Baba’s been dead for twelve years, she wanted to scream. You can stop fighting with him now. “No, I’m not. But I’m going to be on a competitive cooking show as a pro chef.” Her voice sounded strong and clear for the first time since she’d heard Shobi’s hello. She leaned in and met her own eyes in the mirror.

“Reality TV? You?” The voice on the phone stretched between skepticism and outright disbelief.

Shobi’s favorite metaphorical chains stretched at the links around Ashna. “Yes. If I win I can pay down the debt on Curried Dreams. And no, I’m never giving up on it.”

The frustrated sound Shobi made was so delicious that for one lovely second Ashna didn’t care about anything else. “You are so Bram’s daughter. He was a great expert at cutting off his nose to spite his face.”

“Being Baba’s daughter is something I’m proud of.”

“Don’t I know it? But there’s no wisdom in ruining your life to stick it to me, child. Being punitive will get you nowhere.”

So, the gloves were off now. Their conversation arriving at its inevitable destination.

“Hard as it is to imagine, not every decision I make is motivated by you.”

“I know. It’s motivated by the guilt your father dumped on your head before leaving.”

Leaving. How clean she made death sound. Shobi had left. Baba had died.

“Thanks for that. I have to go.” She disconnected the call, finally doing what she should have done the moment she started to lose control of the conversation, long before letting her bath go cold. Then she pulled the plug and watched the water drain away.

Chapter Three

Rico Silva watched as giant sprinklers dropped down from the absurdly high ceiling and rained water on the mud pit, where bikini-clad women wrestled with a bunch of his mates. There was nothing quite like a bachelor party to strike terror in any sane—or sober—person’s heart for the future of humankind. Across the room at the giant bar, Josh—wearing horns of some sort—watched a woman—wearing the most minimalist of sequined pasties and thongs—take a shot from between his knees. Needless to say, Josh was in his underwear, which made how much he was enjoying this evident to all present.