Page 14 of A Corruption Dark & Deadly

He nodded. “Did this help you at all?” he asked, gesturing to the empty plates of food. “I know my presence here isn’t exactly something you would want. I get that. But I’m trying to help in any way I can.”

“You want to help?” Annie asked doubtfully. She stood up and took her plate and cup so she could put it in the sink. She would do the dishes when she got home. “Then let me be. Let me live in my house alone.”

Jericho clenched his teeth together. She didn’t want to admit it but he looked like he was genuinely sorry. And, she had to admit, he hadn’t asked for the house, Bruce had offered it to him. The problem was, it was worth way more than fifty grand, which made Bruce look like an even more inexperienced dumbass. But maybe it didn’t matter because interest mattered. And Jericho could do whatever he wanted. No one could fight him on it.

“Maybe there’s some sort of compromise that we can work out that would benefit both of us,” he said slowly, standing as well. “I’m open to hearing your thoughts but you should know I have no intention of leaving, even though I can see that’s what you really want. And I’m sorry for that. But maybe we can talk about it later.”

Annie clenched her teeth together. She wanted to argue. She wanted to tell him besides leaving, there was nothing he could do that would benefit the both of them. There was no compromise she could think of that would work for her besides him leaving and giving her ownership of the house. She didn’t even care if he required her to pay him back. She would do it, just as long as she had this house.

“I’m not entirely opposed to that,” he said slowly. “It would be selfish of me to keep something you want, something that belonged to you in everything but name. But I would require a week or two to consider it. And even then, I can’t guarantee that I’d agree. But I’m open to it.”

Annie nodded once, a short jab of her chin. That was the best she could hope for, if she was being honest. There was nothing more she could do or say, so she proceeded to head out the kitchen entranceway. At the last minute, however, she stopped.

“Thank you for breakfast,” she murmured. Without waiting for him to respond, she exited the room, ready to brush her teeth and get to work.

--

Her small accounting firm was a twenty-minute drive into the city. There were only four other people who worked there, so the environment was intimate and small. Annie actually preferred it this way. Unlike most small businesses, this firm was run by a singular owner rather than a family, so no one was actually related. On top of that, everyone kept a respectful distance. Things were professional, rather than personal. There was no gossip, no drama. All in all, it might not be the highest paying position she was offered and the benefits weren’t the best, but it was a nice place to work.

She parked her car in an Employees-Only section of the parking structure located behind the building her firm was located in, which was on the second-to-last floor of the structure. This forced Annie to walk in her heels to the elevator, taking the elevator down all the way to the first floor, walk into her building, take the building’s elevator up to the second floor, and walk down a long, twisty hallway until she got to suite H. Typically, she didn’t mind it. The events from the past twenty-four hours, however, caused most tasks to sour quickly.

When she saw down at her small cubicle, she leaned her head against the chair, staring up at the ceiling and wondering how the hell she ended up where she was in this moment. It wasn’t all her, of course. If she had known the deed didn’t have her name on it, she would have demanded Bruce put her on there as half-owner. She didn’t like to be responsible for things that weren’t actually hers. More than that, she was furious that Bruce had let her believe the house was partially hers, something she shared with her brother. She still didn’t understand why her parents wouldn’t put her name on the deed, just to protect her. Especially since Bruce wasn’t reliable – and they knew that!

She needed coffee. Now.

After grabbing a cup of Kona with a large amount of cream and sugar, she was finally able to log in and start working.

Her phone chirped at just after eleven.

Her brows furrowed together. No one really texted her during the day. Her friends all had demanding jobs, just like hers was.

Who could be texting me now? she wondered.

She unlocked the screen and it went to her texts.

Bruce, she thought. What could he want?

Hey, I know you’re mad. But will you meet me at The Red Door next week? I need your help with something.

No apology. No acknowledgment of fault. Nothing.

She nearly threw her phone at the wall.