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One hundred million dollars. Made out to me. Signed by Maverick Whitmore.

There’s a small smear of red along one edge.

“Is that…” My voice barely works. “Is that blood?”

Grace’s eyes widen as she turns on Drew. “You said nothing happened.”

Drew scratches the side of his jaw. “I said everyone was alive.”

“Drew,” she snaps.

“It was one tooth,” Drew says. “It’s not like he needs all of them.”

“You knocked my father’s tooth out?” Grace asks, horrified.

Drew hesitates.

“Levi did, technically,” he says.

His name hits me like a slap. Then I fold the check carefully and place it in the drawer beside the bed.

I don’t know what else to do with it right now.

The relief should be enormous. One hundred million dollars means I can stay in Alton Hills. It means I can stop calculating motel bills and legal fees and how long Finn can keep quietly paying for things before I hate myself too much to let him. It means the shelter can happen.

But nothing can feel good right now.

Grace is still staring at Drew. “You let Levi knock my father’s tooth out?”

“I wasn’t getting in his way.” Drew looks back at me. His expression sobers. “I need a word, Carmen.”

“No,” I say immediately.

“That’s too bad.” He glances at Grace. “Why don’t you take the dog outside?”

Before I can even respond, Grace is on her feet, scooping Fifi carefully into her arms.

“Oh, you are very…strange looking,” she says as she walks outside, closing the door behind her.

I turn back to Drew. “I’m not interested in anything you have to say.”

“He’s not a violent guy,” Drew says. Then he winces. “I mean, he is. Obviously. But not randomly.”

“That’s meant to comfort me?”

“I’m doing my best here.”

I look down at the faded motel carpet because if I look at him, I might cry, and I refuse to cry in front of the man who arrived with a bloody check.

Drew shifts his weight. “What I mean is, Levi doesn’t waste effort. He doesn’t start fights for fun.”

“Didn’t he knock Maverick’s tooth out?”

“I just mean he wouldn’t bother with Maverick unless he cared.”

Oh, he cares about me…that’s why he lied to me. That’s why he let me trust him. That’s why he looked at me like I mattered while knowing exactly how it had started. It just gets worse and worse the more I think about it.

“Maverick kept trying to talk us down, you know,” Drew says. “Said you didn’t need that much. Levi said something about the shelter. Maverick called it ridiculous. Said it was a stupid idea.”