When you had enough money, I guess you could do anything.
I snorted. I knew nothing about having lots of money.
But very few people knew that Goodyear also loved to watch fighting—the bloody kind, where bones got broken, and men’s blood splattered the floor. And I bet they didn’t know that he poured money into this place and supported four fighters that my dad trained. I’d catch glimpses of him on fight nights, drinking with friends, scantily-clad women dripping off him.
I chafed my arms again. I had no idea why his men grabbed me. I certainly wasn’t beautiful or glamorous enough for him to show any interest in me.
The door rattled and the handle turned. I shot to my feet, adrenaline hitting my system.
My dad slipped into the room.
He’d come. God, I hadn’t even considered he’d lift a finger to help me.
He wasn’t tall, but he was broad. He still had wide shoulders and beefy arms from his boxing days, and he trained a few times a week. He liked his food and beer, though, and it showed in the slight gut he’d added the last few years. His black hair was mostly gray and he kept it shaved short. I knew I looked like my mom, with her russet-brown hair, and I had none of Dad’sstrong, craggy features. The only thing he’d given me were my brown eyes.
“Dad.”
He didn’t meet my gaze, shuffling in, then shoving his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants.
“I don’t know what’s going on.” I spread my hands. They were shaking. “Some of Goodyear’s goons dragged me in here and didn’t say a single thing. What’s happening?”
“Lili…” He released a breath. “It wasn’t supposed to end up like this.” He lifted his head, and now I saw something I don’t think I’d even seen in my father’s eyes: regret.
“What’s going on?” My voice was a monotone, fear trickling in like acid.
“Goodyear…I borrowed money from him.”
It felt like cold claws scraped down my spine. Being in debt to a man like Chadwick Goodyear was never a good idea.
“I owe him, and uh, haven’t been able to pay him back.”
“What did you use the money for?” He paid me a pittance to run his business.
Dad rubbed the back of his neck. “My new truck, a few card games, and other…things.”
My stomach curdled. I knew exactly what he liked to spend his money on. Dad liked to visit some of the brothel ranches out near Pahrump.
“What does that have to do with me?” I asked, my voice rising.
He stared at the concrete floor for a moment. “He offered me a deal. To clear all my debt.”
A chill spread through me, intensifying. “What did you do, Dad?” My voice was barely a whisper.
“He…uh, he said he’d clear my debt in return…for you.”
I stared at him, a hard ball growing in my chest. “In return for me? I’m aperson, not property. I decide what I do with my life.” Except Dad had never really let me do that.
My father’s face hardened. “You owe me, Lili. I raised you, kept a roof over your head?—”
“That’s what parents do, Dad!” My tone kept rising. “It’s what they’re legally obligated to do.”
He scraped a hand over his face. “I didn’t really have a fucking choice! When Goodyear asks for something, there’s only one answer.”
“I’m yourdaughter,” I yelled.
“Keep your voice down.” He glanced nervously at the door.
Goodyear had gorgeous women around all the time. Thin, beautiful, with heavy make-up and barely-there clothes. That wasnotme. I was five foot five with curves. It turned my stomach to say, but he also liked them younger than me. “What does he want me to do? Work for him? Do his books?”
