v

against the fl

el. It was a

insult he couldn't abide. He was a man who commanded boardrooms and cont

ded to see his desperation. It was

talk. Properly. Stop

Hiding. He called it hid

It was small. It smelled like Lemon Pledge and stale air.

g on the door

st my ribs. He found me

pen the

the wood, but the arrog

htly. I smoothed down my sweater.

as loose, the knot pulled askew. He looked like a ma

e said, pushing past me into

iving room with a sneer. "Th

me," I said. "You

papers. I gave you what you w

nt

lders. His grip wa

istory. You can't just throw that away becaus

on my shoulders. I fel

I said, my voice

le. "I'm trying to fix t

r. I couldn't breathe with him suc

it," I lied. "Just

rs dropped. He thought he had won

my hair. I flinched. "Take

l

t, exhaling a breath that felt like it

one p

chael. It wa

report. You need to see

the att

vate investigator my mother

sn't at a park with Jaso

leyway behind a dive

a man. A man with tattoos on his neck

was hold

ith the casual indifference o

n the text be

ssociate, Mark 'Rat' Ratzlaff. Transaction obser

. Gravity seemed to double

n't Micha

't even Se

prop used to extract m

bed my

imestamp was from twenty minutes

view mirror only once and saw familiar h

chael's car across the street. He ha

into th

urine, old b

e. She was argu

Serena hissed. "Michael noticed di

th," the man spat back. "Th

settlement comes through," Ser

all he is

but it echoed off

round. Her ey

ered. "What are

n at Serena. He grabbed J

. Her shock turned into

ointed at the man. "

out from the s

He looked like he

ied to step in front of the man. "

Michael whisp

ason. He reall

him Daddy. He clung to the man's leg and looke

chael said. Hi

I love you! You wouldn't leave her unless t

e rise in

I held up my phone

said to Michael. "With your money. T

eyes were hollow, stripp

" he

look at what you boug

rinted report

bad you destroyed ours

d to wa

t me. "You ruin

h me. Michael c

out. It was ugly, and it was breathing,

over,"

time, I