I'm no one's collateral
Dad leaned over the papers and then shifted so that a beam of sunlight full of dust motes shone directly onto the pages before bringing them close to his face as if he was trying to find the right level of focus.
He made an animalistic noise of pain and his face paled as he turned to look at me.
"What?" I stiffened." What the fuck did you lose now?"
Surely there was nothing else? Couldn't Arthur Hollow see that he already had it all, that he was literally sitting on the ruins of our lives? I crept over to be closer to them so we could talk about this.
But Hollow turned to Dad as if they were in the middle of a private negotiation; his broad shoulders (made even broader by the well-fitting suit that clung to his muscular back) kept me from joining in the conversation.
His voice boomed to me, "If you agree to honor the sub-clause, I'll forgive you everything else."
I let out a sudden sigh. Wow, shit. It was obvious. "One sub-clause and everything else is still ours?", I asked, but neither of us looked at me.
Dad simply looked at our unwanted guest as if only he could save him. Then he nodded. "I agree."
"And what are you agreeing to?" Hollow's voice was calm and serene, soothing as it enveloped my thoughts, seducing me with the idea that anything could be arranged.
I didn't care what Dad agreed to; I just needed to get it done quickly so I could go to work at the bar. In fact, I was thinking so hard about everything I had to do that I almost didn't hear him when Dad started talking. Until I heard my name.
My daughter, Leia. You can have her as stipulated in the sub-clause of the contract.
I jumped to my feet, my heart racing. "What now? No. I'm no one's collateral."
But Hollow merely chuckled, not looking away from Dad. "I've agreed to stranger things to get rid of accumulated debts."
"Dad." His name left my lips like a plea.
He didn't respond.
"Dad!"I tried again, with more emphasis this time ." Dad, what have you done? "
He shrugged and his eyes met mine briefly. "I was drunk. Desperate. I don't remember. But this could fix everything. You have the power to fix everything, Amara."
I took a deep breath, seeking some sort of meditative calm, but I was wrong and filled with pure rage. "What idiots! No one calls a woman to settle a gambling debt. What about the law? What about sex trafficking? "
"Oh, yeah? Will there be sex? "Hollow's voice was soft and warm, and I trembled with anger.
"Never. This is almost illegal, and you know it. Dad, you can't do this. "I wanted to save everything, but not at my expense. We have to try another way. There must be something.
Dad took a deep breath and seemed to control himself for the first time all morning when he finally looked me in the eye. "No, there isn't, Amara . I'm sorry, but I'm not going to back out of a contract I signed. This may not be the outcome I was hoping for, but it is what it is."
"Is it what it is? "I struggled to control my voice." That's all you have to say?"
Arthur shrugged and replied on Dad's behalf, "It's a shame, but not for long. You'll be able to go home soon."
That was the first thing I heard him say, but I wasn't going to tell him. "Really, and I'm supposed to be grateful?"
Dupont spoke again. "Your father put a condition on your availability when he added you to the contract. A deadline of one month." He shrugged a second time. "Should be enough."
When he glanced over his shoulder at me, his eyes glittered.
"For what?" I ran my hand along the ornate tapestry arm of the antique sofa. The threads were loose from use and the passage of time, shedding their intricate pattern. I braced myself for the conversation the three of us were about to have. "For the record, I don't agree with any of this."
Hollow walked over to me and I stepped back. He narrowed his eyes and his gaze grew colder. "Miss Harper."