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Rhett shrugged. ‘They’re kinda cool.’

TJ listened, and although his anger stayed at a steady simmer, he started to see a glimmer of hope.

When Rhett was done talking to Skye, TJ leaned forward. He placed his forearms on his knees. ‘We have enough. To go to the cops.’

Rhett was up like a shot, his face contorted with rage. He started to walk for the truck, but Matthew just snagged him by the hoodie. ‘Pipe down, King.’

‘You promised!’ Rhett fought. But Matthew just held on. As they tousled, Rhett’s sweatshirt and T-shirt rode up, and TJ saw the dark mottles all over the kid’s chest and back. Bruises the size of footprints.

‘Fuck,’ TJ muttered.

But it was Skye who said, ‘No cops.’

Rhett started calming down. But he yanked his shirt and sweatshirt down to reveal a face red with anger and embarrassment.

Skye stared off over the farm, but her voice was calm and, if TJ heard right, excited when she said, ‘We’ve been going about this the wrong way.’

‘What do you mean?’ he asked.

‘We’ve been playing defence the entire time,’ Skye said. ‘But we’ve forgotten our biggest advantage.’

‘Which is?’

Skye’s grin was a little feral. ‘I’m Holden Marchant’s daughter.’

Chapter 42

Dallas, Texas – March 15, 2027

When Skye came out of the hotel bathroom, dressed in one of those fancy pink skirts and a matching blazer, TJ’s mouth watered. She’d slicked her short hair back into some style that belonged on the runway. Her makeup was light but pristine, her blue eyes popping from between her mascaraed lashes. Strings of diamonds winked at her throat and on her wrist. The stitches in her right cheek had been removed, leaving a long scar that somehow added to the appeal. She looked like some Southern belle tossed into an action flick.

TJ stood up from where he’d been waiting in front of the TV. In his blue jeans and button-down, he felt like a cowboy in his Sunday best standing next to a princess.

He went to her but didn’t dare touch. ‘Damn, baby. You look like one of those little pastries that are too pretty to eat.’

She laughed and, raising her hand, patted his cheek. ‘Something tells me you’ll manage just fine, cowboy.’

‘Bet.’ Helpless to resist, he circled her waist and brought her close. But instead of kissing her, he leaned in and inhaled her perfume deeply into his lungs. It burned through his system and set everything to blazing. ‘How long is this gonna take again?’

‘An hour. Tops,’ Skye said breathily.

‘Thank God.’ But he took a step back before he lost his willpower and started touching. Taking, eating. ‘You ready?’

‘As I’ll ever be.’

‘So, let’s fuckin’ go.’ He held out his arm for her, and when she linked hers through his, TJ placed his hand on her, soothing. ‘You’ve got this. And I’ve got you. Mom and Dad know their roles.’

‘I know.’

The drive to the offices of Camden, Horowitz and Snow took seven minutes. They parked outside the gleaming glass tower and got out of their rented vehicle, a truck that neither of them had thought twice about selecting.

TJ craned his head back to see the top of the tower winking in the Dallas sunlight. ‘Buildings like this always make me claustrophobic,’ he commented. ‘Just concrete and glass and bodies piled on top of each other.’

‘Yeah. I never understood the appeal,’ she replied. ‘Even when it was expected of me.’ Skye took a deep, calming breath. ‘Let’s do this. Before I chicken out.’

‘Hey, baby?’

Skye frowned. ‘Yeah?’