Jeri wants a big confrontation with Simone and Liesa over a party Simone planned, but wants it to eventually grind down to a catfight over me. That gives me an escape window and I take it.

As much as I want to drag Kylie out of that house, I know that’s exactly what Jonas wants. Even if Jeri pretends to be involved in Liesa and Simone’s story, Tom is skulking around here, trying to catch me with Kylie. That’ll make it worse.

The only way to get her out of here is through the man who put her here. Since I needlessly sold my car to pay for Diana’s surgery, I call a cab and throw money at him over the seat when he pulls up in front of the building.

I barrel past the Interchangeable Receptionist on the ground floor, but she must’ve called up to her clone because Jonas waits for me when the elevator door slides open.

He leans on the IR’s desk, legs crossed, a smile stretching across his face. “Hiya, Tiger. I figured you might show up this morning.”

I want to grab him by the collar and pummel that cocky grin. “We had a deal.”

“We did—and you didn’t deliver.” He gives me a smug grin. “On to plan B.”

“You asshole. She doesn’t deserve to be thrown into this mess.”

He shrugs. “I’d say fucking in a public place opens her up for all kinds of trouble.”

I lunge at him and he dodges out of my way. “Hey, there, sport. If you’d show this kind of action on screen we’d be shitting in tall cotton now, instead of struggling to get next season renewed.”

The elevator door opens again and a thing more Yeti than human, in a rent-a-cop uniform, steps off.

Jonas has the expression of someone laying a royal flush on another player’s three-of-a-kind. “Thought you might get a little out of hand.”

I whip my head around from Big Foot. “I know she wouldn’t come to you on her own. What did you do to her?”

Jonas gives me a sad look. “Okay, sure, I did some sleuthing to find her and she was a slow start, but once she had some time to think it over, I dangled some money in front of her, she loaded into the starting gate and couldn’t wait to run the race. Even gave up the rights to the shower scene.”

She sold herself.

Us.

For Diana.

Rage pops and roils, sending a band of iron around my chest until I can’t breathe. “I’ll do anything you want, sleep with Simone, marry Liesa, anything. Just don’t show that footage.”

Jonas clicks his tongue in false sympathy. “No can do, sport. You should see the montage Jeri’s put together. The two of you sharing that whole star-crossed lovers look at the Blue Heron, the shock on your face this morning, all leading up to the shower scene in flashback. It’s gonna be epic.”

I throw myself at him again and he doesn’t flinch. The mouth-breather behind me wraps his arms around me like a human straightjacket and lifts me from my feet. My struggles do little to loosen his grip. With a casual gait, Jonas makes his way to the elevator and pushes the button. The elevator is waiting and the door opens. I nearly succeed in escaping the security Yeti and land a few good pops to his jaw.

Jonas yells to the security guy. “Not in the face! He’s got to be pretty for TV.”

Big Foot shoves me inside the elevator and stands as a gate to keep me from escaping.

“How can you do this to her?” I yell. “She’s your daughter.”

Jonas chuckles. “Trust me, when the money rolls in, you’ll all be thanking me.”

I stare at the security Yeti as the doors start to close. At the last minute, I throw one last jab and have the satisfaction of watching blood burst from his nose, right before the doors slide shut.