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With all that debt I have to pay to you?

Suppressing the need to scoff, Evan arched an eyebrow in fake curiosity. “How do I do that?”

Tiago smiled that sly smile, dropping his face close to Evan’s. “Come to me.”

“I don’t think I possess any skills suitable to work for your corporation.”

His thing was exorcism, not extortion.

Tiago laughed, throwing his head back and simultaneously moving closer to Evan. He slid an arm around Evan’s waist, pulling him close. “You don’t know it, Evan, but you do.Youare the skill I need from you. And it works—” Tiago took Evan’s hand and brought it down to his crotch, pushing the bulge into Evan’s palm, “—like magic.”

This limp-dick asshole.

With a tight smile, Evan forced his hand away from Tiago’s pencil cock, stepping back until there was enough distance between them that he could breathe anything other than his expensive, insufferable cologne.

Evan hated people who were desperate for sex, especially because the chances of them actually being good at said sex were close to non-existent. If Tiago was a tad bit less obvious about it, maybe Evan would have slept with him, just for the sake of getting him out of his hair.

Even though Evan had been chaste for a few years now after Rhea had warned him about the effects casual hookups had on his spiritual energy.

On the brighter side, desperate people like Tiago were also prone to manipulation by the source of their desperation. Which, in this case, was Evan.

Clenching his fist, Evan blinked at the floor, staring hard until moisture gathered at the corners of his eyes. That was his best attempt since he couldn’t remember the last time he’d actually cried.

“Next month,” Evan spoke softly, then peeked at Tiago with red-rimmed eyes. “I’ll bring you thisandthe next month’s dues together. Give me some time.”

Tiago unblinkingly stared at Evan. It was hard to tell whether he bought Evan’s act or not. But it didn’t matter because a few seconds later, Tiago let out a sigh. “Make sure you’re on time. My men aren’t as patient as me.”

Delivering that piece of unusable advice, he spun on his heels and marched out. As soon as Tiago was out of the house, Evan slammed the door shut and slumped against it before sliding down to the floor. He raked his fingers through his hair, tugging at the roots.

Collecting two months' dues wouldn’t be easy. If he depended on what little he earned from small cases, Evan would need at least twenty or more this month, which would be impossible to getandto execute.

Agreeing to exorcise so many spirits in such a short time would be futile if he ended up dead halfway through. There was only so much spiritual energy he could burn before his body reached its limit. But if Evan failed to pay the next installment on time, Bruce might also kill him. He’d bet that would be more brutal than dying at the hands of any spirits. He doubted Tiago would stop Bruce this time since Evan had turned him down again today.

In short, death was inevitable either way. Unless he agreed to Tiago’s...

Evan groaned at the ceiling, hoping his ancestors were listening. “Was I born to become a whore?”

As if in response, his phone went off in his bedroom, followed by Misty’s melodic meowing. His shoulders slumped.

I hope that’s a no.

Misty meowed louder.

Dragging himself back to his bedroom, Evan splayed down on the bed. Misty climbed onto his chest, purring as he picked up his phone. “Hell—”

“So, did you think about it?”

Hellindeed. “Aaron, it’s been fifteen minutes, for fuck’s sake.”

“What?” Aaron griped. “Do I really have to try and convince you so hard when it’s all foryourbenefit?”

“I'm hanging up.”

“Okay, okay, wait! Listen,” Aaron sighed, and Evan could almost picture his face contorting in pain. “I negotiated a price with the Greenes without asking you, but—”

“You didwhat?!”

“—it can cover over six months of your loan installments!”