“Nice try. I asked if you’ve got anymore vodka.”

“Don’t know. I’m gonna ask Rita Mae.” She stood and walked toward Jake’s room.

Rita Mae was standing with her arms crossed in front of the closed door and was looking pretty pissed.

“How’s Jake?”

“He had finally fallen asleep when someone shouting woke him up. Since then he’s been wide awake.”

“We tried to be quiet.”

“Not very much or he wouldn’t be crying right now in his mother’s arms, scared to death.”

“H-he’s crying?” Bile rose in her throat.

Another round of laughter came from the living room.

Madison’s hands balled into fists.

Rita Mae stepped up to her until their noses were almost touching. “And what exactly do you think you were doing with Sherry?”

Madison instinctively took a step back. Rita Mae was still wearing her brown skirt and her lily-covered blouse. Had she expected trouble and hadn’t changed clothes because of that?

Rita Mae stepped up to her again. Did she want to appear threatening, or ensure that nobody could eavesdrop? “Just because she’s playing your girlfriend doesn’t mean you can harass her like that.”

“W-what?”

“It’s okay, Rita Mae,” Sherry said.

When had she left Jake’s room?

“She isn’t doing anything we didn’t agree upon earlier.”

That wasn’t exactly true, but who was she to object? And why was she allowing Rita Mae—her subordinate—to talk to her like that? Ah, doesn’t matter now. She faced Sherry. “How is he?”

Sherry pressed her lips together. “He isn’t used to being kept awake by drunken people who do God knows what.”

“What do you mean with ‘who do God knows what’?”

Rita Mae made a noise that reminded Madison of a growling Rottweiler. “A few minutes ago, two of your…guests confused the hall with a no-tell motel. At least that’s how it sounded. When I had calmed Jake down, I went out to chase them away, but they were already gone.” Her features hardened even more. “Jake thought someone was seriously hurt out here.”

“Mom! Mom!” Jake’s scared voice filtering through the closed door was like a punch to her stomach.

Madison’s hands hurt when her short fingernails dug deeper into her palms. Enough! “Sherry, Rita Mae, go to Jake.” When they didn’t move, she barked, “Now!”

Startled, they scurried into Jake’s room.

“Woohoo!” came out of the living room.

Madison marched in that direction. “Enough!” she shouted. “The party’s over!”

Everything went quiet, and they stared at her as if she had two heads.

“Are you kidding?” Phil asked.

“What do you think? Get your stuff and leave.”

Phil stood and touched Madison’s arm, but when he searched her face, he snatched his hand away as if it had been burned. “What’s up, Mad?”