The Benefactor

by Nana Malone

  Lucas nodded. “That’ll work.” He met each of our gazes. “I know for most of you this is your first time being involved in a con. Don’t worry. I’ll be gentle. And I promise you’ll love it so much you’ll immediately want to do it again.”

  Ben smirked at Lucas as he wrapped his arm around me. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Yeah, it will be fine. All I’m doing is getting an invitation. What’s the worst that could happen?”

  Ben

  After I finished up a call with Bridge and East about a property in China, I stepped into the living room looking for Olivia. I found her on the balcony, under the heat lamp. It wasn’t raining for once, but there was still an eerie mist coating the city. Even though the weather was warming up during the day, it was brisk enough in the evening to absolutely need the heat on. “There you are. Are you hiding?”

  She shook her head. “No, I’m not hiding. I’m just… I don’t know, thinking, I guess.”

  She looked so small sitting on the chaise with the blanket wrapped around her, hair held up on top of her head in a giant messy bun. She was cute.

  I joined her on the chaise. “Is there room in that blanket for me?”

  “It depends. Are you planning on getting fresh?”

  My brow lifted. “Is that a real question?”

  She laughed even as she rolled her eyes. “No, it’s not a real question. I fully expect you to get fresh.”

  “You have been paying attention to who I am.”

  The thing was, I’d been paying attention to who she was too. For years, I’d been gun-shy about getting into any sort of relationship after Lila. But with Liv, it wasn’t even a question. I wanted to be with her. I needed to protect her. It was my duty to look after her.

  But she won’t let you look after her.

  Which was a problem to circumvent. “What happens next, Ben?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I mean, I recognize I am relying on the kindness of, well, up until a couple of months ago, total strangers. I have a job that you gave me, because you thought you had to.”

  “You blackmailed me,” I corrected her.

  That earned me another eyeroll. “I did not blackmail you. You offered. It was a bribe.”

  “We’re back to that?”

  “Looks like it.”

  I rolled my eyes but chuckled softly. “Years from now, I guarantee we’ll still be having the same conversation.”

  Years from now? Shit. Warily, I watched her, gauging her reaction to what I’d just said.

  “I have my job because of you. Because of the situation, I have a place to stay temporarily because bad guys are chasing me. Eight months ago, I had my mother, I had a flat I loved, and a boyfriend that well, he was adequate enough at that time. I was working toward… I don’t know what. I guess, being a real live adult. But now, everything is different. I don’t even know who I am anymore.”

  I slid my hand over hers and wrapped it, intertwining our fingers. “You’re still the same person you were eight months ago. You are your mother’s daughter. You’re brilliant. You should have been offered Operations Director from the get-go. You had no business working as Kennedy’s assistant. You were the best assistant she ever had, but still, that’s not who you are now or who you were supposed to be. As far as the place to stay, I have more than enough room for you to stay forever if it suits.”

  She pulled back from my hold. “Forever?”

  Ah, so we were going to have to have this conversation. “You’re my girlfriend. Let’s not pretend this isn’t where this would have ended up eventually.”

  Her lashes fluttered as she blinked rapidly. “Girlfriend?”

  “Yep. You know, with you being the woman I can’t seem to get out of my head. Not to mention you can’t keep your hands off of me. And you’re brave and tough, not to mention brilliant with an ass I want to do dirty things to. Of course you’re my girlfriend.”

  “I love how you’re telling me and not asking me.”

  I lifted a brow. “Why give you the chance to run from something even though you want it as much as I do?”

  As she tugged on her hand in an attempt to free it, I could see the emotional distance she was striving to put between us. But I wasn’t going to let her do that, so I held on. She eventually pursed her lips and stopped pulling. “I’d like to have things settled on my own. In my own place. I want something that’s mine. Dexter took that from me. I wasn’t in control of that situation. My mother, the only close family attachment I had died and left me. Someone tried to strip me of my freedom, or my life, just a few weeks ago. I need some damn control or I’m going to lose it.”

  “I’m not trying to strip you of that. I just want to keep you safe. And so we’re clear. Just like you’re mine to protect, you have my fate in your hands. You’re driving this double decker with me.”

  The corner of her lips twitched. “As if you’ve ever been on a bus before.”

  “I have…” I let my voice trail.

  “Oh yeah, when?”

  Flashing her a grin, I answered. “Back in primary. We were learning about transportation systems.”

  “Christ, you are so damn—”

  “Sexy?” I offered helpfully. “Big? They do call me Big Ben for a reason.”

  A laugh bubbled out of her, and she shook her head. “You’re impossible.”

  “I know. Now come back to bed. I can remind you just how big.”

  “I will in a minute. I want to finish this chapter. I’m still piecing together this timeline, and something is gnawing at the back of my mind. It’s what woke me up.”

  Instead of sulking like my dick wanted too, I stayed on the sofa next to her. “Let me help.”

  “You don’t have to. You should get back to bed. You don’t have to be up for another hour.”

  “If you’re up, I’m up. We’re a team now.”

  Her gaze searched mine as her teeth grazed her bottom lip. “I’m not used to having a team. Thank you. And thank you again for arranging the meeting with the editor. I just don’t want to let my mother down. Her memory is all I have.”

  “You’re brilliant. No matter what, she’d be so proud of you. Mostly because you’re following your dream.” I picked up one of the folders. “Right. Now show me where your timelines need help.”

  Several photos fluttered to the ground. I beat her to it when she reached for them. Stacking them neatly, I frowned when my gaze landed on an all too familiar signet ring. My gaze flickered to Olivia, but she was staring at her laptop and didn’t notice the picture.

  Just what the fuck was my father doing in a photo with Caroline Ritter? Underneath it was what looked like a surveillance photo of another man. Older, maybe in his late forties or early fifties. He looked familiar, but I didn’t know from where.

  Show her the photos.

  I knew what I should do. But I wanted to be certain first. I needed to be certain.

  This is going to blow back and bite you on the arse.

  I knew that was probably true, but I still couldn’t stop myself. I needed to protect her even if she wouldn’t protect herself. If my father knew Caroline Ritter in any capacity, things were certainly going to get complicated.

  16

  Ben

  I told myself I wasn’t hiding this from her. After all, we had a new and improved policy of direct honesty.

  Oh yeah? Then why didn’t you tell her you found something in the photos?

  I hadn’t told her because I wanted to be sure. I hadn’t told her because I didn’t know what it was yet.

  Sure, and she’ll see it exactly like that.

  Either way, I’d explain it to her. I wasn’t hiding it from her.

  Liar.

  When I walked into my father’s office, I tried to shake off the immediate shroud of suffocation that started choking me the moment I walked in. Much like when I was growing up.

  The old man had various business interests and still supported charitable organization
s. He’d gone back to serving as a Member of Parliament for four years, but then eventually returned to private life.

  His secretary, Gizella, smiled at me when I walked in. “Oh, Mr. Covington. Uh, your father is on a call right now. But if you’ll just give me—”

  “I’m sorry, Gizella, this can’t wait.”

  She sputtered and rose to her feet, but I was faster than she was and just strolled right by. “It’s all right. I won’t be but a minute. And you know Dad. He just loves a surprise.”

  The old man frowned when he saw me, lifting a brow but continuing his call, all the while glowering at me.

  Several minutes later when he hung up, he sat back. “Bennett, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “Sorry, Dad, I’ll be quick. I just need you to tell me what the fuck this is?” I slapped the photo I’d found last night down on his desk, and he frowned at it.

  “Should I recognize what I’m looking at?”

  “That’s you, correct?” He frowned, and then picked his glasses up off the desk, slowly easing them up his nose. “Where the hell did you find this?”

  “Don’t worry about that, I’m just asking a simple question. Is that you?”

  “I suppose it looks like me. That must’ve been a gala nearly a decade ago. But it could be anyone. It’s taken from the back.”

  Was he honestly going to try to weasel out of answering the question? “Let me help you out. That right there is your bloody signet ring. So that is you. I did a little cross check on who was in attendance, and that was a birthday state dinner.”

  He huffed and snatched his glasses back off his nose. “All right, if you know it’s me, then what’s the problem? Why the inquisition?”

  “You knew Caroline Ritter?”

  He frowned. “Ritter?”

  I hated it when he did that. Stalled by repeating the question. It gave him more time to think. “Yes. She was a foreign service officer.”

  His brow furrowed as he made a show of peering at the photo. “Yes. I suppose I did know her. But I haven’t thought of her in years. Why are you asking about her now?”

  “You seem deep in conversation in the photo.”

  He waved a dismissive hand. “ It was years ago.”

  “You look well acquainted with her. Do you know why someone would have taken this photo?”

  My father puffed out a laugh. “Bennett surely you’re not here to harangue me over some woman I met in passing.”

  “That woman is now missing. Presumed dead. So the fact that the person researching her disappearance finds this photo important is worrisome.”

  He shrugged. “What does it matter? You’re not suggesting I’m responsible, are you? Where is this coming from?”

  My stomach flipped. What was I suggesting?

  You know.

  The Elite.

  Livy’s research hadn’t brought her to their doorstep yet as far as I knew—until this photo. But if Caroline had crossed paths with some powerful Elite members, could they have made her vanish? Certainly. But the rules were simple. A gentleman above all. We might play dirty, but something like human trafficking. No.

  Are you sure about that?

  My head spun and bile rose. No, I wasn’t sure.

  “People are starting to ask questions about her disappearance. I need to know if you’re involved.”

  No business endeavor operated without the express permission from the Director Prime. If the people I called my brothers were involved with something like this, it was sanctioned by Marcus.

  So the real question was if Marcus and his family were capable of sanctioning something like this.

  Absofuckinglutely.

  “You know what she was researching? Human traffickers.”

  His skin went pale. “And what, you saw this photo of me and assumed I was involved? We might not get along. We might disagree on a lot, but at the very least you should know my mettle as a person. I would never condone such things. You look at my record when I was at Downing. I went after people like that with the full support of the office.” He threw the photo down. “You should know better. Things like this photo and the accusations you’re throwing around could end careers, so you need to watch yourself. Your pretty little plaything needs to watch her step.”

  The fuck? “What do you know about Livy?”

  “There’s very little that happens with you that I don’t know about. You need to walk away from this and encourage her to do the same.”

  His voice was absolute. Authoritative. Like his decree alone could make me back off.

  “If there’s nothing to worry about, why do I need to drop it? What are you hiding, old man?”

  “Watch your tone, Bennett.” There was a note of ice in his voice, but his expression was placid. Not a single hint of emotion.

  “You’re lying. My whole life, you’ve kept things from me. You and your secrets. Now is the time to come clean. Because the truth is coming.”

  “I keep secrets for a reason. And now, so do you. You’re reaching above your paygrade here, boy. Time to let the adults deal with things. If you don’t, your pretty plaything will get caught in the crosshairs.”

  The undercurrent of rage I always felt toward my father was right there, just below the surface. But it blasted through, and I grabbed the old man by the lapels. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Van Linsted. You come for mine, and I will come for yours.”

  He kept his lips pressed firmly together. “If there’s nothing else, Bennett.” My name on his lips was a curse.

  I released him with a mild shove before I did something I’d regret. “For once in your life, tell the fucking truth. If you don’t it will come back to bite you in the arse.”

  He adjusted his jacket, smoothing out invisible wrinkles. “This display of emotion is unbecoming. What’s this new woman done to you, son?”

  “You don’t get to ask questions about Livy. Especially not given the circumstances of my last relationship.”

  He rolled his eyes. And waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, for Christ’s sake. You can’t still be on about that. It was a long time ago. Let it go.”

  “I’m supposed to let it go that my father had an affair with my fiancée and then married the whore?”

  “She’s your stepmother.”

  “No, she’s not. She’s a disgrace to my mother’s memory. I got what I needed. There’s something worth digging for, and I’ll help Livy find everything she needs.”

  He stood then. “Bennett, whatever this is, whatever you’re chasing, leave it be.”

  “Or what? Like I said, you come for me and I’ll come for you. I don’t think you want that.”

  “Is this new woman prompting your behavior? You’ve made some poor choices in the past, Bennett. You don’t want to repeat them.”

  “I’ve made poor choices? You’re the one who married the whore. At least I got out just in time.”

  He waved his hand again. “Do you really know who the woman is that you’re having a dalliance with? The fact that she has some photo of me with someone she claims disappeared is suspect if you ask me. I’d be careful if I were you. You should be smarter about protecting your fortune. All kinds of people are going to come up with all kinds of stories to get at it. You should safeguard yourself more. You seem to have no mind for it.”

  “So that’s it? You’re not going to answer me? Instead, you want to accuse Olivia of being some gold-digging manipulator?”

  “If the shoe fits. After all, have you ever really done any research on her? You tend not to do that. So I’d be careful if I were you.”

  “Do tell the evil cow I hope she chokes on your prenup. I hope she’s making you just as miserable as she made me.” I turned and stomped out, deliberately leaving his door open behind me as I left. He was hiding something. I knew it. I just had to figure out what it was.

  When I reached the elevator, I pulled out my phone and sent a text to East.

  Ben: I need you to look at a photo for me and t
ell me who it is. Can you do that?

  East: Sure. Is there a problem?

  Ben: I’m not sure yet.

  But I really hoped not.

  Livy

  It was funny, I hadn’t even realized that I felt cooped up until I finally was allowed out. Ben gave me three guards, warning each of them that if so much as a hair of mine was out of place, he was killing people, which I was pretty sure he was kidding about, but it was hard to tell.

  Inside the bar, I was flanked by Matthew and Scott as I marched toward the table. I noticed two men discreetly sitting nearby at the bar, and I realized they were Princess Jessa’s guards. Another two, a female and male, sat near them.

  It seemed Bryna had her own guard too. As the fiancée of a prince, that made sense. As I approached the two women, I smiled and waved. Jessa stood to give me a hug. “Hey, I’m so glad you’re here. I didn’t think Ben was going to let you out of his sight.”

  I rolled my eyes. “He’s a little overprotective right now.”

  “A little?” Jessa lifted a brow. “The man basically tattooed his name all over your face and your arse.”

  “God, is it that apparent?”

  Jessa laughed. “Yes, it absolutely is that apparent. Come, meet Bryna.”

  The gorgeous brunette stood. She had a sweet smile, and there was something automatically endearing about her. “I’m Bryna. Lucas’s fiancée.”

  I grinned. “Oh, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from Lucas already.”

  Jessa winced. Bryna’s gaze jumped back and forth between us. “Oh, when did you meet Lucas?”

  Holy fucking shitballs. I’d definitely stepped into that one.

  I knew Lucas didn’t want her brought in on anything. But I wasn’t sure how much I was supposed to say. “Oh, he just… he was at the office. So I met him. He mentioned you.”