CHAPTER TWENTY ONE – THE LOAN SHARK

"Well well, you must be the girl Joel mentioned. Come on in, darlin'." He stepped aside, allowing Mara to cautiously enter what appeared to be some kind of makeshift office. Over the next hour, Vinny grilled her about her employment status, spending habits, lines of credit and assets. She tried to be as upfront as possible about her dire financial straits. Finally, Vinny leaned back in his chair and fixed her with those dead shark eyes. "Here's the deal, kid. I can front you three month's rent, say $4500. But that's gonna run you 30% per month until it's paid back in full. That means we're talkin' $5850 you'll owe me at the end." Mara's jaw dropped at the outrageous interest rate, but she knew she was out of options. "That's...highway robbery! But I don't have any choice. I'll take the loan." "Smart girl," Vinny sneered, sliding a contract across the desk. "Sign here and the money's all yours." With a sinking feeling, Mara scrawled her name hastily on the dotted line. She was in