“No, you can’t, Sawyer. There’s nothing to help.” Her jaw tightens in the characteristic way that means she’s about to dig in her heels very, very hard.
“Okay, okay.” I hold up my hands. “Congratulations on the engagement. Seriously. I’m happy for you.” Even if the way she looks suggests she’s not actually happy. A direct contradiction to what she’s telling me. With Ava, though, there’s only so many ways you can push her before she gets extra mad, and then you’ve completely lost her. “I love you,” I say, drawing her into yet another hug, this one tighter. “Thank you for helping me.”
“The videos of you and Logan are really cute,” she says, holding the edge of the door as I step through. “If Dalton releases whatever he’s got, I’m sure the fact you had a life before Logan would turn those stupid hockey bros against you two—again.”
“It wouldn’t lead to anything good,” I say.
While I can hold Logan back right now, I don’t know what he’d do if the photos or videos were actually released.
Weston’s house is a mansion, in the same way that Mom and Dad’s home is huge. It’s not just big—it’s outrageous. A real flex in terms of wealth. Our parents’ generation is the closest to the family trust right now, followed by us. The wealth trickles out—by billionaire standards—doled out by the managing group in charge of distributing funds. So for him to purchase this is impressive and probably more him than the actual trust.
Rather than a butler answering the door, Weston’s the one revealed when the door draws back. Unlike our branch of the family that’s all darker haired and light-eyed, Weston’s branch of the Tucker family has lighter brown hair and brown eyes. If we didn’t share the same last name, I don’t even know if people would realize we’re related.
“Sawyer, right?” He peers at me as though trying to reconcile my younger self with the one standing in front of him. Extended family gatherings are few and far between. On top of that, none of the three brothers are the same age as me, and therefore, I’m forgettable.
“Yeah. Ava mentioned I might be able to come to you for a favor.”
“Ava?” He gives me a look of disbelief and stands back to let me in. “The kind of favors Ava usually asks for could get me sent to jail.”
“Well…” I walk past him into the giant foyer. The walls rise forever, and the accent pieces and art are very modern.
He closes the door, but he doesn’t lead me anywhere to sit down, and I don’t want to wander deeper into his house uninvited.
“You got a sex tape too?” He sighs. “What is with your branch of the Tucker family?”
“Bad taste in men?” I suggest. “I didn’t know he was filming me.”
“At least there’s that. Pretty sure Ava consented and then had regrets. Who is it?” He takes his phone out of his pocket and clicks into a few things.
“Dalton Worthington.”
“A member of the Advisory Council?” He lets out a low whistle. “That’s not an easy ask, cousin. They have serious security on all their devices and accounts.”
“I doubt he transferred the materials to his work accounts.”
“Doubt or know? Because if I’m going in or having one of my people go in, I need to be sure.”
“I don’t know for sure.”
He gives me a look that is very displeased. “Do you have a relationship with this man that’ll make you sure?”
“No. If I ask him, it’ll just tip him off.”
“I’ll have to get back to you on what I can or can’t do. Even if I can do it, the circumstances have to be set up in just the right way. Weeks of planning. Maybe even months.”
“But youcando it?”
“I can do it,” he says with confidence. “Of course I can do it.” He sucks in a deep breath. “Can I do it without going to jail? That’s the unknown.”
“If you think you’ll end up in jail, just drop it,” I say. “I can’t imagine why Dalton would release the worst ones. The power over me is what he likes.”
“Power in the wrong hands is always dangerous,” Weston says. “Nobody wants that over their head. Leave it with me. I’ll be in touch.”
He opens the door to his house again, and I never made it past the front foyer. I don’t know if that’s a good sign or a bad one.
“Thanks for looking into it,” I say.
“If I do it,” Weston says, “I’m going to need a lot more details from you in terms of dates and accounts. Retrieving and deleting that information is a big undertaking.”
