Chapter 10 · Broker's Leash

"Get on your knees, Cole. Now."

Eve didn't even look at me. She was staring at the scorched remains of the Pact Deck on the table, her voice as cold as a morgue slab. I stayed where I was, leaning against the peeling wallpaper of the safehouse, my chest heaving. My wrist was still humming from the burn of the blood-contract, a dull, rhythmic throb that felt like a countdown.

"I'm not begging," I spat. "You set me up. You knew the Hound was tracking the signal."

Eve finally turned. She didn't look angry; she looked bored. She stepped toward me, the click of her heels echoing in the small room. She stopped inches from my face, the scent of expensive vanilla and ozone swirling around her. She was shorter than me, but in this room, she owned every cubic inch of air.

"I didn't set you up," she whispered, her breath warm against my skin. "I gave you a chance to play. You just happened to lose. And in this city, losing doesn't mean you go home and try again tomorrow. It means you belong to whoever holds your debt.