“I do like a touch of chaos,” Huisman admitted. “She does seem to be a bit on the unstable side. Unlike you, from what I can tell she’s a bit of a slut.”
Like that was the worst thing she could be called. Or original. “My sister has had a lot of boyfriends. She always thinks she’s in love and makes mountains out of molehills, but Ben has been a pain in my ass since the day she laid eyes on him.”
“He’s a traditionally attractive man. Very masculine. Women are attracted to Benjamin because of their biological needs.”
She’d been attracted to him because of that pull she’d felt. And then she’d gotten to know him, and when he wasn’t thinking about Huisman, he was sweet and they fit together like puzzle pieces finally falling into place. She forced the thoughts out of her head because the last thing she needed was to go soft and have Huisman asking more questions. “My sister is addicted to drama. She gets bored when the world is too peaceful, so she lapped this new development up like a cat with cream. So tell me—did she arrive like an avenging angel? She sure as fuck was more interested in dealing with her dumbass lover than saving the woman who’s been our friend for most of our lives.”
“She was intriguing in her rage. I was surprised she didn’t cry. I honestly expected more tears.”
Fuck. Her sister was supposed to play for the camera, to let Huisman think his plans all worked. She’d hoped for a full-onReal Housewives of Spyworldscene. “She’s a damn spy. You think she can’t turn the waterworks off when she wants to? I assure you she’s an excellent actress, and she wouldn’t want to give Ben another second of her tears. My question is what are you going to do when my sister kills him?”
There was the first crack in his armor. A slight tic of his jaw. So he was lying about being concerned about Ben, but she’d known that. She’d made a thorough study of the man who seemed to always come between her and the man she loved.
Ben was his obsession, the center of his twisted universe. Yes, he wanted to burn the world down, but he damn straight wanted Ben at his side while he did it.
“She won’t kill him. She’s too in love with him. Or rather she believes herself to be. A woman’s love is a useless, selfish thing, but she won’t be able to murder him.” He took a long breath, as though letting the tension go. His mask slipped back into place.
But she’d figured out how to shake him. It was time to stand and get her Academy Award. “Did you watch? Was it a tender reunion because when I left, Kenzie seemed unhinged. I love my sister. I’ve never seen her so angry. She thought she found the one, and I don’t know if her heart can take a betrayal like this. I think she could do something she’ll regret, and my father won’t stop her. My father will do the deed himself if he thinks he can get away with it.”
Huisman went still, his eyes reminding her of a snake about to bite. “He wouldn’t.”
Well, she’d known this would be painful. She wasn’t about to start playing it safe now. “If my father thought Ben Parker betrayed my sister? That he has someone on the side he’s sleeping with? He saw the video you sent. It won’t take much to convince my father to take out his more violent impulses. Did you leave anyone for him to fight? Or was Ben offered up like a sacrificial lamb?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He edged closer to her.
If she managed to break his neck, would the guards fight or run?
“You think you know my family, but I don’t understand your logic, Emmanuel. I’m going to call you that from now on. Or maybe Manny. Isn’t that what Ben calls you? Manny, explain to me how you can reconcile the idea that my father is a brutal killer willing to protect his men at any cost, including your father’s life. Which he didn’t do, by the way.”
“We will have to agree to disagree on that. Your father is ruthless. I actually admire him a bit. He would have been a good addition to my team if he wasn’t so intransigent.”
“Reconcile that man with the one you hope he is today. The one who doesn’t hurt your bestie. My father is ruthless, and he loves his children.” She felt her heart rate tick up every inch he moved in. The need to fight was almost too strong to ignore, but she still didn’t knowwhere Lou was. He could have protocols in place when it came to her. “My father would do anything for us, but he’s always thought Kenzie was a bit of a changeling. Don’t get me wrong. Kenz can do the hard stuff, but she’s soft inside. She’s the sweet one, the one who so desperately needs everyone to love her. It can be pathetic at times. So my father has always protected her, and now you’ve given him an excuse to take out the biggest threat of all.”
It was close enough to the truth. Her father would never kill Ben in a way that anyone could find out. She also knew her father would question the validity of that tape. She made it plain that it wasn’t real and they had to take care of Ben and find out if his girlfriend had been a captive all these years.
“He would not.”
She allowed her lips to curl slightly, trying to capture a particular expression of Kala’s. The smug smirk she used when dealing with assholes. “They took out the cameras. You should have expected that. Did you think without Lou we couldn’t take out a couple of security cams? You don’t know what happened. You saw the beginning but not the end.”
“I know they left the grounds in the early morning hours,” Huisman admitted. “I am sure they had Benjamin with them since he wasn’t found there. Your father called French intelligence, so we’ll have to move the operation. But that’s for the best since I also assume your father handed over the girls to MI6.”
Not all of them, but she wasn’t going to out Sosa. If he thought she was dead from the poison, then that was probably a good thing. “I don’t care what happens to them, but I suspect you’ll be worried about your bestie. Do you wonder how many parts he’s in now? Bet you didn’t count on that.”
A cracking sound split the air a second before the pain bloomed across her face. He’d meant that slap. It snapped her head back and split her lip, but she didn’t care. She was Kala now. Kala never minded some blood. She smiled. “I wish I’d been there. I would love to have been the one to do it, to watch the light in his eyes die.”
She thought he would hit her again, but he took a step back, his gaze going dark.
“Well, at least I’m no longer worried I might have the wrong twin. You should hope Benjamin isn’t in pieces. I’m the only one allowed tohurt him. The women of your team don’t know their places. You should expect more of that if you continue to behave like an animal.”
Sure. She was the animal. She wiped her hand across her lip, coming back with blood. “Maybe you can trade Lou for Ben’s parts.”
“It’s good that you understand you’re not going to be traded. Now that I have you here, I won’t let you go again.” He stepped away and straightened his suit. He glanced back at the guards. “Bring her in.”
The door opened again and two more guards were there and had hands on Lou.
Kenzie could breathe again. Lou was here. She was alive.
But she obviously hadn’t been complying. She had a black eye and her lip was busted up. There was a brace around her left wrist. What the hell had they done to her? Kenzie’s brain went to a thousand dark places. Lou had been alone here with a bunch of fucking mercenaries. What scars couldn’t she see? The minute the guards let go of her, she ran to Kenzie, throwing her arms around her and holding her tight.
