Chapter thirty two

The little man had said her father wanted her dead for ten thousand dollars. She had been given an eight thousand -dollar sign up fee by the House of Percove but even if it had been up to ten thousand, even if she had been willing to give out all the money she had earned, as a ransom for her own life, the little man had said there were others who wanted her dead, others who could pay even more than Emeka to see her head on a platter -- and in any way, she did not know how she was going to ransome herself from her stepfather's bounty.

She could not just tell everyone that they could come pick up for ten thousand dollars if they agreed to disregard her stepfather's bounty, that way she would have to pay off over a million people and even millions more. It was far easier for her father to put a bounty on her head than it was for her to ransome herself. Then I thought struck her . . . .

It was easier to declare a bounty than a ransom. Perhaps the best ransome for herself would be to put