Chapter 5

The alley behind the Vesper Club was dark, smelling of rain and garbage.

Harper backed away from Finn, her back hitting the damp brick wall.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," she spat. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the check he had given her. She ripped it into confetti and threw it at his feet. "I don't want your money."

Finn watched the pieces of paper flutter to the wet asphalt. He looked bored.

"You have spirit. I'll give you that," he said. "But you don't have leverage."

He pressed a button on his armrest.

Two black SUVs roared to life at the mouth of the alley, blocking the exit. Their headlights blinded Harper.

"What do you want?" She shielded her eyes.

"I want to discuss your grandmother's surgery."

Harper's blood ran cold. "What did you do?"

"I paid for it," Finn said simply. "Dr. Evans is scrubbing in right now. The deposit is paid. The VIP suite is booked."

Harper felt a wave of dizziness. "Why?"

"Because now you owe me."

Silas stepped forward out of the darkness, holding a thick document bound in blue leather. He handed it to Harper.

"What is this?"

"A personal services contract," Finn said. "An agreement of indebted servitude. Since you are... financially unstable, and given our shared history, I have taken the liberty of drafting the terms of your employment."

"You can't do that! I won't sign it!"

"You will." He paused, a cruel glint in his eyes. "Your juvenile record is sealed, isn't it? The one detailing the accusations of aggravated battery and reckless endangerment from that night. It would be a shame if a certain judge, a friend of the family, were to unseal it. No college, no decent job, just the girl who crippled the last Burke heir."

"I didn't push you!" Harper screamed. "Ciera did!"

"The law disagrees." Finn rolled closer. The wheels of his chair hissed on the wet pavement. "Here are the terms. You live at Burke Manor. You work for me. You do not leave without permission. You do not speak to anyone without permission. In exchange, Rose Solis gets the best cardiac care money can buy. If you refuse..."

He shrugged. "I pull the funding. The surgery stops. She dies."

It wasn't a choice. It was an execution.

Harper looked at the contract. The words swam before her eyes. Total obedience. Indefinite term.

Her phone buzzed. A video message. It was a live feed of Nana Rose being wheeled into an operating room. She looked peaceful.

Harper looked at Finn. He was a monster. A beautiful, broken monster.

"Give me the pen," she whispered.

She signed her name on the damp paper. The ink bled slightly. Harper Solis.

"Good girl." Finn reached out. His fingers brushed Harper's chin, tilting her face up. His touch was electric, shocking. "Welcome home, Harper."

He gestured to the guards. "Put her in the car."

They grabbed Harper's arms. She didn't fight. She felt numb. They shoved her into the back of the Maybach.

The door slammed shut. The lock clicked.

The scent of cedar and rain filled the car. Finn transferred himself from his wheelchair into the seat beside Harper with practiced ease.

The car began to move. Harper watched the city lights blur, realizing she had just sold her soul to the devil for a heart bypass.