Chapter 15 · Pick Your Owner

Marcus slides the revised contract across the table. His smile is the kind that makes my skin crawl, all teeth and ownership.

"Protection guarantee," he says. "You get double resources, no exclusive representation, and I personally ensure no one touches you without going through me first."

I don't reach for it yet. My hands are still shaking from the crying performance two minutes ago, and I let him see it. Vulnerable prey. Grateful prey.

Lila's watching from her seat like this is dinner theater. She hasn't said a word since Marcus outbid himself to keep Damon Rhys out of the running. Smart woman. She gets her broker's cut either way.

I pick up the contract. Skim the first page. The exclusive clause is gone, crossed out in red ink. The resource allocation is doubled. Everything I asked for.

Too easy.

I flip to the back pages. There's new text in the addendum section, small and dense. I make my eyes go wide and confused, the look of someone who doesn't read fine print because she's too scared and too relieved to think straight.

"What's this part?" I ask. My voice wobbles just right.

Marcus leans in.