“She never knew her dad and her mom was murdered. The state couldn’t find any record of any other family, so she ended up with the Dolby’s. We protected each other and practically raised ourselves.”

Lucy set our breakfast trays down in front of us and I asked her for some tea. Simon looked at me and smiled.

“I’ll have some too, Lucy. So they made a living off drugs and prostitution?” he asked as he spread some jelly on his toast.

I nodded. “There was a shed in the back of the house that had a mattress on the ground. That’s where it all happened, every night.”

“Did either one of them ever hurt you?” he asked with a darkness in his eyes.

“No. Aside from their way of living, they weren’t mean people. At least not to us. They made sure we had clothes on our back and a roof over our heads. I was the one who learned to cook and I usually cooked dinner for all of us, including all their friends who popped in and out all the time.”

“Do you keep in touch with them?”

“Nah, when I was sixteen, I was emancipated and that really pissed them off. G had just left for college and I didn’t want to be in that house by myself. She helped me with the process. Ever since her mom was murdered, she always wanted to get into law.”

“How on earth did you live on your own at sixteen?”

“I stayed with G and a guy friend of hers in an apartment off her college campus. I got a part-time job at a bookstore and graduated with honors right before I turned eighteen. Went off to Cornell in the fall and met Brendon,” I said as I looked down.

“And now you’re here working for Young International and you’re with me. Things are looking up for you, Gabrielle.” A smile splayed across his face.

“Yeah, I guess they are.” I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by ‘here with him,’ and I was not sure I wanted to know.

Just as I was going to ask him to tell me about his life, Lucy walked over to alert us that we were getting ready to land. I took in a sharp breath. Let the games begin.

Chapter 14

As soon as we exited the plane, we climbed into a black limousine that drove us to Simon’s hotel. The minute we pulled up to the curb, three men ran over, opened the doors for us, and took our luggage from the trunk.

“Good day, Mr. Young. Welcome back.”

“Thank you. This is Miss McCarthy.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am.”