His expression grew cold, a darkness she would’ve never expected radiating from him. “I was before he changed our plan. Mitch will never touch you again. I made sure of it.”
“What did you do?” she asked, her speech now slurred.
“He wanted to teach you a lesson, and I couldn’t let him hurt you. So I put a few bullets into him. If you don’t believe me, you can see for yourself. I left the proof in your office.”
She hated Mitch, but she never would’ve wished him dead. She had just wanted him out of her life for good.
All this time she’d believed she and Asa had been two peas in a pod. She’d lived with the guilt of having left him behind.
What would’ve happened if she had never left or had taken him with her? Would he have snapped then, or had the years turned him into this person she didn’t recognize?
Sawyer had told her she wasn’t her family. That she could make her own choices and live her life her own way.
Had Asa chosen to continue his lying and cheating ways, or had it been written in stone?
She would never know, and at this point, she no longer cared. She couldn’t save the brother she’d once considered her best friend. He was gone. Or he may not have ever really existed.
Right then, her only consideration was getting out of this alive and returning to Sawyer. As her head hung to her chest and her eyes fluttered shut, she fought against the drug, knowing she couldn’t afford to pass out.
She inhaled a huge breath and lifted her head, lasering her stare onto Asa. “You killed your own brother?”
He scratched the back of his neck, not an ounce of remorse on his face. “What did Dad always say? Eat or be eaten. It’s survival of the fittest, and only the strong survive.” He pointed his finger at her. “That’s you and me. We’re survivors. We always have been. And now that we’re back together, nothing can stop us.”
If he believed that, he was crazier than she’d thought. Did he really think she would leave everything behind and become his lover? Her body shuddered from her disgust.
“I don’t want to see Mitch’s body. I want to go back to Sawyer.”
He ignored her, rambling. “We had this plan, see. Scare you into thinking one of your old marks was after you, so you’d come home with us, where we could keep you safe. But then Sawyer showed up and got in the way. So I had to get rid of him. I was ordered not to kill him, but it’s not like I had a lot of options. I never intended on you getting hurt. You weren’t supposed to get in that car with him.”
Sawyer had been right. Hopefully, he’d get the opportunity to tell her so. “You trashed my condo and office and tampered with the car’s brakes.”
At that, a flash of regret entered his eyes. “I did. But I did everything because I love you. I’ve waited for you to be old enough for me for years.” He licked his lips. “And now, look at you. You’ve turned into a beautiful woman, Annie.”
If she never heard that name again, it would be too soon. She wasn’t Annie. “My name is Annaliese Hayes,” she said with a strength she didn’t feel. But she wasn’t going to be a victim. He thought he knew her. Thought she was a girl who wouldn’t fight back against her family. Fear years, she’d done everything they’d asked of her and had allowed herself to be used as their punching bag. Well, she wasn’t that person anymore. She would fight and fight hard.
She wouldn’t make this easy for him. “I don’t think you love me. You don’t terrorize someone you love. Besides, you’re my brother.”
“No, I’m not.” He tried grabbing her hand, but she shook him off, flattening herself against the passenger-side door in an effort to get as far away from him as possible. “It’s time you saw me in a different light. Once you do, I swear to you, I’ll make you forget you ever considered me your brother.”
His gaze darted toward her office, his nostrils flaring. “Get out of the car. He’s waiting for us.” He pulled a gun from under his seat and unlocked the doors. “And even though I love you, if you try anything, I will shoot you.”
She stumbled out of the car, the drugs still making everything spin despite her trying her damn hardest to fight against it. Her legs buckled underneath her weight, but before she hit the ground, Asa caught her, his arm around her back. His gun was sideways, trained on her in case she made a wrong move.
At this point, her best bet was to play along with him and not run. Especially since she wouldn’t get very far drugged like that.
She allowed him to lead her to her office, hanging on him as he opened the door. “If you’re not working with Mitch, who are you working with?”