17. Rhodes
RHODES
I’m not the least bit surprised when my triplet cousins are waiting for us at the airport. My dad probably let them know what my intent was. I’m sure the school was being watched by my family because of that, so they likely heard about the deaths and disappearance.
My babies, with their bags between their teeth, circle the triplets.
Ellory crouches down to greet them, which makes Bennett beam like the brightest star shining through the daylight sky.
I know it’s Ellory because Avory now has a lot of hair on his face, and Imry doesn’t ever greet my pack that way.
Imry’s hands are stuffed in his pockets, his eyes on Bennett as we approach. Then he’s looking at me.
“Have a good trip?” Imry asks.
I shrug. “Admittedly not as awful as I anticipated. Seems karma finally caught up with some really bad people.”
He hums. Ellory isn’t paying attention to us as he greets my babies. Avory is watching Ellory with a fond smile, though I’m sure he’s actually listening to us.
“Did I miss Voss’ baby being born?” I ask. Voss is their older brother.
Ellory looks up at me with clear disapproval. “You should pay attention to the app, Rhodes. No, he’s not born yet. He’s not due until September.”
“Lor just moved onto the Estate, though,” Imry says.
“Is this Voss’ way of announcing that the baby is his?” I ask. I do actually pay attention to the app. I knew his baby wasn’t here yet. Not even close. It’s only May.
“He hasn’t actually claimed the pregnancy, has he?” Ellory muses. He plops himself on the ground. Velvet and Floofy Pants fight for room on his lap.
“No.”
“He has, in a roundabout way,” Imry says. He glances at Bennett again before saying, “He wouldn’t have asked for my help in New York a couple months ago if that baby wasn’t his. Our brother isn’t cold, by any means, but there are very few circumstances that he’d call us in for something like that.”
I only know bits and pieces of that situation. It’s not my job to know, and I’m not nosy. My understanding is that Loren, the triplets’ younger brother, was maintaining that he was retired, so Voss volunteered to take on the mafia families in New York. Just him.
This was huge news, which was why I heard about it. Voss’ weapon of choice is a computer. He’s a technical genius. He is not well-versed in murder.
However, while he was in New York, Loren was persuaded to take out a megachurch cult with Ellory and Avory on a remote island with the agreement that Imry stay behind to protect Oakley, Loren’s husband.
Not that Oakley needed protection on the Van Doren Estate, but that’s a trauma for a different discussion.
Anyway, something happened in which Lor was abducted and pregnant, and Voss sent out a mayday to get her back. Something he wouldn’t have done had Lor not been carrying his child. Not because he’s an asshole, but because in this family, the only people you ever chase down are family.
Which means Lor was carrying his child. He had family in there, and he was going to get them back. No matter what it cost. That’s the only announcement he needed to make that he was expecting.
“I’m Imry,” my cousin greets, pulling me from my thoughts, and I remember that I haven’t introduced Bennett.
“Sorry. Bennett, these are my cousins. Imry, Avory, and Ellory. They’re triplets, in case that wasn’t clear.” I point to each in turn. “This is Bennett.”
“Your boyfriend?” Ellory asks, grinning up at me with mischief.
“Sure,” I say. “He was there.”
All three brothers study Bennett. Bennett waves with his sunny smile. I don’t think my statement of ‘he was there’ actually meant anything to him other than he was at the reunion with me. What I was actually telling them was that Bennett was in the woods with me when the Fucked-Up Four died.
“I killed them,” Bennett says, proving me wrong in assuming he didn’t understand my statement. This damn man is always keeping me on my toes. I fucking love it.
No. No! This is entirely uncomfortable.
“You did…?” Avory asks.
“Well, Lee killed one of them, but that’s a body that won’t be found,” Bennett says, scritching behind Lee’s ears affectionately. “Okay, I didn’t kill the one I kneed in the balls and punched in the throat, either.” He frowns. “I don’t know how he died.”
“Hit his head as he was trying to get away from my pups,” I tell him.
“Oh. So, definitely probable cause for accidental drunken death.”
The triplets are watching him steadily as I nod. “Yep. But yes, you certainly killed the other two.”
Bennett shrugs. “Eh. They were mean.”
Avory and Imry exchange a look before meeting my eyes again. “That so?” Imry asks.
“There are no paw prints, and Vance’s body will be long decayed before they ever find any remains.
It’ll look like they got into a drunken altercation, and yes, all circumstantial deaths that are absolutely attributed to being drunk and stupid, which they have a habit of doing on campus since they were caught missing after passing out in the woods, drunk, at least three times that we could recall. ”
“Not to mention, I think that one woman was finally freed from a miserable life,” Bennett says. “And now your classmate can rest in peace.”
The only thing I’d change about the outcome of this weekend is somehow calling attention to how intense and ugly their bullying of Chris Conner was.
It shouldn’t have been swept under the rug.
They should have faced some consequences.
I’d been formulating a way to make that happen, but the circumstances that we were suddenly faced with didn’t allow it.
I need to make it clear that these men were murderers. Just because they didn’t physically kill Chris doesn’t mean they aren’t responsible for his death. That makes them murderers.
“Did you really come here to greet me?” I ask.
When Imry and Avory look at Bennett again, I realize that they were assigned to assess the situation with my guest. I grip Bennett’s wrist. “Everything is fine,” I assure them before they can answer. “I’m confident he’ll keep this to himself.”
“I’d go to jail, too,” Bennett says. He looks at me. “Actually, you wouldn’t go to jail at all.” Then horror covers his face. “But your babies! They’d be taken away. They’d be”—he leans in to whisper—“euthanized!”
“If nothing else, I think he’ll protect the pack,” Ellory says as Bennett grips Lee tightly. Lee licks his face to soothe him.
“I’ll protect Rhodes, too,” Bennett says, glaring at Ellory. “But he doesn’t need protecting. I killed those two men. Not Rhodes. I wouldn’t do well in jail, so I have no reason to ever talk about it, except that you seem to insist.”
Ellory grins. A glint of his wild unhingery flares to life. “Indeed.”
“Wonderful to catch up and all,” I interrupt and press my hand to Bennett’s lower back to urge him toward my truck. “We’ll have to talk details later. It’s been a… weekend, and I’m ready to unwind.”
The triplets don’t argue. I take that as they trust that I have the situation under control. They trust that Bennett isn’t a threat to our family. Without a word, I load my pack and Bennett into the truck.
We’re silent as we drive back to my house. I’m not sure if I’m thinking about how I can still make the truth about the Fucked-Up-Four’s roles in Chris’ death known, or if I’m perhaps in avoidance mode because once we pull into my driveway and Bennet climbs into his car, I’ll never see him again.
That’s what I want, of course. This was what I asked for. Unshaken happiness and orgasms for the weekend. That’s what I got. He fulfilled his role as fake boyfriend for the reunion I didn’t want to go to, and now he’s going home. Just as he should.
Silence continues as I shift my truck into park. The back door opens when Lovey Cakes presses her nose to the button. Bennett absolutely loves how smart she is and makes sure she knows. I try not to smile because I know they’re smart. He’s not saying something I don’t know.
I open the trunk for everyone’s luggage. Bennett doesn’t meet my eye as he takes his suitcase and backpack. He looks in my direction then, but still doesn’t meet my eyes as he waves awkwardly on his way to his car. I remain where I’m standing beside the truck as Floofy Pants and Lee follow Bennett.
The rest of my pack lingers between us. I’m intentionally ignoring them as they stare at me.
Wordlessly telling me something that I refuse to hear because they’re wrong.
My heart is not racing, and my chest is not tight.
There is not a sour pit in my stomach. Maybe Sugar knows I’m feeling ill from too much travel since he leans against my leg. Absently, I scratch behind his ear.
Bennett stands and takes a startled step backward when he sees how close Floofy Pants and Lee are.
Maybe I should have told Bennett not to meet their eyes unless he wants to lose an argument he didn’t know he was having.
I see the moment he does, though. He sighs and says something to them.
Something too quiet to hear from where I’m standing.
I try to ignore the way my palms sweat and the stupid way my blood whooshes in my ears as Bennett straightens his shoulders and walks around his car toward me. My stupid body responds in the most ridiculous way. He’s just going to say goodbye. He’s a polite man!
Stopping in front of me, Bennett says, “Listen. This isn’t over, understand?
You clearly need help with the pack, and it would be irresponsible and mean if I just abandoned you when you’re struggling.
Also, we really need to work on your pitch in bed so you don’t embarrass the babies on road trips when you sing along. So… I’m not leaving, Rhodes.”
My lips twitch as I try to get my stomach to stop threatening to turn inside out. Did he just say…
“Also, it’s been a traumatic twelve hours.
I should be here for you to come to terms with what happened before we left,” he adds, crossing his arms. I glance down, knowing where the long gash is under his sleeve, but I meet his eyes when he speaks again.
“And if you need more evidence, Lee says you don’t smile enough. I can help with that.”
I look at Lee, and the little jerk actually nods. Traitor. No dessert for Lee tonight.
Bennett stares at Lee with such… pride. Amazement. Fuck, I love the way he loves my pack. Okay, it wouldn’t be so bad to have Bennett around for a while. Maybe a week or two. Right? I can handle that?
Ignoring the way my stomach dances, I grip Bennett’s chin to turn his attention back to me. He startles, and I fucking love it. The way he looks at me with wide, beautiful eyes that are blue like the summer sky.
Who am I kidding? Bennett was mine the second he pulled my hair and fucked me like an animal.
Thankfully, he’s also intuitive enough that he didn’t force me to say the words.
“It’s a good thing you figured out who you belong to before driving away.
Otherwise, I was going to have to show you how good my pack is at hunting my prey. ”
“It’s cute you think I’m the prey,” he says, narrowing his eyes. “I distinctly recall how lifeless you were on the plane when I was finished with you.”
I chuckle. “You’re confusing an orgasm coma with being prey. Don’t worry, sweet cottontail, we have plenty of time to teach you the difference.”
Bennett likes my answer. He wraps his arms around my waist and presses his face to mine.
I can feel his wide, warm smile against my skin and close my eyes.
Okay. I might enjoy this affection after all.
Maybe a little. He does fit perfectly against me.
It’s just further proof that he’s mine. Grudgingly, anyway.
“I suppose we both have a lot to teach each other,” he says.
“I guess we should start now.” I mean to sweep him up and bring him inside where he can fuck me in the entry against the door. Might as well make sure the walls know that he fucks like a savage god.
Several members of my pack yap and growl their disagreement. They’re so needy. “After we play with the pack,” I amend. They have been good this weekend. They deserve to play.
Bennett beams at me. “I love everything about that!”
I get to look at his bright smile for a while longer and feel the way his sunshine seems to penetrate into my chest. Yeah. I think I’m going to like that.