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want to hurt you, Robert, the way you hurt me. But don’t

worry. It will only be for six months. You have my word that

she won’t be harmed. She’ll be very well cared for. It will be

nothing but a change in her living accommodations. During

that time, you aren’t allowed to see her in person. You can call

her or even video chat with her to assure yourself that she’s

just fine, but that is the price I want you to pay for what you

did to me, and that includes explaining to your daughter

exactly what’s happening.”

Robert finally lost it. He slammed back the chair and stood

up. “You can’t have my daughter. You’re a sick person, Claire.

A monster.”

“Bitch, monster, whatever you want to call me. Fact is, you

did this to yourself. You did it eleven years ago and you did it

now. You have one thing I want. One thing. After six months

is over, we’ll call it even. Your restaurants will be back in line,

making money. I’ll find you a lender and I’ll sell you back the

fifty-one percent of your business for a good rate. An

appropriate rate, no gouging, I promise. You’ll be well on your

way to success, no thanks to yourself and your own shoddy

business practices, and your insatiable thirst for things that

don’t matter. Your greed got you here, not me. So.” Claire met

the man’s eyes, fire for fire. His eyes were blue. Just like

Haley’s. She remembered that well. How the girl looked so

much like him. She still did. Claire’s people had given her

photos when she’d dug into Robert and Haley’s lives. “It’s

your decision. You lose everything, including your houses and

your cars. Everything. Your daughter is forced to leave college

because you can’t afford her tuition. You live with that

humiliation for the rest of your life. Or, you take what I’m