorry.”
My father’s voice.
“Baby, I’m sorry we lost you. If I have the chance, I’ll apologize.”
I opened my mouth, but I couldn’t speak.
I didn’t need them to make up for lost time. I just needed them to be safe. I was coming for them!
He interrupted.
I heard the sound of someone being kicked.
“Shut up, old people! You’re so emotional!”
“Hurry up with the money, or your parents won’t come home in one piece.”
Then he hung up.
Everyone looked at me.
They hadn’t been able to trace the call.
My fear was overwhelming.
My brain was a mess.
