Chapter One: The Red Words on the Severance Agreement

Lin studied the agency declaration attached to the message. Even through the screen, faint red letters flickered. [PRICE OF CONTRACT: Milo joins an elite club. His brother, Luka, receives freedom.] “We don't buy Milo,” Lin said, reaching for his coat. For the first time, his eyes held the light of a hunter who had found a gap in the fence. “We buy his brother's freedom.”