Jay Conway leaned against the bar at Cypress Hollow Golf Club, swirling a lukewarm cup of coffee like it was something stronger. He was the manager of the club, but it wasn’t exactly the dream job he had imagined. Life had gotten stale, and his bank account reflected it. Keeping the course green was about as satisfying as watching paint dry, but hey, it paid the bills—just barely.
He absentmindedly rifled through some old photos he found in a dusty drawer in his office, mostly grainy snapshots of the club’s glory days. One photo caught his eye, though. In it, a much younger Jay stood next to an old club member, Mr. Samuel Hawthorne, holding up a scorecard with a big grin on his face. Mr. Hawthorne, a local millionaire, had passed away years ago, but something about the photo tugged at Jay’s memory.
The phone in his pocket buzzed. It was Aitana Ward, his neighbor and part-time confidant, a biomedical engineer with a knack for getting wrapped up in Jay’s ridiculous situations. She was likeable, polite, and far too kind to be hanging around a brash guy like Jay, but she had a soft spot for him—or maybe it was just for his cat, Mittens.
“Jay, we need to talk,” Aitana’s voice crackled through. “It’s about Samuel Hawthorne’s will. It’s gone missing.”
Jay squinted, his brain doing mental gymnastics. “How the hell do you lose a will?”
“It’s not just lost. I think someone took it,” Aitana replied. “And… I might’ve gotten involved in something I didn’t expect.”
“Great,” Jay muttered, rubbing his temple. He wasn’t in the mood for detective work. But the thing about being broke is that you’re always up for any opportunity to change that.
A few hours later, they sat in a dim corner of The Brass Pineapple, a dive bar frequented by Cypress Hollow’s less-than-lawful types. Jay leaned in close to Aitana, who was trying her best to look like she wasn’t nervous. The place was packed, mostly with the usual drunks and degenerates, but Jay’s eyes locked on one person in particular—a woman at the bar with jet-black hair, and a stare that could turn water into ice.
Her name was Cara.
Cara had been working as the club’s assistant groundskeeper for over a year now. She was sharp, competent, and a bit too quiet. Jay had always figured she was up to something. Turns out, she was a lot more dangerous than she looked. Word on the street was that she was somehow connected to Mr. Hawthorne’s missing will, and more alarmingly, to a series of “accidental” deaths that had been plaguing the city’s elite. Jay couldn’t help but think she was more than just an ordinary co-worker.
“Jay,” Aitana whispered, leaning in close. “I don’t think we’re safe. Someone tried to kidnap me outside my apartment last night. I barely got away.”
“Kidnap?!” Jay shot back, a little too loudly.
Aitana flushed, casting nervous glances around the room. “Look, I didn’t want to say anything, but I’m pretty sure it was Cara. She’s dangerous.”
Suddenly, a shadow fell over their table. Jay looked up to see Cara standing there, eyes cold and unblinking.
“Fancy seeing you two here,” she said, her voice laced with venom. “Heard you’ve been asking about a missing will.”
Jay stood, trying to mask the fear creeping up his spine with his signature bravado. “Funny you mention that. We were just talking about you.”
Without warning, Cara lunged forward, a knife glinting in her hand. Jay barely dodged the first swipe, knocking the table over as he staggered back. Aitana, surprisingly calm, stood and, with a swift movement, grabbed Cara’s wrist, twisting it with precision and skill that Jay had never seen before. Cara yelped as the knife clattered to the floor.
“What the hell, Aitana?!” Jay gawked as Aitana executed a perfect judo throw, sending Cara crashing to the ground, dazed but not out.
Aitana looked at him with a shrug. “What? I took judo classes in college.”
Cara scrambled to her feet, fury in her eyes. “You think this ends here? The will is just the beginning!” She lunged again, but Aitana was quicker, disarming her completely and pinning her to the ground.
“You’re going to explain where that will is, or else you’ll be eating turf for dinner,” Jay said, standing over her with a newfound confidence.
Cara spat out a laugh. “You really think you’ve won? Hawthorne’s will isn’t missing. It’s been hidden, and the real prize isn’t the money. It’s the land rights to Cypress Hollow.”
Jay’s jaw dropped. The land? The golf course itself was part of a massive redevelopment plan, something he hadn’t been aware of. That meant the value of the place was about to skyrocket—and Cara wanted it all for herself.
Later that night, after Cara was carted off by the police, Jay and Aitana stood outside the club, the wind cutting through the cold city night.
“Well,” Jay said, “I guess this means I won’t be unemployed anytime soon.”
Aitana smiled. “Guess not. You’re lucky I know judo.”
“Lucky? I’d call it a miracle,” Jay replied, then paused. “You ever thought about becoming a bodyguard?”
She chuckled softly. “Nah, I’ll stick to biomedical engineering. But hey, if you ever need backup again, you know where to find me.”
As Jay watched Aitana walk away, he felt something he hadn’t in a long time—hope. Maybe life wasn’t done playing cruel games with him, but at least now, he had a fighting chance.
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