Yet he keeps coming back. And I keep letting him in. I’m going to ride that train until it runs off the tracks.
“Who is Grave talking to?” I ask, placing my attention on Jasmine. I’m drunk and horny. “That woman looks familiar.” I sneak a peek at the woman next to the man Grave is talking to. Her dark brown hair is pulled up in a high ponytail, and she’s wearing a simple white sundress with black Superstars. She looks cute yet comfortable, but totally out of place here.
Jasmine follows my line of sight. “That is Lovely Mathers.”
“I know that name…”
“Judge Mathers’ daughter.” She fills in the blank.
“Right.” I nod. “Didn’t she have a drug problem and went to rehab?” I remember reading something like that about her.
“Rumor is her father put her in a psych ward but told everyone she went to rehab.”
“Is she crazy?” I ask.
Jasmine throws her head back, laughing. “Girl, the right man can make any sane woman crazy.”
“True.”
“But no, she wasn’t. She went to school with us. She made straight A’s and was never in trouble. Her younger brother went missing, and Judge Mathers announced her stay in rehab. Said that after the disappearance, she turned to drugs and alcohol abuse.”
“But you don’t believe that?”
“Nope.” She shakes her head. “My ex, Trenton”—she growls his name—“said at the time that his mother saw her being brought into the psych ward of the hospital by her father. That she was screaming and crying. He took her into a room, then came out alone.”
“He just left her there?” I ask in shock.
“I’ve heard she was put in a straitjacket and remained in it for two weeks while locked in a padded room.”
“Jesus,” I hiss.
“I’ve also been told that she was restrained to a hospital bed for two weeks with a catheter and fed through a feeding tube down her nose. Either one could be true. Or it could be worse. Who knows?”
“Why would her father do that to her?” What has happened to that poor girl?
“Look around.” She lifts her hands to gesture to the crowd. “How do you think the Kings and the Mason brothers run this town? It’s because they pay a cut to someone higher up.”
I swallow at the mention of the Mason brothers. “So he’s just a twisted fuck.”
“Yep, and he won’t let anyone stand in his way. Not even his daughter.”
“Poor thing.” She just stands there, her eyes straight ahead. Like a doll. Or someone who has been trained to be ignored. But I see her. She stands out, and it’s not just because of how she’s dressed. “Why is Grave ignoring her? He’s only talking to the guy. Acts like she’s not even there.”
“Maybe she prefers it that way,” she guesses. “Some people choose to wear blinders, so they don’t have to face what’s right in front of them. Turner Mason used to be obsessed with her. He’s the middle brother.”
There’s that name again.“Did they date?”
“No.” She laughs. “She was too good for him, and he knew it. The whole town knew it. Except for her. She had no clue he was into her.” She glances up at the high ceilings. I do the same and see the little black domes all over the place. I know what they are. Cameras. “If he finds out she’s here, he’ll jack off later tonight while watching the surveillance video.”
“Gross,” I say. “Wait.” My mind is a little slow from the alcohol. “What?” I ask. “Why would he watch the surveillance tapes?”
“The Mason brothers own this place,” she states.
My palms sweat as I scan the surroundings frantically. I don’t know what they look like. Would they recognize me? My eyes land back on Grave, and I watch as a blonde saunters up to him. “That’s…”
“Lucy Mason,” Jasmine finishes for me.
My hands clench as she runs her palm down Grave’s bare arm.
