Page 137 of In Case You Didn't Know

“Baby, I…”

“Oh no. Not the babies.” She shifts her feet. “I hate it when you bring those out.” She looks at me. “You might want to close your ears for this,” she whispers, holding her hand over the phone mic.

I lift a brow. I’m not going anywhere. This is more fun than watching a rerun ofFriends.

“I’ll give you five seconds to tell me what’s going on,” Skyler says to him sweetly. “And if you do, I’ll do that thing you like. With the whipped cream and bedless sex.”

There’s a spluttering noise on the other end. “Sky! Jesus, people are listening.”

“I warned Francie to close her ears.” She winks at me. “But she’s still here, probably taking notes. So what’s it gonna be,baby? Gorgeous bedless sex or six months of celibacy and me throwing every left sock you have away.”

Wait.Socks have sides?She just shrugs at me. And I have to press my lips together to stop from laughing. In this whole, stupid mess, I think I’ve found my new heroine.

She’s terrifying when she wants something.

Another beat of silence follows. Then Hudson groans like a man who knows he’s lost. “Okay, fine, I’ll tell you. But you have to swear not to kill anyone.”

“No promises,” Skyler mutters.

But it’s clear he’s about to cave. I lean in, my heart slamming against my ribcage, a thousand different scenarios running through my brain.

And not a single one of them prepares me for the truth I’m about to hear.

Hudson sighs so loudly it sounds like there’s a hurricane rushing through New York City. “Asher’s being blackmailed.”

Skyler stills. I do too.

“What?” I ask, my voice sharp enough for Hudson to hear.

His voice is low and scratchy, like it physically hurts him to reply. “It’s his ex. Annalise. You know her brother is the one who tried to steal the business from Asher.”

“And Annalise helped him,” I say. “While she was supposed to be in love with Asher.” I roll my eyes, because that bitch needs a slap.

Hudson grunts. “Yeah, well it turns out she’s behind the breach. She paid Shaun to infiltrate the business.”

Wait.What? “Shaun? As in Shaun the security guard?”

“Yep.”

The one with the baby. Who begged me to help him keep his job. I feel sick.

“She has videos of you, Francie,” Hudson says, taking my mind off sneaky Shaun and back to the issue at hand.

“Of me?” I repeat.

Hudson clears his throat, like he’d rather be anywhere other than having this conversation. “She somehow got access to the security servers. And all of Asher’s private files.”

Oh God.Those videos. My cheeks start to burn.

“She’s threatening to release them unless Asher signs the company over to her and her brother. He’s already got the agreement drawn up. The transaction happens tomorrow morning.”

I blink. “He’s giving away his company?” That doesn’t sound right. It’s everything to him. “He can’t do that.”

“He’s doing it to protect you.” Hudson sighs again. “It’s what he does. Takes everything on himself. Thinks he can solve every problem in the world.”

I feel the weight of what he’s done crack inside of me. Knowing that part of him still doesn’t believe I’d choose him if I knew the whole truth.

I can’t even speak. The rage. The hurt. It’s like a vice tightening in my chest. The memory of her coming up to speak to us in the restaurant flashes through my brain. What a bitch. I should have slapped her.