had outlived her usefulness, she disappeared—or was married to the father of her children. Marriage was deemed the honorable route.
That didn’t stop murders of unwanted courtesans from happening.
I suspected most women were sold off as broodmares rather than married.
“It’s much more complicated than that, and your expression tells me you know more than you’re saying.”
On days like today, I really hated Noah Michaels. He made me want to wrap my hands around his throat and shake him until he stopped toying with me because he could. “Women are sex slaves, used to breed better lines. If she’s lucky, she’ll get married to the father of her children. If not, she’ll be dumped—probably murdered. Sometimes, the courtesans are passed around. The lucky ones are like Cinderella, but who knows if Prince Charming is actually princely or charming?”
“That’s a little closer. You’re bitchier than usual. What’s gotten under your skin?”
“I shared a cellar with a bounty hunter because we both decided we’d rather keep each other company rather than keep the company of a ten twister swarm.”
Noah’s brows shot up. “All right. That’s a damned good reason to be bitchy.”
“Must you call it me being bitchy?” I complained. “I’m not being bitchy, unless you’re admitting you’re bitchy all the damned time.”
Grinning, he relaxed in his seat. The wood groaned under his weight. “I was wondering when you’d get tired of that. It took you eight months. You have patience. You’re going to need a great deal of patience if you want to survive as an uncontested courtesan.”
I snorted. “Enlighten me, Noah. What is the deal with this bounty? Why me?”
I had some speculations on the why: my parents would delight in handing me off to someone, although they wouldn’t pay such a steep fee to get me back. Their budget was better counted in pennies.
But if someone would pay for me, they’d be the first in line to kick my ass out the door, and they wouldn’t give a shit about what happened to me.
If there were laws protecting slave women sold to the highest bidder, they’d look for a way to invalidate them out of pure spite.
“That’s always the question, isn’t it? Why you? Why not some prettier, wealthier girl? The answer to that is in your bloodlines. You must have someone in your bloodline with a desirable trait. Nobody cares if the courtesan—or uncontested courtesan—has any magical ability if her parents or grandparents have a desirable ability that might be passed on to her children. Or his children. Men can be courtesans as well, if the heir of a family is a woman. This is not uncommon. Uncontested courtesans are typically gifts from a parent to a child. In your case, there must be a family with an unwed heir somewhere in New York willing to start an auction for you. That means they’re willing to pay out the bounty value to have you brought in, the fees to register you as a courtesan, and then to pay the fee to upgrade your status to an uncontested courtesan. According to the bounty, the fees to register you have already been paid and signed for. This is important for you to understand; you’re safe enough from that paperwork unless you go to the East. Once you cross the boundary, it becomes valid. The first thing a bounty hunter will do is confirm your presence in the East to activate that paperwork. You do not need to sign, either. That’s what the fees do. It pays the transfer of your citizenship to a private ownership status.”
My life had been sold without my consent or knowledge of it. “Is there any information on who did this?”
“I’m sorry. There isn’t. The bounty was issued through a government agency to be legalized. They paid the fee to remain anonymous—an unusual tactic. It likely means a powerful family is interested in you. In good news, this information is not easy to get, and it is not common knowledge. I had to do a lot of digging to find information on your full status. The wealthy families in the Alley will believe you’re up for grabs—and if they beat their paperwork to you arriving in the East, and file it correctly, it might stand against the claims in the East. It would be an interesting court battle. In cases where there are multiple claims filed in different quadrants, the property gets to make the ultimate decision which quadrant she wishes to stay in. This is good for