CRIMSON DEBTS Chapter 6
Chapter 6: ThE ART OF THE SCRAPE
The heavy oak doors of Kaelen's office clicked shut, muffling the low, predatory hum of the boardroom.
Julian didn't sit. He couldn't. He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out over the city he no longer recognized.
His hands were shaking-not from fear of Silas, but from the ease with which he had betrayed Marcus Reed.
He looked down at the $5,000 suit. It felt like lead.
Twenty minutes later, the door opened. Kaelen walked in, moving with the fluid grace of a man who had just won a war. He didn't go to his desk; he walked straight toward Julian, stopping only when he was inches away.
"You look like you're going to be sick," Kaelen said, his voice a low hum.
"I just ruined a girl's life," Julian whispered, refusing to look at him. "That's what you wanted, isn't it? To show me I'm just as calculated as you are?"
The Price of Admission
Kaelen reached out, his hand hovering near Julian's jaw before he gripped his chin, forcing Julian to meet his gaze. There was no mockery in Kaelen's eyes now-only a terrifying, dark intensity.
"I didn't make you do anything, Julian. I gave you a problem, and you chose the most efficient, most brutal solution. Don't blame me for the darkness you already had inside you."
He let go, turning to pour two fingers of amber liquid into a crystal glass. "My father is impressed. That makes you the most valuable thing in this building-and the biggest target. My aunt Elena already wants you dead. You're a liability she can't control."
"Then let me go," Julian snapped. "If I'm a liability, give me back to my father and let us disappear."
Kaelen laughed, a short, humorless sound. "You think my father lets 'assets' walk away? You're in the web now, Jules. The only way out is through. And right now, the only thing keeping Elena's men from putting a bullet in your head is the fact that you belong to me."
Kaelen set the glass down and picked up a slim, black tablet. He flicked a file toward Julian.
"The Thorne family is hosting a gala tonight.
It's a front for a high-stakes auction-not for art, but for information.
I need you there, not as a ghost, but as the centerpiece.
You're going to be my 'consultant.' You'll vet the buyers.
If they have a weakness, you find it. If they have a secret, you pull the thread. "
Julian looked at the list of names. These were the titans of the city. "And if I refuse?"
Kaelen stepped closer, his shadow engulfing Julian. He leaned down, his lips brushing Julian's ear. "Then I tell Silas you've lost your utility. And we both saw how he treats things that are no longer useful."
Julian felt the heat of Kaelen's breath, a stark contrast to the coldness of his words. The forced proximity was becoming a suffocating habit, one that Julian was horrified to realize his body was starting to crave.
"What do I get in exchange?" Julian asked, his voice regaining some of its steel. "If I'm playing the part of your monster, I want something more than my life."
Kaelen's eyebrows arched in genuine surprise. "Greed? I like it. Name your price."
"My father," Julian said. "You move him to a private facility. Somewhere your family can't touch him. And you clear the interest on the debt. Every name I give you tonight is ten percent off the principal."
A Dangerous Bargain
Kaelen studied him, a predatory smirk playing on his lips. He reached out, his thumb tracing the line of Julian's lower lip-a gesture that was almost tender if not for the threat behind it.
"You're learning, little bird. Fine. Ten percent per head. But if you miss even one detail... if you let a single lie pass through that boardroom tonight... I'll make sure you're the one who pays the interest. In blood."
Kaelen pulled away and checked his watch. "The tailor will be here in an hour with the evening wear. Make sure you look the part, Julian. Tonight, you aren't just an artist. You're a Thorne."
As Kaelen walked out, Julian sank into the leather chair, his heart hammering. He had just sold his soul for a discount on his father's life. He looked at the tablet, the names of his future victims glowing in the dark office.
The glass empire was beautiful, but as Julian realized, it was designed to cut anyone who tried to leave.