Page 92 of The Reluctant Hero

“You didn’t mean that,” I glare at him. He turns to me in surprise. “Your I’m sorry came with a recommendation for me not to be stuck up. I never said anything to either of you in that class. How is that stuck up? Because I didn’t flop at your feet like a dead fish when you walked in? Grow up. The first chance you got, you went back to it, so stuff your apologies up your ass.”

Jake chuckles, his smile reappearing. I’ve got nothing on him. He hasn’t apologized for anything or really spoken to me. He’s background noise I don’t worry about.

Matthias stands up, and we all get quiet as he braces his hands on his desk.

“I apologize,” he tells me in a strained tone. His face remains pretty blank, but he sounds as honest as Mikael. “Ididn’t think of how I acted affecting you beyond making you angry. I should have known after meeting Blake, and I glossed over it. You’re right. It’s stopping now, and we can go back to what it was before this. Within reason. You don’t have to leave.”

“And the files are sensitive information,” Cade reminds him darkly.

“That’s also true,” Matthias agrees. “I don’t want any of that information leaking out to tip Blake off.”

My mouth drops open. He’s openly admitting that he’s using whatever I’m highlighting to do something to Loser. Not mafia, my ass. But there are a lot of questions here. I should have been asking them before, but I shoved my head in the sand to get some money.

“And you havemehandling it? That makes no sense. Just touching it makes me an accomplice to whatever the fuck you’re doing, damn it. Just highlight the names, Amanda. Everything is fine. What’s in there? No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

I eye the files with trepidation. Simple highlighting just became a vampire to ward off with garlic and crosses.

“You haven’t read any of it?” Cade asks me with a narrow-eyed glare of suspicion.

“I amnota willing participant in the mystery team. I’ve seen nothing but pretty pinks and blues with an occasional splash of yellow.” Maybe if I keep maintaining that, I’ll start to believe it. Yelling at him helps. What’s the big deal about purchasing and selling properties?

“The yellow is Blake, and the blue is the names on your list. What’s pink again?” Ace asks and pulls out a file to inspect. It’s wrinkled up because of his abuse.

“Lawyers and judges,” I admit tensely. “I mean, the first one I noticed is Loser’s best friend from college. I guess I hate lawyers now. I don’t know. I was going to cross-reference themwith the places I called to see if I missed a unicorn lawyer out there who would accept my case. It’s starting to look like I’ve hit most of them. There’s a bunch in there. Mostly his golf buddies.”

Ace’s eyes meet Matthias’ and both their expressions cool as they turn to me.

“Is that all you’ve noticed?” He asks me carefully.

“Well, that and the fact it’s all property stuff,” my shoulders tense. “Loser never mentioned an interest in it. And if that kind of money was moving around I never saw any signs of it in our joint account. He has to have another account somewhere. Or someone else paid for it. Maybe Judge Fullerton? Her name pops up alot. Nosy ex-wife suspicion took over for a second, or I slipped into a coma from boredom. The woman is old enough to be his grandmother. I seriously doubt her picture is going to show up in the mail.”

Everyone’s attention is on me with an intensity that makes me want to hide. My defensiveness has started coming out because I can’t read their expressions. They look mad, but I just don’t know!

“What?” I ask defensively. “Stop looking at me like that. It’s creeping me out.”

“Keep going with what you’re doing,” Matthias sits back down with a tense expression. “The next time you notice something that strikes you as unusual,tellus. We could have used that information last week.”

And I was too busy playing games and acting like a meek mouse. Then the depression fog set in, and nothing else penetrated.

They were meeting Loser all week last week. How is anything I highlighted helpful? They have all the documents right here. What do they need me for?

“Is this stuff dangerous? What am I even doing here?” I ask weakly as Ace sets down a file and pulls another. He stops, and his eyes sharpen on my pale face.

“Not dangerous for you,” he says fiercely.

I look at Matthias instead. Ace is the type to protect me. Matthias is the type to throw me to the wolves. He’ll be brutally honest.

“Do not talk about anything you’re doing up here,” he tells me, his calm, frosty tone returning as he eyes me. “To anyone. And you’re here for the little tidbits you’ve been giving us.”

What tidbits? Does that mean when all this is over with, I’m in big trouble? I gulp and give the files wide eyes of horror. Move over scary movies. I found a replacement to terrify me at night in the form of random names, property purchases, and non-mafia.

I have a horrible feeling that the end of this is going to be the end of me.

But that’s morbid and paranoid. I’mhighlighting, for fuck’s sake.

“So if I die mysteriously, you guys will investigate it, right? Maybe avenge my honor?” My voice is weak as I throw the joke out. I’m hoping someone laughs like I’m being an idiot. When no one does, my heart starts to sink more.

“What honor?”

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