My hand clenched reflexively on the phone. The idea of going back to Adam, that he still wanted me, should have made me giddy. He was the picture-perfect mate for my dream future, but the thought of being with anyone who didn’t have black-velvet eyes and a voice that made me quiver and shake, made my skin crawl. Jet was going to be it for me, and I was just going to have to learn to live with the fact that I had let him go.

“Thanks, Adam, but I don’t think I’m going to be ready for any kind of relationship anytime soon.”

“Well, even if you need a friend, I’m here.”

I ended the call and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. I felt turned inside out but things were bright and clear, and the direction I had to go was sharp and defined. For the first time since I came to Denver, I felt like I wasn’t living a lie.

I drove across town to the other side of the interstate, where all the hotels and motels next to Sports Authority field were located. The entire way, I kept an eye on the rearview mirror to make sure Silas wasn’t following me. The hotels here weren’t as nice as the places downtown, but they were right up Asa’s alley. I found the hotel Adam had mentioned and went inside. I knew no one would just give me my brother’s room number, but luckily I had watched him enough to know that if there was a pretty girl behind the counter, she would undoubtedly have fallen victim to his charms by now.

There was a redhead who looked a couple years younger than me who fit the bill perfectly. She looked fresh-faced and sweet, the perfect victim for all of Asa’s machinations. I plastered a pleasant smile on my face and waited until she was alone at the desk. I crossed my arms on the counter and tried to look as innocent and unthreatening as possible. I made sure my accent was on in full force so that there would be no mistaking that Asa and I were related.

“Hey there. I’m supposed to be meeting my brother here. I just got into town and I forgot what room he’s staying in. Do ya think ya can help me out?”

I saw her look at me in surprise. The eyes were enough that anyone would know Asa and I were brother and sister, but the different hair color could be misleading. She bit her lip and looked from side to side.

“What’s your brother’s name?”

I smiled even bigger.

“Asa Cross. He’s a handsome devil, and I just know he would be so grateful if you helped me out. Denver is a lot bigger than the city we come from, and I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed so any help would sure be appreciated.”

I made sure to layer on the yokel as thick as I could and batted my eyelashes at her. I should feel guilty for being another person who was manipulating her to get what she wanted, but my end game was more important than her feelings.

She fiddled with her hair and continued to look around, like she was afraid of getting caught doing something wrong.

“Um, I’m not allowed to give out room numbers, but I can call up and let him know you’re here, and you can ask him what room he’s in.”

I didn’t trust Asa as far as I could throw him, but I figured he was going to want to hear what I had to say, so I nodded in agreement and kept an eye on the lobby for any sign of trouble. The girl made the call and it only took a moment for her to smile at me and blush at whatever my brother was telling her on the other end of the phone. She giggled, which made my skin crawl, and scribbled something on a piece of paper.

“He said he’s been expecting you and he’s so glad you finally made it.” She put a hand over her chest and leaned a little over the counter, making me rear back to avoid having her right in my face. “He is so cute, and nice. My name is Heather. Feel free to let him know I was super excited to help you out.”

I gritted my teeth and forced my smile to stay friendly and not turn nasty.

“Well, thank you, Heather, I’ll be sure to pass that along. You were just a doll.”

I snatched the paper with the room number on it and almost ran to the elevator. I knew where he was, now I just had to get him to let me in. The ride to the floor he was on felt like it took forever and somewhere along the way, a woman with a crying toddler got on, and kept apologizing for the kid. I wanted to tell her that I understood, because on the inside I was just as upset, crying just as loud as her baby, but I just smiled and shrugged at her to let her know it was just part of life.

When I found Asa’s room I stood in front of the door for a second trying to decide the best course of action, if he decided not to let me in, but it turned out I was worrying for nothing. Just as I was raising my fist to pound on the door, it opened and I found myself being yanked inside by my wrist. I stumbled a little, which made Asa laugh, and I wanted to slug him on principle alone.

He had on sweatpants and looked rumpled and well rested, not at all like he had a herd of angry bikers all over his ass, demanding retribution.

“What’s going on, sis? Took you long enough to find me.”

I shoved him away from me, and stalked into the room so I could flop down on the edge of the unmade bed.

“Silas is here.”

I saw his eyes open wide and he began to pace back and forth in front of me.

“He’s been here waiting for you to show up. He told me about the book, about the biker gang. What were you thinking, you idiot?”

Eyes that looked just like my own flared with heat as he glared at me.

“I was thinking that book has every marker, every debt owed, in every county in the south. Do you have any idea how much power that is? Do you know what I can do with that information? It’s more than a get-out-of-jail-free card; it’s a move-out-of-the-trailer-park-and-play-with-the-big-boys card. It was one of the smartest things I’ve ever done. I can take care of Mama with it, I can make sure none of us ever has to work for anything ever again with it. You could come home and we could be a family again with it.”

I wondered if he actually cared about Mom at all, or if he was just using that as an excuse, and I had no idea he thought I was ever returning to Woodward. Asa was a pretty man with pretty words, and that was what had always made him so dangerous.

“It also has people very willing to kill you, and to hurt Mama and me to get it back. This is a nightmare, Asa, and you know it. You came here for me to fix it, so that’s what I’m going to do, but first you’re going to tell me if you had anything to do with Jet’s studio getting robbed. If you did, I’m handing you over to Silas and walking away.”

He balked and narrowed his eyes at me.

“The rock-and-roll guy? I didn’t even know he had a studio. I was focused on the nerd with the rich family. That guy is so in love with you, I thought it would be a sure thing. The guy in the band seemed a little harder to get at.”

I sighed and leaned back on my elbows. I didn’t know if I believed him or not.

“He has security cameras, so if you’re lying, I’m going to find out and it’s going to be your ass, because those guys make Silas look like a Cub Scout.”

“I swear, Ayd, I didn’t do anything to the studio. Even if you had something serious going with that guy, he doesn’t come across as the type who would be easy to work. You know I pick my marks smarter than that.”

We sized each other up, him looking for some sign of whatever it was I was working on and me, for some sign he was lying about Jet. I dug around in my bag and pulled out the envelope stuffed with the money from Shaw. I tapped it on my thigh and saw his eyes track the movement.

“I want you out of town. I want you as far away from me, and from Mama as you can get. I got the money you asked for to make that happen.” I lifted an eyebrow. “Give me the book to give to Silas.”

His eyes darted from the money to my face and back to the money. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head and the drool collecting at the corner of his mouth.