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I clear my throat, but she doesn’t even stir, so I find another gentle way to wake her. I slam my office door, and she jerks like she’s been shot.
“You’re such an asshole,” she hisses as she lifts the top half of her body off the sofa and stretches.
Fuck my life. Has her belly button always been pierced?
I sneer in her direction. What self-respecting woman in her thirties has body jewelry?
My throat suddenly dry, I try to convince myself as I walk across the room, leaning on the front of my desk with my arms crossed over my chest that asking her for a better look at the glinting stone would be a mistake.
“What?” she snaps when she looks in my direction to find me watching her.
I want to ask how her makeup is still perfect. She’s been sleeping. She came into the BBS offices with tears running down her cheeks. Yet, here she is, lipstick still in place and not even the hint of a smear under her eyes.
“Did you reapply your makeup?” Damn it. I’m a fucking idiot.
“Huh?” She touches her face with soft hands still throwing daggers my way. “I left my apartment with nothing but my phone. I don’t even have my keys to get back inside. Why in the ever-loving hell would you think I reapplied makeup?”
Because you’re gorgeous.
Like a smart man, I keep my mouth clamped closed. She’s managed to tilt everything upside down, and I know if I open my lips to speak, something crazy may have the chance to slip out.
“What?” She’s glaring at me, eyes narrow and ready to cut me with her scathing words. “Don’t look at me like that.”
I drop my eyes to the table in front of the sofa, unsure of what my face is actually doing.
“You came to me for help,” I tell her evenly.
“You’re not concerned about Dani?”
“Of course I am. That’s why I’m helping.”
“Do you still love her?”
Unable to decipher her tone, I raise my eyes back to hers. She stares back at me with a blank expression, like the question she asked means more to her than she’s wanting to let on.
“This isn’t about love,” I assure her. “It’s an obligation.”
“What kind of man—” She snaps her mouth closed before looking down at her hands and taking a deep breath.
I will her with my eyes to finish that sentence, but she doesn’t.
“You know what, none of that even matters.”
“What’s going on in her life?”
She bristles with my question, but she doesn’t taunt me with the same bullshit she did earlier.
“We haven’t talked much lately.” I see a flash of pain fill her eyes, and it’s easy to see that there’s some regret there.
Those two were thick as damn thieves, and although I shouldn’t be because that chapter in my life has been closed for a while now, I’m curious about what could’ve happened to cause distance between them. Did Dani go after Anna’s boyfriend? Did my ex hurt her friend the same way she hurt me?
“How long?” I ask instead of opening gates that I may never be able to close again. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dani did something unforgiveable. She’s always been an expert manipulator and unrepentantly selfish.
“What?”
“When was the last time you spoke with her?”
“We haven’t really hung out in months, but I spoke with her a couple of weeks ago.”
“Did she talk to you about her money problems?”
Anna laughs like what I just disclosed is absurd. “She doesn’t have money problems.”
“Her credit cards are maxed.” Her shock-filled eyes snap up from her hands. “Her rent is late, and she’s on the verge of eviction. She has nothing left. No money in the bank, nothing.”
It’s apparent by the look on her face that she had no idea about any of this. Just how much distance is there between them?
I don’t mention Dani’s dad’s problems or the fact that all of his accounts have been frozen due to a pending federal corruption investigation. If she didn’t know Dani was no longer rich, she wouldn’t have heard about any of that either.
A knock on the door interrupts, but before I can tell them to wait, Wren shoves open the door and hands me a folder.
“This is what I found so far. I’m still running some other checks.”
I nod at him, and he turns to leave. He merely gives Anna a passing glance before walking out the door. Unlike Brooks who could charm the panties off a nun, Wren is all talk behind his computer screen, growing shy when around beautiful women in person.
Anna doesn’t speak as I flip through the dossier Wren just handed over. Silence fills the room before my eyes land on a piece of information that makes my jaw clench.
“Tell me about the Russian Dani’s been dating.”Chapter 6Anna
“Russian?”
Deacon tilts his head, giving me that don’t bullshit me look.
