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He wasn’t pure gentleman, not the silver spoon assholes of er Maybe it was his ht on the purse-strings, this age-thirty-five rule a good one, one that shaped him into the complex man who sat beforeto the idea of his h his "She’s protective of you I get that"

He looked at me warily, his next sentence stiff "She hired a private investigator, Chloe I just found out this "

I pulled back my hand "What?"

"She wants to knowyou" He leaned forward "I’?" I saw spots between us, bits of black,that…

"I’ht, eyes apologetic, but all I could think about was huggingin their car andit all

"Are you mad?"

"I wouldn’t say that I am mad…" I said carefully I sed and ator’s report?"

He didn’t look away "If she doesn’t like you, I lose my trust fund" The words came out matter-of-factly, as if his whole future wasn’t tied up in their vowels

It was so unexpected; an outcoht have fallen in love with a poor

My phone rang as I opened the door, and I answered it, stuffing it against roceries

"Chloe Madison?" a stiff ent Peter Hertsle about your parents"

I shouldered the door closed and leaned against it,hard in my chest "I don’t knohere they are," I lied Dad had pulledtheir itinerary, which had included a stop in the Ha for that, Ms Madison We knohere they are"

"You do?" Dante paused, and I waved hihter stressful

"Oh yes," he said, with an air of superiority "I’ht now"

The FBI picked up my parents at the airport just an hour after they’d left et that call from the FBI, one that was apparently "just for courtesy" to inform me of their detainment

Four days since they had been arrested and flown back to Florida, and that call was the only one I’d received One froet phone calls? They must have made theirs to soht that I’d turned them in, if that was the reason for their silence But if they thought I was a daughter who’d snitch, they wouldn’t have cooodbye And they certainly wouldn’t have told ent’s conversation co to mind The airport Wait Mom and Dad wouldn’t have flown to the Hamptons They would have driven Much less inconspicuous, ht--plus Mom loves that drive And the Hamptons were northeast of the city, not south They wouldn’t have been at the airport unless…