She scanned the room for another option to hide it, her gaze falling on the perfect spot. Book in hand, she pulled out the air vent cover from the floor and slipped the black list inside. Hopefully, no one would bother to look there.
As she left her office, she considered calling Sawyer. He’d be even more worried about her when he learned about what she’d found.
Except, she wasn’t supposed to have been there. How would she explain her detour?
Not to mention, she still needed to go see Asa.
She’d texted her brother this morning to let him know she was paying a visit to him later. He’d waited patiently for her these last few days, but he’d come all this way to see her, and she hadn’t spent any time with him.
Here she’d been fucking her husband at a sex club while Asa was probably wanting to get back to Thea and Annie. She’d acted selfishly by leaving four years ago without giving Asa a proper good-bye, and she was acting just as selfishly now.
He deserved more from her. Even though she couldn’t give him the black list yet, she could at least spend some time today reconnecting with him. Then he could return home to his family, instead of sitting around waiting to see his sister.
Remembering the name of the company Sawyer used to clean her condo, she called them as she drove to Asa’s hotel and asked that they take care of her office, using her credit card to pay this time.
By the time she arrived at Asa’s, her heart rate had returned to normal and she was certain the decision to keep the break-in at her office a secret from Sawyer was the right one. She’d barely knocked on Asa’s door before he opened it.
Wearing sweats and a T-shirt, her brother grinned widely. “Come on in. I was starting to think I wouldn’t hear from you. I’m glad you came.”
Guilt gnawed at her as she gave him a hug. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to make it sooner. It’s just the last couple of days have been . . . ” How could she explain it to him so he wouldn’t worry? She didn’t want or need another overprotective man watching over her. She’d go positively insane. “I was in a car accident,” she said, not elaborating.
Eyes wide with concern, he gripped her by the arms and turned her to him. “What? When? Are you okay?”
She patted him on the shoulder. “I got a mild concussion, but we were lucky since we weren’t going fast when we hit the tree.”
“We?”
“Sawyer and I.”
With an unmistakable frown on his face, he led her to the couch, where they both sat. “I know you were married to him, but I don’t like the guy, Annie.”
She crossed her legs and leaned into him. “He doesn’t have to like you, and you don’t have to like him. But I sure wish you would, because it would make my life a whole lot easier.”
His gaze narrowed on her as he gave her a curt nod of understanding. “You going to try again with him?”
Every time she got her hopes up, something would happen to rip them away. Someone wanted Sawyer gone, if not dead. When she’d walked out on him, she’d sacrificed her own happiness to keep him safe. If it came down to it, could she do it again?
“I don’t know if it’s possible,” she said, shaking her head.
“Why? Dad’s dead. He can’t hurt you guys anymore.”
No, her father couldn’t hurt him. But someone else could.
“I haven’t told him everything,” she explained, falling back into the couch cushions. “He knows that I was a con artist, but I’ve kept the family out of it.”
He angled his body, his knees brushing against hers. “Why? If he knew that Mom and Dad forced you into the life—that Dad threatened to kill him—he’d realize you leaving him was the best thing you could’ve done for him.”
Was it? He’d been miserable without her. Just as miserable as she’d been without him.
She wanted Sawyer to know everything about her. Every dream, every nightmare, every hope, every fear. But Asa needed to understand the risk. “If I tell him, he’ll know about you and Mitch. I’m worried he won’t be able to accept that I’ll never be able to stop looking over my shoulder, thinking the Feds or someone is going to find me. What if he decides to report you to the cops, thinking he could somehow get me a deal?”
His gaze burned into her. “If you’re asking that, you don’t trust him any more than I do.”
She’d thought she trusted him, but her brother was right. Something prevented her from handing over her trust completely to him. Was she too fucked up to get past it?
“Do you trust Thea?”
“With my life,” he said firmly.