Page 34 of Claim Me
So I just nod and pull him into a tight hug.
"One more thing," he adds. "We talked to the dean, and you’ll be able to attend your classes online. They’ve been going for a few weeks already, but you can still join, and I’m sure you’ll catch up quickly. I’ll send all the login details to your phone, everything we got from your program coordinator. You’re officially reinstated for this academic year."
"Thank you, Dad…"
At the end, Marlow walks up to me.
His silver-green eyes, slightly slanted like a cat’s, study me carefully.
"You got yourself into this mess on your own… but I still think you got out of it the best way possible, so yeah, congrats on escaping such brutal consequences. Most people would just end up doing ten years. I’m rooting for you, and we’ll stay in touch. If you need anything, you know where to find me."
Then he pulls me into a hug.
A police van rolls up, the one that’s supposed to transport me.
A prison officer officially straps an ankle monitor onto me, linking it to a transmitter Blue carries.
He explains that it’ll activate the moment I get close to him and send my location to a central unit. If I move more than about three hundred and twenty-eight feet away, an alarm will go off, so I’d "better not do that", he adds with a sour smile.
I get into the van and look out the window at my family standing there, watching me with concern.
As we start moving, I exchange one last look with my father.
I can see the sadness in his eyes, but I don’t let myself sink into that mood. Right then and there, I decide I’m going to handle this the best I can. I made this mess, and now I have to deal with it.
Half an hour later, we reach downtown.
Massive skyscrapers owned by the richest families in the city rise all around us.
First I spot Ferro Development, owned by Ennio Ferro, the same guy who talked to me after my fight. He’s one of the members of the Ferro crime family, and I somewhat know him because he’s a regular at underground fights, often hanging around the fighters’ area.
Then we pass the tower belonging to D-Project, the company owned by Edgar’s father, Mr. Johnson.
A few minutes later, we drive by the DevApp high-rise building, where my cousin Winter works, the place run by Blue’s older brother, Jacob.
We also pass the East Time Magazine tower, owned by Victor Lowen, the media tycoon of their family.
They’re a powerhouse in this world, and I’m about to work for the richest one of them all, the CEO of the largest pharmaceutical corporation on the planet, a multiple award-winning genius scientist.
I try to wrap my head around the scale of what’s happened in my life, but it still feels too unreal for that.
The van stops in the parking lot.
Two officers lead me out and remove my handcuffs.
At that moment, the prosecutor’s office employee who rode with us smiles in an overly sweet way and says,
"Oh, look at that, kid. Your ankle monitor just picked up the signal. Mr. Lowen is about three hundred and twenty-eight feet away."
The officers head back to the van, and he follows them, leaving me standing there, completely thrown off.
"Wait, so what am I supposed to do…?"
"Uh… go find him?" he suggests with a dry smile. "And I’d hurry if I were you." He taps on his tablet. "The signal’s pretty weak, which means he’s right at the edge of the range. Don’t let him move out of it, or you’ll be in trouble. Good luck."
He shuts the window, and they drive off.
I’m suddenly left alone in the parking lot.
