Page 79 of You Owe Me

“I’m not here for the computers,” I say, stepping closer. “I’m here for you.”

That gets his attention. His hands freeze over the keyboard, and he slowly turns to look at me with the expression of someone who’s just realized they might be in trouble but isn’t sure what kind yet.

“Do I know you?” He squints at me like I’m a particularly challenging line of code.

“Ainsley James.” I extend my hand. “Maverick’s girlfriend.”

The effect is immediate. Jin’s eyes widen, his posture straightens, and he suddenly looks like he wants to crawl under his desk and hide until the semester’s over.

“Oh.” His voice cracks slightly. “Oh, shit. I mean—sorry. I mean—” He runs a hand through his already chaotic hair. “What can I do for you, Ms. James?”

Ms. James? Seriously? “Just Ainsley is fine. And I’m here about your IOU.”

The color drains from his face so fast I’m worried he might pass out and take half the computer lab’s equipment with him. “My what now?”

“Your IOU,” I repeat, pulling one of Maverick’s blank cards from my pocket and setting it on his desk. “The one you owe Maverick. I’m here to collect.”

Jin stares at the card like it’s a live grenade. “I... I don’t think that’s how this works.”

“Really? Because I’m pretty sure owing someone a favor means you pay up when they ask for it. Or when their representative asks for it.”

“Representative?” Jin’s voice goes up an octave. “Are you like his… business manager or something?”

I almost laugh at that. “Something like that.”

He shakes his head rapidly. “No, no, no. I only deal with Maverick directly. That’s the rule. That’s always been the rule.”

“Well, today the rule’s changing,” I say, trying to channel some of Maverick’s quiet menace. “I need a favor, and you owe one. Math is simple.”

“The math is not simple!” Jin practically shrieks, drawing stares from the few other students scattered around the lab. He lowers his voice to a harsh whisper. “Do you have any idea what happens to people who mess with Maverick’s system? Do you know what he’s capable of?”

“I know exactly what he’s capable of,” I say, which is both true and terrifying. “And I know he doesn’t like it when people refuse to honor their debts.”

Jin swallows hard, Adam’s apple bobbing like he’s trying to digest a golf ball. “What... what do you need?”

“Information,” I say simply. “About Carter Mills. Academic records, disciplinary actions, anything the university has on file.”

“That’s...” Jin’s eyes dart around the lab like he’s checking for surveillance. “That’s not a small favor. That’s like, federal crime territory.”

“Then you should have thought about that before you owed Maverick a federal crime-sized favor,” I point out. “What did you do anyway? Hack the grading system? Steal exam answers? Install Bitcoin mining software on the library computers?”

“Look.” He leans closer and lowers his voice even further. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do here, but this isn’t how things work. Maverick has rules. Systems. Protocols. You can’t just walk in here and start cashing in IOUs like you’re at a fucking arcade.”

“Watch me,” I say, crossing my arms. “Unless you want me to explain to Maverick that Jin was being uncooperative when I tried to collect on his behalf.”

Jin goes so pale I’m genuinely concerned he might need medical attention. “You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

He stares at me for a long moment, fingers twitching like he wants to start typing but doesn’t know what to type. Finally, he lets out a defeated sigh that sounds like it’s coming from somewhere deep in his soul.

“You have no idea what you’re doing. No idea who you’re messing with.”

“I’m messing with my boyfriend’s business to protect him from an entitled psychopath with daddy issues,” I reply. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”

Jin shakes his head slowly. “No, you don’t. You think you know Maverick? The version of him that brings you coffee and probably holds your hand and shit? That’s not the Maverick I know.”

There’s something in his voice—fear, maybe, or respect, or both—that makes my stomach clench. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

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