Chapter 6

“If I’d known you were this rich, I’d have made you pay for that trick.”

“I am paying, boy. And I’m taking all this out of your paycheck, rest assured.” I started unpacking, hanging the new clothing in the closet alongside my somewhat dated suits. “We’ll need to find you a suitcase, too.”

“I got a suitcase. It was a graduation present.” The kid prowled the room, fingering the rich fabrics on the chairs and peering out the window at the Broad Street traffic below. Finally, he threw himself onto the king-sized mattress and stared up at the canopy with wide eyes. “I didn’t know there wereplaces like this. All I ever see is cheap motels.”

I let out a snort. “Dressed like you were, that’s the only place that would let you through the front door. I didn’t outfit you strictly for my own enjoyment. It may not seem fair, but people do judge you on the way you look, kid.”