“Can we have it?”
Remy picked up the paper sack. “Work first. You do the crime, you do the time.”
“Is Parker going to work?” Ellis asked, glaring at me. “We just sent Sadie nice pictures. Parker tried to sell her.”
“That is not what happened!” I roared, jumping up. Ellis and Billy scurried outside.
“It will be fine,” Remy assured me.
“Really?”
“Maybe. Hunter will get it under control. You’re not going to go to jail.”
“I’m not worried about jail. I’m worried about Sadie.”
Remy sighed and patted my shoulder. “I would start planning my grand, over-the-top romantic gesture if I were you. I think you should include jewelry, lots of flowers, and bakery items.”
* * *
I sat on the steps,rereading Sadie’s messages to me until Hunter returned a few hours later.
“I have Josh and Eric driving in,” he announced. “They’re going to sit in when we talk to the police tomorrow afternoon.”
“Yes, because that’s what this situation needs—more lawyers,” Garrett said from the top of the stairs.
“Excuse me,” Hunter snapped at him. “I’m not the one who invited Dad here and started feeding him information.”
“I’m not the one who did it,” Garrett said, steps punctuating the words as he walked downstairs. “It’s Parker.”
I braced myself for the rant from Garrett. But Eric and Josh’s arrival cut him short.
“Where’s our favorite matchmaker?” Eric said.
“Maybe you can steal a girl for me,” Josh added.
“That’s not funny,” Greg said from the doorway behind them.
“Wonderful, Greg is here. Just when this day can’t get any better,” Garrett said.
“You all have completely lost control,” Greg said. “I should just move all the kids to Manhattan and hire a nanny.”
“Feel free,” Hunter spat. “You couldn’t handle it.”
“Youcan’t handle it. Look at Parker. He’s completely off the rails.”
“I wasn’t trying to sell Sadie. I love Sadie!” I yelled.
“You didn’t act like it. You put her in danger. You lied to everyone. You gave our father a reason to target us.” Greg listed my sins.
“And you messed up my plans,” Garrett added.
“Yeah, let’s talk about Garrett’s plans,” I shot back. “He’s been working on this what, years? And nothing.”
“I was close.”
I crossed my arms. “Right, probably about as close as when you left me to rot in the compound with Dad and his crazy wives.”
“We didn’t leave you there on purpose,” Hunter said, exasperated. “What were we supposed to do, take you with us? Kidnap you? Dad wasn’t going to kick you out. You would have died; you were so small. Garrett barely made it.”
