AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Asa,” she said, her voice soft and unsure.
Apparently, it was all he needed, and he took the rest of the steps between them, pulling her into his arms. I should’ve given them a moment, but I was greedy, and I sucked up their reunion like an emotional parasite, pretending it was for me.
Finley clung to him in a way no one had ever touched me, and I envied their relationship. If I was more selfless, I’d let her go and let them have their love story. But I wasn’t. I’d been kidding myself earlier.
I was greedy and lived my life taking what I wanted, and I knew now this was something I couldn’t walk away from. I never pictured myself as part of a poly relationship, but if it got me a chance with the girl of my dreams, then I’d try it. Besides, I wasn’t one for convention anyway, bucking tradition with everything else I did in my life.
I cleared my throat when the emotions became too much, and Asa looked up, meeting my eyes. His gaze held something I didn’t want to think about, his assessment of me too on point for my liking.
“Fin, I know you wanted to do this independently, but I couldn’t just stand by. I tried, I really did, but I was miserable. So, I’m being selfish and asking you to let me stay. Let us help,” he pleaded as she clung to him.
Her shoulders sagged as she turned, taking a step away from his embrace. She looked between the two of us, and I could already see the rejection on her face. I’d gotten used to that look from her. So, I stepped in, hoping I could use my powers for good.
“I know who you’re trying to find, and you won’t. Not without my help.”
Her retort died on her lips as she huffed, crossing her arms. I lifted an eyebrow, waiting her out. She knew it was true, even if she didn’t want to acknowledge it. I leaned forward, my elbows on my knees as I watched her, not breaking eye contact.
“Give us a chance, Fin,” Asa begged, reaching out to touch her. She didn’t shake him off, and I knew she was close to submitting.
“How about we broker a trade?” I asked, sitting back and placing my leg over my knee. I knew how Fin operated by this point in our friendship. She didn’t like to be a burden and would be more likely to give in if it was a trade.
“What kind of trade?”
The corner of my mouth tilted up, and I moved my hand to cover it. “Well, it would do me a huge favor to have your boyfriend off my back about finding you, first off. He’s been such a chatty fellow, so I could really use the quiet time to get some actual work done.” Asa snorted, but let me continue.
“That doesn’t seem like much of a trade, to be honest. No offense, honey,” she said, blushing up at Asa.
“Okay, fine.” I blew out a breath, debating how much to reveal. They told me to be discreet, but I was learning that didn’t really work with Fin. “Let us help, and I’ll give you access to my computer for one hour. Anything you can find program-wise, you can copy. That’s it. My final offer.”
Her eyes went huge, and she licked her lips. Accessing another hacker’s system with free rein was the ultimate gift. I was taking a gamble she wouldn’t find anything too incriminating about what I did in my spare time. It felt worth it to win the chance to do this with her. No matter the cost.
“Deal.” She stuck her hand out, and I stood, taking it. I pulled her closer, rubbing my thumb over the backside of her hand.
“You can’t get rid of me now, sweetheart.”
I could’ve sworn I saw her gulp, her eyes dilating at the message, but it flicked away so quickly, that I couldn’t be sure.
“So, what have you learned so far?” I asked as she sat on the bed, Asa next to her. I leaned against the dresser, cutting the distance between us. This was my last chance to win over Finley Reyes, and I would make sure she couldn’t ignore me.
Eleven
FINLEY
Cohen peeredat me with such an unrelenting gaze I didn’t know how to handle it. Over the past few months, he’d constantly been there, waiting for me to say something. But I never did. The fear of wanting too much, of being scared to take more than I was given, held me back.
That and I didn’t know how to trust him.
While he hadn’t betrayed me in the way that Blackhawk had, it still stung to know he’d known who I was and hadn’t told me. Years of friendship, and he kept that from me. It made me feel like he was keeping something else hidden.
And that hit too close to home for me to examine. Better to push him aside, so I didn’t have to look at my own flaws.
Asa’s hand picked up mine, and I gave up the fight of trying to push him away. Asa always had a knack for making me putty in his hands. He was too good, but I was too weak at the moment after weeks of no contact to deny myself any longer.
That small amount of contact gave me the strength to answer Cohen’s stare.
“Not as much as I’d like. I found Blackhawk and he reached out, saying he had a job for me. He sent me to this town.”
“Blackhawk?” Asa asked, pulling my attention.
