Chapter Fifteen
“Where is she?”
Ben hadn’t meant to come storming into Wally’s office at the Skyline Motel like a bull charging an opponent, but when Paige ran from him and disappeared, desperation built within his chest. The motel owner stared at him in shock, but Ben barely noticed since he didn’t expect to find his brother also standing in the small office.
Luke stepped in front of him, placing a hand on his brother’s chest. The gesture wasn’t enough to stop Ben if he’d wanted to keep moving, but it was enough to make him take a breath.
“I thought you went home.”
Luke was unfazed by his brother’s bark. “Fully intended to until the media vultures descended. They caught the story of Hanson’s arrest and have been all over town trying to scoop each other.
Some idiot at the construction site tipped them off that you and Hanson butted heads.
Since the police won’t tell them what’s going on, they’re hoping you hate the guy enough to do it for them. ”
Ben blew out an irritated breath. “Yeah. My boss with the construction company called and tipped me off.”
Luke nodded. “Jackson and Easton are hanging out at the police station to try to diffuse everything over there. I offered to find you, so we can get the hell out of here.”
Ben wasn’t shocked that the media showed up. The kidnapping case would grab national headlines. He hadn’t expected them to arrive in Ivy Springs so quickly, and he hated that they were trying to expose his connection to the case. The Legends were only successful if they operated under the radar.
“I can’t leave without talking to Paige. She ran when she saw the cameras, and I can’t find her.”
“Haven’t seen her, man. You sure it was the cameras she was running from?”
Ben shoved Luke back. “Stop messing around. I have to find her.”
Wally stepped around his desk and peered out a side window that faced the parking lot. “Her car’s gone.”
“She probably went back to her apartment. Distract the press so I can go after her?”
Luke frowned. “Don’t you think we have bigger problems to deal with than chasing some girl?”
“Charlotte’s not some girl,” Wally snapped, glaring at Luke before turning his attention to Ben. “I’ll think of something to get rid of the media. Don’t let her get away from you, son, and don’t make me regret trusting you with my girl.”
“I won’t,” Ben promised. “I just wish I could convince her to trust me, too. I can’t help if she doesn’t talk to me.”
“All I know is someone’s after her, and whoever it is wants her dead. She’s never told us more than that. If I knew the whole story, I’d say so even if she hated me for doing it.”
Wally’s cell phone rang, and he stepped back to his desk to answer it. “Hold on, son. It’s Mona. She may have heard from Charlotte.”
After a few minutes, Ben figured from Wally’s side of the conversation that Mona did know where Paige was, and he waited impatiently to find out. He was ready to jump out of his skin by the time the older man hung up.
“She’s at Mona’s shop. It’s just down the road, but she’s upset. Since Mona’s part-time employee is there to cover for her, she is taking Charlotte back to her house. You know where it is. You two go. I’ll get rid of the media and head that way.”
“Thanks, Wally.”
“Come on,” Luke said begrudgingly. “I’ll drive.”
Luke and Wally exited the front of the hotel.
Wally yelled for the television crews to disburse off his property, and as he did, he made sure their attention was on him and facing away from Luke’s truck.
Once the coast was clear, Ben darted from the lobby and slipped into the passenger side.
Luke carefully drove out of the parking lot and headed in the direction Ben showed him.
“Wanna tell me why this girl has you twisted in knots?”
Ben didn’t because he wasn’t sure he knew, but he owed his brothers an explanation of some kind. If he was willing to risk the anonymity of the Legends, they deserved to know why.
“You already know I was bullied a lot as a kid because of my stutter. Well, the first time I met Paige was when she stood up for me. She got all the bullies to back off. She went from being one of the most popular girls in our class to being an outcast because she defended me. She didn’t care.
She was the only friend I ever had until I came to live with you guys. ”
Luke took his eyes off the road long enough to see his brother’s face. “So this is what? A way to say thank you?”
Ben almost nodded but stopped. “No. That’s not what this is.
I wanted to help her before I realized she was the same girl I knew back in school.
We were six when we were friends before, so when I saw her at the motel, I didn’t recognize her.
I tried to ask for extra towels, but I scared her so much that she punched me and broke my nose.
It was not a common reaction of someone who is caught by surprise. She’s deeply afraid.”
“But she won’t tell you why? Even after you told her about the Legends?”
Ben narrowed his eyes at his brother. “How did you know I told her?”
All of them were careful with whom they told about their work. His brothers had taken a while to open up to their wives about the Legends, and he’d only told Paige that morning.
Luke rolled his eyes as if Ben asked a question he already knew the answer to. “You’re risking a lot for this girl.”
“I might be wrong, but I believe she’s worth it.”
“Now that we know who she is, why don’t you let me do a deep dive on her? At least make sure she hasn’t done anything in the last twenty years that raises red flags.”
Ben shook his head. “Is it wrong that I want her to tell me what’s going on instead of us digging it up?”
Luke sobered. “No. I don’t like not knowing what you’re getting yourself into with her, but I get it. You’re in love with her.”
Ben drew his mouth into a thin line. “What? I’m not in love with her. I haven’t seen her in years. I don’t know anything about her. We’ve only spent a little time together since I’ve been in town.”
“You don’t realize it yet, but you’re in love with her. I just hope she doesn’t crush you while you’re trying to be her hero.”
“Stop saying I’m in love, jackass. That’s not what this is, and it’s not me wanting to be a hero. I wish you, Easton, and Jackson would realize that. What’s wrong with me wanting to help her? If you saw how frightened she is, you’d do the same.”
“Sure, I would. But my heart is not involved like yours is. You can swear all day that your concern is the same as what you would feel for any client , but that’s bullshit. You’re drawn to this girl. I can see it. Why the hell can’t you?”
“If it’ll make you happy, I’ll admit it,” Ben shouted. “I’m drawn to her. Can you blame me? She’s beautiful. Sweet. Works hard. She deserves to live a life where she’s not looking over her shoulder all the time. I believe we can make that happen for her. Am I wrong?”
“Nope. I just want to make sure you’re going into this with your eyes wide open. If she’s caught your interest, she’s gotta be someone special. But she has no idea what you’re risking for her. And you have no idea how she feels about you.”
“She could hate me, and it doesn’t matter. She needs us. We can’t walk away. I can’t walk away.”
“So we don’t. But I’m checking her out. It’s what we’d do for any client, and I’m not treating her different just because you owe her,” Luke warned.
“Fine, but I don’t want to know what you find out. I want to hear it from her.”
“And if she doesn’t tell you?” Luke countered.
“I don’t know. I have to believe she will.”
Ben pointed out Mona’s house, and Luke parked in the driveway in front of the two-car garage.
“Let me do all the talking,” Ben cautioned him.
“You do your thing. I’ll do mine.” Luke reached behind his seat for the backpack that held his laptop. “You go on in. I can work out here, and I’ll check in with Jackson and Easton. Call if you need backup.”
Ben nodded, squared his shoulders, and walked to the front door.
He raised his fist to knock, but the door swung open before he did.
Paige stood in front of him, her eyes wide enough for him to see the pale gray of the irises.
He’d come ready to plead his case, but her obvious vulnerability had his arguments flying out of his mind.
He hated the resignation in her posture as if she was giving up.
“Can we talk?”
Paige shook her head. “There’s no point. I saw a news report. There’s a lot of attention on you right now. I have to steer clear of that.”
“I do too. My brothers want me to head home with them, but I can’t. Not until I talk to you.”
Ben thought she was going to close the door in his face, but at the last second, she seemed to reconsider. “Okay. You can come in. What about him?”
She tilted her head in the direction of the truck, and Ben glanced over his shoulder at his brother, who was on the phone to who Ben assumed was Jackson or Easton.
“He’s my brother. He’s going to wait in the truck while we talk if that’s okay.”
She nodded. “Fine. Come in.”
He stepped inside when she moved back. Glancing around Mona’s house, he waited for Paige to close the door and lead the way to the living area.
“Where’s Mona?”
“She said she’s giving us privacy,” Paige explained.
“How did she know you would talk to me?”
Paige shrugged and motioned for him to sit. She moved to stand by the window as if too anxious to remain still.
“Mona and Wally think I should trust you. They’ve never told me to reach out to anyone before, not even the police. But you are different. I’m not sure what you’ve done to convince them of that, but it worked, whatever it was.”
“I wish I knew because I’d try it on you.”
She whipped around, her hair flying away from her face. “This isn’t a game, Ben. You have reporters wanting to shove TV cameras in your face. Being seen with you might get me killed if I’m caught on video in any way. I wish you’d believe that it’s better if I don’t say anything.”
“I wish you’d believe that I can keep you safe if you’d tell me what I’m keeping you safe from.”
Luke’s voice interrupted. “He’s right.”
Paige jerked and backed up until the wall hit her back. Ben wasn’t sure why Luke was standing at the back of the room, but he figured it wasn’t good. Luke and Paige squared off, swapping intense stares that had Ben wondering if he was witnessing an old-fashioned standoff.
“I’m Luke, Ben’s br—”
“His brother. I know. He talks about you and the others a lot.”
Luke smirked. “He talks a lot about a lot of things. And you probably feel like he’s been lying to you the whole time he’s been in town. He had to though, and because he did, a little boy got out of a tough situation. One almost as bad as the situation you’re in.”
Ben’s head whipped around, and he saw her flinch.
“But I never told…How did you…”
“Finding things out is my superpower. Ben wanted to hear things from you, but for me to have his six, I had to know the truth using the tools at my disposal.”
She glared at him. “You had no right.”
He glared back. “I have every right. He’s determined to help you even though you don’t want it. I would rather get out of here, but I suppose I owe you for watching out for him when you were kids. And now that I know what you’re hiding...well, I don’t think I can walk away from you either.”
“That’s not up to you.”
“Shit, lady, just tell him the truth. You need help, and we can give it. You’re only wasting time by digging in your heels.”
Ben didn’t like how heated things were becoming between them. “Luke, it’s okay.”
Luke nodded, then pierced Paige with a pointed stare. “Stop trying to take this on by yourself. It’s too much. You know I’m right.”
Ben fought the urge to step in and defend Paige.
She handled herself well with his brother, and he was impressed.
Luke was impressed too, though he would never let it show.
His brother lifted his chin at him before he left through the front door.
Ben turned back to see Paige still staring at the spot Luke vacated, tears streaming down her face.
He closed the distance between them. Pulling her against his chest, she sank into his embrace.
Sobs shook her body, and he tightened his hold.
Her tears soaked his shirt, and he stroked her hair with one hand, hoping the ministrations would comfort her.
For once, he had no idea what to say or what to do.
He wanted to tell her everything would be all right, but he suspected she wouldn’t believe him.
Her sobs subsided, but she stood still in his arms. His hand moved from her hair to her back, sliding up and down until she pulled back. She looked up at him, and he touched her cheek.
“I’m sorry if Luke was too harsh.”
She swallowed. “No. It’s fine. He’s looking out for you, and I can’t be hurt by that. I’m glad you have someone in your life now.”
He smiled gently. “I have lots of someones like that, but I find it hard to be grateful for them when it seems like they’re always interrupting us. If I believed in such things, I’d wonder if the universe was conspiring to keep us from talking.”
Paige drew in a shaky breath. “Actually, I think the universe is trying to keep us together despite all the interruptions. I need you to understand something. I want to tell you everything. Believe me, I’m tired of keeping it all in.
I’m tired of looking for danger everywhere I turn.
But I’m terrified of something happening to you or my friends if I do. ”
“I do understand, but I promise I can handle it.”
She closed her eyes. “God help me, but I believe you.”
He dipped his head, so their eyes were on the same level. “Does that mean you’ll talk to me?”
She drew in a deep breath, released it, and opened her eyes. “Yes. I’ll tell you.”