Less than a minute later, he was back in his vehicle. “No luck?” Bradley asked.

  “She’s not here.” Daniel backed out and left the parking lot. “Did you find anything useful?”

  Instead of answering, Bradley asked a question of his own. “Where to now?”

  “Her apartment.” If she wasn’t at work and she wasn’t with Kim, that left her apartment. If she wasn’t there, he wasn’t sure where to go next. She had no other family in town.

  He was trying not to get ahead of himself, but he didn’t like not knowing where she was. Picking up his phone, he pulled up her cell number and tried her again. It went straight to voicemail.

  Bradley was staring at him. He glanced over. “What? Did you find something?”

  “No. It’s just...”

  “Just what?” Daniel asked.

  “Nothing.” Turning his attention back to the stack of papers, Bradley continued to read.

  Normally, Daniel would press his son to get on with whatever he was going to say, but he wasn’t sure he could take more of his son’s immaturity at the moment.

  The drive to Ali’s apartment usually took fifteen minutes. He got them there in less than ten. He may or may not have run a few yellow lights.

  His gaze zeroed in on Ali’s car parked in her spot outside her apartment. He was swamped with a mixture of relief and wanting to turn her over his knee.

  Daniel found a parking spot and climbed out. As he approached her door, he heard raised voices.

  He paused for a moment, wanting an idea of what he was walking in on. The voices were muffled, but he picked out at least two. One belonged to Ali. The other to another woman.

  Not willing to wait any longer to find out what was going on, Daniel used the key Ali had given him and opened her door. When he stepped through, two heads turned to face him. Ali’s was full of relief. The other woman’s—older than Ali by at least twenty years—was not nearly as pleased with the intrusion.

  “Get out!” the other woman yelled. “I don’t know who the hell you are, but we don’t want you here. This is a man-free zone.”

  Ali ignored the woman, coming to him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

  He embraced her, ignoring the other woman. “I’ve been trying to call you. Why aren’t you answering your phone?”

  “She took it. I’ve been trying to get it back for the last two hours.”

  Daniel looked at the other woman. When she swayed to the left, he caught sight of something purple peeking out of her back pocket. He was betting it was Ali’s cell phone.

  Before he could ask who this was or how the woman had come into possession of Ali’s phone in the first place, the woman spoke again. “Did you not hear me? Get out! We don’t want you here. Right, Ali? Go on. Get.”

  That was when he realized she was drunk. Or at the very least, on her way to being that way.

  His gaze landed on a bottle of vodka on the coffee table. Someone had made a decent dent in it, and he didn’t smell any alcohol on Ali’s breath.

  “Mom, stop it.” Ali paused. “Please.”

  At this revelation, Daniel took another long look at the woman. Now that Ali had pointed out the relationship, the similarities were obvious. The other woman’s hair was the same shade of brown as Ali’s. She was a little taller but had the same build. She also had Ali’s beautiful blue eyes, although they looked full of sadness.

  “Why didn’t you tell me your mother was coming to visit?” He asked the question, but he was already positive he knew the answer. She hadn’t known.

  Zelda Foster threw her hands up and plopped down on the couch, sitting on Ali’s phone. She reached for the bottle of vodka and brought it to her lips.

  “I didn’t—”

  “Who the hell are you anyway, barging in here like you own the place or something? That’s the problem with men. They think they can take anything they want. Take, take, take. Well, fuck ’em. Fuck ’em all.”

  It was obvious he wasn’t going to be able to have a conversation with Ali while her mom was in the same room. He turned to his son, who’d followed him in. “Could you stay with Ms. Foster while Ali and I talk?”

  Bradley glanced at Zelda, who was narrowing her eyes at them. “Yeah.”

  Not waiting for any further remarks from Zelda, he took Ali’s hand and led her into her bedroom. Closing the door behind them, he got down to business. “Now explain what’s going on.”

  Ali was so glad to see Daniel. She knew he’d be upset she hadn’t called, but her mother had her cell and she didn’t have a landline. “I needed to get a few things, so I swung by my apartment after work. I was almost ready to leave when there was a knock on my door. It was my mom.”

  “I’m assuming you had no idea she was coming?”

  She shook her head. “I never do. She just shows up and it...it’s like this.” Ali bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry I didn’t call. I tried, but she took my phone.”

  “Why did she take your phone?” he asked.

  Ali averted her eyes, but he didn’t let her. He lifted her chin and forced her to look at him.

  “Because she wanted my attention.” Ali paused. “Her latest boyfriend broke up with her.”

  Daniel knew Ali’s relationship with her mom was screwed up, but he hadn’t expected it to be this bad. Ali’s mom was a mess. “Is it like this every time?”

  “Pretty much.”

  He looked at her for a long moment. “We’ll discuss this more when we get home.”

  “I-I can’t leave her. She—she needs me. I—”

  Before he could say anything more, a familiar sound came from the adjoining apartment. What started out as a loud thud of someone being pushed aggressively against the wall was quickly followed by moans and demands of harder and a stream of yeses.

  Then, her mother’s voice was added to the mix. “Shut the hell up, you perverts! No one wants to hear you going at it like rutting bulls.”

  The noise from next door stopped. Ali held her breath, not knowing whether to go to her living room or hide under her bed.

  A door opened next door seconds before there was pounding on her door. Ali and Daniel looked at each other, then exited the bedroom. By the time they got to Zelda and Bradley, Bradley had an arm wrapped around Zelda’s waist, trying to hold her back as she attempted to get to the door.

  Daniel placed a hand on Ali’s arm to stop her. She met his gaze. “Deal with your mother. I’ll handle the neighbors.”

  She wanted to argue, but given the look on his face, she held her tongue. He wasn’t in the best mood given the circumstances, and she couldn’t blame him.

  Going to her mom, she stood in front of her, looking her in the eye. “Mom, stop it. This isn’t helping anything.” Her mom didn’t stop, so she tried again. “Mom! Stop it. Now.”

  That got her attention. Finally.

  But then her mom collapsed on the ground, nearly taking Bradley with her. She curled up into a ball and burst into tears.

  Ali kneeled in front of her. “Mom, are you okay?”

  “No, I’m not okay. Nothing is ever okay.”

  Not knowing what to do, she stayed with her mom on the floor while Daniel talked to her neighbors outside. When he came back in, he stood over her and her mom. He held out a hand for Ali, which she took, and he helped her to stand. Then, he offered a hand to Zelda. “Ms. Foster, you need to get up.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, I suppose you can stay here if you choose, but we’re leaving. If you’d like to remain with Ali, then you’ll be accompanying us.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you.” Then she glared at Bradley. “Or you.”

  “Very well.” Daniel grabbed hold of Ali’s hand and began walking toward the door.

  Ali didn’t move. “Wait—”

  “We’re leaving,” he said.

  She nodded. “I know, but I need to get the things I came for. They’re in my bathroom.”

  He released his hold on her hand. “You have two minutes.”

  Rushing down the hall, she ducked into her bathroom and grabbed the bag she’d stuffed all her things into earlier. After a quick double-check, she made her way back to Daniel.

  When she reentered the living room, her mother was no longer on the floor. She was staring Daniel down. Her mother’s gaze didn’t soften when she noticed her daughter. “Who is this and why does he think he can order us around?”

  “Mom, this is Daniel and his son, Bradley. Daniel and I...” She glanced at Daniel, then back at her mom. “Daniel and I are seeing each other.”

  Her mom’s eyebrows shot into her hair, and she pointed at Daniel. “He’s your boyfriend?”

  Ali nodded. “Yes.”

  Daniel was still wearing his slacks, but he’d rolled up the sleeves on his dress shirt. “How old are you?”

  “Fifty-five.”

  “And you’re dating my daughter?”

  “Yes.”

  She could see the wheels turning in her mom’s head and she didn’t like it. “Mom, if you’d rather stay here, I can...” She wasn’t sure how she was going to finish that sentence. If she insisted on staying, she knew there would be hell to pay.

  “What the hell,” her mom said. “Lead the way, Mr. Boyfriend.”

  Her mom picked up the bottle of vodka in one hand and a suitcase in the other. She began making her way to the door.

  Bradley swiped the bottle out of her hand. “This is staying here.”

  Zelda shot him daggers with her eyes, but then turned on the charm when looking at Daniel. “I’m sure you have something better than cheap vodka at your house, right?”

  “I do,” Daniel confirmed.

  Her mom was out the door, not waiting to see if they would follow.

  Daniel reached for Ali’s hand again.

  “I’m sorry—”

  He cut her off. “We’ll talk at home.”

  While Daniel locked up her apartment, Bradley bumped her elbow. Ali turned to see what he wanted and found him holding her phone.

  “I thought you might want this back.”

  She took it and smiled. “Thanks.”

  He grinned back at her. “You’re welcome.”

  Daniel opened the passenger’s door for her while Bradley and her mom got in the back. He paused for a moment, and she realized there was a stack of papers on the seat. She wouldn’t have thought anything of them, but she saw the name on the top of one of the pages. Grant Edward Jacobson.

  Ali wanted to ask him about it, but not with her mother within earshot. This evening was already bad enough. She didn’t need to add to it.

  He gathered the papers and slipped them back into a manila envelope, placed them under her seat, then helped her into the vehicle.

  The drive home was intense. Not because of the topic of conversation, but because there wasn’t any. None of them said a word as Daniel drove them out of the city toward his house. It wasn’t until they pulled up to the gated driveway that she heard a peep out of her mom.

  “You live here?”

  “I do,” Daniel said and typed in the code.

  The gate opened and they proceeded down the long, winding driveway. She couldn’t see her mom’s expression when they pulled up to the house, but she could imagine it. His house was impressive, including the four-car garage he drove his SUV into. It was bigger than some houses.

  They walked into the house and she saw her mom’s eyes light up, dread pooled in the pit of her stomach. Her mom had a horrible track record when it came to men, and not only the men she dated. For some reason, she thought she knew what men wanted when she didn’t have a clue.

  “Ali, why don’t you show your mom to your old bedroom. She can sleep there.”

  “Her old room?” Zelda asked.

  “Yes.” Daniel didn’t elaborate. He strolled off, leaving Ali and her mom alone.

  Her mom didn’t say anything until they entered the room where Ali had stayed in the wing of the house. “Why didn’t you tell me you’d landed a rich sugar daddy?”

  Ali’s heart sank. Now she not only had to deal with Bradley’s judgments, but her mother’s as well. The only difference was that Bradley saw her dating his father as a negative and her mother most certainly didn’t.

  CHAPTER 25

  As soon as Ali disappeared down the hall with her mom, Daniel returned to his vehicle to get the file. He didn’t know Zelda Foster very well, but what he did know about her didn’t impress him. The last thing he wanted to do was clue her in regarding the problems Ali was having at her job. Not, at least, until he got a better read on the situation.

  Bradley was in the kitchen when he returned. He was heating up their uneaten dinner. His son moved with skill in the kitchen—something he'd taught all his kids.

  His son set a plate in front of him.

  “Thank you.”

  Nodding, Bradley went back to the stove. “Should I make plates for Ali and her mom?”

  Daniel had no idea if Ali’s mom would want to eat. From what she’d said at Ali’s apartment, the only thing she was interested in consuming was more alcohol. He noted, however, that she hadn’t yet asked about his liquor cabinet since they’d arrived at the house. Nor had she spoken on the drive here, which had him concerned on an entirely different level.

  Bradley sat down beside his father at the kitchen island with a plate of food. “So that’s Ali’s mom.”

  “Yes.” Daniel took a bite of his dinner, not wanting his son’s efforts to go to waste. He’d make sure Ali ate after she got her mother settled.

  “You never met her before tonight?”

  Daniel shook his head. “No. Ali’s told me a little about her, but this is the first time we’ve met.”

  His son didn’t say any more. He ate his dinner, then slid off the stool and took his plate to the sink. “I’ll be upstairs if you need me.”

  Tilting his chin up, he let his son know he’d heard him.

  Bradley jogged up the stairs, leaving Daniel alone in the kitchen to finish his meal and contemplate what had become a clusterfuck of an evening.

  Twenty-seven minutes later, Ali appeared looking frazzled. She stopped in her tracks when she saw him at the island.

  Standing, he went to the stove to make her a plate. It was cold again, so he stuck it in the microwave. She sat down at the island without a word.

  “Thank you,” she said when he put the plate of food in front of her. Looking up at him, he could see remorse in her eyes. “I’m s—”

  “Eat your dinner. Then we’ll talk.”

  Her shoulders slumped, but she picked up her fork and began to eat.

  Daniel left her alone, taking the file he’d carried in earlier to his room, along with the bag Ali had brought with her from her apartment. When he strolled back into the kitchen, she was loading her plate into the dishwasher. She turned to face him, waiting.

  “Does your mother have everything she needs?”

  “Yeah. I showed her where the bathroom is and how to work the TV. She should be okay for the rest of the night.” Ali opened her mouth to say more, then closed it again. He knew there was another apology on the tip of her tongue, but he didn’t want I’m sorry. He wanted answers.

  “Bedroom.”

  She lowered her gaze and walked past him as she made her way to the master bedroom.

  Before he followed her, he sent a text to Kim, letting her know Ali was home. As irritated as he was, he didn’t want Kim to worry about her friend.

  Ali was kneeling on the floor when he entered. It was a good start.

  Daniel locked the door behind him and crossed to the patio door. He locked that door as well and pulled the curtains closed. The last thing he needed was an audience. Or interruptions. He’d told Bradley no more evening dips in the pool, but they now had another house guest, and something told him she was going to be a handful.

  Taking a seat on the end of the bed, he took a moment to gather his thoughts. He’d had submissives misbehave before, but it had never caused such a reaction in him. Not being able to reach Ali tonight—not knowing where she was—had him feeling out of control and he didn’t like that.

  When he felt calmer, he called her to him. “Come here.”

  She crawled to him, keeping her gaze on the ground. Sitting back on her heels, she waited.

  He didn’t make her wait long. “Why didn’t you call me to tell me you were going to your apartment after work?”

  “I started my period today and needed supplies. I was only going to be a few minutes, so I didn’t call. Then my mom showed up and when I tried to call you, she took my phone.”

  While he understood her need to go to her apartment, it didn’t excuse her misstep. She wasn’t new to the lifestyle. She knew what she’d signed up for when she’d gotten into this relationship. “You should have called me.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “You call me whenever you deviate from your normal routine, so I know where you are, and I don’t have to go to your work looking for you.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  He took a moment to prepare himself for the next conversation they needed to have. “Tell me what happened today with your boss.”

  She jerked, but then began to speak. “He gave me a project and said he needs the report on his desk first thing tomorrow, but he’d already given me five other large tasks that needed my attention. Then, he forwarded his phones to me for most of the day. I brought everything home with me, thinking I could work on it after dinner.” She gasped. “I left everything in my car. I—”

  “You’ll get it in the morning.”

  “But.” She stopped herself. “Sir, I can’t lose my job.”

  “If you lose your job, we’ll find you another one.”

  Ali bit her bottom lip. He knew she wanted to argue with him, but also knew it would only land her in more trouble.

  “I know you saw the files in the car earlier. I had a private investigator look into Jacobson.”

  She didn’t say anything.

  “Even if I don’t find anything on him, you won’t be working for him much longer.”

  Her head came up, and then she forced it down again. “Sir, I—”

  “Allison, I will not have you working for someone who abuses you. No one deserves that.”