"Hi Sara, it's Allison."

The voice brightened on the other end. "Oh hi! What can I do for you?"

I grimaced lightly. "I've got kind of a weird legal situation for you that I'm hoping you have answers for." I quickly explained the situation, and that I had Gordon on the line with me.

I heard Sara take a deep breath. "Oof that's a hard one. My initial reaction is because it was a wet signature, it's valid."

Gordon's frown had a frown it was so deep and his jaw clenched so hard I half expected to hear his teeth crack.

"However, let me do some research to be one hundred percent positive. Is this a good number to call you back in about five to ten minutes?"

"Yes it is. Thank you Sara."

"Of course! I'll be in touch shortly."

The phone clicked and the screen went dark. The tense silence was so thick, it could have been cut with a knife and it felt like every little sound was amplified.

"It wasn't a long drive, was it?" he asked, almost guiltily.

"A little over eleven hours in total," I shrugged. "But I also stopped the night in Salt Lake so that added to my delay. I was technically supposed to be here yesterday."

"Mm," he replied with a nod before going silent again.

"I have to give her credit though," I said softly, as if any louder would shatter the tenuous peace we had. "Giselle was thorough in her plan. She's gonna be a force to be dealt with when she's older."

"She's a force now," he chuckled. "She got her mom's smarts, that's for sure."

My eyes glanced at the picture frames on the desk and my brow furrowed lightly. "Who's Margaret?" I asked.

"Who?"

"Margaret, that's the name she used when setting everything up as your assistant."

Gordon groaned. "That was my mother's name. And my mom was also a force to be reckoned with."

I chuckled. Perhaps she gets some of it from you after all, I thought, cautiously studying his face. It had only been a few weeks since I had last seen him, but he definitely looked more tired. As if he was carrying a weight around his neck like an albatross.

But before I could ask, the phone rang again making both of us jump slightly.

"Luna's Compass, this is Allison," I said.

"Hi Ms. Hill," greeted Sara's voice. "So I was able to do a bit of digging and I have good news... and bad news. Any preference which goes first?"

I looked at Gordon and he sighed. "Bad news first. Let's rip the bandaid off."

Sara took a deep breath through her teeth as if bracing herself as well. "So since the signature was actually done by you, and it was not a digital signature, the law generally assumes that you read and agreed to what you signed. It's prima facie binding. You could make a case that you lacked informed consent, however the onus to provide proof would be on you and that would be an uphill battle."

Gordon's jaw tightened until I thought enamel might start flaking.

"Now for the good news, since you're working directly with Ms. Hill I'm certain any alterations would be simple to make to the contract. It's just a matter of adjusting compensation since this was paid up front."

Gordon's head snapped up. "What?" he asked sharply. "Paid upfront? Is that typical?"

"No, it's not," I assured him. "Typically payments are made in installments so it's not a financial burden to the pack."

"And how much did I pay?" he growled angrily, anger rising to his expression and turning it stormy.

"I'm not certain off the top of my head," I acknowledged before turning back to the phone. "Sara, would you be kind enough to transfer me to Robby?"

"Of course, give me a moment," she replied immediately. She was probably happy to end that call and be free of Gordon's anger.

The call was transferred and Robby answered immediately. "What up Boss Lady! Did you make it to Bitterroot just fine?"

"I did," I replied, keeping my voice professional. "I am currently here with Alpha Hale, in fact."

Robby gave a soft little "oh," of embarrassment before switching into his own customer service voice. "How can I help you, then?"

"Can you look up the Bitterroot contract and send me the amount paid via text?"

"Of course, you should be receiving it right," the phone pinged to let me know I had a message, "now."

"Thank you Robby, that's all I need at the moment."