I drive back from the gym and pull into the driveway. Working out did nothing to alleviate the non-stop desire coursing through my body; my head's still in the fucking gutter. I feel a thin line of sweat zigzag its way down the chiseled ridges of my chest and I imagine it's Karen's tongue.

What? Don't look at me like that. I'm not as savage as you think. Sure, I'd like to fuck Karen for 24-hours straight if I could, but I also give a shit about her. There's a feeling that I have for her now that I swear I've never fucking had for any other woman, period.

“Where’ve you been? I’ve been calling you like crazy!”

Speak of the devil, I think, a smile washing over my lips as I nearly walk into her. I'll admit, I'm already thinking about bending her over the couch.

“Hey, babe. I was at the gym and I haven't checked my phone. I thought that you were doing your nails?”

I secretly love it when she’s flustered; she starts talking too fast and her hands become animated. Her words fly past me and I'm mesmerized by her lips. The way the sun catches the thin coat of gloss.

“I went to see Mr. Williams."

"You did what?" I ask. So much for being mesmerized. Now I'm just confused.

"I'm sorry I lied, but I had to see him. Things between the three of us are so good—better than I ever thought possible—so it made sense for me to make sure that everything was sorted out properly."

"What do you mean by everything?"

"The money," she says, her hands dancing around her face. "And he’s been with my family for so long that I had to see him … alone. Before you guys saw him.”

She can see the confusion on my face. “Who are you even talking about? Who is Mr. Williams?”

“Oh … the lawyer. You don't remember him? He came to the house a couple of times.”

It's coming back to me. I nod, “Old guy, around so high, bald, glasses. Sure, I know the one.”

She rolls her eyes. "You make him sound like an elderly hobbit or something, but yeah, that's him. Anyway, let's just say my meeting was a bit of shock."

"What, you mean the hobbit tried to take you back to the fucking shire?" I laugh. I'm trying to make her laugh too, but it's clearly not working.

"I'm serious, Colt! This isn't funny. Daniel’s already tied up the funds."

"What do you mean?" I ask. She's right; this isn't funny anymore.

"What I mean is that I can’t even sign over any of Mom’s trust to any account to save his business because he’s already made the decision and screwed us over. And he did it this morning!”

I run my hand through my hair; none of this makes sense … us being called here … everything Daniel's told us. He made it sound like he was fucking desperate for the money and that he needed us to agree for it all to go through. If he needed our agreement, why did he tie up the funds?

“This morning?” I ask. “But after what happened…” I trail off and Karen finishes my thoughts.

“After we were all together and so happy the first thing he did was screw us.”

“After everything that happened?" What the fuck does any of this mean?

“Exactly!”

What the fuck is Daniel up to?

Has he been pulling the wool over our eyes this whole fucking time? He's been making it sound like he needed money for the company, but now I’m wondering if the company needs the money at all.

There’s only one way to find out. If we go to his office, we can see for ourselves. It’s been over a year since I’ve been there, but I still remember how to get there.

“Get in the car!”

I don’t need to tell her twice. I can see the hurt and confusion in her eyes. She’s feeling completely fucking used.

“What are you going to do?” she asks as she clicks her seatbelt into place and I start the engine. I suspect that she thinks I’ll punch Daniel right in the face and ask questions later. But if that's what she's thinking, she's fucking wrong. And no, it's not because I've grown soft. Fighting just isn’t on the agenda.

“We’re going to talk to him," I say, calmly. "Find out what he’s up to.”

Then I turn the wheel and back the fuck out of the driveway. If we're going to do any talking, we need to get to Daniel’s office in record time. I'm not sure when he's going to leave the office for the day, and I'll be fucking pissed if we miss him. This isn't something that can be handled in a series of text messages. We need to talk face-to-face.

“Maybe we're being too hasty," Karen says after a few minutes of silence. She's been looking out the window, deep in thought. "There could be a perfectly good explanation for all of this.”

"I thought you were pissed about all of this?" I ask. I’m driving like a bat out of hell because if I'm being honest, I’m fucking pissed right now.

“Please slow down!” she screeches, bracing herself when I accidentally run a red light.

I turn to look at her, and her eyes are firmly shut. Fuck, she’s right, I don’t need to scare the shit out of her. Besides, getting there quicker won’t solve the problem. Nor will getting into an accident. My head’s spinning out of control. I'm thinking about everything Daniel's told us until this point … the pleas for help … and of course the way that he was in the bedroom.

“Has everything really just been a big fucking lie?”

She’s shaking her head. “I don’t know Colt. You’ve known him a lot longer than I have. And I don't have any answers. What do you think of it all?”

As we stop at a light, I turn to look at her. I have to tell her the truth. “I don’t know Karen. That’s the truth. I’m in as much shock as you are at the moment.”

That’s an honest statement from my heart. She puts her hand on my leg and says, “I believe you. I’m not sure if it will make a difference what he says.”

She has a good point; how will we know if his explanation isn’t another lie? He seems to be good at that; maybe being with Clara has changed him in ways we're only now learning about.

“I was thinking the same thing. At this point, with your meeting at Mr. William's office, the evidence is pretty fucking damning. What could he say to change things?”

She’s quiet, probably pondering my words. Then I hear her phone vibrate. “Shit, he’s calling me.”

“Karen, don’t pick it up. We’re nearly there. Just five minutes and we’ll be there.”

She nods her head and then she points ahead as we get near Daniel’s parking spot.

“That’s weird.”

“What is?”

“His car should be here, but I don't see it.”

I shake my head, “Maybe he's parked somewhere else. He wasn't home, so he should be here." I'm trying to stay positive.

“I'm not so sure," she says, scanning the parking lot.

Karen could be right. It’s a bit too much of a coincidence. Then it starts to hit home. What if we don't get the chance to talk to him?

I decide that there’s only one way to settle this whole thing, “Let’s go see if he's in his office.”

She nods, but I see that the tears have started to stream at the realization that everything we've been told this summer could be a lie. The guy she's opened herself too, could've played her. I don’t know what he's up to, but we’re about to find out. I hold on to Karen, feeling the need to protect her.

***

“Hi, is Daniel in?” I ask the secretary as we reach her desk.

“Yes. I’ll take you up to his office.”

A wave of relief washes over me. At least we didn't miss him. But that relief quickly turns into a bundle of anxious energy with the realization that we're about to confront Daniel face-to-face.

Karen replies, “There’s no need. We know where it is.”

Janice shakes her head, her brown bangs swaying with the movement, “You don’t. He’s not on the same floor anymore.”

I guess that's not surprising. It has been a while since we've both shown up here. As the receptionist walks us through the bare office, the realization that Daniel’s business is coming to an end really hits home. Maybe he wasn't lying about that part.

“Shit, it’s quiet in here.” I look at Karen, and she keeps walking at a steady clip. It’s as if she doesn't know what to think. I stop and kiss her on the forehead just before Janice leads us to the door of Daniel's office. I can't help but wonder how long Janice will last here, seeing as nearly everyone else has been let go by the looks of things. She may be next on the chopping block.

I whisper to Karen, “Daniel wasn’t exaggerating about things being bad. The office hardly has any traders. It looks like one of those ghost towns you can walk through in the Mojave deserts.”

There's a solemn look on her face as she nods her head. Once we get to the office, Janice knocks on the door once and doesn’t wait for a response before turning on her heels and walking back to her desk. As soon as the door opens, we see him. There's a surprised look on face as he raises his head from his computer.

“Karen, Colt, what are you two doing here?" Daniel asks.

I stand and look at him, not knowing what to say first. I can tell by the expression on his face that he doesn't know what to say or think either. We've never shown up at his office like this unannounced. Fuck, we've never shown up at his office before, announced or unannounced.

He stands up from his desk and walks toward us.

Karen sits in one of the leather chairs, but I can't sit. A bundle of anxious energy is swirling through my body, threatening to explode.

"Why did you lie to us?" I ask. Fuck small talk. We're here for answers.

I watch as Daniel furrows his brows and a deep crease appears across his forehead. In that split second, he looks aged by about 10 years.

"What are you talking about?" he asks.

"Cut the fucking crap," I say. I can feel hostility bubbling to the surface and I'm trying to keep cool, but it's proving difficult. "Why did you really bring us here?"

He looks at me and then at Karen, and then turns to me once again. "I told you. The business isn't doing well. I hated to ask you guys, but I felt like it was my only option. I didn't know how else to keep this company afloat, so I thought we could all come together and discuss the inheritance."

I laugh. I know it isn't funny, but it's defense mechanism. I also curl my fists because at this point, I've had enough. "Lies!" I say.

"Colt, let's hear what Daniel has to say," Karen says at nearly a whisper.

"I don't know what this is about, but I think you should listen to Karen," Daniel says, advancing closer to me. "Sit the fuck down before you do something you regret."

"Regret?" I ask. "I think it's too late for that. I can't believe we believed you. We never had a choice, did we? You were going to do whatever the fuck you wanted with that inheritance, with or without our consent."

"Stop, you're out line," Daniel says. "I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about."

He steps even closer and I feel like it's a total fucking breech of my personal space. I think it's a combination of him getting in my face and him not owning up to meeting with the lawyer behind our backs, but without another words, I ball my fist, reach back and swing my knuckles into the bridge of his nose.

But the man’s reflexes are fast. He catches my swing and holds my fist from moving. We stand there, struggling against each other.

Yeah. We’re fighting.

Again.

Because he fucking betrayed Karen. He betrayed me.

I can see the anger flare in his eyes.

He's breathing heavy, trying to reign in his anger. He close to me and now his fists are balled too. "You fucking idiot. Everything I've done has been for us. If you think otherwise, get the fuck out." He grits his teeth. "I mean it, get the fuck out now before I kick your ass!"

Karen's in shock. I promised her I just wanted to talk. I even promised myself I wouldn't fight Daniel, and now look. Everything I thought would fucking happen has vanished.

"Colt--" she begins to say, but I interrupt her.

"He's right," I say. "Let's leave. There's nothing more to say here."

We walk out of the office. Neither of us turns around to take a look at Daniel. We have no idea what's going through his mind, but it really doesn't fucking matter. At least he knows we're onto him. But I can't help but think about the confused look on his face. Is it possible that he really didn't know what I was talking about?

"I just want to get far away from here," Karen says, breaking my train of thought. I can sense the emotions of this afternoon bubbling to the surface. She's about to cry. I wrap my arm around her shoulder.

"I have just the place."

"We're checking into an ocean front hotel, and we're going to forget about this mess."