Chapter 13
Malin
The phone number had never been blocked. I always had it with me even though I never intended to use it.
As soon as Klonis closed the door, I brought up the contact. And stared at it as if paralyzed. I shook off my hesitation. I couldn’t afford to waste time with my grudges, my blame. My hate. No, that was wrong. I was furious but I didn’t hate him.
I took two deep breaths, gritted my teeth and pressed call. The ringer went off twice before it stopped.
"Malin?"
"Dad.” And suddenly my mouth went dry. I couldn’t speak.
“Malin. Uh, hello. Hello! Are you all right?”
“I need eight million. Eight million three hundred eighty-two thousand, four hundred and eighty-seven dollars to be exact. I’ll pay you back with interest. I swear. As soon as I liquidate some of my investments.”
Silence.
“You called me for money?”
I cleared my throat. “Uh, yeah.”
“Malin.” His voice sounded weird. I heard breathing over the connection. “Are you in trouble?”
“Nothing like that.”
“I—I haven’t heard from you in over six years.”
I blinked hard. Why did this affect me so much? I never shed a tear for that man. It was all for my other parent. Rupert. Who shouldn’t have died. There shouldn’t be a stump where that part of the bond used to be. It should never have happened!
“I wouldn’t have called if—if I didn’t need it.”
“Are you sure you’re not in trouble?” His tone was rough with emotion.
“I’m not.”
“Then, what’s going on?”
“It’s someone else in trouble, Dad. I’ll pay it back. I promise.”
“When do you need the money?”
“In the next fifteen minutes.”
“What?”
My breath shook now. “I know you can do it.” My dad, Tane Summit, was worth over two billion when I’d left his house. Probably double that by now.
“Consider it done. Where does that eight million need to go?”
I hadn’t thought about that part. He’d have to know. The transaction couldn’t be completed if I was the middleman. There could be no secrets.
“Brimstone Ranch.” My words came out garbled.
“Where?”
“Brimstone Ranch.”
There was a pause on the other end, a clearing of a throat. “All right. Tell them it’s done. I’ll call my bank now.”
“I’ll pay you back.” I kept repeating it as if that made everything good.
“Text me the account number. I have to hang up now to make the call.”
“Okay.” I should say anything but that. I should thank him. But my throat and tongue wouldn’t work.
Dad surprised me then. “No need to pay it back. You say you need it? Consider it a gift.”
The phone went dead.
I reeled. A gift? Instead of being happy about it, I felt sick. I didn’t have time for any of that so I buried away all the feelings that swept over me and held myself together.
Quickly, I pasted the information Jonah had given me into the text box, along with the exact amount minus the fifty cents I’d already paid. And that was that.
I walked back to Jonah’s office. As I entered, I dropped my phone into my vest pocket and said, “It’s done.”
Jonah immediately got on the phone and his laptop. He looked up. “Nothing.”
“Yet.” My lips felt numb.
“You have seven minutes left.”
I wanted to leap over his desk and tackle him, pummel his face with hard fists until he was a bloody wound. It was difficult to hold back. I turned toward Cassius to distract me. To ground me. It worked.
The light from the window where he stood ran through his hair like low simmering embers.
Kirion’s hair had had the same effect. I’d spent a small amount of toxic time with him before he became, technically, my stepfather.
But Cassius’s was darker gold. His lean body sported the same t-shirt and jeans from yesterday when I’d dropped him off.
He hadn’t had any time to change because he had been locked away.
How dare they? Because I didn’t leave a review?
Whenever I got this angry, Malinekan grew tense and wanted to shift. My fingernails ached to be claws. My tailbone felt like it might burst with a barbed spike. My skin itched with a desire for scales.
Down, boy.
Cassius stared at the floor, his hands clasped in front of him. He had no control of his life. None. How could that ever happen to a living being that wasn’t actually livestock? But that was how he was treated. Comically, I imagined his bed was probably made of hay.
But none of this was funny. Not the fifty-year rental price. Not the $160 worth of a human. Not the fact that Cassius was punished because I didn’t give him a star rating.
When had this world come into existence? And when had it become mine?
I knew the answer to the second question. It was at the party when I’d heard the loud voice and the glass breaking in Bish’s changing room. It was when I’d walked in to see a set omega hellbent on keeping what little dignity he had left.
Jonah’s voice rang across the room. “The money has populated into our account.”
Klonis gave me an astonished look.
“What? Did you think I was lying? About money?” I fake-laughed to mock him as he could only stare.
Jonah was chuckling softly to himself. “You’re a fool,” he mumbled. “Such a fool.”
“Shall I take Cassius to gather his things?” Klonis asked.
“Don’t bother.” I walked toward the door. “He doesn’t need any of your stuff.” I turned to look at Cassius, whose face was in utter shock.
I added, “Unless you have keepsakes or something like that?”
He shook his head hard, the stunned look not going away.
“Good. The sooner we leave this place, the better.”
As we walked out, Jonah was still laughing like a stupid kid. Klonis led us back through the maze of hallways to reception.
I was in a daze, but it didn’t show. I had gotten my way. Gotten what I wanted. Cassius belonged to me now. Then a thought came from Malinekan.
He’s yours now. But is he really?
Yes, I owned him. But mine? Malinekan was right. That meant something different altogether.
In under three minutes, we were seated in my car, the engine roaring to life. Wondering what in all the hells I’d just done, I sped away. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.