The Benefactor

by Nana Malone

  Forest’s dancing hazel eyes met mine directly. “This is an opportunity. I can understand that it’s terrifying and probably completely unexpected. But I think you have a gift. I can help you develop it. You just have to say yes.”

  I wanted to say yes so badly. I wanted to be this person, to have this part of my life that was all mine. I needed to stand on my own, be independent, and he was giving me that opportunity.

  “I want this. I’m just terrified, and I need to set expectations.”

  “Let’s talk about those expectations. Where are you right now?”

  “Well, I recently received a call from Caroline’s niece. Years ago, from the notes I have, I could see that the family had some difficulty, but I couldn’t seem to find any records of what might’ve happened, so I need to speak to her. But it was right around that time, when Caroline flew back to DC, that she started her human rights work in earnest. And not just the token acts of giving money or going to benefits but actual work, speaking to victims, campaigning for victim’s rights, campaigning for harsher punishments against human traffickers. She started working with The Hague. It became a real passion for her, but I don’t know what the catalyst was. I’m hoping Sadie, her niece, knows something about her motivations.”

  “That’s good. Really dig into those instincts. You don’t just want the motivation; you want Caroline’s ultimate goal. And she’s not here to give it to you, so you have to piece it together.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, I think I understand that. Granted, I’m not exactly sure how to get there, but I guess I’ll figure it out.”

  He nodded. “Okay. I also want you to do some digging into her personal life. Was she married? Any children?”

  I shook my head. “No. And for the last six to eight years, I can’t find a record of any long-term relationship that lasted more than six months.” He nodded. “I understand. But nobody can go that long without human interaction, human contact. Something was driving her in this obsession. Find me those answers. Tell the story of Caroline, not just of the work.”

  I nodded. “I can try.”

  He gave me a slow smile. “Don’t just try. Do. From what I’ve seen so far, you have the talent. Don’t hide it. Embrace it. Be bold. Don’t just give me research. Anyone can do research given enough time. You have an actual skill for storytelling. Stretch it. Reach forward.”

  The way he was looking at me made my skin feel prickly-hot in a completely new way. It wasn’t the way Ben looked at me, but it was in the way that a coach would look at me. That sort of thing where they knew that you had anxiety and they were trying to force you to push it out. It was that kind of look. And I knew I could do it.

  So, is this the part where you’re going to go thank Ben?

  No.

  I was not going to thank him. Asshole. I was going to hand him his ass on a silver platter. And then I would thank him. Because this had been what I was missing. This was what I needed. Not just support, but for someone to push me to be better than I thought I could be. Someone to force me to finish the book, to craft it and make it mine and not just a legacy to my mother.

  Ben had done this. Even when he was furious at me, even when I was certainly not speaking to him, he had done this for me. The real question was, why?

  You know why. But since you’re in the mood to lie to yourself, let’s go with, oh no, we can’t possibly know.

  It seemed my subconscious was a sarcastic bitch.

  Ben wouldn’t be getting a thank-you from me. At least not yet. I would shove that thank-you into the background and think about it later. First, I had a lot of work to do. Starting with talking to Sadie Ritter.

  Livy

  Ben Covington was an expert manipulator. He knew exactly what he was doing.

  He was making it pretty damn near impossible to hold his feet to the fire.

  After meeting with Kennedy and Forest, I hadn’t had a moment to go and give him my thoughts on his meddling, and we’d even had to leave separately because he had a late meeting. But when I arrived home and found another surprise waiting for me in the living room, it really cemented my not being able to yell at him.

  Waiting in my new living room, perched in the soft leather club chair, sat my bestie, her wild dark curls spilling out over her shoulders. “When were you going to tell me that Mr. Richie Rich Billionaire had brought you to the fanciest house I have ever seen in my goddamn life? Livy, do you know that there is a swimming pool downstairs? An indoor swimming pool? Below the ground?”

  I dropped my purse and keys on the island in the kitchen before kicking off my shoes and depositing them next to the couch. “Yes. I was aware. I haven’t tried it out yet.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Put your hair up, my love, there is a swimming pool downstairs. There is also a movie theater. I suggest we watch Magic Mike.”

  I snorted a laugh. “I love you.”

  She reluctantly pushed herself out of the chair with one more pat to the soft fur pillow then gave me a hug so tight I felt mentally propped up by her will alone. “God, rich people have it so good.”

  I might hate Ben and his constant manipulation, but I loved that he’d brought Telly here for me. “It’s all very nice.”

  She pushed away from the hug, her hands on my shoulders, her tiny frame belying the strength in her hands. “Nice? This is a fucking palace, no, legitimately a palace. Did you see the columns outside? There are two of these townhouses mashed into one in bloody Belgravia. You are living with a sultan.”

  I snorted. “Don’t let him hear you say that. It’ll go to his head.”

  “Which head?” She waggled her brows.

  I laughed. “Oh God, I miss seeing you whenever I want.”

  “It’s only been two days, but I do have that effect on women.”

  I plopped myself onto the sectional. “Speaking of women, how’s Carmen? Why didn’t you bring her?”

  “She had to cut her holiday short and head back to Bristol. She had a patient who was declining, so she needed to go and check on her.”

  “God, how are you guys doing that, the distance thing?”

  “We’re coping. You know discussing options of me moving to Bristol or her coming here. Obviously, London needs good doctors.”

  “Are you getting ready to permanently cohabitate?”

  Telly raised a hand. “Let’s not get excited now. I still like my space.” She glanced around. “Although, if I lived here, I might get used to not having my own space. Hell, she could be in a whole other wing. I could have as much space as I needed.”

  I laughed. “You are welcome to move in. Actually that’s not a bad idea. I wouldn’t be worried about your safety, and you’d be around whenever I needed you.”

  “I like this plan. And I would have full access to the movie theater and the swimming pool. You know there’s a sauna down there too, right?”

  “Yes, I did know that there is a sauna.”

  “Okay, enough about your ridiculously beautiful house. Come on, let’s go.”

  I lifted a brow. “Let’s go where? I just walked in.”

  “Um, don’t you have to speak to Sadie Ritter?”

  “Yes, but I haven’t made the appointment yet.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You don’t need to. I may have been doing a little digging, and she is having dinner at Herman’s tonight.”

  “The swanky place near Leicester Square?”

  She nodded. “The very same. And she has a reservation there tonight.”

  I lifted a brow. “Telly, what did you do exactly to get this information?”

  “God, you accuse me of these things, and it hurts me right here.” Her hand was pressed over the right side of her breast.

  “You realize that your heart is on the other side, right?”

  She shrugged. “I wouldn’t know; I don’t have one. But this is your chance. Ben said that I could come over and we could hang. He had a driver pick me up and everything. And I assume you have access to one of those cars in t
he garage. So we’re going to let these boys follow us, and then you and I are going to play a little game of chase.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Across the street from Herman’s is a shopping center. There’s a fabulous underground tunnel connecting the two sides of the street.”

  My brows lifted. “Oh, you want me to ditch my security.”

  “Ditch is such a strong word. I want to lead them to believe that we are shopping, and then I want to give them the slip, so to speak.”

  “What did I do to deserve you?”

  “Obviously something fabulous.”

  After quick trips to the bathroom to refresh makeup and such, I went to the bank of keys hanging on the wall. Ben had told me to take anything I wanted. The Maserati keychain caught my eye immediately. I’d yet to see him drive it, which was a shame. What was the point of having all of this if you weren’t going to live a little and enjoy it? “He has a flipping Maserati.”

  Telly grinned. “Then that, my dear, is the car we’re going to drive.”

  We marched out to the garage, and Erik’s men were already on it. The garage door was open. Erik requested me to hand over the keys, and I frowned at him. “I wanted to drive myself.”

  His smile was warm. “Yes, ma’am. But I’ll have one of the men pull it out for you, and then we’ll follow. Where are you headed?”

  I gave him the name of the shopping center, and he nodded. “We’ll hang back, so you won’t even notice that we’re there.”

  I gave him a nod. But when we were in the car, I turned to Telly. “Just how are we going to avoid the men in black behind us?”

  “Leave that to me.”

  When we arrived at the shopping center, I understood what she meant. The place was a zoo. “What in the world?”

  She grinned. “I might have had a few bots post that Harry Styles was going to be here.” She was diabolical. And I was grateful she was on my side. “It’s going to be easy to ditch them.”

  Once we parked, we marched in dutifully with our hulking guards, but once inside, there were people everywhere. Women aging from ten to forty-five packed into the open-air shopping center, all waiting for an appearance by Harry Styles that was never going to happen.

  It was as easy as dipping into a store with a rear exit and taking the back stairs. And we were free of our bodyguards. At a fast clip, we crossed the tunnel to the restaurant. But we didn’t need to run. No one was chasing us.

  In Herman’s, Telly parked herself at the bar. “I’m going to have several drinks. You go talk to Sadie.”

  “I love you. You know that?”

  She gave me a brief hug. “Yeah, I’m fantastic. Now go. You probably only have about 15 minutes before Erik and his goons realize we’re not where we’re supposed to be.”

  “Got it.”

  I wove through the restaurant, avoiding the hostess and the waiters. I slid into the same booth as Sadie, and she looked up from her menu with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, can I help you?”

  “I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to barge in on your dinner like this, but I do need to speak to you. I’m Olivia Ashong.”

  Her eyes went wide and her brows lifted. “How did you find me?”

  “It’s a long story. But I really needed for us to be able to talk without an audience.”

  She glanced around. “So you stalked me?”

  “No, I didn’t stalk you. This is actually kind of fortuitous. But let’s just say I have people who want to know my every move, and I needed to be able to do this research without them hovering. I assumed it would make you more comfortable as well.”

  “Who are you again?”

  “Olivia Ashong.”

  “No, I know who you are, I don’t know what you are. Are you a reporter? What?”

  I gave her the rundown on the book, how Caroline and my mother were friends, and how after my mother’s death I picked up the mantle.

  She sat back. “Oh. I knew the last name Ashong was familiar. I just didn’t remember why. I think I met your mother once.”

  “Really?”

  She nodded, her chin-length bob swishing with her movements. Her wide green eyes filled with tears. “Things had been rough at home, so I stayed at my aunt’s for a while. Your mother came to see her. She was lovely.

  I swallowed the pang of grief that threatened to overwhelm me. “What can you tell me about your aunt and the work that she was doing?”

  She let out a breath. “I wasn’t really ready for this conversation tonight. And I have a date coming.”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t want to take up your time. I just I wanted us to be able to talk privately.”

  “No, I understand. If this helps in any way find out what happened to my aunt, then I’m happy to help.”

  “Before your aunt came to visit you in DC six years ago, she wasn’t as into her human rights work. Can you explain to me what happened to set her on that path?”

  She swallowed hard. “When I was sixteen, I had gone to Paris to stay with some cousins. Summer abroad, that sort of thing, very highbrow DC, ‘Oh, summer in Europe.’ While I was there, I made some friends… and some bad choices. We partied too much, and one night, I partied with the wrong people and someone took me.”

  A chill ran through my blood. “Took you?”

  She nodded. “All I know is that I woke up locked in a filthy, room my clothes askew, and the place smelled of sweat and bodies, and sex. It was horrible.”

  “Oh my God, you were human trafficked?”

  She shook her head. “No, I wasn’t. I was kidnapped though. And I think they would have trafficked me if someone hadn’t pointed out who I was. That there would be a larger profit to be made from me by selling me back to my family.”

  “Selling you?”

  “Yeah. They gave my father the ultimatum that he could pay ten million dollars or see me sold as a sex slave.”

  Bile rose in my throat. “Jesus Christ.”

  “There was a period there that I didn’t know if he would pay. At sixteen, I was… let’s just say difficult. A little bit wild, hard to control, I wasn’t one for listening to my parents or doing the right thing. I was always getting in trouble. And for a very long three days, I was terrified for my life.”

  “I’m so sorry to ask but did they–”

  She didn’t let me finish before she shook her head. “No. Not me. They did come in and terrorize me. Spoke to me in broken English told me that I had a nice body. They would fondle me, but I wasn’t raped. They didn’t pump me full of drugs, and I was pretty well taken care of. But there were others.” Her voice broke. “I could hear their screams through the walls. A few days after they took me, two men came into my room, shoved a bag over my head, dragged me out kicking and screaming, shoved me in a van, and then drugged me with something. Next thing I knew, I woke up back in DC in my bed.”

  “Oh my God.”

  “I was useless to the authorities. The FBI and Interpol tried to figure out exactly what had happened to me, but I didn’t know where I’d been taken, and they didn’t have much to go on. I couldn’t give them much of anything other than the crowds I used to run with.”

  “And your aunt, she started fighting for you?”

  Sadie tucked her hair behind her ear, only to have it fall forward in her face again as she dipped her head. “Afterward, I was inconsolable, overwhelmed, and constantly terrified at home. My parents loved me, and they were amazing, but they didn’t know what to do with me. I saw all the therapists, but I never really felt safe anywhere but at my aunt’s house. She took care of me and made sure I made it to therapy. I stayed with her for a year before I finally felt somewhat like myself enough to be able to go home.”

  “I am so sorry.” It seemed like such a feeble thing to say for the hell she’d been through.

  “Thank you. But don’t be sorry for me. There were girls who had it worse. So much worse. When I told my aunt about my experience, it became her crusade and it wasn’t just about me. The
re were these parties that my friends and I would attend, and when I told her about them, she was horrified. At the time, I thought I was just, you know, partying with friends, going to houses of these rich men. Rich older men. Those places oozed money and power and sophistication. I was playing grownup. I got to dress up, be sexy, and have hot older guys talk to me like I was an adult. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing, and at some point, I tripped into the wrong party. I knew my friends were hooking up with those older guys, but I didn’t think anything of it. I was just there for the drugs and the booze, but there was so much more going on. I had friends who were having sex with these men and they were so young. My aunt couldn’t take it. It was this whole filthy underground of DC money and international men with money who would have these parties, and I was taken from one of them. Anyway, my Aunt Caroline was determined to make sure that no woman like me, no woman ever had to go through that again.”

  “These parties… Do you know the names of any of the men or who owned the houses where they were held?”

  She shook her head. “I was embarrassed and didn’t know much. My friends showed me around. But these men they didn’t necessarily live in Paris. Most of them were rental houses, and they were American and English and German international businessmen. I don’t have much to go on. But I will tell you that those parties dripped with money. This is not the seedy underbelly that you’re told about. These are the kind of people who are the power brokers with dirty little secrets.”

  I sat back, her comments making my hair stand on end.

  I was so deeply engrossed in my conversation with her that I didn’t notice someone was standing to my side at my elbow. I looked up to see a blond-haired man in his mid-twenties with an easy smile and kind eyes waiting on us.

  He said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know we were being joined on our date?”

  Sadie stood. “Adam, hi. Sorry, this is Olivia.” She didn’t elaborate, and I couldn’t blame her. I’d just brought back her own personal hell for her.

  I stood and shook his hand. “Hi. I was just leaving. I ran into Sadie and thought I’d have a quick chat. Didn’t mean to interrupt your date.”