*Buzz*

Madison picked up her phone.

"Hello?"

“Hey baby!" came a friendly voice. How's my girl doing?"

"Horrible," Madison replied with an insincere pout in her voice.

“This lemonade isn't quite chilled enough, these pillows haven't been fluffed since this morning --" She stopped when she heard Heda laughing at her.

"You are so full of shit. You're loving being a pampered princess now, aren't you?"

Madison closed her eyes.

“Is that horrible of me? I mean, with everything that's happened, should I really be . . . happy? It kinda feels inappropriate."

"Madison, you've paid more than your pound of flesh in this," Heda said vehemently.

"You've put up with more than anyone I know in your life, and you suffered at that asshole's hands. No one deserves to feel good more than you."

"One girl died, and the rest . . . Damn, I mean even Carla --"

"Would have been taken even if you never existed. And Carla's safer now than anyone except maybe you, thanks to your father. She's getting back tonight, right?"

“Yeah, late. We're taking an armored limo to the airport to pick her up, and her security guy is going to call once she gets on the plane.

It'll be nice having her here. She'll help distract Morgan, and I think Timothy has a crush on her. Little goober," Madison added with a chuckle.

"He's gonna be as much of a heartbreaker as his sister," Heda snickered.

"You've gotta be talking about Morgan," Madison sighed, lying back on her pile of unfluffed pillows.

"She's had two boyfriends. Two! And she's sixteen! I'm twenty, and I'm on girlfriend number one."

"Well, at least you started with the best. I will absolutely ruin you for other women."

Madison was grinning like an idiot.

"Well, you better step up your game. I've been assured by at least half-dozen semi-pubescent teenaged girls that they know at least one lesbian who they could hook me up with."

Heda was laughing at the other end of the Line.

"That's it! No hanging out with your sister's friends. They're a bad influence on you. I can't even defend my territory."

Madison's face scrunched up.