He saw the high beams of his father's Range Rover before he heard it pull into the driveway and his adrenaline immediately kicked in. He wanted to know everything about the girl who had tried to take his very expensive Louie Vitton messenger bag and had left him with a bruised jaw and ego to match. He was going to sue her for all the money she had and make sure her children's children felt the wrath of Owen Greenburg.

When the lock clicked, Owen was on his feet racing toward the door to meet his father.

"Hey dad, I think the best course of action is to press char..." He stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted the hooded figure behind David. He was sure his eyes were deceiving him until the figure looked up momentarily to glare at him.

He would never forget those dark brown orbs.

"What in the hell is she doing here?" Owen asked through gritted teeth and winced slightly from the slight ache in his jaw. He had a right mind to reciprocate the nice right hook she had delivered earlier that night but she was a girl. Albeit, a juvenile delinquent masquerading as a girl-a girl nonetheless.   

"Owen!" Anne Greenburg looked incredulously at her son and made her way toward the soaking wet girl beside her husband. "Don't be rude, and watch your mouth."

"Everyone calm down," David said as he ushered Leah further into the home. "This is Leah Henderson; she's going to stay with us for a couple of days."

Leah ignored the glare the annoying white boy threw her way and quickly scanned her surroundings. The home was spacious with wood trim and warm honey toned walls. A fire place was blazing bright across the room and lining the mantel were black and white photos in sterling silver frames of the family.

She made a mental note to take a look at the pictures later. Photography had always been a secret passion of hers.

She wondered if the woman of the house had decorated herself or had employed the help of an interior designer.

Not like these people couldn't afford it, she thought.

"I'm Anne. It's wonderful to have you here Leah." Anne said so sincerely Leah just about believed the red-head. The amber eyes of the older woman almost had her fooled, but she knew it was all an act. No one was that kind for no reason. Anne's porcelain skin, fiery red hair and wide doe eyes reminded her of her mother and the way she would whisper ‘I love you' in Gaelic.

Snapping back from her reverie, Leah gave a small nod, looked up quickly and said, "It's Lee," before reverting her eyes away.  

 "Well, Lee, I'll show you to the guest room. You'll love it. It's perfect for a teenage girl." Anne slung her arm around the younger woman and directed her toward the hall.

Once the two were out of ear shot, Owen revoked his silence.

"Dad, are you out of your mind? That girl is a criminal!" He flung his arms in the air and stood waiting for his father to say something.

David simply smiled and removed his uniform jacket and hat. "Owen, she's not a criminal. She's just a girl down on her luck. She needed a place to stay so I brought her here."

"There are hotels you know? Give her a few dollars and send her on her way!"

"Where's your compassion Owen? She has no other place to go and she's really a nice girl."

Owen rolled his eyes. "She probably took your wallet out of your pocket while she was being so nice."

"Just give her a chance, yeah?" David said as he crossed the room to pat his son on the back and headed toward the kitchen.

"A chance to rob us blind? I don't think so." Owen mumbled to himself as he glared down the hallway where his mother's voice echoed.

****

"The bathroom is straight down the hall. Towels are in there as well. Are you hungry?" Anne asked as she watched Leah inspect the room.

She looked on at the girl as she touched the spotless brass lamp and swiped a finger along the dust free wooden bureau that housed it. Though Anne was curious as to why her husband had taken the less-than-presentable girl in, she trusted his judgment and knew there was a good reason for it. Something had drawn him in and she was sure it had been her doe eyes. When she looked into the girl's dark almond shaped orbs she saw so much of her young self there.

"I'm good, thanks." Leah said ideally as she continued to scan the lavender colored room and examine the clean linens on the bed. Everything was so much cleaner than she was used to and though she didn't give a hill of beans what these people thought of her, she didn't want to particularly ruin anything either. It didn't matter, she reminded herself. She would just bide her time until she could get enough money to get to the Bahamas, Hawaii, or somewhere else with sandy beaches and non-stop sun.

Anne smiled and began to back out of the room. "Well if you need anything I'll be down the hall."

With that she was gone.

Leah continued to inspect the room and caught sight of a white rocking chair in the corner of the room. She guessed the room had been used as a nursery before it had been converted to a guestroom. This left her wondering how many children they had, other than that idiot of a son.

"Hey, who are you?" A small voice asked from behind her.

Leah turned abruptly and was met with the same amber eyes as Anne. She knew instantly her question had been answered. The small child couldn't have been more than ten with her lanky build and long blond hair. Leah had become good at reading people and this kid seemed to be no real threat.

"Lee. Who are you?"

The girl grinned and stepped into the room. "Hayley, like the comet. I heard my dad brought a guest home. I was hoping you were a girl my age cause I get so bored around here. Owen won't play with me anymore and mom and dad are always so busy with work, or a charity or something else."

Leah wasn't sure the girl had even taken a breath and somehow she had understood every single word the child had spoken.

Yeah, this kid is alright, she thought with a small grin.

"That sucks. What do you do around here for fun anyway?" she asked while she let her backpack drop to the floor and began to remove her wet coat.

"Nothing at all we...you have a tattoo! Is it real? Can I see?" Hayley exclaimed excitedly and ran toward Leah. Having no sense of personal space, Hayley lifted her midriff shirt up more to get a better glimpse of her small butterfly tattoo.

Leah could only laugh and nod. "Yeah it's real."

"Wow, did it hurt?" she asked entranced by the colorful insect splayed across her abdomen. She traced it with her porcelain colored finger to inspect its authenticity.

Leah thought for a second before answering. "Not really. I got it last year before..."

"Hayley, get away from that criminal!" A voice sounded from behind, startling them both. Leah jumped away as if Hayley's touch had burned her.

"Don't be a jerk Owen. Lee is cool and she has a tattoo."

"She would." Owen glared at her with so much contempt, Leah was sure her face might melt off. "You have to get ready for bed anyway Hales."

His eyes never left Leah as the little girl wished them both goodnight and made her exit. Owen stepped fully into the room and shut the door hard.

"You think you have everyone fooled don't you?" He said as he pointed a finger at her.

Leah raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. "And let me guess, you're on to me?" She asked as she rolled her eyes and turned her back on him to retrieve her backpack from the floor.

"Damn right I am, Leah." He stressed her name, knowing she'd detest it.

She began to unzip her bag while she spoke. "Well guess what Owen? I don't have any ulterior motives. Your dad invited me here for a night and I'm staying for one night. That's it."

Owen smacked his lips and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, right. Your ‘I'm homeless and need a place to stay and good role model' routine won't get you shit with my family."

"Fuck you," she spat as she forgot about her bag and got nose to nose with him. Though she was at least five inches shorter she was sure she could take him. He had the same lanky build as his sister. There was no muscle, she thought.

She was more than 100% sure she could take the lanky young man.

"You probably whore yourself too." Owen looked her up and down as if she were diseased-as if the slightest touch of her skin would enable him to catch whatever fatal illness she possessed. "You're disgusting."

With wide eyes Leah was ready to reel back and show this spoiled brat just how much of a whore she could be.  She hadn't felt so much pent up anger for a person in so long she had almost forgotten what the sensation felt like.

"You don't know shit about me, so don't pretend as though you do. You stay out of my way and I sure as hell will stay out of yours." Her eyes searched his for approval.

Disgust continued to read easily across his face but he smiled in spite of it. "We'll see."

Thoroughly satisfied with himself, Owen left her alone and slammed the door behind him.

"Bastard," she mumbled and continued to unpack.

****

Anne closed the door softly to her daughter's room and lingered there for a moment before turning and bumping chest first into her oldest.

"Boy, what are you doing? Were you harassing Lee?" She glared at her son suspiciously.

Owen huffed loudly and threw his hand in the air in defeat. "Am I the only one in this house with some sense? That girl attacked me on the street and now she's in my house!"

"First of all young man, this is mine and your father's house. I don't see you coughing up any money for the mortgage." Anne cocked her hip and raised an eye brow waiting for her son's retort, when none came she continued.  "And secondly, Lee is a guest. I don't care how much you don't like her. She is your father's guest and you will be civil toward her. "

She stopped to take a breath and soften her voice. "There's obviously something about Lee that struck your dad. You know for a fact that he's a good judge of character. Just give her a chance, OK?"

Anne kissed her son's cheek and bid him goodnight before making her way down the hall to her room.

Owen couldn't argue with his mother, no matter how hard he tried. It had been the second time that night he'd heard the phrase ‘give her a chance' but his head was telling him the girl down the hall was trouble.

His gut, on the other hand, was reacting awkwardly to the girl who had almost mugged him on the streets just hours before. His mind kept going back to the moment he had walked in on his little sister tracing a finger over her caramel colored skin. He knew the moment had been completely innocent but his blood had boiled and couldn't understand why.

His body had reacted as well. Seeing the smooth skin of her stomach had done something to him. He shook his head of the thought and made his way to his room. He would find out about Leah Henderson then get rid of her one way or another.