rs back. He’s flat broke and an alcoholic, to boot. Occasionally he sobers up and gets a job washing dishes, but then he has money for booze, so the cycle starts up all over again.”
The words flat broke reverberated in Ian’s brain. “Riley left the name of a pawnshop downtown scrawled on her desk.”
“Son of a bitch,” Alex said.
“That bastard’s been in touch again. He probably wants money,” Ian said.
“But she doesn’t have anything of value to sell,” Alex said.
Ian thought of the necklace he’d bought her, and the pain of betrayal nearly gutted him. “Yeah. She does.”
And she’d chosen that route instead of trusting him. He shook his head, unable to believe it.
“What’s the address of the pawnshop? I’ll meet you there,” Alex said, breaking into Ian’s thoughts.
He shared the address on the paper and disconnected the call.
* * *
Riley pulled up to the pawnshop in a really horrible part of town. Luckily, she got a parking spot out front. She shouldn’t be here long, which was a relief, considering the neighborhood gave her the creeps. A man with a cup sat on the ground beside the shop with a sign asking for money. And a gang of kids wearing matching colors hung out across the street.
She shivered and quickly walked inside. The shop was dimly lit, the linoleum on the floor filthy and cracked. There were other people in the store, lingering at the counter and haggling with an older woman near the back.
A middle-aged man greeted her. “What can I do for you?” he asked.
She still wore the necklace, unwilling to take it off until the last possible second. She reached for it, as she’d been doing since she’d made the decision to sell it to pay off her father.
The weight of it gave her comfort, making her feel like she had Ian beside her. From it, she drew strength. “I umm…”
“I ain’t got all day, lady. You selling that piece or not?”
“I need a minute,” she snapped and turned away from the counter.
He mumbled about indecisive women and turned to help another customer.
She ran her hand over the cool diamond, memories of Ian bombarding her. The vulnerability in his face when he’d asked her to accept the gift, the relief when she had. His placing the pendant around her neck and his huskily spoken words, It’s perfect. Just like you.
She clasped the beloved piece tighter, knowing she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t part with something Ian had given her, and she wouldn’t cave in to her father. He’d bullied her throughout her childhood, and she was finished.
Done.
It had taken her coming here to see what a foolish mistake she might have made. Ian would know the necklace was missing, and she couldn’t lie to him. She’d promised him she would come to him first and always, and that’s what she would do.
“Thanks anyway,” she called out to the man, walking at a fast pace out the front door. She reached the sidewalk and breathed in the stuffy, humid air, wanting nothing more than to get into her air-conditioned car.
“Riley.”
She turned to see her father climb out of the passenger seat of a beat-up car that sat behind hers.
“Long time no see.”
Her skin crawled at the sound of the voice that had haunted her nightmares for years. He didn’t look well. His skin was sallow, his body so thin and gaunt his clothes hung on his narrow frame. Dark circles were heavy beneath his eyes, and red splotches stained his cheeks.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on you. Imagine my surprise when you left your cushy job and drove here. I guess I can still get you to do what I say.” He gestured toward the pawnshop behind her.
“You’re following me?” Revulsion filled her. “But you can’t get into the stadium without permission.”