Page 79 of Double Down

Conrad finally cuts through the static by stepping forward. The controlled sharpness in his voice slices the room.

“Our lawyers will answer any further questions,” he says. “And they’ll be very interested to hear how one of the Titans was unlawfully restrained in his own home, like Phoenix said. This abuse of power won’t go unanswered. Expect several orders in the coming days.”

The tall cop leans on the wall, pretending to relax, and laughs. “File whatever you like. We have a warrant. Your daddy can’t buy you out of this.”

“And we have legal representation,” Conrad replies, every word crisp enough to cut. “Direct your inquiries to them from now on. You didn’t show a warrant, didn’t arrest Maverick, and didn’t do anything that would be deemed as appropriate.”

It should end there. The authority in Conrad’s voice leaves no room to argue. For half a second, I think it worked.

The shorter cop—the one getting off on putting Maverick down—looks at me. His beady eyes slide right through me. He says something else to Maverick, too soft to catch, but I see Maverick’s reaction: teeth bared, a hard pull against the cuffs.

The cop doesn’t even notice. His eyes stay on me, and it isn’t the way I catch men looking at me.

There’s no lust. No curiosity. Only calculation, and somehow, that’s more frightening than any other possibility.

He’s measuring me, assigning a value.

I want to shrink behind Atticus, but I don’t. I can’t move.

He closes the distance and grabs my free hand and squeezes until I have to bite back a sound.

“Get the fuck away from her,” Maverick growls. At the same time, Storm steps forward, his knife flipping through his fingers, and Atticus shifts to block both the cop and Storm—putting himself between us.

The short cop doesn’t notice, but the tall one does; his gun comes out—not pointed, not yet.

“I need to ask the girl a few questions. In private.”

“Like hell you do. Questions for her go through our lawyer,” Atticus says.

“What’s wrong? Don’t want your little pet telling secrets?” the cop hisses. “We’ve had reports from concerned citizens saying this pretty little doll is going to end up like her friend, Sarah.”

“Reports from whom?” Storm asks.

“Doesn’t matter. We need to perform a wellness check, and that includes speaking to her alone. If you’ve got a problem, I can take her—and the big one—down to the station.”

My first instinct is to yank free. The second is to glance at Conrad. He gives the smallest shake of his head. Not the moment to escalate.

“It’s fine,” I say, even and light. I know this dance. Comply, let him have his little power trip, and he’ll leave.

“I don’t want you alone with him,” Conrad says.

“It’ll be fine,” I say, pulling my hand from Atticus’s grip. “We can go to the kitchen.”

“See? This girl’s obedient. Show me the kitchen, princess. Maybe I’ll let you make me a sandwich when we’re done.” He laughs. Iignore him and lead the way. The door stays cracked behind us. The others are close if I yell.

We stop by the windows. Sunlight spills across the tile between us, but it doesn’t feel warm. A cold shock runs down my spine as he leans against the wall and studies me.

He doesn’t take out a notepad. He doesn’t ask safety questions. He just flicks his gaze over my face like he’s cataloguing parts.

“You know,” he says finally, voice pitched low so it won’t carry, “for someone your age, you’ve got one hell of a debt-to-income ratio.”

My mind blanks for half a second. “…Excuse me?”

“That kind of debt,” he goes on casually, as if he’s talking interest rates, not blood. “It gets heavy. Especially when it’s not the kind you see in a bank ledger. Just because you don’t see the interest tallying doesn’t mean it isn’t. It continues to accrue.”

Princess.I keep my face neutral even as my pulse kicks. “I don’t know what you’re referring to.”

His mouth curves, but it’s not a smile. He’s amused I’m bothering to pretend. “Yes, you do. I can see it on your face. I know you didn’t start the tab, but it’s yours all the same, just because you happened to sit down at that table for a minute, ya know? Here’s the thing about certain loans—you don’t get to pick who comes to collect. And you…you’re well protected right now. Surrounded by big men with big reputations, sucking their big cocks so they keep you safe with their big wallets.”