And then he was alone with Kenzie’s father.
“I don’t think he’ll be the one continuing the Knight line.” Tag sat back with a weary sigh. “Lucky for Damon he’s still got Archie. He’s the normal one, you know. Smart kid. Never left academia. What are you not telling me, Ben?”
So much. “Manny said a bunch of shit about my old girlfriend, and he’s sending me something tomorrow. I put that in the report. Not the stuff about Deanna. That was just him…”
Fuck. He hated it when everyone was right.
“Say it,” Tag encouraged.
“He was baiting me.” Every muscle hurt. And his hand. Oliver had a surprisingly strong jaw. Guess that stiff upper lip stuff was real.
“Yes, and you took it and let it fester. What did he say about Kenzie? You conveniently left it out of the briefing.”
His report had been short and to the point. Manny called. He said he was sending something tomorrow. That was it. But he was certain Big Tag had already gotten other reports. “I’m sure Cooper and TJ and Kala told you exactly what was said.”
“They seem to think this is all about the fact that Huisman knew Kala and Kenzie are twins,” Big Tag summed things up simply. “According to my snarkiest daughter, your panties are in a wad because you can’t read a debrief. Harsh, but maybe true. He’s been tracking me and my family for years. Yes, he knew, and he let me know he knew way back in Sydney.”
“So after I told you what a danger to the world he was, you still allowed him to have knowledge that I didn’t have?”
“I did.” Kenzie’s father stared at him. “I also told my daughters not to tell you because guess what, Ben? I didn’t know you, and Huisman is good at covering his tracks. So, no, I did not tell the operative I’d just met the main secret of my fucking life. Nor did I tell you after you offered to sacrifice Louisa to prove to me that you were right. Nor did I tell you any of the times we were working together because I didn’t trust you until recently.”
Ben’s jaw locked, and his response came out between clenched teeth. “Understood.”
Tag sighed as Ben sat back down. The silence stretched between them.
“You hurt her,” Tag said.
Ben felt his heart twist. “I didn’t mean to.”
“But you did. I’m not talking about the physical, although we need to be honest enough to know that is possible, too. Ben, you can’t deal with the problem until you acknowledge there is one.”
He knew what was coming next. “Is this your famous lecture? The one you give all the suitors? Dare told me about his.”
“I had a discussion with Dare because I thought he was truly the best man for Tasha.”
“And I’m not good for Kenzie?”
“Are you?”
The question threatened his calm exterior. He wished he was still punching the shit out of Oliver. Was he good for her? Good for a woman who so deeply desired to be loved?
Or she was playing a game and knew how stupid he was. Knew he would fall for it time and time again.
“No.” He was toxic. “I’m not good for her at all.”
Taggart nodded as though that was the right answer. “Excellent. And you wanted her to hurt. You wanted to tear her apart for what you believe she did to you.”
“In the heat of the moment, maybe. I was angry.”
“You were afraid,” Taggart countered.
Ben rolled his eyes. “I’m not fucking afraid of Kenzie.”
“And we’re taking two steps back.”
“I don’t think Kenzie’s going to kill me.”
“No, but she could break you,” Taggart countered. “She could break you in a way Deanna Fisher never did. I know this part, Ben. The most frightening thing in the world is to figure out you’re nothing more than a dumb asshole like the rest of us. When the right woman comes along, we want to reject her because it couldn’t possibly work out. See, this is where Kenz has it better than you. She’s been through some guys, but none of them ever truly touched her heart, so it was easy for her to walk away. None of them knew what she really wanted.”
