“He offered me some very interesting details about how you tried to intimidate him.”

“Brenner is a criminal,” Ethan said.

“He is a businessman who knows how to leverage an advantage,” Richard corrected.

“And right now, he is very angry about his properties being investigated.”

“If you touch my daughter, Richard, I swear to God—”

“I don’t care about the child, Ethan,” Richard interrupted.

“But Brenner does. He wants his money, and he wants his charges dropped.”

“And if I don’t?” Ethan asked.

“Then Brenner and I will align our interests,” Richard said.

“He has already agreed to sign an affidavit stating you tried to bribe him to keep quiet about the girl.”

“That’s a lie,” Ethan said.

“It doesn’t matter if it is true,” Richard said. “It only matters how it looks in the Tribune.”

I looked at the floor tiles, counting the grey speckles to keep my mind from racing.

These men were talking about Lauren like she was a piece of property, a chip in a game.

“You are threatening me,” Ethan said.

“I am giving you an exit strategy,” Richard said.