Travis laughed. “I’ve seen worse. I just kept thinking, that’s it, buddy, rub that shit in.”

“Now all we can do is wait. If it works like Val said, it should happen fast.”

“Where are you going?” Travis asked. “I don’t like you being out alone. This isn’t done.”

I blinked my eyes, working to stay focused on the traffic in front of me. “I’m headed back to the hospital. The boys should be there soon. I want to check on my mother.”

“I should clean this place up, but now that Craven left, I think I’ll leave it and meet you at the hospital.”

I agreed, “Fucking leave it and light a match on your way out. I’m done with that hellhole.”

“Oh, not so fast, I seem to remember a contract…”

If I hadn’t heard the hint of sarcasm in his voice, I would’ve crashed the damn car. “No fucking way!” I interrupted. “That will only see the light of day if Pencil-Dick lives to argue the contract he can’t find.”

“Victoria,” Travis’ tone was back to business. “I’ll see you at Memorial.”

“Yes,” I said, as I nodded and hit the END CALL button on my steering wheel. Seconds later, my cell phone rang. The screen on the dashboard flashed: BRODY PHILLIPS. I hit the CALL button.

“Hello, Brody.”

“Jesus, Vik, I can’t think about anything else. Are you all right? What happened?”

I bit my bottom lip. I couldn’t let him know… know what I was, what I’d done again…

I worked to lighten my tone. “He didn’t show.”

“What?” Brody asked, obviously confused.

“Parker didn’t show. He told me to be there at two. I was. I waited until a few minutes ago. I don’t know what this all means with the whole contract thing. I don’t know what happened.”

“So he didn’t touch you?”

“Brody,” I said, slowing my words. “Parker didn’t show up to the warehouse. I didn’t see him. He didn’t touch me.”

“Oh, thank God!” he exclaimed. “But now, now you’ve got that fucking contract with Travis.”

“Don’t worry about it. Nothing will happen with that.”

“Don’t worry about it? I’m fucking beside myself. I haven’t slept. I need you. I need to see that you’re all right.”

I thought about my ass. There was no way I could see Brody, not the way he wanted to see me, not for a day or two. “I’m fine. I’m on my way to the hospital to see my mom. Hey?” I had an idea. “You could come to the hospital. I mean, she’s been accused of driving while intoxicated. She needs an attorney. Come by to start representing her.”

“Vik, her blood alcohol level was almost four times—”

“I didn’t say you’d win, but maybe you can help her. Brody, I know it doesn’t make sense, but I don’t think she did this.”

“You think someone poured the booze down her throat and put her in a car?” He didn’t try to hide his sarcasm.

I sat taller. “I do.”

“Vik, I’m not a miracle worker.”

“Fine,” my words were clipped. “If you don’t want to represent her, I’ll call Parker.”

“No fucking way. I’ll do it. I’ll see you there.”

I grinned. He was so easy to sway. “And when you do, you’ll see that I’m fine.”

“Oh, you’re fine all right. But a few glimpses of you at the hospital won’t do it for me. I spent half the night worried sick and the other half thinking about fucking rabbits. I need you alone.”

A laugh escaped my throat. How could I be laughing after what I’d just done? Maybe it was because as I eliminated these assholes one by one, my dream of a normal life in the mountains seemed suddenly obtainable.

“See you at the hospital,” I said as I ended the call.

ARRIVING BEFORE MY brothers, Val met me in the hallway outside of our mother’s room. “She’s waking up,” my sister said.

I nodded, knowing that by the look on my sister’s face, there was more.

“She isn’t speaking coherently, which isn’t unusual. However, it’s what she is saying that has me concerned.”

“Why? If it isn’t coherent?”

Val leaned closer. “She keeps saying no and begging someone to stop. Then she starts to cry. Vik, I asked them to give her a tranquilizer. They did. In a minute or two she won’t be talking at all. I didn’t want Marcus and Lyle to see her like that.”

“Isn’t it good that she’s talking?”

“It is,” Val agreed. “I just kept thinking about what you said. Maybe she didn’t do this herself. Who would? Who would do this to our mother?”

I straightened my neck and inhaled. Looking each way down the hall, I saw no one except the nurses at the large circular station, too far down to hear. “I don’t know, Val. I really don’t. And I know I’ve never been a Marilyn cheerleader. Hell, I’ve been the exact opposite—Stewart could have attested to that—but I don’t think she’d suddenly throw away almost twenty years of sobriety. She was too proud of what she’d accomplished.”

Val nodded as we both turned down the hall toward the sound of our brothers’ voices. She squeezed my hand and whispered. “Let me go back in and make sure she’s calm. I’ll come out and get you.”