Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 65489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65489 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 262(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Once the waitress walked away, Carter met my gaze. I knew that look of determination in his eyes. He wasn’t going to relent until I’d spilled everything.
“Ben’s the one who’s hurting. I’m just the asshole who fucked up. If you want to do some good today, you should be talking to him, not me.”
Carter snorted. “You don’t look like you’re doing too well yourself. I think you need to talk. You know I’m not the best at this, but you’ve listened to me through a hell of a lot, and I want you to know I’m here for you.”
I sighed. “I know that, and I appreciate it, but I don’t think Ben has anyone he can talk to. I think his family kept him isolated, and he was scared to make friends once he moved out. In a family like that, friends become targets.”
“Yeah. I know a little bit about that. It’s not the same but….”
“It’s similar enough to your situation. I knew you’d understand.”
“Hang on.” Carter pulled out his phone and made a call. “Ford…I’ve got a favor to ask…Ben needs someone to talk to. He doesn’t have anyone, not like us…Right. I thought he’d be more comfortable with you since he’s met you several times…Okay. Thanks.”
He ended the call and focused on me again. “Ford’s going to take Ben to lunch.”
“Ben will assume I sent him.”
“Maybe, but you know how good Ford is at talking people around.”
I rolled my eyes. “Right. There’s a damn good reason he’s an attorney.”
“Now, instead of worrying about Ben. Why don’t you tell me what the hell you did to piss him off.”
I glared at him. “What do you think I did?”
Carter whistled. “I could go through a very long list, or you could just narrow it down and tell me.”
“I had him followed and gave him false information to test him.”
“And he found out?”
“He overheard me on the phone with Frank.”
“He would’ve eventually found out if you kept this up.”
“I know. Ford told me to tell him, but how was I supposed to do that? It didn’t matter how or when it came out, it was always going to be the same result. He was going to decide this was all a setup. He thinks everything was just a game to me. He thinks….”
“That you used him.”
I nodded. “But he lied to me too.” I sounded petulant as hell.
“True, but you had all the power.”
He was right. Ben couldn’t have confessed to me, because if I fired him, his family would probably have hurt him, maybe even killed him.
Carter laid a hand over mine. “I won’t say what you did was wrong. He needed to be monitored. I agreed with that. I didn’t even want him here, but your instincts were spot on.”
“I fucked this all up. I wanted him. I told him it wasn’t game, but is that really true? At first, I saw something I wanted, and I went after it because that’s what I do. But things changed. I started to feel more, and then I did exactly what I’d sworn to myself I wouldn’t do. I hurt him when I wanted to protect him. We’ve got to get him out of that apartment. He’s not safe.”
“I’ve got someone watching him 24/7 and another person watching his building when he’s not there.”
“He’d be safer at my penthouse.”
“Would he agree to go there?”
Would he? “Maybe if I stayed somewhere else.”
Carter raised his brows.
“Maybe not. He doesn’t want my help now.”
“That’s not completely true. He came to the office today. He might have said he didn’t want to be there, but he was working and I noticed he was drinking the coffee you left for him.”
“How did you know I got him coffee?”
Carter grinned. “Martin keeps me very well informed.”
“So you’re spying on me.”
“I’m keeping you safe. That is, after all, my job.”
“You were totally against me hiring him, and now you’re trying to come up with ways to help me keep him?”
“I’m trying to come up with ways to keep you both from regretting walking away, and I’m trying to keep you both safe. I was wrong. Is that something you’ve admitted?”
“Fuck. Why do you always have to come right to the point like that?”
“Because you need someone to. Did you try apologizing?”
“I don’t…I’m not….”
Carter raised his brows.
“Fine. I was wrong to keep all this from him for so long.”
“Great. Now why don’t you try telling him that.”
Because it scares the shit out of me. “Because he won’t talk to me unless it’s about business.”
“You’ve never let that stop you before.”
“The stakes have never been this high before.”
32
BEN
Being around Miles at the office was hell. The only time we spoke during the morning was when it was absolutely necessary for work. I tried to avoid looking at him as much as I could. Miles glanced my way frequently as he brooded in his office, before abruptly leaving with Carter.