Nevertheless, she grabbed the hospital phone and began dialing.

As she suspected, the moment Charis answered and Juliette said hi, the woman fired her. It wasn’t even done nicely or apologetically.

“We’ve already hired someone competent and reliable,” the woman sneered into the line. “Drop your uniform off and don’t even bother asking for your last pay as you still owe us.”

The line went dead promptly after the short rant.

Juliette sighed. Oddly enough, she felt no remorse over not having to go back. If anything, she was sort of relieved.

She called Harold next.

He picked up on the third ring.

“I completely understand,” he told her after she’d finished explaining the situation. “We’re just so relieved you’re all right. Can’t believe such a thing even happens outside of movies. But yes, of course you still have a position here whenever you’re ready to come back to it.”

The relief was astronomical. She wasn’t sure what she’d done to deserve that sort of break, but she wasn’t going to question it.

Mrs. Tompkins was her final call. She was still at her daughter’s house—thank God—so Juliette decided not to tell her about anything that had happened. They chatted a few minutes, mostly about Mrs. Tompkins’s move before hanging up. She was setting the phone back on the end table when Vi returned with a paper bag in one hand and a drink tray with two plastic cups in the other. She bounded into the room and set the items down next to the phone.

“I found bagels,” she declared. “No peanut butter, but they had cream cheese and jam.”

“Tell me what happened with your friends,” Juliette said after a stretch of silence that was filled with cream cheese spreading and coffee sipping.

Vi looked down at her bagel with cream cheese and jam, her mouth twisted in grimace.

“They’re assholes,” she mumbled. “I always knew it, but…”

Juliette stopped eating. “What happened?”

Vi set her half-eaten bagel down on the wrapper and dusted the crumbs off her fingers. She continued to stare at her breakfast rather than Juliette.

“They dared me to take something from a store in the mall. It wasn’t anything special, a lipstick that wasn’t even my color, but it was something we used to do all the time so it wasn’t a big deal—” Juliette opted to let that comment go for the time being. “—so I did it. I took the lipstick and started to walk out when Brittany went running to the clerk and ratted me out. I mean, dead on told the girl I took the lipstick. I was stopped and searched and obviously I had the thing so I got busted.”

“Vi!”

Vi rolled her eyes. “I know. Stupid. Anyway, Phil got me out. He talked to the woman, said he was my dad and I wasn’t stealing. I was waiting for him and must have forgotten to pay for it. The woman let us go and we left. I felt about two inches tall. I’d never been caught before. I was also pissed. They were supposed to be my friends. That’s when Phil kind of set me straight, told me I was being a shit and I needed to clean up my act. He made me swear not to take anything anymore or he’d arrest me himself. Kind of started liking him after that.”

No longer hungry, Juliette set her bagel down and wiped her hands on a napkin. She reached for her coffee and cradled the warmth between her palms.

“You should have told me,” she said.

“I hardly saw you,” Vi countered. “I mean even before Killian, you were never home and when you were, you were yelling at me or sleeping. Besides, I knew you were only going to lecture me on stealing and I’d already learned my lesson.”

Juliette exhaled. “I’ve been so unfair to you, haven’t I? Probably the worst sister on the planet and I am so sorry. I have no excuse.”

Vi nodded slowly. “Yeah, you were, but it’s either you or Uncle Jim and you won’t make me wear frilly panties.”

Gagging, Juliette recoiled. “That is disgusting!”

Vi grinned. “And yet so true.”

Laughing, Juliette shook her head. “Okay, enough of that. Let’s talk about what we’re going to do.”

“Do with what?”

“Everything.” She shrugged. “We have nothing to worry about anymore. The hotel doesn’t exactly pay in gold bricks, but we’re going to be okay if we’re careful—”

Voices in the hallway had them both glancing back just in time to see Arlo stride into the room, followed closely by Phil. The two stopped at the foot of the bed, Phil with a scowl.

“Hey there, Juliette,” Arlo said in that tone she had never wanted to hear again. “They told me you were awake.”

Juliette nodded. “Yeah.”

“Excellent.” His brown eyes flicked over to Vi, lingered in a way that made Juliette’s skin prickle before returning to her. “Glad to hear it.”

“What are you doing here?” she demanded with more bite than was necessary.

“Just coming to check on my favorite person. You had the entire underground community looking for you. McClary is probably happy to have you back.” His gaze slid to Vi again, who stared back at him without a trace of emotion. “Also came to see when they were letting you out.”

Juliette frowned. “Why?”

He shrugged. “Curiosity.”

“It’s none of your business,” she retorted.

He fixed her with an arched eyebrow. “Seriously? That’s the attitude I get for saving your life?”

A muscle tightened in the pit of Juliette’s stomach as a sickening realization crept home; was he going to strong arm her into owing him all over again? Was that why he was there?

“I won’t come back to you,” she hissed. “Not ever.”

Arlo rolled his eyes. “Calm down. I don’t want you back. My father was already compensated for his help in your rescue, which means you get to go on and live your boring little life.”

“Compensated how? By whom?”

“McClary,” he said simply. “Gave my dad the deed to the ports.”

Juliette remembered all too well how badly Arlo had wanted the port papers signed, enough so that he’d knocked the shit out of her for it.

“Lucky you,” she muttered.

“Yup.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “I personally think we got the better end of the deal, but whatever.” He slanted his gaze towards Vi again. “Hey, walk me out.”

“No!” Coffee sloshed over the rim of her cup when she shot up and grabbed Vi’s arm. “She’s not going anywhere with you.”

“It’s okay.” Vi detached herself from the hold and rose. “I’ll be right back.”

Arlo smirked at Juliette. “I’ll see you around, Juliette.”

With an arrogant salute, he spun on his heels and led the way out of the room with Vi right behind him. Juliette met Phil’s angry gaze.

“Follow them. Don’t let him touch her.”

Phil didn’t even hesitate.

Juliette set her cup down and hurriedly kicked the blankets off. She scooted to the edge of the bed and tossed her legs over. The cold tiles bit into her bare feet as she hopped down. She reached for the IV pole and was about to follow when Vi returned.

“What are you doing out of bed?” the girl demanded.

“What are you doing following that asshole?” Juliette shot back. “Do you have any idea what level of bad news—”

“Chill!” Vi laughed. “Trust me, nothing will ever happen between me and that guy. Like ever. I know exactly what he is and what he wants and I’m not an idiot.”

Juliette jerked back in surprise. “Really?”

Vi nodded as she made her way back to the bed. “I can overlook a lot of things about a guy, but selling, beating, and degrading women is where I draw the line. So, yeah.” She flopped down on the stiff mattress and reached for her bagel. “No sexy fun time for him.”

Juliette blanched. “Ew!” Gingerly, she regained her seat. “So, what did he want?”

Vi bit into her breakfast, chewed, and swallowed before speaking. “A kiss.”

Thank God she was already sitting or she would have fallen over.

“What?”

Vi snorted. “He made me this promise before they set off to find you the other night, that if he found you first, I owed him a kiss.”