"Not really," Wells replied apologetically.
I exhaled again, lifting my cheek off my knees. "What do you suggest?"
Benjamin didn't look nearly as apologetic as his colleague. "Rook said he would contact his 'team,' whatever that means. He can't promise anything, but if you'll forward that email to Wells, we will get it in the right hands to find out who these people are and how we can stop them from making you a target." Benjamin's gaze gentled a touch as he added, "At the very least, you don't need to handle it alone."
Warmth spread through my chest, and I felt my shoulders relax. "That doesn't sound too bad."
"Well, hold on," Benjamin said wryly, one eyebrow twitching up. "There's more. You can't be alone at your… bee farm thing. It's not safe."
I was about to argue that I wasn't alone, but the truth was that my companions were nine and seventy-two years old. They weren't exactly guard dog material. "Who do you suggest?"
Wells and Frost each jabbed their thumbs at each other, and in unison, said, "Him." They exchanged surprised, irritated scowls.
Wells said, "I thought you were?—"
At the same time, Frost argued, "She's your friend."
I dropped my forehead to my knees. "This is so embarrassing."
"I can't abandon my research," Wells said firmly. It was the first time I'd heard a note of uncompromising hardness from him.
Frost growled like a cat. "I have a practice, too."
"Neither of you should do this," I insisted, lifting my face again and standing on wobbly legs. "I'll get a gun."
They both looked visibly horrified at that. "God no," Wells said.
"Jesus help us," Frost added.
"I'll take classes," I said defensively. "It'll be fine."
"You need to go with her," Wells scowled at Benjamin.
He returned the look by narrowing his eyes. "She's your bee person."
"You have military experience," Wells added.
He did? I looked Benjamin up and down in surprise. He was lithe, yes, and clearly fit, but military background? I'd have guessed he was a high fashion model in another life before I'd ever dreamed he would have military experience. Benjamin pinched the bridge of his nose. "As a doctor. It's not the same."
"You still had combat training," Wells pointed out.
This really was mortifying. It was bad enough to have thrown myself at these men who were basically strangers to me. Now they were bickering about who would have to be responsible for me, and the more I thought about it, the more I was starting to feel like this was a worse nightmare than being attacked in a bathroom. I was about to throw myself through the doorway andinto the dangerous unknown when Benjamin released a sharp breath.
"Alright, I'll stay with her."
My eyes widened. "You really shouldn't."
"I am," he said definitively.
"Really," I pushed back, my mouth tightening. "Please don't."
"It's happening," he dismissed, pulling out his phone and scrolling through something. "We'll figure out the particulars later, but for now, we should get you home."
I groaned quietly, pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes. This couldn't be happening. Sure, being chased down by cryptocurrency treasure hunters was an unfortunate twist of fate, but accidentally involving two reluctant do-gooders into the mess was so much worse. These were talented professionals—busy ones. The last thing I wanted to do was put them in a situation where they felt obligated to assist me.
A thought occurred to me suddenly, and I split a look between them. Why was I being so honest? It wasn't like they were going to fact-check my lie. "I have a boyfriend. He can protect me."
Benjamin flitted a look up from his phone, snorted, and looked back at it. "No, you don't."
