“I have,” Halcyon said. “Don’t worry. We’ve got this.”

But for the first time in as long as Marina could remember, her sister’s voice didn’t hold the same confidence that it usually did.

Randy pushed the door open. “I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

Marina walked through the door and into a space in front of the two holding cells. The instant Avery saw her come in, she jumped up from the cot she’d been sitting on and ran for the bars.

“Mom!” she said.

Marina put her arms through the bars and tried to hug her daughter. She could tell Avery had been crying and her heart broke all over again. Damn Harold. She didn’t even care about the affair anymore but why did it have to be Chastity? Why did he have to pick the one person that would make his daughter even more miserable than Marina?

Marina released Avery and studied her face. Her daughter was clearly stressed and upset but there was still a bit of anger lurking. Good. They hadn’t broken her spirit. If that had happened, Marina didn’t think she would have been able to handle it.

“What happened?” Marina asked. “Why aren’t you at school?”

Avery sniffed. “I didn’t want to believe it. I mean, you never lie and I checked with Simone, but it just all sounded so f…messed up.”

“So you came here to confront your dad?” Marina asked.

Avery nodded. “But she was there. Mom, you know I’m not extra, but she started flexing on Dad and that thot was wearing my clothes!”

“Jesus H. Christ!” Marina’s carefully contained control flew out the window. Just when she’d started to believe that nothing about the situation could surprise her anymore, Harold sank to a new low.

“I didn’t understand any of that,” Halcyon said.

“I’ll explain later,” Marina said and looked back at Avery. “Tell me what happened.”

“I told her to take off my clothes and she refused, so I jumped her,” Avery said. “She ran out the door with them on. That’s stealing, right? Dad can’t give her permission to take something that belongs to me, can he?”

“I don’t think so,” Marina said, but she really had no idea. Even more reason to need an attorney. “So you followed her?”

“Yeah, I grabbed her by my shirt when she went for her car door.”

“Did you hit her in the face?”

“Damn right I did! Just like you taught me.”

“That was meant for if you were being attacked,” Marina said.

“I was being attacked. And robbed. Don’t forget that part.”

Marina’s stomach rolled. This was bad. So incredibly bad. Avery didn’t stand a chance in Last Chance. Kyle and Randy were both beholden to Preston and the judge was his second cousin. Even if she could get a jury trial—which Marina had zero idea about—how many locals were also obligated to Preston in some form or fashion? And if the university even got wind that Avery was being charged, they could revoke her scholarships, or worse, kick her out if she was convicted. Good God, what if she was convicted?