Carolina Harrington.
My stomach twists.
“You gave me your last name?” I ask, attempting to conceal my shock.
“It seemed appropriate.” He shrugs.
Appropriate my ass.
My thumb rubs over my new name, letting it sink it. I’ve never given much thought to a name before now, but having Ben’s last name makes this feel more real. Like I’m part of an actual family, even if we are just playing pretend.
Pocketing it, I decide to let it go, for now. I have bigger things to worry about.
“Do you remember the backstory we talked about? People in this town are nosy. They’ll ask questions.”
“Let’s see… we’re sticking to what actually happened, minus the wholemurderpart.”
Ben grimaces.
“My mom died recently of a heart attack, and I came to live with my ‘uncle’ Ben. Maryanne’s my aunt. Axel and Johnny are my cousins. My real dad’s dead and I never knew him. Everything else is pretty much the same. Did I miss anything?”
“Nope, sounds like you got it. I have something else for you, too.”
He reaches into his desk drawer and hands me a brand-new phone.
“I went ahead and programmed mine, Maryanne’s, and the boys’ numbers into it. You’ll need to keep the location sharing on at all times.”
When I hesitate, he lifts his hands in surrender.
“I don’t care where you go, Lina. You’re almost an adult. Everyone in this family keeps it on for safety. That’s all. Just stay aware of your surroundings, and make smart choices about who you’re with and where you go. This area’s relatively harmless, but we still have crime like anywhere else.”
I blush, my mind having automatically jumped to conclusions of Ben already controlling me. The way he explains it, it sounds like a reasonable request, so I agree. I’m not going to turn down tools that might save my life.
“You’re free to go and do as you please, within reason. Just check in with either me or Maryanne. We trust our adult kids, and we’d like to extend that same trust to you.” He pauses. “Just know, if that trust gets broken, there will be consequences.”
“Sounds fair.”
Ben leans back, his tone softening.
“We’ve added additional security to the property. Cameras at every entrance, motion sensors along the perimeter, and emergency response alerts that go directly to my office and the FBI. We also have a private alarm code for you to use if something feels off. It’s different from ours. I’ll show you how it works.”
That actually helps. A lot.
“Thanks.”
“Last thing, and then you can head to school. I want you to start training in our home gym with me and the boys.”
I scrunch my nose. “Umm… I’m not exactly what you’d call athletic.”
Ben chuckles. “I’m not asking you to bench press a truck. I want to teach you some basic self-defense. Call me selfish, but I’ll feel a lot better knowing you can handle yourself.”
The idea of working out gives me hives, but I get where Ben’s coming from. If I ‘d learned self-defense years ago, maybe itwould’ve saved me from Joe.
“Fine. I’ll do it.”
“Great! The FBI handled all of your ‘transfer’ records and you’re all registered. Just stop by the front office this morning to pick up your schedule. See you after school,Miss Harrington!”
He grins, and I half-heartedly roll my eyes at him, struggling to hide my own.
