“I admit I was holding out hope Kouretas wouldn’t really go through with filing a report. The paparazzi typically don’t like the police. They’re rarely on the same side.”

Seth pressed the intercom button. “Can I help you?”

“It’s me.”

“Kouretas?” he said in surprise.

“I came back to make you an offer.”

“I’m not interested.”

Kouretas ignored that response. “I won’t go to the police if you’ll let me get a couple of pictures. I can use my cell phone, be done in seconds. Then, you won’t get in trouble, we’ll forget about the camera, and I can get out of here.”

“No,” Seth said, unequivocally.

“Seth—” Tia started, concerned that she was again putting him in the middle, but he immediately waved her to silence.

“Come on, man,” Kouretas said. “You don’t want to me to go to the police, do you? That was an expensive camera.”

“I understand that, and I’m happy to pay for it. I’ve got your business card. I’ll send you a check.”

“I’d rather have the picture.”

“You’re not going to get it, so you might as well accept that and leave.”

“Okay, then. I guess I’ll just have to do what I have to do.”

“As long as you stay away from Tia, you can do whatever you want,” Seth said.

There was silence after that. As Seth let go of the intercom button, Tia said, “I don’t want to cause you all this trouble. Should I just give him the picture?”

“No. He has his answer. He needs to accept it.”

The intercom buzzed again. Irritated to think that Kouretas would be so persistent, Seth pressed the button. “You’d better leave us the hell alone!” he snapped.

“Excuse me?” The voice at the other end of the intercom wasn’t that of Kouretas. It was a female voice, one he easily recognized because it was Lois, Shiloh’s mother.

Seth’s heart hit his chest once, then twice, hard, before he could summon a response. “I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else.”

“The guy who was just here?”

“You met him?”

“I pulled up as he was storming off. He asked me if I could get him in the gate.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Is he still there?”

There was a moment of silence. Then she said, “Yes, actually. He’s sort of watching me.”

“He’s not coming in. Make sure he knows that.”

“He says you have a woman in there with you—a movie star. Is that true?”

Seth dropped his head in his hands. He wanted to be done with Shiloh’s parents. They’d caused enough pain—and yet he felt silly even thinking such a thing. Why did he care?

He wasn’t sure why. He just did, and he always had, which had given them way too much power.