She grabbed my sleeve.
"You can't fight them… they'll sue you…"
"They have lawyers, they have connections. We can't afford this…"
I crouched in front of her and wiped the liquor and blood from her face with the back of my hand.
"Mila, who the hell said anything about fighting?"
"I'm here to take you home. That's it."
Zane had already pulled his phone from his pocket.
"Mr. Perry, there's a situation on the top floor. Some thugs causing trouble. Bring people up, now!"
He hung up, tilted his head, and looked at me with a smirk.
"Susannah, you really think you can roll in here with a couple of punk-ass kids and run wild on my turf?"
"Just you wait."
Less than five minutes later, a stream of people filed into the suite.
Leading them was a man in his early fifties, hair slicked back, wearing a tailored suit.
Lucas Perry. Vice President of the company's Greater American division.
Behind him trailed two attorneys carrying briefcases and over thirty corporate security guards in matching black uniforms with earpieces.
My dozen or so guys looked like amateurs next to this crew. The gap was obvious at a glance.
Lucas scanned the wreckage on the floor, then glanced at the client rolling around clutching his hand. He let out a short snort through his nose.
Then he looked at me.
"You?"
He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his hands.
"Young girl like you. Should be in school. Instead you drag a pack of street rats into a five-star hotel to smash things up."
"You know what that's called? Breaking and entering. Aggravated assault. Organized criminal violence."
He turned to the two attorneys beside him.
"Did you get it?"
One of them nodded and tapped the body camera on his chest.
"Recording since we walked in, Mr. Perry."
Lucas strolled to the sofa and sat down, crossing one leg over the other.
His attorney opened a briefcase and pulled out a stack of papers.
"This is the training agreement and non-disclosure clause that Ms. Pruitt signed upon employment."
The lawyer pushed his glasses up and held the documents out in front of me.
"Per Article Seven of the agreement, should the second party unilaterally breach the contract during the training period, the second party shall compensate the first party for training costs, client-resource losses, trade-secret exposure, and other comprehensive damages totaling…"
"Fifty million dollars."
Fifty million. Mila wouldn't earn that in a lifetime.
The lawyer kept going.
"Furthermore, tonight's gathering was a standard corporate hospitality event arranged by the company."
"Ms. Pruitt attended voluntarily. Here is the event consent form bearing her personal signature."
The lawyer let out a cold laugh.
"The young lady simply had too much to drink. We have continuous hotel surveillance footage to prove it."
"You, on the other hand, led a group of civilians to force your way into a private suite, leaving two prominent businessmen with serious injuries."
"I trust I don't need to spell out the consequences for you."
The signature on that consent form was one Mila had been forced to write.
I could see it for exactly what it was. A trap they'd built in advance.
Zane sidled over, straightening the collar I'd yanked crooked, and stood there with his hands on his hips, grinning at me.
"Susannah, this is how the big leagues work."
"Broke little nobodies are supposed to sit there and take it. Who told you to play hero?"
"You're a punk from a roller rink who can't scrape together five grand, and you think you can go toe-to-toe with our corporation?"
Mila was behind me, shaking from head to toe.
She tore free of my grip and dropped to her knees in front of Lucas Perry with a hard thud.
"Mr. Perry… please… let Suse go…"
She slammed her forehead against the floor, over and over, each impact loud enough to hear.
"I signed the agreement myself, it has nothing to do with her… I'll go, I'll go entertain the clients… just please don't go after her…"
