Page 61 of Trip Me Up

“Samantha, it’s business.” She spread her hands out to encompass the office, which I’d just realized was decorated in shades of black and gray except for the single case of books.“You come from a family of entrepreneurs. You should understand this.”

Heat erupted inside me, and I stood, too. “That business affects people’s careers. No. I won’t do it. You have to withdrawMagician.”

“I have to do no such thing.” Heidi eased back into her chair. “The only person whohasto do anything is you, Samantha.”

From a drawer, she pulled a stapled sheaf of papers. She turned it around to show my initials on the first page. “That’s the nondisclosure agreement. If you violate it before we release you from it, we’ll sue. You might think you don’t have enough money for us to bother with, but I’ll ensure it’s a very public lawsuit.”

I winced. Mother’s disappointed face filled my imagination.

Then Niall’s replaced it. If I told him now, maybe he could do something. Find another publisher. Focus on film rights and merchandising. Start a writers’ union? He might still hate me, but at least he could have time to think, to plan.

“Let me tell Niall. I feel weird keeping this from him while we’re on tour together.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I understand you and he have grown very close. And Qiana calls you a friend.”

I said nothing. She wouldn’t use my friends against me, would she?

She would.

“No. I don’t want news of this getting out until after the Tower Prize is announced. I wouldn’t want the nominating committee to removeMagician.You’ve done so well already. You can keep it quiet for another week on tour. And then you can scurry back into your lab. I promise I’ll give John a good report. I might even come to your hooding ceremony.”

Heidi was a smart woman, and she knew my kryptonite. I’d walk across that stage, Mother and Dr. Martell would smile, and then I’d take my Ph.D. to Idaho. I hoped the university was in the middle of nowhere, where you couldn’t get a cell signal. Maybe the research lab was tucked under a mountain.

Funny, it didn’t seem as appealing as it used to. Hiding from my problems suddenly seemed cowardly.

And I was a coward. The lead spread upward into my chest. Heaviness—inertia—consumed me. “Okay. I won’t say anything.”

“I knew you’d see reason. Now, let’s get back out there and continue the celebration.”

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