CHAPTER 7: Sloane Counts the Exits

Sloane had known many kinds of powerful men.
She had not known power that arrived without perfume, laughter, or negotiation.
The guard nearest the door took the wine glass from Sloane before she could set it on the antique table. Even that small courtesy seemed to humiliate her.
She had entered as a woman expecting to inherit rooms. She was leaving as a liability being handled carefully.
She looked toward the side hallway, then the staircase, then the open doors behind Arthur’s security.
None of the exits felt available anymore.
Mara watched her without anger.
That almost frightened Sloane more.
“I was told they were separating,” Sloane said.
Her voice was smaller now, stripped of its polished edges.
Camden did not look at her.
That was her answer.
Arthur’s attorney handed another envelope to one of the guards.
“Ms. Hart will be escorted out. Any recordings, messages, or instructions related to tonight are being preserved.”
Sloane’s glass trembled. A red line of wine climbed the inside curve and fell back down.
Mara finally spoke to her.
“You wanted my place because you thought it came with security,” she said. “You never understood security was not the man beside me. It was the name he was borrowing.”
Sloane did not answer.
She had no sentence left that sounded expensive.