Breaking Barriers

The next morning, S'eris sat cross-legged on the living room floor, her laptop balanced on her knees. She'd been combing through the digital paper trail for hours, searching for any hint of who had scammed them. The contracts, the emails—everything seemed legitimate at first glance. But she knew better now. Somewhere in the mess was a thread they could pull to unravel the truth.

Tamir walked in, carrying two mugs of coffee. He set one down beside her without a word and flopped onto the old couch with his own.

"I don't drink coffee," she said flatly, not looking up.

"It's tea," he replied, taking a sip of his own.

Her eyes flicked to the mug. She hesitated, then picked it up, feeling the warmth seep into her hands. She hated that he'd guessed right—that she could actually use the pick-me-up.

"Thanks," she mumbled, her focus returning to the screen.

"You're welcome, boss," he teased.

"Don't push your luck," she shot back, though her tone lacked its usual bite.

He chuckled and stretched his legs out, his socked feet resting on the coffee table. "Find anything yet?"

"Not yet," she said, scrolling through another email. "But something's off about the escrow company. The name doesn't come up anywhere online. No website, no reviews—nothing."

Tamir frowned, leaning forward. "That's a red flag. Let me see."

S'eris tilted the screen so he could look, and their heads ended up closer than she expected. She caught a faint whiff of his cologne—something woodsy and clean. She forced herself to focus.

"See?" she said, pointing to the header of the email. "It's like they don't exist."

He nodded, his eyes scanning the text. "We need to cross-check this with the county's property records. If this company was legit, the sale would've been registered there."

She blinked, surprised. "You know how to do that?"

"Yeah," he said, glancing at her. "I used to help my mom with stuff like this. She bought a few properties back in the day. Taught me to always double-check the details."

S'eris felt a pang of something unfamiliar. Respect, maybe? "Smart woman."

He smiled faintly. "She was."

The room fell quiet for a moment, the weight of his words lingering between them.

"You said 'was,'" she said softly, almost without thinking.

Tamir nodded, his expression somber. "She passed a few years ago. Cancer."

"I'm sorry," S'eris said, her voice low.

"Thanks," he said, managing a small smile. "She'd have liked you, though. She always said women who don't take crap from anyone are the ones who get things done."

S'eris felt her cheeks warm slightly, but she kept her focus on the screen. "Smart and observant, huh?"

"Runs in the family," he quipped, his grin returning.

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help the small smile tugging at her lips.

Later that afternoon, they drove to the county office to pull the property records. The clerk, a middle-aged woman with glasses perched on her nose, handed them a folder after some searching.

"This is everything we have on the address," she said, eyeing them curiously. "Hope it helps."

"Thanks," S'eris said, flipping through the documents as they walked back to the car.

"Anything useful?" Tamir asked, unlocking the passenger door for her.

"Yeah," she said, sliding in. "The property hasn't officially changed hands in over twenty years. The last registered owner is…some investment group."

Tamir started the car, his expression tightening. "So the sale we thought we made never actually happened."

"Exactly," S'eris said, leaning back with a frustrated sigh. "We weren't just scammed. They didn't even bother covering their tracks."

Back at the duplex, they sat in the kitchen, brainstorming their next move.

"We need to find whoever's behind this investment group," S'eris said, scribbling notes on a pad.

Tamir nodded. "And figure out how they pulled this off. They had to have inside help—maybe a fake title company or a corrupt notary."

Their conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door.

S'eris frowned, standing to answer it. An older man with a kind smile and a cane stood on the porch.

"Afternoon," he said. "Name's Mr. Roland. I live across the street. Thought I'd come by and introduce myself."

"Hi," S'eris said cautiously, shaking his hand.

Tamir appeared behind her, nodding politely.

Mr. Roland glanced between them. "Y'all must be the new owners. Been a while since anyone lived here. Glad to see the place getting some love."

"Thanks," Tamir said. "We're working on it."

"Well, if you need anything, let me know. I've been here forty years, so I know this neighborhood like the back of my hand."

S'eris's eyes lit up. "Actually, we might take you up on that. Do you know anything about the last owners? Or the people who sold this place?"

Mr. Roland's brow furrowed. "Not much. Place went empty after some company bought it. But I did see some folks coming and going a few months ago. Looked like real estate agents, but they were acting…shady. One of them even yelled at me when I tried to ask questions."

"Do you remember what they looked like?" Tamir asked.

Mr. Roland nodded slowly. "One of them had red hair. Young guy. The other was an older woman, dark hair, real sharp-looking. Drove a fancy car."

S'eris and Tamir exchanged a glance.

"Thanks, Mr. Roland," S'eris said. "You've been a big help."

As he left, they turned back to each other, the wheels in their minds turning.

"A red-haired guy and a sharp-looking woman," S'eris said, jotting it down.

"Sounds like our first real lead," Tamir replied.

For the first time, they felt like they were getting somewhere. Together.

Later that night, S'eris sat on the couch with her laptop balanced on her knees, scrolling through online reviews of the fake property management company. Tamir had claimed the kitchen table as his workspace, papers spread out around him. The faint hum of the heater filled the silence between them, but it wasn't tense this time—just quiet.

"They really went all out," S'eris muttered, breaking the stillness.

Tamir glanced up. "What?"

"This scam," she said, turning the laptop toward him. "They've got fake reviews, fake employees, even fake pictures of the properties. It's… impressive, in the most infuriating way."

Tamir pushed back his chair and walked over, peering at the screen. "They've got social media pages too. Real clever. Makes them look legit."

"Clever isn't the word I'd use," S'eris said, her jaw tightening.

"Well, they got us, didn't they?" he said, sitting on the armrest of the couch.

She frowned, leaning back. "Speak for yourself. I knew something felt off, but I ignored it because I wanted this to work so badly."

"Yeah, same," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess we both saw what we wanted to see."

S'eris closed the laptop with a sigh, her eyes wandering to the patches of peeling paint on the walls. "It's not just the scam, though. It's everything. Like, I worked so hard to get to this point, and now it feels like I'm starting over from zero."

Tamir studied her for a moment, his voice softer when he spoke. "I get it. I put all my savings into this place. Thought I'd finally have something stable, you know? A home. Instead, I got… this." He gestured to the room, his lips curving into a wry smile.

She looked at him, her skepticism briefly giving way to curiosity. "Why'd you need a fresh start?"

He hesitated, his usual quick wit replaced with something more guarded. "Just… stuff. Family drama. A job that went south. Figured a new place would help me figure things out."

S'eris nodded slowly. "Yeah, I get that."

For a moment, they sat in silence, the unspoken understanding between them growing thicker.

"Okay," Tamir said, standing abruptly. "Enough of this pity party. Let's talk strategy."

S'eris blinked. "Strategy?"