by Lisa Cardiff
He shrugged and rolled his thick neck in a circle. “Your old friends and acquaintances. The questions seemed kind of innocuous in the beginning. They wanted to know if you ever talked about your parents. Then they started throwing around your biological father’s name and asked if you ever talked about him or mentioned him by name.” He leaned forward. “Have you been in contact with them? Did you move here to be closer to them?”
“Who?” I drew circles on my jeans, avoiding his eyes, pretending I didn’t understand his question.
“The Bentons,” he hissed. “Don’t play dumb with me, girl. I’ve known you too long for that.”
My head snapped up. “I moved here because my half-brother asked me to. He said he wanted to get to know me. He helped me find a place to live, and we’re friendly.”
Leaning back, he folded his arms across his chest, a pained sound scraping out of his mouth. “Jesus, Trinity. What the hell are you thinking? The Bentons will destroy you. You’re a stain on their reputation. It’s only a matter of time before they grind you into the dirt.”
“You’re wrong. Derrick cares about me. He wouldn’t hurt me.” My words broke. My heart splintered. My chest ached. I didn’t want to believe him. I couldn’t. It hurt too much. I pushed Knox away, at least temporarily, to support Derrick. It’d gut me if I did it for nothing. “He found me because he wanted me to be in his life.”
His fist collided with the top of the table and my empty cup tipped over again. “You’re a fool if you believe that. He contacted you because the Bentons have an agenda. I want you to pack up your shit and come home with me today.”
“No.” I jumped out of my seat, gathering my purse and the coffee-soaked paper napkins as fast as possible. I refused to fall apart in front of my uncle. “I’m not running away from this.”
He shook his head. “What are you going to do? Stick around and wait for them to kill you, too?”
“I don’t know. I’ll call you later. I need to process everything you told me.” With my head down and my hands shoved deep into my pockets, I half-ran, half-walked out the door.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO
Knox
“Do you want to talk about it?” Jack said.
Ignoring Jack, my fingers flew over the keyboard as I typed an email to Archer. Last night, after two hours of searching for clues as to how I misjudged Trinity’s feelings for me, I didn’t come up with anything. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, I decided to do something productive. I spent the entire night uploading security updates to Black Investments’ server.
“Hello.” Jack waved his hand in front of my face. “Talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” I answered without looking at him.
Jack shoved his chair away from the table, the wheels rumbling across the floor. “What the hell happened in the last twenty-four hours? Yesterday you walked around with this stupid ‘I’m in love’ smile, and today you look like you want to kick someone’s ass.”
I closed my laptop. “I didn’t know you wanted to spend the day sharing feelings. Where should we start?” I propped my hands behind my head, glaring at him. “With your fucked up marriage or my non-existent relationship with Trinity?”
Jack chuckled. “Oh, so this is about Trinity Jones. Did she already dump your ass?” He shook his head. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I knew she was bad news.”
Anger rushed through my veins. I stood, flexing my hands hard enough to make the tendons stand out. “You don’t know anything, Jack, and unless you want me to crawl up your ass and start asking questions about your wife, you need to back the hell off.”
“Fine.” He held up his hands in mock surrender. “I’ll back off, but I reserve the right to say ‘I told you so’ when the time comes.”
My brows snapped together. “What do you mean?”
He rubbed his hand down his face. “Nothing. If you think you have everything under control, then I trust you.”
An alert on my phone buzzed, and Jack, being closer to it, slid it across the table. “Speaking of Trinity, it looks like your girl is on the move again.”
I picked up the phone and turned it in circles in one hand. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Smirking, he shook his head. “Right. Don’t lie to me. In between ignoring me and pounding on your keyboard, you’ve been tracking her movements on your phone.” He cleared his throat. “I’d never thought I’d live to see the day when Knox Black had his panties in a bunch over some chick.”
“It’s not like that. I’m worried about her.” I swiped a finger across the phone, scanning the dot on the screen as Trinity moved across town.
“She’s a big girl. She’ll be just fine.”
“Fuck!” I yelled, when I realized her destination.
Jack frowned. “What’s going on?”
I stuffed my phone in my pocket and slung my jacket over my shoulder. “Trinity is headed to Miles Knightly’s house.”
Jack jumped out of his chair. “Do you think she’s been spying on us for him?”
I stalked across the office and flung open the door. “I don’t think so. She hates him, but she might get a hair up her ass and decide to confront him.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“No.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to cause a scene.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’ll call you if I need back-up.”
CHAPTER
THIRTY-THREE
Trinity
After a quick stop at my house and thirty minutes of wandering around D.C. on foot, I found myself in front of Miles’s house. I pounded on his door. A gust of cool air whipped around my body and chills roughened my skin. Thick strands of my hair lashed the side my face and the silky material of my shirt billowed like a sail in the wind.
I should’ve called Knox and shared my plans, but I always hated being controlled and led around by the nose. Knox told me not to do anything stupid and this certainly qualified as stupid. Miles and I spent a lot of time together, but I really didn’t know anything about him. Sure, I knew what he liked to order from his favorite Chinese restaurant. I knew he liked bourbon. I knew he had a daughter and an ex-wife who would never let him go, but those were just meaningless facts I could’ve discovered during a five-minute conversation.
Apprehension trickled down my spine, but I ignored it. Nothing bad would happen. I could take care of myself. Steeling my nerves, I squared my shoulders, and pounded on the door again.
“Trinity,” Miles said wearily. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“How did you find out Speaker Benton is my half-brother?” I could’ve approached the subject with more eloquence, but I didn’t have the time.
“I don’t know anything about that.” He peered over my shoulder, then started to push the door closed. “You shouldn’t be here. You need to leave.”
I smacked my hand into the door and pulled a gun out of the holster hidden inside my jacket, pushing my way into the house and shutting the door behind me. Knox had confiscated my gun of choice at Lang’s house, but I also had a Kahr P380 hidden under a floorboard in my closet. Roughly the size of a cell phone, it was very concealable, but just as reliable and effective as larger models.
“I’m not going anywhere until I know the truth. I’m fucking sick of all the lies. Tell me how you found out about Derrick and me.”
He held up his hands and backpedaled a few steps. “You’re a lunatic. If you don’t get out of here, I’ll call the police.”
“Be my guest.” I jammed the barrel of my gun against his chest. “I’d be happy to talk to them about all your blackmail schemes. I’m sure there’s plenty of evidence right here in your home. I’ll even invite Knox over, and he can bring Lang’s taped confession. He implicated you.” He didn’t, but Miles had no way of knowing that.
Sasha, his ex-wife, glided into the room, her black maxi dress dusting the floor with every step. “Just tell t
he truth, Miles. This is getting old.”
“Get the fuck out of here, Sasha. This is none of your business,” Miles yelled through his teeth.
“No. I’m not listening to you. Not this time.” She folded her arms across her chest. “You think you can spin some magic and end up with her share of the money, but it’s not going to happen unless you put a gun to her head and force her down the aisle. And from where I’m standing, it looks like she’s the one with the gun.”
“The money?” My stare boomeranged between Miles and Sasha, helplessness seeping into my words. “What money?”
She rolled her eyes. “God, you’re naïve. I don’t know how Miles could stand being around you. You’re like this hear no evil, see no evil chick, charging into things with her eyes closed, believing everyone has altruistic motives.”
Miles pushed my gun away and pointed his finger at Sasha. “Shut up. This isn’t a game.”
“No, you shut up, Miles.” I stared over their heads, unable to look at either one of them. “I want to hear what she has to say.”
“Gladly.” She flipped her long hair over her shoulder. “Didn’t you wonder why Miles asked you to be his assistant, a woman with no college education whose only job experience was slinging drinks in a nightclub?”
My gaze cut to Miles, ice worming its way through my veins. “You came into Leslie’s bar for weeks. We became friends.”
She snorted. “Yeah, sweetie, life doesn’t work that way. He went to that bar looking for you. He recruited you.”
Miles rested his chin against his chest. “Go away, Sasha. I need to talk to Trinity alone.”
She speared me with her eyes, her lips curling in disgust. “Fine, but if he doesn’t tell you the truth, I will. Keep that in mind.”
I didn’t respond.
Sasha disappeared down the hall, and the door to Miles’s study clicked shut.
“Go ahead,” I said, my voice thin and frail, my gun burning a hole in my hand.
He shifted on his feet. “Through one of my contacts, I learned the Benton family was hiding the details of Richard Benton’s illegitimate child.”
I met his gaze, chin lifted. “In the course of your blackmail scheme.”
His lips pressed together. “I’m not going to comment on that.”
“Fine.” I waved my hand, struggling to keep my voice as calm as possible. “Continue.”
“I found out your name and that Derrick Benton helped you relocate to D.C. at Richard Benton’s request.”
I frowned. “That doesn’t explain why you sought me out.”
He nodded slowly and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “All of Richard Benton’s money was put into a trust. His trust provided his wife with a generous monthly payment, along with the use of all his properties until her death. The remaining assets, however, were to be split equally between his children.”
I sucked in a giant mouthful of air. “He only has one child. He never claimed me. His name isn’t on my birth certificate.”
“Well, none of that matters, because you’re mentioned by name in his trust.” When I didn’t respond, he continued talking. “There’s one caveat, however. You have to come forward and claim the money before your twenty-fifth birthday, otherwise your share reverts to Derrick, which is in—”
“Two months,” I said, interrupting him.
He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Two months.”
My eyes pinched closed for a split second. “So you planned to help me claim my share?”
He cringed. “Kind of.”
Hate and bitterness churned in my gut like a gasoline fed bonfire. “That’s why you wanted to get married. You were with me for the money. Money I didn’t even know I had.” My chin quivered, and I could feel the tears sneaking out of the corners of my eyes.
He held out his hand, but I slapped it away. “At first, but things changed. I cared about you. I still do.”
“You’re pathetic. Get away.” The words scraped like glass across my lips. My vision blurred with a toxic combination of confusion and betrayal. I stood there, my feet rooted to the ground, trying to wrap my head around what he said. I didn’t know how to absorb his confession. Grief crawled up the walls of my throat, warring for freedom.
Freedom to scream.
Freedom to rage.
Freedom to hurt someone else.
All of those emotions huddled inside of me like a ticking bomb. Slowly building. Enclosing my throat. Blinding me. I felt like I was breaking into a thousand jagged pieces.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
The doorknob rattled behind me.
“Open the door, Miles. I know Trinity’s here.”
My head shot up. “It’s Knox,” I whispered, whirling around to face the door. My mind unraveled, confusing emotions swirling like a tornado inside of me, and suddenly I knew he was the only thing in my life that made sense. I loved him. I needed him.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-FOUR
Knox
Trinity opened the door. Tears spilled down her cheeks. A small handgun dangled from her fingers. Her shoulders sagged. She looked defeated.
“Knox.” She dragged out my name, her voice low and reverent.
“Trinity.” I scanned her for injuries, but other than her tears and puffy eyes, I didn’t see anything. “What’s going on? Why did you come here? You can’t trust Miles.”
Her gaze flicked to his, and she swallowed. “He used me. Derrick used me. It was all about the money.”
“What money?”
With unsteady fingers, she stuffed the gun into her purse. “My half of the Benton Family Trust. Miles wanted to marry me for it. Derrick wanted to keep all of it.”
I charged forward. Before I could stop myself, my hands circled Miles’s neck and I shoved him into the wall. “What the hell is she talking about?”
“Ask her. She knows everything.” His fingers clawed at my hands. “Get out of my house.”
Trinity’s hands hooked around the back my belt. “Let’s go. I need to get out of here.” I tightened my hold on Miles. “Please,” she whimpered.
I glanced over my shoulder. Her entire body shook. Her eyes were wide and pleading. “Fine.” My hands dropped from his neck, and I guided her out of the door, not bothering to shut it behind me.
She stood on the street, her head hanging down and her eyes pinched shut. “How did you find me?”
I stared down the street, trying to find a way to sugarcoat my answer. Nothing came to me, and I didn’t want to lie to her anyway. We had both been subjected to enough lies. “I installed a tracking device on your phone after you agreed to work for me. I needed to know if you were being honest with me.” I blew out a breath. “When I saw you go to Miles’s house, I followed, not because I don’t trust you, but because I don’t trust him.”
She rubbed her eyes. “I should be mad at you for so many reasons right now, but I’m glad you showed up. I wanted to kill Miles and his dumb ex-wife.” She shook her head, her lips flat and her eyes dull. “I don’t know what to do. I’m so lost right now.”
Without a word, I edged up behind her and looped my arms around her waist. Her muscles tensed before she wilted into my embrace. I bent my head, my lips sliding along the slope of her neck and back up to her chin.
“We’ll figure it out.”
She tipped up her head, her dark eyes sizing me up, peering into my soul. “Did you know Richard Benton named me as a beneficiary of the Benton Family Trust? Did you know I have to make some claim on it before I turn twenty-five, which is in two months?”
“No.” I rested my chin on top of her head. “But now it makes more sense why the Benton family wanted you to keep the connection secret.”
She spun in my arms. “I’m sorry about last night. Don’t hate me.”
I glanced down at her, my throat tightening. “You’re forgiven. Besides, I could never hate you.” Now wasn’t the time to throw mud at each other.
She made a
harsh sound in the back of her throat, her face filling with dread and regret. “No. You should be mad. I put Derrick before you just because he’s my brother, but he never earned it. Other than giving me some money and sparing a few hours of his time on occasion, he didn’t earn my loyalty. You did.”
I smiled crookedly. “I’ll forgive you if you conveniently forget I was tracking your phone.” I pressed my key fob.
“Hm. I’ll think about it.”
I opened the passenger door of my car. “Get in.”
“Where are we going?” she asked as I pulled away from the curb.
“Back to your place.”
She leaned forward, rubbing her hands together in front of the heat vent. “I was supposed to meet Derrick at his house an hour ago.”
“Cancel it.”
Her pupils flared. “Why? I need to confront him more than ever. According to Miles, he wanted to keep my identity secret because he didn’t want me to claim my share of the trust.” She slumped in her seat, her chin resting against her chest.
“You’re not meeting with him alone. We’re hiring an attorney to get to the bottom of this. You can’t trust anything Derrick says. Archer has people on retainer. They’ll need to do a conflicts check, but we can probably get them to set up something as early as tomorrow.”
“I don’t think so.” A bitter laugh spilled from my mouth. “Derrick will drag his feet as long as possible. He’ll take this right down to the wire.”
“No. He won’t because we’ll take your story straight to the media and he knows it. The only thing worse than revealing his father had an illegitimate daughter would be that he tried to screw you out of your inheritance.”
She closed her eyes and leaned her shoulder against mine. “You know what’s crazy? I don’t even think I want the money. He could have convinced me to give it up. I just wanted to have him in my life. Maybe I should tell him he can keep the money.”
“No,” I said, my voice echoing inside the car.
Her eyelids unsealed, and she stared at me, bewildered. “Why not?”
