"Storm Xavier, give the money back!"
Verna Golding kept her voice down. She was frantic. That was her son's hard-earned money! She had hidden it so carefully in a hole under the stove, but it had vanished overnight. Twenty dollars!
It couldn't have been anyone but Storm Xavier. Verna Golding was furious and heartbroken, but she also blamed herself. Her son had entrusted that money to her, and she had failed to keep it safe. She had let her son down.
But as frantic as she was, she didn't dare raise her voice. She was terrified someone would find out her son was running a side business—that was considered illegal profiteering, a major crime.
Storm Xavier sensed Verna Golding's fear and grew even bolder. "What money are you talking about? You're always acting like a lunatic. Now get the hell out of my way!"
"The twenty dollars! You're the one who took it. You're not leaving until you give it back!"
