Samuel T. cocked a brow. First time Ive heard you say that word.

At least with your clothes on.

{ 159 }.

Watch it, Lodge, Lane growled. Thats my sister.

The man shook himself, as if hed forgotten he wasnt alone with her. My apologies. That was inappropriate.

Dont go far. Lane started pacing around, his hand yanking at his short, dark hair. For the love of God, we need good representation.

As Gins attorney, lover, and baby daddy" though he didnt know that last part" left, she stared down at the pointed toes of her silk stilettos. The left one had a smudge running across the top of the toe box, something shed gotten while sliding herself into the back of the cop car.

There was a click as the door shut behind Samuel T., and she didnt wait for another prompting. He wants me to marry Richard Pford.

Richard . . . Im sorry, what?

You heard me. Father is cutting me off unless I marry the man. He says its because that goddamn distributing company will give us better rates or something.

Is he insane? Lane breathed.

You wanted to know why I took the car" thats why I took the car, and thats why Father called the police. She looked up at her brother.

Im not marrying Richard. No matter what our father does to me" and that is what youre dealing with.

Getting up, she went over to the door and opened it herself. You can come back in.

Such an honor, Samuel T. murmured.

As her lawyer resettled in the chair by his briefcase, she said, So how do I get out of here.

You make bail, Samuel T. replied. And then we try to get the charges dropped, either because we plea you out or your father gets over whatever youve done.

What kind of bail are we talking about? Lane asked.

First- time offender works in her favor, the flight risk does not.

Only about fifty grand, tops. McQuaid is a friendly judge to people like us, so its not going to be high.

Fifty thousand dollars, she thought. Indeed, that had never seemed like much before. Nothing but a trip to Chanel in Chicago.

{ 160 }.

She thought of what little was in her purse. I dont have that kind of money.

Samuel T. laughed. Of course you do"

Ill make sure its paid, Lane cut in.

Samuel T. opened his briefcase and took out some papers. Do you authorize me to represent you in this matter, Virginia?

Since when did he call her by her proper name? Then again, maybe he didnt want her brother to pound him into the concrete floor by any further familiarity. Yes.

His eyes, those piercing gray eyes, held her stare. Sign this. After she did, he muttered, Dont worry, Ill get you out of here.

Her breath rattled in her chest as she exhaled. But then what.

What exactly was going to be different on the other side of all this?

It wasnt like her father was suddenly going to turn over a new leaf.

Edward had barely survived William Baldwines willingness to choose business over his children.

We get you out first, Lane said. Then well deal with the rest of it.

Glancing at her brother, she realized she had never seen him so se- rious before: As he leaned against the bare wall of the ugly little square room, he was so much older than when hed left two years ago, so much more in command.

She had grown to expect such authority from Edward; never Lane, the Playboy.

Hes going to win, she heard herself say. Father always wins.

Not this time, Lane gritted out.

What the hell is going on here? Samuel T. asked.

Lane just shook his head. You take care of this, Samuel. You just get my sister out of here. Ill handle the rest.

God, she hoped that was true. Because clearly her attempt at cross- ing their father hadnt gone so well.

{ 161 }.

EIGHTEEN.

A s Lane came to a halt in front of Easterlys front entrance, he hit the brakes on the Porsche so hard that he dragged half of the drives cobblestones with him into a park. He didnt kill the engine; just got out and flew up the stone steps, passing through the double doors like a draft.

Nothing registered as he entered the mansion, not the maid clean- ing the parlor. Or the butler who spoke to him. Not even his Lizzie, who stepped into his path as if she had been waiting for his appearance.

Instead, he left the house through the door at the base of the dining room and strode for the business center, crossing through the orderly arrangement of round tables under the tent and then dodging the groundskeepers who were stringing lights in the blooming trees.

His fathers place of business had a terrace onto which a series of French doors opened out, and he headed for the pair that was all the way down on the left. When he got to them, he didnt bother trying the handle, because it would be locked.

He banged on the glass. Hard.

{ 162 }.

And he didnt stop. Not even as he felt a wetness on the outside of his hand, which seemed to indicate hed broken something"

Oh . . . hed smashed the glass out of the first pane of his fathers office and moved on to another.

The good news, he thought, was there were plenty more where that came from.

Lane! What are you doing?

He stopped and turned his head toward Lizzie. In a voice he didnt recognize, he said, I need to find my father.

William Baldwines exceedingly professional executive assistant raced into the office and her gasp came through loud and clear through the shattered glass.

Youre bleeding! the woman exclaimed.

Where is my father.

Ms. Petersberg unlatched the door and opened things up. Hes not here, Mr. Baldwine, hes gone to Cleveland for the day. He just left, and Im not sure when hell be back. Was there something you needed?

As her eyes went to the blood dripping off his knuckles, he knew she was heading in a may- I- bring- you- a- hand- towel direction, but he didnt care if his veins emptied all over the place.

Who told my father Gin left? he demanded. Who called him?

Was it you? Or a spy in that house"

What are you talking about?

Or did you call the police on my sister? I know for a fact my father wouldnt know how to dial nine- one- one himself even though they said he did.

The womans eyes flared, and then she whispered, He told me she was going to hurt herself. That she was going to try to leave this morn- ing, and that I had to do what I could to stop her. He said that she needs help"

Lane!

He whipped his head around to Lizzie just as things went off- balance, his body listing to one side.

{ 163 }.

With a strong hold, she caught him, and kept his weight off the ground. Come on. Back to the house As he let himself get rerouted, blood fell to the flagstone terrace, speckling the gray with dark red spots. Glancing back at the assistant, he said, You tell my father Im waiting for him.

I dont know when hes returning.

Bullshit, he thought. The woman scheduled William down to his bathroom breaks. And Ill be here until Hell freezes over.

There was so much rage in him, he was blind to his surroundings as Lizzie guided him off. The fury was about Edward. And Gin. His mother.

Max"

When was the last time you ate anything? Lizzie said as she mus- cled him through a doorway into Easterly.

For a moment, he felt like he was hallucinating. And then he real- ized all the men and women in white were chefs, and that he and Lizzie were in the kitchen.

Im sorry, what? he mumbled.

Food. When.

He opened up his mouth. Closed it. Frowned. Noontime yesterday?

Miss Aurora entered his field of vision. Lands, what is wrong with you, boy.

There was some conversation at that point, none of which he tracked.

Followed by a bandaging of his hand which he didnt pay attention to.

Then more talk.

He didnt come back online properly until he was sitting in the staff break room, at the table, with a plate of scrambled eggs, six slices of bacon, and four pieces of toast in front of him.

Lane blinked as his stomach roared: Even as his brain remained a mess, his hand picked up the fork and started shoveling.

Lizzie sat down across from him, her chair squeaking on the bald wooden floor. Are you okay?

He glanced past her to Miss Aurora, who was standing by the door as if she were about to leave. My father is an evil man.

{ 164 }.

Hes got his own set of values.

Which was the closest she would get to ever condemning anyone.

Hes trying to sell my sister. Cue the gasps. Its like . . . out of a bad novel.

He was in the middle of sharing the details when his phone went off" and the second he saw who it was, he answered. Samuel, where are we?

Samuel T. had to raise his voice over the chatter in the background.

Seventy- five thousand for the bail, its the best we could do. As soon as you bring a certified check, you can pick her up.

Im on it. Are you leaving?

Not until she gets out of here. She has the right to consult with her attorney, so as long as Im around, she wont have to be in some cell alone" or God forbid, with someone else.

Thanks.

As he cut the connection, Miss Aurora ducked out to keep an eye on her chefs, and he turned to Lizzie. Im going to go get the bail money now. After that . . . I dont know what.

She reached out and put her hand on his forearm. As I said before, is there anything I can do?

It was like a strike of lightning. One minute, he was as normal as any male could be in the situation . . . the next? Lust pumped through his veins, hardening him, rechanneling the crazy in his head into some- thing truly insane.