So she was going to punish him. A hint of bitterness crept through his fear. This suddenly felt like manipulation. “So the princess doesn’t get the words she wants and I get cut out.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Ben, I’m emotional. I’m trying to keep it together, and I’ve attempted to avoid this conversation several times now because I don’t want to say something I don’t mean. If you had let me have a couple of minutes, I might have been able to pull myself together.”
“So now I’m not reacting the way you want.” He knew the words she was saying made sense, but he was getting a restless feeling. This was where everything fell apart. He hadn’t danced to her…
Fuck. He’d hurt her, and he was making it worse. She was literally asking him for a couple of minutes to process the fact that she’d told the man she loved that she loved him and he was never going to return the words.
He backed up. “I’m sorry, Kenzie. I’m acting like an ass because I’m terrified of losing you. Baby, can we get dressed and go back to our flat and talk about this? Please?”
“I need time,” she replied, tears rolling down her cheeks.
She looked so young and hurt, and he’d put that expression on her face.
Another text came through. Damn it. Joseph wouldn’t keep calling unless it was necessary. He didn’t know what else to say so he picked up the cell.
Unknown number.
The room went cold.
Kenzie seemed to sense something had gone wrong. Something else.
Pick up the phone, Benjamin. You won’t like how I express my dissatisfaction that I’m being ignored.
“Is it him?” Kenzie asked, her voice suddenly tense. “I’ll go let Dad and Damon know.”
“Don’t.” He knew the protocols. No one was supposed to talk directly to Manny, but he’d always known he wouldn’t follow that rule. “This is between me and him.”
He stared at the phone like it was a snake waiting to strike. It would ring and he would answer, and maybe this time he could figure out how to take the fucker down. His heart rate ticked up in a way it only did when facing the fucking monster in his life.
“Ben, you need to destroy the cell and I’ll get you another,” Kenzie insisted. “You can’t give him a chance to get into your head. This is what he does. He causes chaos. The only way to stop it is to not play this game with him.”
The cell rang. She didn’t understand Manny. Not the way he did. If he didn’t answer, then he wouldn’t know what was coming his way. Manny would do something and it would be his fault.
“Ben, I am asking you to give me the phone. If you care about me, don’t answer that phone.”
Another manipulation. He slid his finger across the screen. “Hello.”
He turned and heard Kenzie walk to the bathroom. And lock the door behind her. She either didn’t get what was happening or she was trying to control him. Either way, he had to answer that phone.
A deep chuckle came over the line. “Did I interrupt something, Benjamin? How is London treating you?”
Well, he should have known. He turned and looked at the door that separated him from Kenzie. “What do you want, Manny?”
“One would think you don’t like me.”
He wasn’t taking that bait today. He remained silent. Big Tag was right about a couple of things, and one of them was that Ben let Manny get his goat. Although the big bastard had said something like Huisman gets your goat and impregnates him in front of you so then you have baby goats and then he takes those too.
Kenzie’s dad had a way with words.
He wasn’t using words on Manny right now. Silence would have to do.
“All right, you’re not in a talkative mood. Tell me, are the girls with you?” Manny asked.
“I’m alone.” He might actually be if Kenzie was that pissed at him. He would make it up to her. He would go directly to her dad after he was done and then they could sit down and talk. “I don’t know where the women of the team are.”
“I was talking about the assassins I sent to kill Mr. Taggart. They didn’t seem to do a good job,” Manny said over the line. “I’ll have to punish them accordingly.”
A cold chill went up his spine. “So you are involved in trafficking little girls.”
