“Ugh, well, that’s a pain in the ass. Can’t believe he”—she cleared her throat—“managed to do that.” Not my finest moment. Also aware. “But we can get all your cards canceled. It’ll be fine.”

“No, you don’t get it. I had something irreplaceable in my wallet.” I dragged a hand through my hair, bowing my head as memories of our sister filled my mind. Our sister who’d been murdered almost fifteen years ago. “Something from Bianca.” My body tensed at my admission. “And I’ll do whatever it takes to get it back.”

2. Juliette

Chapter 2

Juliette

“I don’t need a lecture,” Colin muttered, arms crossed over his chest, his back to the bedroom window. “But I know you’ll give me one anyway.”

His downturned mouth and eyes locked on the floor contradicted the Superman pose he was trying to pull off. I doubted it was guilt battling his confident stance, causing his shoulders to slump.

No, my son didn’t regret getting into a fight at school. He only regretted the outcome.

“I’m sorry about your job. I really am.”

At least look me in the eyes when you say that. “This is the third time since we’ve moved to New York I’ve had to cut out of work, abandoning people who need me, because you got into trouble.” I didn’t sugarcoat the truth. He needed to understand his actions didn’t just affect him. “One more time, and I’ll get fired.”

“I couldn’t stand by and let him go unpunished for what he did.” His brown eyes finally lifted, but only so far as the neckline of my scrubs.

He wasn’t ready to meet my gaze and spell out why he did what he did. He’d also refused to tell his story in the principal’s office.

“You can’t go around handing out judgment on kids in school. That’s not your job. You should have reported him if you thought⁠—”

A low, deep laugh rumbled from his chest, cutting me off. “And what?” His voice was sharp and bitter. “You know who his dad is, which is why Zach gets away with everything.”

Zacharias Bauer. Senior. Superstar quarterback. Son of one of the most powerful litigators in Manhattan. A man who had donated an entire wing to the school. Yeah, I knew him now.

I also knew Colin was one suspension away from getting kicked out of the private school my father was generously paying for after calling in a big favor to get him accepted in the first place.

Colin pushed away from the window. “His asshole father made you get on your hands and knees in Mrs. Pope’s office and beg him not to press assault charges.”

“I was there.” I remembered the oh-so-humbling experience of bowing before a man and pleading while the principal watched on and kept quiet.