Chapter 4: The Lie of the Law

It took two days for Steward Grainger to leave the ranch. He needed the time to sleep, to manage his cattle, and most importantly, to watch Maria work her quiet magic. He observed Elara and Miya slowly emerging from their protective shell—eating without being prompted, and following Maria like two small, dark shadows. The sight was the only thing that gave him the strength to face the city again.

On the third morning, Steward rode back toward Tucson, carrying the flimsy, life-altering Indenture Contract tucked inside his money belt. He went straight to the law office of Silas Kroll, his family attorney. Kroll was a practical, thin man with a meticulous mustache and an eye for profit, who understood the intricate, often dirty, laws governing Arizona property and commerce.

Kroll’s office was stifling, smelling of old paper and tobacco smoke. Steward bypassed the pleasantries and laid the wrinkled contract on the desk.

“Silas, I need you to look this over,” Steward said, his voice flat. “I purchased these papers in the yards two days ago. I want to know exactly what I am obligated to, and what it will take to nullify the entire bloody thing.”

Kroll raised a skeptical brow, unfolded the document, and began to read. Steward used the time to pace the small office, recounting the scene at the auction block, omitting only the full depth of the shame he felt.

When Kroll finished, he placed the contract precisely back on the desk blotter. He looked at Steward with the professional pity he usually reserved for clients who’d been swindled.

“Steward, you bought a legal nightmare wrapped in a humanitarian crisis,” Kroll stated, adjusting his spectacles. “This contract, signed by a Territorial Court clerk, grants you—Steward Grainger—the full rights of guardianship and control over the labor and person of these two girls until they reach their majority.”