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“They may not. But they probably will.” He moved in front of his desk and leaned against its edge, his knees nearly touching mine. “I like to be prepared for any scenario.” He stroked his cheek with his thumb. His eyes gleamed with power, black holes that greedily gorged on galaxies. “I can call in a few favors from friends on the force. Potentially have someone bury your file. Pun intended.”
“I’m not amused.”
Martin’s gaze narrowed. “I looked into your situation. Your mother was a piece of work.”
“How do you—”
“Your mother’s dealer is a talkative, desperate man.”
“Oh.” I blinked, not anticipating that.
“I do background checks for potential employees or bed partners.” The cruel curve to Martin’s mouth deepened. “I’m taking on a lot of risk and up-front expense for a new hire.”
“I’m not sleeping with you,” I said adamantly, but he didn’t look like he believed me.
“The twenty thousand isn’t doable at this juncture.”
“Okay.” I dug my nails into the ball-like carvings. “What is?”
“Sadly, minimum wage is all I can afford.”
Resigned, I nodded. My stomach felt like it was full of cement. “It’ll be a struggle for my sister and me on minimum wage.”
Moreover, I’d counted on that salary to afford an attorney to draw up guardianship papers. On minimum wage, it would take a long time to save enough to afford one.
“One meal a day will be comped for you. Rachel will have to fend for herself. She has her gig here.”
“ABCR decided on RDA last night.”
Martin seemed surprised by that news. “Well, she’s not going anywhere for a few weeks, right? Not until you can come up with the necessary documentation to prove your guardianship. The label isn’t going to accept a minor’s signature on a contract. You’ll need to sign for her.”
The man thought fast and thoroughly, reaching the same conclusion I had.
“Another expense for you, I’m afraid.”
He pushed away from his desk. Leaning over, he covered my hands with his. Caged in his grip, I pulled in a breath and my heart raced. His heat was palpable, his cologne overpowering.
“Do you have any savings, my dear?”
“No.” This close, I could see that eyes I’d always thought were black weren’t really. They were just a darker brown than Miranda’s.
“Unfortunate.” His expression wasn’t sympathetic. The man and his soul were a black pit. “Lawyers are costly, and typically don’t look the other way when laws have been bent or even broken.” He looked practically gleeful. “Would you like me to take care of that for you?”
“Yes.” The floor seemed to fall away as I sank even lower, trapped in his grip more than just physically. “But I don’t have any money.”
“We’ll work something out.”
“Not doing sexual favors.”
“Not asking you to.” His gaze sharpened. “We’ve been over that. It’s beginning to annoy me that you keep bringing it up.”
The menace of his aura seemed to rise like a shadow in the room.
“But what else can I offer?”
“You’ll have additional duties,” he said matter-of-factly. “Keeping me company whenever I ask you to will continue to be part of our deal. We’ll make up the rest as we go.”
Holy hell.
