He smiles."Good.Loyalty is rare, valuable."He spins me once—smooth, practiced—and brings me back into his arms."But it also needs to be tested."
The threat is a low vibration in his chest that I can feel against my own.I offer him a smile that doesn't reach my eyes, a mask of polished stone.I’ve spent years perfecting the art of the fake; this is just another canvas, and Marquez is the most dangerous critic I’ve ever faced.
“You’ve been an independent contractor for a long time.Why do you want to work for me, Adena?”
“Contractors survive job to job.You build systems.Influence.Longevity.”
Marquez’s thumb stills at my spine.
“And you think I offer safety?”he asks mildly.
I meet his gaze.Don’t flinch.
“No.You offer control.And control outlasts safety.”
His smile sharpens—not wider—approval, not warmth.
“You understand the difference between freedom and usefulness,” he says.“Most people confuse them.”
He guides me another step closer, subtle as a chess move.
“But if you work for me,” he continues, voice lowering, “you don’t stay an independent anything.I invest.I expect return.”
He pauses.“Long-term,” he adds.“Loyalty that doesn’t clock out.”
The implication hangs there—he’s not just talking about work.
The final notes fade into applause from a table near the bar.Jagger's on his feet and heading our way before we reach the table.
Marquez releases me easily.“We’ll talk again, Adena,” he says, not a question, a claim.
Jagger’s voice cuts through the noise as he takes my hand."That’s enough."
His voice is casual, but there's a warning running underneath.
A warning that powerful men like Marquez are always too arrogant to notice.
Jagger
The music wraps around us, slow and heavy.Adena’s body gradually softens against mine, the tension blasting out inch by inch.
I pull her closer—not for the performance, but because I need her to know I'm not okay with what just happened.
“If I could, I’d break every bone in his hand for touching you like that,” I murmur in her ear.My jaw clenches so hard my teeth ache."He was testing you," I keep my voice low, though the music provides good cover.
She nods, but her breathing's shallow.“So he said.”
"We need to be careful.Paco's going to make a move.I don't know when, but it's coming.He’s looking for a reason to step on my neck."
She adjusts so she can reply without being seen from the table.“Or stab you in it.”
I nod.“If he can find a weak spot to exploit, he’ll do it.”
“Then don’t give him one.”
Easy for her to say.
The song blends into another, low and slow.When she starts to move away, I tighten my hold.“Not yet.We go back without making a good show, Ortega will be the next one pawing you.”
