And the worst part, the part that turned my stomach to ice, was that it had almost worked — that if my father had not built his wall, and if Brannon had not been watching, Quinn’s future would already be gone and none of us would have known until the tuition bill came due.

“What does it say?” Doreen asked, her voice tight with sudden panic.

I looked from her to my mother, who was vibrating, her eyes locked on the documents in my fist.

“It says,” I told them quietly, the silence now so complete my voice reached the back fence, “that you have three minutes to explain to Quinn why you decided to steal her life.”

Chapter 9 — The Empire Eats Itself

“Nobody is moving,” I said, and the force in it froze them all — Doreen with one foot lifted, Presley backing away from the Jeep as if it had gone radioactive.