He stopped right in front of me, his expression still flat. “I will undo this.”

“You can’t, Trey. It’s out of your control. I won’t give you the house so that you can destroy it. Your father wouldn’t have wanted that.”

“My father is dead. What he wanted doesn’t matter.”

“To me it does. I’m done here, Trey. I won’t allow you to tear me down anymore.”

I turned away; nothing good would come of this conversation. When he grabbed me, I wrenched my arm away. He came at me again and I pulled my sleeve up to my forearm, exposing the bruises he’d created during our last altercation.

“I’d advise you to keep your hands to yourself, Trey. I’ve already documented these with my lawyer.”

“I-I didn’t—”

“Weston will have the keys to the house shortly. I’m guessing you won’t try to bully him the way you’ve bullied me. But if you feel physical coercion is necessary, at least he’s on a more level playing field. Good-bye.” I stepped around Trey, grabbed my bag with a trembling hand, and wheeled it to the door.

Trey recovered from the shock of seeing the damage his temper had done, his response scathing. “You don’t think I’ll permit you to take Connor’s car, do you?”

“I don’t need your permission. Connor’s car is mine now.”

There was nothing else he could take from me. The thing he wanted had been signed over to his cousin; Frank had made sure the agreement was airtight. Trey’s hands were tied and if he’d been through the documentation, he knew it.

I opened the door, ready to leave this all behind me.

“I never should have let you leave in the first place,” he said.

As if the choice had been his to make? I turned, the icy wind prickling the back of my neck. “What did you say?”

“You should have been mine,” he said bitterly.

Trey had always been callous, unrepentant for the hurt he inflicted on others. But in that moment the façade dropped and I saw someone crippled by narcissism.

“Is that what you thought would happen when you brought me back here?”

“I took care of you, and now you’re leaving me with nothing. You owe me.”

As though I were a possession to be passed along.

I left without another word. There was nothing to say.

5

TENLEY

About ten minutes later, Weston called and I pulled over. The keys had changed hands. Only then did I realize I still had my set, and Trey still had his.

“Don’t worry about it,” Weston said. “I’m having the locks changed this evening. With Trey you always have to stay one step ahead.”

“I was never very good at that.”

“Oh, I think you were better at it than you know. And you’re always welcome to visit. All you have to do is call.”

“Thanks, Weston.”

“Take care of yourself, okay?”

“I will. You, too.”

I stopped at a gas station about three hours into the drive. I was halfway to Chicago and utterly famished. For the first time in weeks, I actually had an appetite. I bought a huge bag of chips, a monster chocolate bar, and a Coke.

I called Sarah after I gassed up to let her know I was on my way back, but she didn’t pick up, so I left a voice mail and sent a text as backup. I’d given her my apartment key so she could feed TK.

I considered my options as I continued home. Hayden had a key, but he wasn’t answering my calls, so that ruled him out. Besides, a conversation was waiting to happen when I saw him, and showing up in the middle of the night wouldn’t make that discussion any easier. The possibility that I might not be able to right my wrongs terrified me.

Three hours later I stood outside my apartment building, buzzed Sarah, and prayed she was home, even though her car wasn’t parked in her spot. There was no response to my buzz. Maybe she was at work. I went back to Connor’s car and resignedly punched The Dollhouse into the GPS. I wanted to be home, and I wanted to see TK. If I couldn’t have Hayden tonight, at least I could have her.

Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of the strip club. I called Sarah again but still got no answer, which made sense if she was waitressing. Parking in a well-lit area, I grabbed my purse and locked the car. The building was painted black, garish lights flashed out the name of the club, and a neon light showed a half-naked woman bending, standing, bending, standing, as she flickered on and off, her bare ass on display with each flip of her skirt.

I couldn’t believe Sarah worked here. But if it paid for her MBA and left her debt free after college, I could see the logic.

I headed for the entrance, a bit nervous. I scanned the lot, searching for Sarah’s car, but couldn’t locate it. The staff might have separate parking, though; safer for the girls who worked there. A huge man with arms the size of my waist guarded the front door. He looked me over in a way that made me feel naked even with my hoodie. I wished I had my jacket on.

“ID.” He held out a meaty palm.

I rooted around in my bag for my wallet and pulled out my driver’s license. He scanned it, looked at my face, then handed it back to me. “Where’s your escort?”

“Pardon?”

“Your escort,” he said, annoyed. “You need a male escort to come in here.”

“Oh, I—” I chewed my lip, unsure how to proceed. “I have a friend who works here, her name is Sarah.”

“Sarah, huh? So you’re looking for a job?” He smiled wryly. “You’re a little skinny, but that porcelain-doll thing might work for you.”

He opened the door and grabbed the arm of a scantily clad woman who passed by. “This one’s looking for a job. Take her to the boss lady.”

The woman looked at me, laughed, and turned back to him. “Are you serious?”

“Says she knows Sarah.”

I thought to correct him, but if it got me in, I’d take it. All I needed was to get my key and I’d be on my way.

She gave me a doubtful look and turned back to the bouncer. “You’re wasting everyone’s time. She wouldn’t last a shift.” With a look of exasperation, she motioned for me to follow her.

I trailed behind her as we skirted the perimeter of the club, taking in all the men in business suits, seated close to the main stage. Toward the back of the club were two smaller stages, cordoned off with red-velvet rope. On either side were plush couches where men in suits lounged while dancers writhed in their laps.

I didn’t want to think about Hayden with his hands all over any of these women, or vice versa. I wondered if money had ever been exchanged on his part. The thought sickened me.

“So you know Sarah?” she asked, eyeing me suspiciously.

“Yeah.”

“You tell that bitch she needs to stay away from my clients.” She flipped her bleached hair over her shoulder. “Otherwise I’m going to mess up that pretty face of hers. Wait here,” she ordered.

“Is she work—”

She slipped through a door guarded by another heavily muscled man before I could finish the sentence.

“Hey,” I shouted to him over the pounding music, my uneasy feeling growing. “I’m looking for my friend Sarah. She works here.”

He tapped his ear and mouthed, “I can’t hear you.” Then he went back to staring menacingly at the crowd.

Frustrated, I turned to look for her. The interior of the club was painted midnight black, casting shadows over the clientele. I searched for Sarah’s almost-white blond hair, but couldn’t locate her through the flicker of strobe lights. Tables full of men watched a naked woman gyrating on a pole, their eyes straying only when a mostly undressed waitress passed by. I hated that my friend waitressed here, and that Hayden had once been immersed in this lifestyle.

The door beside the bouncer slammed opened and Sienna appeared in all her red-patent-leather glory. The dress she wore was suctioned to her body. Her fake breasts were pushed up so high they looked like flesh-colored grapes ready to burst. Marks were on her arms, as if someone had been holding on to her hard, and one of her cheeks was bright red. A man dressed just like the one guarding the door came out behind her, adjusting his belt.