Page 191 of Darling Venom
I stepped forward, planted a hand on Dad’s shoulder—
“Enough!” Terry kicked the coffee table forward.
It shot to the wall and left a dent.
I startled, lowering the page. If this rattled his cage, the manuscript would break the entire thing, releasing his demons to roam free.
This scene was tame in comparison to the rest.
He needs this.
So does Tate.
“Okay,” he muttered.
“Is that a yes?” I crossed my fingers behind my back, praying.
“Fine, fine. Yes.”
I pulled a document and pen from my messenger bag, shoving it toward Terry. “I need you to sign this.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a contract giving up any claim you have to Darling Venom, including after you contribute to the editing process.”
He waved the paper, wrinkling it. “You expect me to sign this?”
“It’s the only way you’re getting the book.”
“Maybe I don’t need to—” he started playing hardball.
I raised a hand, shaking my head. “No. We both know you owe it to him.”
“Smart girl,” he grunted, scribbling his signature onto the paper, using his scrawny thigh as a table. “Toughe
r than you look. Sadistic, too.”
I collected the contract from him, snapped a picture on my phone just in case, and tucked it safely into a thick padded envelope, returning it to my bag.
“Before we begin…” I trailed off.
This was where it got tricky.
I tucked my lower lip into my mouth.
“You want something else from me? Seems like I’m doing a lot of giving and getting jack-shit.”
“I need you to understand that I plan on supervising any time you have with the manuscript. I won’t leave you alone with it. Treat it like it’s my baby. Actually, I’ll give it to you one chapter at a time and take that chapter when you need a new one or when I leave.”
My words were met by silence.
Terry burst out in sudden, manic laughter, adding conversationally, “Tate told you about the plagiarism.”
About the plagiarism.
So matter of fact.
“Yes.”
