Marked by the Blood Broker

Emilie Bayer's paintings don't sell fast enough and her brother's surgery is in six weeks. So when a broker named Konstantin Rask offers her a contract — a flat, a monthly fee, and a standing appointment — she signs it. He is precise. He is courteous. He does not ask her questions and she is not allowed to ask him any. The arrangement works. Then he photographs one of her paintings and keeps it, and Emilie starts to understand that the most dangerous thing in this market is being a client's favorite. When a rival broker takes her off the street to force Konstantin out of business, Konstantin doesn't negotiate. He buys the competition and dismantles it in a night, then hands her the contract and tells her to tear it up. She doesn't. She renegotiates.