“Everyone knows what she is.” Pinch-faced lady pointed at Shirleen.

I leaned toward her, straining at Mace’s arm. “I want you to say it. Out loud. So everyone in this room can bear witness to your slander.”

“Stel a,” Mace spoke low behind me.

“No,” I twisted to look at Mace. “They wanna dig their hole deeper? We should let them. Hel , we should encourage it!” I ended up yel ing.

“Be quiet,” Mace ordered.

I was not going to be quiet.

My mother was just mean to me and Mace heard it and it made him destroy a phone.

My father had been mean to me al my life.

In fact, al my life I’d been rol ing over and letting people deliver gut kick after gut kick.

I was done rol ing over.

I turned around and glared at George. “How stupid are you?” I asked.

His eyes narrowed. “I’m sorry?”

“Have you not been reading the paper? Don’t you know that everyone who works in this office is famous? We’re the darlings of Denver. So, if you don’t get your, and her,” I pointed to both of them, “asses outta here, I’m cal ing The Denver Post and I’m tel ing them all about you. You won’t have to wait for Lee to wipe the floor with you. I’ll do it.” George’s eyes moved to Mace and he demanded,

“Mason, control your woman.”

“Oh no. Not gonna happen,” I cut in shaking my head.

“Lee said you wanted the Governor’s mansion. So when folks go to vote do you want people to remember you as the guy who brought low a good woman, a woman who not only opens her home to runaways but puts herself in the path of bul ets to keep them safe? Oh, I bet the people of Colorado wil just love that. Coloradans, by the way, don’t care about their Second Amendment rights. Don’t let that worry you one bit!” I snapped sarcastical y and then went on. “And Jules, a social worker who’s pregnant for God’s sake. She spends her days doing good deeds and you’re making her life miserable. And let’s not forget the rest of the Rock Chicks, living behind alarms and not able to go anywhere without bodyguards. We were just going about our business and then we al got shot at! Shot at! I got hit!” I was now yel ing. “Two of those Rock Chicks are fiancées of cops. Cops who keep the streets safe. I’m sure that’l make you real popular. And you could stop it but you didn’t. Al of this as retribution because you didn’t get your way not because you were fighting for right, for justice but because you were standing in the way of it while people’s asses were on the line. How’s that gonna sound? That’s gonna make juicy headlines, George. I’m sure I’l find a reporter who’l eat this up. You’re gonna be f**ked. People wil hate you.”

I’d run out of steam so I stopped and watched as George’s eyes were working. He didn’t get a chance to say anything because that’s when Preston Mason stood and he did so while clapping.

“Bravo, Stel a,” he said to me when he stopped his one man ovation. “You’re good. I liked the touch with the Second Amendment. I guess you didn’t skip that class while you were in school.”

“Go to hel ,” I hissed.

“You have your daughter kidnapped and murdered then you’l know the meaning of hel ,” he shot back and I felt the air grow thick as Mace went tight behind me and I felt waves of hostility coming from Vance and Shirleen.

As for me, wel , what could I say?

I was on a rol .

“You sure that hel has to do with Caitlin being kidnapped and murdered? Or is it something else, Preston?” I asked.

“Maybe that hel is knowing you had a beautiful daughter and an accomplished son and you spent your time making money and screwing people over and not getting to know your own f**king children.”

I scored a point. I knew this because his face twisted.

“Shut your mouth.” It was his turn to hiss.

“Not a chance,” I fired back. “You had your say in the limousine now I’l have mine. You make me sick. I can barely look at you without vomiting. You think I’m stupid? I’m not stupid enough to throw away something this good.” I jerked my thumb toward Mace. “Not like you did, you fool.

Foreclose on my parents’ house while my mother’s dying of cancer. Go ahead. That’l just be one more black mark on your soul but you already have enough to shoot straight to hel when your time’s up. Don’t you?” Preston glared at me and I strained against Mace’s arm to lean forward and scream, “Don’t you? ”

I felt Mace lean into me and his mouth was right by my ear right before he said softly, “Enough, Kitten.” At his words, I straightened then sagged into him, spent.

He took my weight by wrapping his other arm around me.

Preston Mason’s gaze moved between the two of us then stopped on Mace. “I came by to talk deal.”

“There’l be no deals,” Mace returned in a firm voice.

“Be smart, son,” Preston replied softly.

“Maybe I should offer that same advice,” Mace suggested.

Preston stared at Mace then he shook his head. “Her parents wil be out on the street tomorrow.”

“That’l be difficult, considering the mortgage has been made current,” Mace retorted.

Surprise flashed across Preston’s face before he hid it.

Then he tried a different tact and nodded at me. “You can do better.”

“That’s f**kin’ hilarious, you givin’ me advice on women since you threw away two good ones without battin’ a f**kin’ eye,” Mace shot back.

I looked at Shirleen. Shirleen was grinning at Mace.

Then she looked at me and pressed her lips together like Then she looked at me and pressed her lips together like she was trying hard not to laugh.

“We going head-to-head?” Preston asked his son.

“Looks that way,” Mace answered.

“I always win,” Preston told Mace.

“This’l be interestin’ since the same holds true for me,” Mace returned.

“May the best man win!” Shirleen shouted. “New pool!” she went on. “I got fifty bucks on Mace.”

“Don’t think anyone’s gonna bet against you, Shirleen,” Vance put in.

At that, for some reason, Shirleen burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it, the situation was just too freaky and scary, I started laughing right along with her.

The door opened and Lee walked in with, of al people, Smithie.