Page 50 of Power of Shadow

I just shake my head in response. “But that’s not all. She stole some files about drug smuggling and sent them directly to the FBI.”

“Jesus. Ash—”

“Now you understand why I’m freaking out?” I ask, feeling a sting behind my eyes, and Alex runs his hands over his face.

We sit in silence. I know Alex well enough to know that he needs a moment to gather his thoughts. So I take another sip of gin, and the pleasant warmth spreads through my body, slowly soothing my nerves.

Except it changes nothing. It just complicates things more than I’m willing to let on.

“What do we expect, Ash?” he asks.

I shrug because I don’t really know what to expect. All I know is that it’s not good and there’s a very high possibility that I won’t be able to deal with this problem on my own.

“When was it?”

“Zoe told me about it today. She sent the documents two days ago.”

“There’s silence in the news, so either they’re gathering info or...”

“Or the case has fallen into the hands of someone corrupt,” I finish for him. “And then to the person in question.”

Alex nods. “If that’s the case, it means he’ll be looking for someone to blame. Jesus Christ. What a mess!”

Now that my emotions have calmed down a bit, I think I made a mistake coming here. For many years, I’ve tried to keep Alex within arm’s reach for a reason. Meanwhile, I acted instinctively in coming here looking for help. I’ve just entangled us in an even bigger and more complicated web.

How else can I protect Zoe from this world?

“I’m sorry I came here.” Slowly, I get up with an apologetic look. “I shouldn’t have bothered you.”

“Sit down, Princess,” he replies, almost angry, and waits for me to plop back down. “You did the right thing coming here. You know I owe you my life, and you know I’ll repay that debt until the day I die. Besides, I love Zoe like my sister. Nothing bad is going to happen to her.”

“Why?”

A soft look crosses his face. “It’s simple. If she gets hurt, it will hurt you. And I don’t want that.”

Oh God.

If our lives were different, if we were different—

In another life and under different circumstances, I could love him the way he wants me to. The way he needs and deserves.

But I’ve felt nothing more for him than... I don’t know what it is. Not friendship, not infatuation, not indifference. We’ve been stuck on this dead end forever.

And I’ve never been able to fully trust him even though in his own messed-up way, he has taken care of us all these years.

Without waiting for my answer, he adds, “I have to think about how to play this. Either way, keep a low profile and don’t stick your neck out too far. Eventually, he’ll catch on and demand blood. If Elliot sets his dogs on her, they’ll start sniffing around her ISP, logs, and transfers. What did you tell her?”

“For now, I just yelled at her; she doesn’t know what she’s done. These aren’t people who play in the sandbox.”

“You’ll have to explain it to her somehow.”

“I know that, Alex. And ironically, I come to you and meet Ryker Elliot here. I didn’t know you knew each other. Are you friends now? What are you playing at—”

“Whoa, whoa, Princess,” he interrupts me. “I understand your emotions are all over the place right now, but slow down a little. First of all, we’re not friends. Also, I don’t even know him. He was here looking for Shadow, and by some fucking miracle, he got his hands on information that I’m the one who commissions the work.”

There’s silence between us, but before that happens, with each word he says, my eyes grow wider and wider.

That’s impossible.