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?"