“They’re all capable of it.” Ariel sat at the opposite end of the table, her eyes moving back to Ben as though she needed to study him. “Claire is worse than Sosa, a bit better than Gabby. I’ve had the doctor prescribe her sleep medication since from what I can tell she doesn’t get more than an hour or two here and there. I think she was more physically abused than the other two.”
Claire had joined them after being sprung from Dallas County Jail. She was quieter than the other two, though she’d seemed deeply happy to see them again.
She wasn’t enjoying therapy, though, and she’d heard them all discussing Gabby’s growing “relationship” with Tim.
It was a bad idea, but she also knew what forbidden fruit could do.
Ben assured her Tim was solid and it was nothing more than a crush.
She hoped he was right.
“For now we’re keeping them close,” Damon announced and closed the folder in his hand. “All right, you have your assignments for the week. We’ll be back here in the morning. Be safe out there.”
“Out where?” Ben complained since they were staying close to the club this week.
She turned her hand over, offering it to him. He was getting anxious.
Still, he took it and seemed to calm.
The last few weeks had been sheer perfection. They could do this. Even if they had to be long distance for a while. They could work together. Be together.
She was in love with him.
And she would show him tonight.
Chapter Thirteen
Kenzie watched as Ben strode out of the locker room. This afternoon’s showdown with her dad had been rough, but they’d had dinner earlier and all seemed well.
Now he walked out with Dare, a smile on his face.
“He looks happy,” Tasha said, adjusting her corset.
Kala was already on the dungeon floor. She and Cooper had found a play partner in one of Ollie’s closest friends. He was a big-time barrister during the day. Pain slut at night. They loved topping a sub together and then would retire to a privacy room to go at it hard.
She had prepped their privacy room earlier today. Her man needed some relaxation time, and she needed him. For all the joy of the last few weeks, there was still tension hanging over them. Huisman was being quiet, but that simply meant he was planning something. Something big, and she was almost certain it would have to do with the three young women they were watching over.
She hoped the traitor didn’t turn out to be Tim. She wasn’t sure Ben could handle it if Tim turned out to be Huisman’s insider. She was sure he had one.
“I think he is. I think Ben’s spent the last few years of his life trusting no one except his team members, and he’s figuring out how nice it is to have a friend group.” Kenzie gave him a smile, and her whole body tightened with anticipation as he went from friendly smilefor Dare to his eyes heating as he looked her over. He would find out that a friend group rapidly became a family group.
She was certain he would pick her when the time came. When Huisman dropped whatever bomb he was planning, Ben would pick her. Like she’d picked Ben when Huisman tried to make them believe he was working with him.
During their last mission, Huisman had planted several rumors that Ben was working with him and had been the entire time. He’d said it to Zach, but Lou recorded the incident. They’d analyzed it and she’d been Ben’s biggest supporter. In the end, they all saw through Huisman’s lies.
But Huisman would try again and she would find a way to protect the man she loved.
“He’s fitting in well,” Tasha said with a satisfied smile. “I think this is actually going to work out. And I caught him smiling at one of Dad’s truly horrible jokes.”
The good news was with the exception of Ben’s objections the other day, he and her father seemed to be getting along. She didn’t worry about her mom. Her mom got along with everyone.
“Hey, baby.” Ben reached for her hand, dragging her close and kissing her forehead with a tenderness that made her ache. “Are you ready? All the olds are safe in their beds. It’s our night to play.”
They weren’t. Her mom and dad were out on the town with Damon and Penny and the so not old Robert and Ariel and Nick and Hayley Markovic.
“I’m ready.” She’d never been more ready.
The Garden was beautiful, but she wanted to be back in Dallas. At The Hideout. Their club. She loved her team but she missed Brianna and Devi and Daisy, and she so missed Bud Two. She wanted to settle in with Ben, and this felt like a holiday. Not the work part but the part where they were floating, enjoying the time they had and not pushing real boundaries.
