Chapter 32 The contract
Sage's POV
I stared at the contract until the words blurred together.
My father's signature sat at the bottom of the page, bold and unmistakable. The same signature that used to sign my report cards and permission slips. The same handwriting that left notes on the fridge telling me he loved me.
Now it was promising me to a stranger.
"To unite the Steel Wolves and Blood Sisters in lasting alliance and mutual protection," I read aloud. My voice sounded hollow and far away. "Sage Romano, daughter of Vincent Romano, shall wed Diego Vasquez within one year of contract signing."
The date at the top made my stomach turn. Eighteen months ago. Six months before I even left New York and Bradley. Dad had planned my entire future without ever mentioning it to me.
Elena watched my reaction with calculating eyes. She perched on the edge of the desk like she had all the time in the world.
"Your father was a practical man," she said. "He understood that the Steel Wolves needed powerful friends. The federal government was closing in, rival clubs were testing your borders, and he needed protection he couldn't provide alone."
"So he sold his daughter." The words came out flat and dead.
"He secured an alliance that would make both clubs stronger. The Blood Sisters control most of the Southwest. Our reach extends into Mexico and beyond. United with the Steel Wolves, we would be untouchable." Elena's smile was cold. "Your father was smart enough to see that."
"I'm not marrying someone I've never met."
"That's your choice to make." Elena stood and smoothed her jacket. "But you might want to reconsider."
"Why?"
"Because the contract includes penalties for breach. Substantial penalties." She pulled out another sheet of paper and slid it across the desk. "See clause seven."
I picked up the page with shaking hands and found the section she meant. The legal language was dense but the meaning was clear.
In the event that Sage Romano refuses to fulfill the terms of this agreement, the Steel Wolves Motorcycle Club agrees to forfeit all territorial rights to the following areas.
A list of addresses followed. I recognized some of them immediately. The bar downtown that generated steady income. The garage on Fifth Street where we did legitimate repair work. The storage facility we rented out to local businesses.
"That's half our legitimate income," Jaxon said quietly. He'd been so silent I almost forgot he was there. "Maybe more."
"Exactly." Elena's smile widened. "Your father pledged that territory as Diego's wedding gift. If there's no wedding, the territory reverts to the Blood Sisters as compensation for breach of contract."
The room spun. I grabbed the desk to steady myself.
"You can't do this," I whispered.
"We already did. Your father signed it. Diego signed it. It was notarized and filed with our legal counsel eighteen months ago." Elena moved toward the door. "The only question now is whether you honor it or not."
Ryder had been standing against the wall the whole time, vibrating with barely controlled rage. Now he stepped forward and his voice was deadly quiet.
"Sage isn't property to be traded."
Elena turned to face him. For the first time since she walked in, I saw genuine interest in her eyes.
"And you are?"
"The man who's going to make sure she doesn't have to do anything she doesn't want to do."
"How noble." Elena's gaze moved between Ryder and me, and I saw the moment she understood what we were to each other. "I see. Well, that complicates things, doesn't it?"
"Nothing's complicated," Ryder said. "She's not marrying your brother."
"Then I guess we'll see you in war." Elena said it casually, like she was commenting on the weather instead of threatening to destroy us. "The Blood Sisters don't take kindly to broken promises. And we have a lot of friends who feel the same way."
She walked to the door and paused with her hand on the knob.
"You have one week to decide," she said without turning around. "After that, Diego comes to collect his bride himself. And trust me, you don't want it to come to that."
The door closed behind her with a soft click that sounded like a gunshot in the silent room.
For a long moment, nobody moved. Nobody spoke. We just stood there staring at the contract on the desk like it was a bomb waiting to explode.
Jaxon sat down heavily in Dad's chair and put his head in his hands. "This is bad. This is really bad."
"We fight them," Ryder said immediately. "We tell them to go to hell and we fight."
"With what? We're outnumbered three to one. The Blood Sisters have chapters in six states and connections to cartels across the border. They could wipe us out in a week."
"So what are you saying?" I asked. My voice came out stronger than I felt. "That I have to marry him?"
Jaxon looked up at me and I saw the pain in his eyes. "I'm saying I don't know how to fix this. Dad backed us into a corner and I don't see a way out."
I picked up the contract and read it again, looking for loopholes or escape clauses. But the language was airtight. Dad had been thorough when he sold my future.
"There has to be another way," Ryder said. "Some way to negotiate or delay or—"
"There isn't." I set the contract down carefully. "Either I marry Diego Vasquez or the club loses half its income and goes to war with an MC we can't beat."
"Sage, no." Ryder crossed the room and grabbed my shoulders. "You're not doing this. We'll figure something out."
"What? What are we going to figure out?" I pulled away from him. "My father signed a legal contract promising me to someone else. He pledged club territory as insurance. There's no way out of this that doesn't end in disaster."
"We could leave," Ryder said desperately. "Just you and me. Disappear where they can't find us."
"And let everyone else deal with the consequences? Let Jaxon lose the club Dad built because I ran away?"
"You didn't ask for any of this."
"No, but it's mine to deal with anyway."
Jaxon stood up and came around the desk. "We need time to think this through. To understand all the angles before we make any decisions."
"We have one week," I reminded him. "Then Diego comes himself."
"Then we use that week." Jaxon's jaw set with determination. "We find out everything we can about this contract, about Diego, about what leverage we might have. There's always a way out if you look hard enough."
But as I stared at the contract with my father's signature burning itself into my brain, I couldn't help thinking that maybe this time there wasn't.