With my feet kicked up on Kelly’s desk, I flipped Alex’s recommendation for a psychotherapist between my fingers.

A slew of emotions rolled through me as I turned my head and stared out the window.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.

I knew her actions were done out of a place of love, but I also knew that I needed help shedding the weight of guilt on my shoulders. Clearly, doing it my way wasn’t working. The secrets I held close to my heart were difficult enough when sharing with people I trusted, so how could I be expected to share them with a stranger?

Tucking the business card away in my pocket, my eyes skittered across Kelly’s desk to the photo of his dead wife, Nora.

I felt my face tighten with resentment. “What’re you looking at?”

Nora’s bright eyes continued to smile and I resented her even more.

“You’re the one who killed yourself for not being able to handle the stress,” I said to her, dropping my feet to the floor.

Casting my gaze to my wrist, I caught myself brushing my thumb over my pulsing vein, thinking I wasn’t any better than her.

Not being able to take her silent judgment any longer, I reached across the desk and slammed the photo frame face-down. She didn’t have any right to judge me. It didn’t matter that she was dead. Her spirit lived on through Kelly, whether he was willing to admit it or not.

Spinning around in the chair, I checked my phone.

Kelly was due back any minute now and I couldn’t wait to see him.

As much as I enjoyed catching up with Alex, I didn’t need her sympathy. All of my problems were the result of the decisions I’d made. Though I did appreciate her concern, I wasn’t sure that a psychotherapist was what I needed.

Checking the time again, I was growing impatient with Kelly.

He’d told me to meet him here. That he had something I needed to hear.

Wringing out my hands, my stomach rolled with anxiety. I could only guess what Kelly had discovered. Whether about my impending civil suit against my family, or my imminent death at the hands of Sylvia, both were news I wished I didn’t have to wait around to hear.

Every minute that we weren’t together, self-doubt took over, convincing me that our relationship didn’t have a chance at surviving past Madam’s deadline. I hadn’t the faintest idea where to begin looking for Sylvia. Nor did I have anything to convince her to turn herself in with.

Growing bored, I opened a few drawers, snooping around.

I busied myself with reading files on Mario and Blake Stone, catching myself up on the men who influenced Kelly’s choices. It wasn’t hard to see that Kelly was a reflection of them. The good, the bad, the ugly.

When my eyes landed on the glimmering silver below, my eyes popped out of my head.

I found his gun stashed in the drawer and everything inside me changed.

An adrenaline rush heightened my senses.

Fear kept me cautious.

I reached down to touch the cold metal with my fingers and a feeling of power and self-control surged through me.

With my blood rushing thick in my veins, I took it into my hand, feeling like I could change the outcome of my situation.

Heat rushed across my chest as I felt the insides of my thighs quiver, abruptly remembering how the muzzle felt inside my vagina as Kelly fucked me with it. My pussy clenched, and a pleasant throbbing between my legs reminded me how much I needed him.

I wanted to laugh or have a good cry, but instead I just felt angry, bitter at the world for turning its back on me and letting me down. I wished that I had found Kelly under different circumstances. Wished that I didn’t have the baggage from my past coming back to haunt me just as my life was making a turn for the better. It all seemed so unfair.

This was Madam’s fault. Everything was her responsibility. Including how she threatened to take me away from Kelly if we didn’t find Sylvia before our time was up.

Staring down the barrel of the gun, I thought how never in my life had I wanted to kill before now. Maybe Kelly was right. Maybe we needed to kill Madam before she killed us.

It wasn’t just the Madam I was furious with.

It was uncle Marvin and my father for what they’d done to cause me so much pain. The pain I’d endured as a child. The pain I struggled to deal with now.

My eyes swelled as I felt a dark cloud hang over my head.

Brushing my finger over the trigger, I didn’t have it in me to commit to pulling it.

I heard the front door open and quickly hid the weapon away inside my purse. “If you made me wait any longer I might not have stayed,” I called out to the front, expecting to see Kelly walk through that door any second.

My mouth fell open when Drake Goodman walked through instead.

He smiled as if he’d expected to find me sitting behind Kelly’s desk.

Watching him carefully, he had a relaxed presence. His tussled dark hair went well with his sport coat. I could see why Giselle had gone after him. He was confident, handsome, and had a killer smile that made it hard not to reciprocate.

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to find you here without Kelly and Giselle around.” His smile filled his face. “Maybe we should be added to the payroll and take over operations.”

“Or maybe we should just rob the place,” I teased.

He lowered his large frame to the edge of the desk, hovering over me. “Anything valuable?” His eyes searched around before stopping on my purse. “You weren’t kidding, were you?” He flicked his eyes up to me.

Closing up the purse I knew that Drake had seen the gun.

“Hope you have your concealed weapons permit.”

I chose to ignore him.

“Though I can’t blame you if you don’t.” His strong eyes fell on mine. “I read the article about Kelly being the one to have murdered those people.”

“And what do you think?” My brow arched. “Is he capable of such a travesty?”

He shrugged with a glimmer in his eye. “I suppose, since you’re here, you don’t believe what it said.”

“What? That Kelly is going to kill me next?” I laughed. “It’s tabloid bullshit.”

“Yet you’re the one with the gun.” He snickered and picked up the folder I’d left out on Blake Stone. “Crazy though, right?”

“Kelly might not always represent the best of society, but it’s a necessary evil.”

He held up the folder and said, “Not my place to judge.”

“What is it you do, Mr. Goodman?”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me.” He winked.

I snickered and said, “I’m soon to be unemployed.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure you won’t have trouble finding a new job.”

“You don’t know what I do.”

His head shook. “No. But I remember seeing you at Ty Lemon’s party.”

“Funny,” I clasped my hands on my belly, “I don’t remember seeing you there.”

“That girl found dead the other day, she was there, too.” His voice fell to a whisper.

Casting my gaze to my hands, I thought of Tonya and felt my heart constrict. Despite the warm temperature in the room, my blood ran cold as I shivered.

Drake turned his head to me. “You talked to her that night.”

“I talked with lots of people that night,” I said, wondering what it was he was getting at.

“But you talked with her for a long time.” His stare hardened. “Long enough to make me notice.”

Standing, I paced the room, wondering why he cared so much about me talking with Tonya that night. “I didn’t have anything to do with her death, if that’s what you’re suggesting.”

“You know what’s odd about the Maria Greer and Tonya Craig murders?” He stroked the point of his chin. “I can’t help but realize they both had connections to Kelly’s friend Wesley Reid.”

Slowly, I turned to him, feeling breathless.

“Maybe that article is right.”

“Yet, we both somehow still ended up here,” I said. “What do you want, Mr. Goodman?”

He stood with his hands buried inside his pockets. “I know what you’re up to.”

I tried not to react. Tried not to overanalyze what he was saying, what he knew. The look he was giving me was enough to cause my fingers to tremble.

“The challenges you’re facing.”

He stepped closer.

“Kendra, I can help.” A knowing look fell over his face as he tilted his head to one shoulder. Pulling his hand free, he pushed a thick business card between my fingers. “All you have to do is ask.”