her words. “Nothing pisses me off more than injustice.”
“I know. That’s why I love you. But I need you to promise me something.”
Liv lifted her eyebrows.
Alexis’s eyes darkened. “Be careful. Royce is more powerful than you know.”
“I’m not afraid of Royce Preston. He’s a bumbling idiot. He literally got caught because he can’t tell time.”
Alexis ignored the joke. “He’ll destroy you.”
“Not if I destroy him first.”
“You really believe you can, don’t you?”
“What I believe is that I don’t have a choice. I can’t walk away knowing what he’s doing and has probably done a hundred times before. I can’t let someone else walk into that kitchen knowing he’s a predator. If I have to bring down his entire stupid empire, I will.”
Alexis stood and peered down at Liv through beseeching eyes. “Please don’t do anything rash. I know what you’re like, and—”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you sometimes act without thinking.”
Liv allowed herself a moment of wounded pride before sputtering, “Am I supposed to stand by and let him get away with this?”
“Just promise me you’ll think about the consequences before you go after Royce.”
Liv stood so she was eye to eye with Alexis. “I’m going to stop him from hurting other women. Those are the only consequences I care about.”
“They shouldn’t be. Other people could get hurt. Think of how many people could lose their jobs if you bring down his empire.”
Liv shook her head, disappointment and confusion a strange cocktail in her veins. “I don’t get this. I figured you of all people would be on my side.”
“I am on your side.”
“It doesn’t sound like it.”
“I just don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m more worried about Jessica.”
Alexis’s sigh carried weary resignation. “What exactly are you planning to do?”
“I don’t know. But I’ll think of something.”
Alexis worried her lower lip with her teeth. “Will you keep me posted?”
“I will.”
A young woman in a ToeBeans T-shirt knocked on the door and stuck her head in. “Beefcake just stole someone’s muffin and tried to pee on a kitten.”
“I’ll go,” Liv said quickly. “You should probably deal with that.”
Alexis’s smile seemed forced as she rounded her small desk for a quick hug. “I’ll keep my eyes open for jobs,” she said with a squeeze.
Liv ducked out the back way and walked around the block to her car. But rather than drive away, she sat in the front seat for several long minutes, staring at nothing as she worked out her next move. You sometimes act without thinking. Maybe Alexis hadn’t meant to, but that one had struck a tender spot. Liv had worked her ass off to overcome the transgressions of her wild youth. And though her precious Gran Gran hadn’t lived long enough to see Liv finish culinary school, Liv liked to imagine that the old lady was still up there somewhere feeling proud that she’d managed to set Liv on a better path before it was too late. Liv wouldn’t have gotten her shit together in time to graduate from high school without Gran Gran’s help. And Thea’s, of course.
But could someone ever really feel like they’d made up for the mistakes of their past? Would Liv? Could she ever do enough to be worth all the trouble?
Liv shoved the key in the ignition and waited for a break in traffic to pull out. She wouldn’t go down without a fight. Royce couldn’t get away with this. But before she could deal with him, she had to get Jessica out of there. And if Alexis couldn’t hire her, Liv knew at least one person who could.
Braden-Fucking-Mack.
Temple Club was supposedly one of Nashville’s swankiest dance clubs, but in the middle of the afternoon, it was just a dark, empty tomb with the odor of stale beer and lost hope that hung over every bar on the strip. Liv’s boots clunked across the distressed wooden floor when she walked in.
“We open at four,” a woman at the bar said without even looking up. She had a jagged purple haircut and an attitude that Liv would’ve admired in other circumstances.
Liv approached the bar. “I’m Liv. I’m looking for Mack.”
“He’s not here.” The woman still hadn’t looked at her.
“Where is he?” Liv asked, parking herself on a barstool.
The woman looked up, one pierced eyebrow arched over vibrant green eyeshadow. “Not here and none of your business.”
“See, it is kind of my business because I need to talk to him.”
“You and every other woman in Nashville. Take a number.”
Liv faked a gag. “Stop. I have