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Chapters (42)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. CHAPTER ONE
  7. CHAPTER TWO
  8. CHAPTER THREE
  9. CHAPTER FOUR
  10. CHAPTER FIVE
  11. CHAPTER SIX
  12. CHAPTER SEVEN
  13. CHAPTER EIGHT
  14. CHAPTER NINE
  15. CHAPTER TEN
  16. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  17. CHAPTER TWELVE
  18. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  19. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  21. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  23. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  24. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  41. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  42. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mia swallowed a laugh as she glanced around. There were a few options, from what she could remember. But her gaze caught on Patty Masterson where she perched on a stool by the dartboard. The game would give Izzy an in, and Patty’s loose lips would give her a chance to actually get some information out of someone.

She angled her chin toward the back. “Patty Masterson. She’ll give you a little trouble, but you might be able to pry some gossip out of her.”

Izzy was quiet for a minute, watching the woman in the acid-washed jeans yank darts from the board. Then she gave Mia a two-finger salute, whispered, “Wish me luck,” and sauntered off, drink in hand.

Mia watched her go before scanning the rest of the bar. She’d have to be more strategic in her pick. She didn’t want to waste time on someone who only wanted to rehash everything she was trying to forget.

She had just decided on approaching Father Williams when the door slammed open with the wind.

“Sorry, Max,” a voice called, and Mia stilled. That voice. It was one was she knew well, knew in anger, knew in lust, knew in fear and sadness.

Glancing over toward the front of the bar, Mia locked eyes with Cash Bishop.

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SIX

IZZY

Patty Masterson wore neon blue lipstick with a kind of don’t-give-a-shit attitude to which Izzy aspired. She immediately liked the woman on gut instinct alone.

“Can I get in on this?” Izzy asked, gesturing toward the dartboard with her half-empty glass.

Patty cracked her gum and popped her hip like a mean girl in a bad ’80s teen movie. Her eyes were assessing as she tapped a long, pink acrylic nail against her thigh. “You’ve got money, sugar?”

There was liking the woman and then there was being fleeced. Izzy had no desire to be just one more outsider who lost all their cash thinking they could hustle a local. She made a show of patting her pockets before pulling out a single bill. “Five bucks?”

For a second, Izzy thought she’d lost her with the paltry offer, but then Patty sniffed and plucked the cash out from between Izzy’s fingers. As she slipped it into the overflowing cup of her bra, she cracked her gum once more, then held up the darts.

Up close without the kindness of dim lighting, the woman looked older than she had from across the room. Now, Izzy could see the droop of the skin around her lips, her jawline. Midfifties instead of early forties, if Izzy had to guess. Her foundation was two shades too dark, and gummy clumps of mascara had fallen from her lashes to settle onto the puffy bags beneath her eyes. The blue lipstick had smeared, leaving a waxy streak by the corner of her thin mouth.