Chapter 24
TWENTY-FOUR
Efa
I can’t believe I’m hanging out with a guy who managed to hack the CIA at sixteen. My luck changed right around midday today. Cleaning angry apparently means that everything gets done at warp speed, so I had my rooms done in record time. I managed to swap the Park Suite for one of the junior suites because one of the other girls was complaining about the guest and I offered to take it for her. I’ve not seen or heard from Bennett all day.
But what can he say? Nothing. He doesn’t want me to reveal his identity to my family. To anyone. Being with him means I have to hide, too.
I ruminated for approximately five hours, until the Cove mafia finally did their thing and I got a message from my sister-in-law’s best friend’s husband, Tristan. The hacker.
And that’s when my mood picked up.
He’s in New York after a wedding and offered to meet up. Now, here we are. Just casually hanging out like it’s no big deal.
“I can see the attacks happening. They definitely got in through a mobile device,” Tristan says. “I can see it in the code.”
“Can you see which mobile device?” I ask. I’d put money on it being Bennett’s.
“Yup. I just need to get a number for it.”
“Let me make you a tea,” I say.
“Music to my ears coming from a British person. The Americans can’t make tea.” Tristan’s phone bleeps and he starts typing. “I’m texting Parker your address. She’s done at the Frick. Is that okay?”
“Of course. I’d love to meet her. Is she okay with you being here? Aren’t you meant to be on holiday?”
“She knows I can’t resist something like this. She’s fine. We’re staying at the Mandarin Oriental, so she’ll basically pick me up on the way.”
“The Mandarin Oriental is in the Deutsche Bank Center, isn’t it?” I get up from the sofa and start to make tea.
“Yeah. You’ve been?”
“That’s where Fort’s offices are, but no, I’ve never been.”
“So how did you get dragged into looking into Fort security? You’d think they’d have the best and the brightest on it.”
I laugh. “You’re assuming I’m not either?”
Tristan chuckles. “No offense meant. I know from Parker you don’t work at Fort. She said you just graduated.”
“Yeah. I don’t work for them, as much as I’d like to.”
“Oh, so this is about proving yourself, maybe getting your foot in the door?”
“No. I’m resigned to the fact I’m not going to work for Fort. I just really want to fix this issue. I have a friend who works there and it’s…” I shrug. “It’s causing him stress.”
We lock eyes for a second. Tristan inherently understands that I can’t say more and he doesn’t push. “Well, if I can’t figure it out, no one can.”
“That’s your reputation.”
There’s a knock at the door.
“That will be Parker,” Tristan says.
But she would be rung up by the doorman, I think. I’m pretty sure I’m going to open the door to Bennett. At least, I hope I will. I hope he’s come back. As much as I’m frustrated at the situation, about his choices around his identity, it doesn’t make me like him less. I’ve only known him a few weeks, but somehow, it feels like I had a Bennett-shaped hole in my heart and he’s slotted right in.
I pass Tristan his tea and go to the door. Bennett stands in the doorway, his hair disheveled, like he’s had a lot on his mind today. He just looks at me, his expression half sorrow, half pain.
“Hey,” I say.
“I’m sorry,” he replies.
“I got it,” Tristan says from behind us.
Bennett glances behind me and sees Tristan. He frowns, turning his attention back to me. His expression is anger, disappointment, and confusion all rolled into one. He’s jealous. He doesn’t know who Tristan is and he’s assumed the worst.
As if I could move on so quickly. We’ve not had conversations about tomorrow, let alone when I go back to England, but whatever happens, I could never just move on to the next guy like Bennett is nothing.
I reach for him at the same moment my buzzer goes.
“That will be Tristan’s wife,” I say, looking pointedly at Bennett. Without looking away from him, I call, “Tristan, Parker’s here.” I answer the buzz and instruct the doorman to let her up.
“Tristan, this is my friend.” I open the door to allow Bennett to introduce himself.
“Hi. Bennett Fordham.”
“Tristan Dubrow.” Tristan slips his laptop onto the table, stands, and they shake hands. Parker arrives a moment later.
After we’ve all greeted each other, and Parker and I exchange a couple of sentences about the Frick, Parker turns to Tristan. “Enough work. You’re taking me back to the hotel. I’m tired and I want a soak in the bath.”
Tristan snaps his laptop shut. “I got that number. Sent it by encrypted email.”
“You got the number?” I ask. If it matches Bennett’s, I’ll know for certain that’s how the hacker is getting in. A couple of hours with Tristan and I’m on the hacker’s heels. “That’s great,” I say.
“I’ll be in touch, Efa. We’ll speak. Or message me on Telegram.”
“I really appreciate it,” I say.
“No worries.”
Tristan and Parker leave Bennett and I on either side of the threshold to the flat, staring at each other. We stand in silence, our gazes locked, inches apart until the click of the elevator doors acts like some kind of “action” call in the movies.
“I’m sorry for being a jealous idiot,” he says, and I can’t help but soften at his confession.
“It’s okay,” I say. “I forgive you.”
“But who was that?” he asks. “One of your thirty-nine brothers-in-law?”
I narrow my eyes at him like I’m not amused by his joke, but it’s funny. I head back over to my laptop. I want to make sure nothing’s on display. Until I have unequivocal proof about what’s going on, I’m not going to say anything to Bennett about my suspicions, and I don’t want him finding out by accident.
“He’s my sister-in-law’s best friend’s husband,” I say, shutting down what I need to and locking my laptop.
He rolls his eyes, toes off his shoes, and pads over to the sofa. A sensation of relief settles in me. He’s not come for a quick argument. He’s planning to stay. A little while at least.
“All right,” he says, encouraging me to elaborate. He sits close, pulls my feet over his legs and drags his knuckles down my cheek.
“He and Parker are in New York for the weekend and Eira put us in touch. He works in tech and thought it would be a good chance to meet and talk about options I have.”
“Options?” he asks.
“Job options. Now I know I can’t work at Fort. That one-night stand crushed my dreams.”
He pulls me onto his lap. “Do you regret it?”
I sigh and sink into his chest. “How could I?”
“That’s good to hear. I thought after this morning… things might have changed.”
Our breathing begins to synchronize. As his chest rises and falls, my body moves with his. He’s warm and safe and I don’t ever want to fight with him. But… “Nothing’s changed. I still… like you. And it’s still frustrating as hell not being able to just be .”
“But we can just be. I just met your brother-in-law’s sister’s uncle’s niece.”
I smile despite myself.
“We shook hands,” he continues. “My name is actually Bennett Fordham. And that’s who I introduced myself as.”
“I know,” I say. “But that’s not all of who you are.” I look up at him. “And all of who you are is pretty great. It would just be nice if I could be honest about that. But it doesn’t matter. It’s not like…”
I don’t finish the end of my sentence.
It’s not like this is a long-term thing.
It’s not like I don’t go back to London at the end of the summer.
It’s not like you’re going to change your mind. You’ve spent your entire adult life hiding.
He knows how this ends. I know how this ends. What’s the point in making the time we have left miserable?
“It’s not so difficult,” he says. “I’ve lived like this a long time.”
“Have you?” I stroke my finger along his jaw. “Like fully lived? You’re hiding in hotel rooms, concerned about stalkers. Because why? I get you don’t want to be famous. I get you don’t want to bait the sycophants. But honestly, if you can’t be who you are, on your own terms, how can you ever be free?”
He presses a kiss to my temple and we sit, entwined, able to hear each other’s heartbeats in perfect tandem. For now.
He’s not going to change. I get it. And I can talk to Eira, give her enough information so I don’t feel bad and don’t uncover Bennett at the same time. Because at the end of the summer, I’m going to walk away. I’d just rather not leave Bennett half the man he could be if things were different.