“No, I’ve known him most of my life. There’s no way he knows about this.”
“He seems like too smart a man not to know what’s going on right under his nose.”
I didn’t get a chance to interview him before I resigned, but after reviewing his file, he seemed like a smart man, and his credentials were impeccable. I briefly wondered why Benson was promoted to Commander over him. They were both more than qualified, but Foster had seniority. I keep my curiosity to myself.
“Okay, so we have Parker and Gainey pulling the muscle and taking all the risks. Now we need to find out who’s pulling the strings.”
Jaw clenched, he nods, his blue eyes assessing me. “What’sgoing on with you today?”
I straighten my spine. “What do you mean?”
“You’re on edge. More tense than usual.”
Dammit. Another thing about this perceptive man is that he can read me as no one else can. I could never hide anything from him, even when I tried.
“I’m fine,” I lie, shifting in my seat.
Tilting his head, he studies me and crosses his arms over his chest. “Let’s not do that.”
I lick my dry lips. “Do what?”
“Lie to each other.”
It’s both enduring and infuriating how well he knows me.
I finally relent. “My dad called me last night.”
“And? What did the asshole have to say?”
“Oh, you know, the usual, how every decision I make reflects poorly on him, all while also reminding me that I must attend this charity thing he’s hosting tomorrow night, and how disappointed he will be if I’m not there. As if I don’t have enough going on already, he expects me to get dressed up and play the perfect doting daughter in front of all his politician friends.”
He gives me a sympathetic look. “I heard about what happened with Thanos.”
The Secretary of Homeland Security, Margaret Thanos, had been my principal for over a year before I discovered she was secretly ordering the deaths of activists, immigrants, and whistleblowers, and framing them as “national security threats” to boost her approval ratings. Each disappearance was buried beneath redacted files and staged press briefings, painting her as a fearless protector while concealing the truth. She used the bodies of innocent people as steppingstones for her political career andcontinues to get away with it. I reported it to my superiors, and it proved to be a huge mistake. I was told that unless I wanted to end up on top of the pile of bodies, I needed to keep my fucking mouth shut and do my job.
“How could I protect someone with my life who carelessly takes the lives of so many innocent people?”
He grips the back of his neck. “That’s one of the many reasons I left. I saw things. Too many things. Buried too many secrets. My conscience couldn’t deal with it anymore,” he confesses.
“I was so naive back then. I should have left long before I did.”
“But you left, and that’s all that matters.”
The double meaning is not lost on me. I left him for a job, a career that ultimately poisoned me, and I’ve regretted that decision ever since.
Clearing my throat, I meet his gaze. “I think we should pay a visit to Gainey. Find out what he knows.”
“Agree. I just need to make a call first, and then we can go.”
I nod, gathering my things as Benson pulls out his phone and steps out onto the balcony, closing the door behind him.
He’s been quiet since we left his apartment. Contemplative. Every hard edge of him is coiled tight, tension radiating off his large body.
When he came back in from his phone call, I could tell something was wrong. That something wasn’t quite right. I asked if he was okay, but he just nodded once and led me to his truck. I didn’t ask who he’d called. Judging by his mood, it’s clearly personal, and I don’t want to pry, but I have a feeling he needs to talk about it.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask again, hoping he will talk to me.
Benson has never had a problem talking about his feelings. At least not with me.
