Page 24 of Darling Beasts

“That’s the problem.” Barclay pushed a piece of paper toward him. “Explain the highlighted purchases, all made since we started working together. They appear auction-related?”

Ozzie’s stomach dropped. Okay, so they weren’t essential, not in the traditional sense of the word, but for important pieces of Americana, they were quite reasonably priced.

“Let’s begin with this purchase,” Barclay said, pointing to an item, and this guy was really going to make him go through it. “A microscopic Louis Vuitton handbag?”

“Yeah. It’s dope.” Or it seemed that way, from the listing. In hindsight, he’d probably need a microscope to fully appreciate it. He wondered how much one might cost.

“Also, why did you pay $5,000 for a font?”

“Okay, but not just any font. Times Newer Roman. Iconic. And come on, five K? Is that even worth fretting about?”

“Right now, every K counts,” Barclay said, furrowing his brow. “Do I even want to hear a description of ‘Jesus Shoes’?”

“Sneakers,” Ozzie mumbled. “Air Maxes. Filled with holy water.” Barclay groaned. “It’s an investment! It’ll pay off in the long run. The short run, probably!”

Barclay used his knuckles to aggressively rub his face.

These purchases weren’t critical—Ozzie got that—but were minor in the grand scheme of things, and Barclay didn’t know him well enough to be so dramatically annoyed. Plus, now that Ozzie understood the parameters of his new lifestyle, he could do better, spending-wise.

“Your sponsorship income is another trouble spot,” Barclay said. “It’s declined meaningfully.”

Ozzie was starting to feel ill. He’d sensed things were a little off, the vagaries of the market and such, butmeaningfully? “By how much?”

“Let’s see.” Barclay opened his laptop and clicked around for a minute. “Last quarter, it declined twelve percent sequentially and was down twenty-five percent from the prior year quarter.”

Ozzie made a face. The prior year quarter? What kind of word salad was that? “That’s cheeks,” he said, and Barclay looked at him, puzzled. “As in butt cheeks? As in ass?” He sighed. “I’m saying it sucks.”

“Ah. Indeed. Also, you’re losing quite a lot of followers.”

This was getting worse by the second. Ozzie had noticed less engagement but neglected to really pull back the covers. Damn, just when you thought you had the algorithm on lock, the tech mercenaries fucked it up. Hehopedit was the algorithm, in any case. Ozzie didn’t want to consider other explanations.

“What does your pipeline for brand deals and sponsored content look like?” Barclay asked. “Are you in talks with any companies? Maybe you can revive some partnerships you’ve lost?”

“Bro. I have to believe in the product I’m selling. For example. Busta Nutz wanted to work together. The T-shirt company? But their shirts—which they sell for two hundred bucks, by the way—are made by unpaid labor in Myanmar. I’m not down with that.”

“Admirable,” Barclay said, but smirking, so Ozzie didn’t know how to read him. “Do you have a list of current clients, and anyone you’re in discussions with?”

“Sure, sure, I’ll get it to you ASAP.” He made a note in his phone. There was a list, sort of, but it resided in Ozzie’s head and was only half-baked.

“Going forward, I’ll need to review all contracts before you sign them.” Barclay shoved his computer aside. “Regarding the monthly disbursement. I did speak to your stepmother’s advisor, and she wasn’t bluffing. The money has been pulled.”

He’d figured as much when the cash failed to land in his account on the first of the month. Ozzie had been holding out hope it was a power trip orchestrated by Ustenya and she’d eventually back down. Dad was a lot of things, but he wasn’t cruel, and Ozzie couldn’t imagine he’d permanently cut him off. Admittedly, it was a lot of faith to put in the dude given their history.

“The good news,” Barclay began, and Ozzie’s chest lifted, “is the deal isn’t off the table. Ustenya’s people made it clear the monthly stipend would be reinstated if you complied with your family’s wishes.”

“Terrific,” Ozzie said glumly. On some level, it was nice to be wanted, especially by this crew, when normally it was like,Please, Ozzie, stay ten feet away and don’t touch anything.Gabby tried to fake tolerance of him, but that was an act. Case in point: she’d told him she was “no” on California, but went to San Diego anyway, without ever mentioning it. If they were such besties, why hadn’t she said anything? Why didn’t she ask him to go, too?

“I must say,” Barclay went on, “you’re the most interestingclient I’ve personally dealt with, and one guy introduced ecstasy into the US.”

Ozzie nodded. “Nice.”

“I’ve never encountered an arrangement like this and, frankly, I’m mystified. Why is your involvement in the campaign so critical?”

Ozzie shrugged. He was pretty mystified himself. Talia was smart and Gabby was pleasant as hell, so those two made sense. But him? It didn’t add up.

“I suppose where I’m struggling is... Why not agree?” Barclay pressed. “It’s a very beneficial arrangement without a lot of risk.”

Fifty thousand dollars per month wasn’tthatmuch, but Ozzie probably shouldn’t point this out to the man who had such a shit fit about the Times Newer Roman font. He’d need to find another way to explain it, and bless, there were many reasons not to relent.

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