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“Don’t insult my mother.”

“She deserves more than insults after what she did. She signed the contract to sell you off, along with your father. She knew what would happen, which is why she fled the country.” He points at my phone. “Call her. Put it on speaker. Let’s hear her bullshit excuse or if she’ll even own up to it.”

My chest tightens at the ugly truth, and I want to vomit. “Wait, she left the country?”

He nods, disgust on his face. “She flew out on a private jet early this morning. Just like your father, she knew what was coming today.”

A tear slips down my face, and I hurriedly swipe it off my cheek.

I hit her name, and she doesn’t answer my first call.

Or my second or my third.

It takes four tries before she does.

“Mom, where are you?” I rush out, hearing reggae music in the background.

“Oh, hi, honey,” she sings out. “I’m just in Tahiti.”

Yes, she fucking sings it.

“Why are you in Tahiti?” I bite back the urge to scream that at her. I want to hear her sorry excuse for ditching my ass first.

“Mama needed a little vacation.” She sounds as interested in this conversation as I was in Henry’s offer.

“Bullshit,” I hiss, losing that restraint. “You fled.”

She’s quiet.

“Dad is dead.”

“What?” She at least shows emotion when hearing this news.

Not a lot, but some.

“Dad. Is. Dead,” I stress.

“How?” Her voice breaks just a twinge.

“He shot himself in the head in front of me.”

Technically, it was behind me, but semantics.

I wince at how cold my voice sounds. It’s as if Julian’s attitude toward death has suddenly rubbed off on me.

“Honey,” she says, her voice as smooth as, well, honey, “I’m so sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?” I ask. “For his death? For taking the private jet without me? You left me here to deal with theconsequences of your actions, yet you made sure you were safe from them.”

“I didn’t have time to call you. You know how bad traffic is in the city. I had to get out of there. I’ll try to find funds to get you here soon. Just hang tight?—”

“Have the jet come back and get me right now. If it was that easy for you, then it should be for me.”

“The jet is parked. If we move it, the Feds will take it. Flying to the States isn’t an option right now. We have to wait until all this clears up.”

“Did you know about the contract?” I snarl. “The one that sold me off to a Russian psychopath?”

Her silence confirms she did.