The Devil's Bargain

MARLOWE'S POV

His car was black. Not shiny black. Not flashy black. Just black. The kind of black that swallowed light and made you feel like you were walking into a void.

I stopped at the curb. My heels wobbled. The alcohol was still buzzing in my veins, but the cold night air was starting to sober me up. Just enough to make me realize what I was about to do.

"This is insane," I muttered.

"You're the one who proposed." The stranger opened the passenger door. He didn't push me in. He just stood there. Waiting.

I looked back at the bar. Elowen was running toward us, her heels clicking against the pavement.

"Marlowe! Wait!"

I turned back to the stranger. "I need a minute."

He nodded. "Take your time."

Elowen grabbed my arm and pulled me aside. Her face was flushed. Her eyes were wild.

"You cannot do this," she hissed. "You don't even know his name."

I blinked. "Oh. Right. I forgot to ask."

"You forgot to ask?" She looked at me like I'd just said I wanted to jump off a bridge. "Marlowe, this is not you. You're the careful one. You're the one who thinks things through. What happened to you?"

I pulled my arm free. "What happened is that my father is selling me to a monster. He gave me thirty-six hours to disappear or he hurts my family. So forgive me if I'm not thinking clearly right now."

Elowen's face softened. "I know. I know. But this isn't the answer."

"It's the only answer I have." I took her hands. "Listen to me. If I do this, I'm safe. I'm not property. I'm a married woman. My father can't touch me. The Bellandis won't want me anymore. It's over."

"And what happens after?" Her voice cracked. "What happens when this stranger turns out to be worse than the Bellandis?"

I didn't have an answer for that.

"I'll figure it out," I said. "I always do."

Elowen stared at me. Then she sighed. Long and deep. The kind of sigh that meant she knew she'd lost.

"You're impossible," she said.

"I know."

"I'm coming with you."

"No." I shook my head. "If this goes wrong, I don't want you caught in the middle. Go home. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Marlowe—"

"Please, El. Just trust me."

She hesitated. Then she pulled me into a hug. Tight. Desperate. Like she was afraid she'd never see me again.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too." I pulled back. "Now go home."

She walked away. Slow at first. Then faster. She didn't look back.

I turned back to the stranger. He was still standing by the car door, his face unreadable.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

"Fine." I walked toward him. "Let's go."

He gestured to the car. I climbed in. The leather seats were soft. The interior smelled like expensive cologne and something else. Something sharp. Something dangerous.

He got in beside me. Started the engine. Pulled away from the curb.

For a long moment, neither of us spoke. I stared out the window, watching the city lights blur past. My heart was pounding. My hands were shaking.

"So," I said finally. "I just realized I don't know your name."

He glanced at me. "Does it matter?"

"I'm about to marry you. I think it matters a little."

He was quiet for a second. Then, "What do you want it to be?"

I turned in my seat. "What kind of question is that?"

"A practical one." He turned a corner. The car moved smooth as silk. "You're marrying me to escape your father. You'll be Mrs. Someone. That Someone can be whoever you want."

"That's not how names work."

"It is if no one knows the truth."

I stared at him. He was serious. Completely serious.

"You're weird," I said.

"So I've been told."

"You're not going to tell me your real name?"

"Not tonight." He pulled up to a red light. Turned to look at me. His eyes were dark. Unreadable. "Tonight, I'm whoever you need me to be. Someone with money. Someone with power. Someone who can protect you."

"I don't need protection. I need a husband."

"Same thing."

I leaned back in my seat. Crossed my arms. "Fine. Don't tell me. But I'm not calling you 'husband' in public. I need something to call you."

"Call me whatever you want."

"Edward," I said. "You look like an Edward."

His lips twitched. Almost a smile. Almost.

"Edward it is."

"Good." I turned back to the window. "Edward. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Marlowe."

I froze. "I didn't tell you my name."

The light turned green. He pressed the gas.

"You didn't have to."

My stomach dropped. "What does that mean?"

"It means I pay attention." He glanced at me. "You were the most interesting person in that bar. I asked the bartender who you were."

"Right." I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Right. The bartender. Of course."

"Of course."

We drove in silence. The city faded behind us. The courthouse was in the downtown area, a tall building with bright lights and glass doors. He pulled up to the curb and parked.

"Last chance," he said. "You can walk away. No questions asked."

I looked at the building. Then at him. Then back at the building.

"I'm not walking away."

"Good." He got out of the car. Walked around to my side. Opened the door. "Let's do this."

I stepped out. The cold air hit my face. I was shaking. Not from fear. Not from anger. From something else. Something that felt like freedom.

"Wait." I stopped in front of the steps. "Before we go in. I need to say something."

He turned. "Go ahead."

"I have rules."

He raised an eyebrow. "Rules?"

"Yes. Rules." I held up my hand and counted on my fingers. "One. No touching. No kissing. No anything. This is a business arrangement."

"Understood."

"Two. Separate lives. You do your thing. I do mine. We don't interfere."

"Go on."

"Three. Divorce in one year. No exceptions. We sign the papers. We go our separate ways. Clean. Simple."

He was quiet for a moment. Then he stepped closer. Close enough that I could see the tiny scar above his left eyebrow. Close enough that I could smell that sharp cologne.

"Are you done?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Good." He turned and walked up the steps. "Let's go."

"Wait!" I hurried after him. "You didn't agree."

"I didn't disagree."

"That's not the same thing!"

"It's close enough."

I grabbed his arm. "No. It's not. I need you to agree."

He stopped. Looked down at my hand on his arm. Then at my face.

"Fine," he said. "I agree. Now let's go."

He said it too easily. Too quickly. But I was too tired and too drunk and too desperate to argue.

We walked into the courthouse. The lobby was quiet. A few clerks were behind a desk. A security guard nodded at us as we passed.

"Marriage license?" the woman at the desk asked.

"Yes," Edward said.

She slid a form across the counter. "Fill this out. F*e is fifty dollars. Cash or card."

I pulled out my wallet before he could reach for his. Pulled out two twenties and a ten. Slapped them on the counter.

"Here."

Edward looked at me. "You don't have to—"

"I know I don't." I took the form. "But I'm not owing you anything."

He watched me fill out the form. I could feel his eyes on me. Watching. Measuring. I ignored him.

Name. Address. Date of birth.

Then I got to the bottom. The section for the groom.

"Your turn," I said. Slid the pen across the counter.

He picked it up. Looked at the form. Then at the clerk. Then at me.

He paused.

Just for a second. A fraction of a fraction. But I caught it.

"Name?" the clerk asked.

Edward looked at me. His eyes were unreadable. Dark and deep and full of something I couldn't name.

"Dashiell," he said.

My heart stopped.

Wait. No. That couldn't be right.

"Dashiell what?" the clerk asked.

He paused again. Then, "Dashiell Grant."

Grant. Not Bellandi.

I let out a breath. A slow, shaky breath. I was hearing things. The alcohol. The stress. The fear. It was making me paranoid.

He finished filling out the form. Handed it to the clerk. She looked it over. Nodded.

"All set. You can go to room three."

We walked to room three. An officiant was waiting for us. An older man with a kind face and tired eyes.

"Ready?" he asked.

I looked at Edward. He looked at me.

"Ready," I said.

The officiant opened his book. Started reading. Words I'd heard a thousand times in movies. Words that meant nothing until now.

"Do you, Edward Grant, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do."

"And do you, Marlowe Whitmore, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

I hesitated. Just for a second. Then I thought of my father. Of Nolan. Of the Bellandi family and the monster they wanted me to marry.

"I do."

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Edward leaned in. I stepped back.

"No kissing," I reminded him.

He smiled. A real smile this time. Small. Almost hidden. But real.

"Right. The rules."

The officiant laughed. Handed us the certificate. "Congratulations. Good luck to you both."

I took the certificate. Stared at it. My name. His name. Husband and wife.

I laughed.

It came out loud. Too loud. The officiant looked at me funny. Edward raised an eyebrow.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm great." I held up the certificate. "I'm married. I'm actually married. My father can't touch me now. I'm free."

I laughed again. It was a giddy, terrified laugh. The laugh of someone who had just jumped off a cliff and was surprised to find herself still alive.

Edward watched me. His face was unreadable again. But there was something in his eyes. Something that looked almost like respect.

"You're crazy," he said.

"Maybe." I clutched the certificate to my chest. "But I'm also free. And that's all that matters."

He took my arm. Gently. Like I was something fragile. Something breakable.

"Come on," he said. "Let's get you home."

Home. I didn't have a home anymore. I had a husband. A stranger. A man who had just agreed to my rules but hadn't really agreed at all.

But I didn't care.

I had won.

I had actually won.

And for the first time in days, I felt like I could breathe.

We walked out of the courthouse together. The night air was cold. The city was quiet. And I was laughing.

I didn't know what would happen tomorrow. I didn't know what would happen when my father found out. I didn't know who this man really was or what he wanted from me.

But I didn't care.

I had beaten them.

I had beaten them all.