Did Father Jim even have a motive? Dad had taken care of him all those years. Why would he want to off his meal ticket? And his ticket to both of their repulsive appetites? Surely Jim couldn’t continue the “hunt” on his own.

Nausea crept up my throat.

How had we all been so blind to what our father was truly capable of?

Rock and Riley hadn’t been blind.

Molesting our sister was horrible enough. None of us had foreseen what he was ultimately capable of.

Zee.

Sweet and beautiful Zee.

One of my father’s many victims, and the only one—that we knew of—who had lived to tell the tale.

The tale we needed her to tell.

I’d said I wouldn’t push her, and I meant it. Oddly, my siblings, especially Riley, didn’t want me to push her either. I’d planned to seduce her and get what I wanted.

But those plans had gone to hell when I realized that…

I sighed.

That I liked her. I cared for her. I didn’t want to do anything to make her uncomfortable. My father had already done enough to her for ten lifetimes.

I wasn’t used to feeling this way. I loved women. Loved seducing women. Bedding women. But I’d never been in love. Women had always been playthings for me, and most of them were okay with that. I wined and dined them, and all was good.

Until Zee.

Zee, who refused my gift of expensive shoes.

Most women—at least the women in my circles—wouldn’t have.

Zee was clearly not most women.

And I liked that.

I liked that a lot.

I yawned as I shut down my computer. I didn’t need a lot of sleep, but it was time to call it a day. I had a meeting at eight with the contractor, and then I had brunch with Zee two hours later.

I brushed my teeth, undressed, and slid between the satin sheets of my king-sized bed.

Wishing a certain showgirl were snuggled up next to me.

19

Zee

My stylist wasn’t answering. I shoved my phone back into my purse as the limo navigated the streets of Las Vegas, delivering me to my brunch with Reid.

I’d slept well, which surprised me. No nightmares. No tossing and turning. And even though my alarm went off earlier than usual, I awoke with energy and a smile on my face.

Very unlike me.

I wasn’t complaining. Reid Wolfe had kissed me last night. A sweet kiss. A kiss that said, “I won’t push you.”

I’d searched the internet a few times in the last couple days. Reid had no shortage of beautiful women at his disposal, most of whom probably jumped right into bed with him.

In truth, part of me wanted to do just that.