Page 45 of Tangled Past
Maya sat frozen long after the speaker went silent.
Raymond had hidden them. Protected them. Died trying to save them.
Her mother had been running from someone trying to silence her, and Maya hadn’t been forgotten. Someone had known. Someone had helped. Her voice came out in a rasp. “I’m sorry, Asa. Your father died because of us.”
Asa swung fully toward her. “No. He died doing the right thing. There’s a difference.”
She shook her head. “If he hadn’t—”
“As long as you’re breathing,” Asa said, firm enough to cut through her panic, “Dad’s death wasn’t wasted. He made a choice.” His hand rose hesitantly to her cheek. He brushed away the tears she didn’t remember shedding. “You were worth saving,” he whispered.
The room around them faded. Team members shifted in their seats. Will slipped his phone into his pocket. JT murmured something to Declan.
None of it mattered.
Only Asa’s hand on her cheek.
His breath close.
The fierce tenderness in his eyes.
“You’re shaking,” he murmured.
“Because everything feels like it’s falling apart.”
“No,” he corrected softly. “It’s falling into place.”
She exhaled, the sound tremulous. “I don’t know how to breathe in all of this.”
“Then breathe with me.”
She did. When she leaned into him—just enough for her forehead to briefly touch his shoulder—he didn’t move away. He held her. Steadied her without asking for anything in return. It wasn’t a declaration. It wasn’t a kiss, but it was more intimate than either.
Will cleared his throat and addressed the room. “We follow up on Malbern. Quietly. No assumptions, no accusations, but we need eyes on him ASAP.”
Rachel nodded.
JT jotted notes.
Declan cracked his knuckles.
Eli muttered something about digging into property taxes.
Maya felt Asa’s gaze on her again. “You okay?” he whispered.
“No, but I’m not alone.”
“That’s progress,” he said with a slow, rough smile.
When she slid her hand back into his under the table, he held on, as if he’d been waiting for her to reach out first.
