Page 2 of Built of Illusions

Roman sighed again. “Yeah, it is. We’ve got to track this bastard down.”

Nico nodded. “Let’s gather what we need and leave the scene to the techs.”

They’d take the evidence and start going through it with the local team. It would take time to sift through it all and convince the locals this case belonged to Nico and Roman.

But they’d get it done because they were going to get justice for this woman.

Sooner rather than later.

For now, they had to confirm her identity and destroy her parents’ world.

Merry fricking Christmas.

Three weeks later

From the time the older foster girls had refused to let her play with Barbie’s Dreamhouse, Josie Ellis had wanted her own space. Her own stuff. Her own home.

Josie walked the block and a half from the bus stop, twirling her key in one hand and her bag of cleaning supplies in the other. When she turned the corner, she could see the For Sale sign on the house. As she neared, she spotted the bright red banner across it.

Sold.

She couldn’t contain her grin and she bounced the last few lots until she stood in front of her home. All hers. Josie laughed and danced her way up the walkway. The house was barely wider than a car and not much longer, but it was bright and safe and hers. All hers.

Josie Ellis, brat from nowhere and no one, was officially a homeowner with a mortgage looming over her for the next few decades.

This area of Sacramento wasn’t too far off the middle class sections and it was far enough from the areas she avoided. Those factors had all been considerations when she’d been house-shopping, but the biggest reason for choosing this one had been the huge south-facing window and the large open space in front of it.

Standing on the tiny stoop, Josie clapped her hands and did another shimmy. For a moment, she wished she had someone to share this occasion with, but she shoved that thought away. She’d learned to enjoy life with no one in her corner. And it was only going to be better from here on out.

The sun shone on her huge window and warmed her spirit. January sun and warmth, exactly as it should be. Not like the snow and ice she’d left behind in Vermont when she’d traveled there over Christmas. Although she’d liked that a lot more than she’d expected.

Josie held the key up and closed her eyes for a moment. “Here’s to a home filled with safety and peace and creativity.”

The key turned easily and Josie crossed the threshold with a whoop. She locked the deadbolt behind her and then leaned back against the door and soaked it all in.

Soft blonde hardwood on the floors. White walls and trim. The perfect art space. She could paint here. Sculpt. Sketch. The walls ached for framed photos and color. The light demanded to be put to use.

An island separated the living space from the kitchen area. Rather than pans and rolling pins, that area would probably house her paints and other tools.

The left side of the house held a bathroom, laundry room, and bedroom. Not big enough for a queen bed, but it wasn’t like she had any prospects for sharing that space with anyone.

An image of a tall, dark, and handsome man in one of his endless string of spiffy suits tried to intrude on her brain, but she shoved it away. She didn’t have time for him.

As he certainly didn’t have the time for her. Or the inclination.

A peek in the tiny bedroom made her wonder if his long legs would even fit. She closed her eyes and shook her head. No imagining Nico Rivera in her bed. Or any other room in the house.

Laughing at her silly thoughts, she did a quick tour of the place. The previous owner had cleaned, but Josie would do that as well. She wouldn’t be able to sleep until she’d scrubbed.

While most of her foster homes over the years had been fine, some had been horrid shades of awful and Josie struggled to sleep in new places. The cleanliness was only one factor but it was one factor she could control. And for the first time ever, she could control all the other factors.

Her own home.

The first job she completed was to install new locks and deadbolts. Then she checked the window locks. All worked properly and none needed to be replaced.

A few hours later, her safe little home shone from every corner. Even the inside of the mailbox. She’d found an abandoned snow globe inside. The globe showed the Sacramento Capitol Building and surrounding buildings with the city’s name emblazoned along the bottom.

It looked new and Josie wondered if the previous owner had left her a house-warming gift. Smiling, she set it on her kitchen counter. Her first decoration. Soon the walls and floor would hold Josie’s own art, but for now, this kitschy ornament would do.