8. Bennett
BENNETT
My father tosses the report onto his desk. “Three men were hospitalized.”
I lean back in the chair and nod. “I know.”
His eyebrows lift. “You know?”
I sit up a little taller. “I got the call around two this morning.”
There was a fight at one of our strip clubs last night. It started between two customers and somehow turned into six men throwing punches, breaking tables, and causing enough damage that the manager finally had to shut the place down.
Dad folds his arms over his chest. “And?”
“I’m increasing security. We’ll have two more men inside on the weekends and another one outside. I also told the manager I want security closer to the girls on the dance floor instead of hanging around the exterior.”
Dad seems to think about it and nods slowly. “Good.”
There’s something different about these meetings now. For years I sat across from him while he told me what to do. Now I tell him how I fixed a problem or what needs to be done.
He reaches for another folder. “Anything on Victor?”
My whole body tightens. “No.”
Dad’s expression hardens. He wants this to be over with Victor but not more than I do. “Nothing?”
“Nothing. We have men looking for him everywhere. We’ve checked every property we know he owns and every place he usually goes.”
Dad swears but finally nods. “He’ll turn up.”
“I know.”
Dad leans back in his chair. “And when he does, I want him.”
I stare at him. I want Victor too, even more after the way he’s tormenting Audrey.
The asshole put a bounty on his own daughter.
He destroyed her apartment, and he has her looking over her shoulder every second of the day.
I want to be the one to find him and put an end to it, but my father should get the honors.
He threatened Mom, and Dad won’t give up until he pays for it. I nod. “When we find him, he’s yours.”
Dad studies me. I must have hesitated too long. “You sure about that?”
I’m honest with him. “Am I sure about it? No. But I will still turn him over to you.”
We go through a few more things, but Audrey stays on my mind.
Eventually, I close the folder in front of me. “There’s something else we need to talk about.”
Dad leans back and slowly says, “Okay.”
“It’s about Audrey.”
His expression changes immediately. “What about her?”
“Her apartment was broken into yesterday, and we’ve found out that Victor has a bounty out on her.”
Dad straightens in his chair. “Was she hurt?”
“No. She wasn’t there.”
I tell him about the apartment being destroyed, how the word TRAITOR was painted across the wall, and how most of her clothes were cut or torn. By the time I’m finished, Dad’s jaw is tight. “Where is she now?”
“She is staying at my house.”
His eyebrows rise. “She’s staying at your house?”
I nod. “Yes.”
He stares at me for a second before slowly nodding. “Probably the safest place for her.”
I’m glad he sees it that way because she isn’t leaving. “I also hired her.”
That gets a different reaction. Dad tilts his head. “You hired Audrey Sterling?”
“Yes.”
“To do what?”
“Marketing.”
He shakes his head. “For what exactly?”
“Our businesses.”
His forehead creases. “You sure that was the smart thing to do, son?”
I don’t even hesitate. “Yes.”
Dad watches me carefully. “She’s still Victor Sterling’s daughter.”
I shake my head. “She can’t help who her father is.”
He nods. “I know that.”
I start counting on my fingers. “She warned us about the drugs. She told us what Victor was planning. She walked away from her family knowing exactly what it could cost her.”
“I know all of that too.”
I lift my shoulders. “Then what’s the problem?”
Dad rubs a hand over his jaw. “The problem is that I’m trying to figure out which head you’re thinking with.”
I don’t laugh at his joke. I could tell him about the zip drive Audrey has.
It would end this discussion, but I refuse to do that.
It’s Audrey’s information. She trusted Knox and me enough to tell us she had it, and the last thing I wanna do is lose her trust. So I stay silent about it and try to reassure my dad. “I know what I’m doing.”
Dad continues watching me and finally gives one short nod. “Fine.”
I blink. “Fine?”
“She can work for the company.”
I smile slightly. “Thanks.”
“Don’t thank me yet.”
Here we go. Dad picks up his pen and taps it against his desk. “Speaking of things we need to talk about, when are you choosing your wife? In case you don’t remember, I told you and your brother—”
Fuck. I cut him off before he gets too far into it. “I remember.”
He gives me a look. “Do you?”
I nod. “Yes.”
He drops the pen and comes around the desk to sit on the end of it. “Because your brother seemed to understand the assignment.”
I roll my eyes. “Cole met Luna and married her five minutes later.”
Dad points his finger at me. “And look how happy he is.”
I can’t argue with that. My brother is truly happy with his wife.
Dad crosses his arms over his chest. “He took what I said seriously.”
I nod again and blow out a breath. “So did I.”
Dad gives me a skeptical look. “You’ve got what? A few months left?”
“I know.” I’m stalling, but I know I need to tell him.
“And if you’re serious about taking over this family, you need a wife beside you.”
I lean back in my chair and take a calming breath. It’s now or never. “Yeah. That’s actually one of the things I wanted to talk to you about today.”
Dad lowers his hands to the desk. “What?”
I force a smile to my face. “I picked a wife.”
For the first time since I walked into his office, my father looks genuinely surprised. “You did?”
I nod. “Yes.”
His forehead creases. “Who?”
I don’t answer immediately, and Dad’s eyes narrow even more. “Bennett.”
I suck in a breath and say her name. “Audrey.”
He blinks. “Excuse me?”
I repeat it. “Audrey.”
There’s a long pause as if he didn’t hear me right or something, and then he says, “Audrey Sterling?”
I nod. “Yes.”
He pushes off the desk and starts pacing the room. “Absolutely fuckin’ not.”
I stay seated. I remind myself to stay calm. I expected this reaction, but I have to let him know I’m not backing down. I will marry Audrey Sterling. At least as long as she agrees to it.
Dad comes around his desk to stand in front of me. “Have you lost your mind?”
I shake my head. “No.”
He is literally spitting the words he’s so riled up. “You want to marry Victor Sterling’s daughter?”
I nod again. “Yes.”
He throws a hand up in the air. “He has spent years trying to destroy this family.”
“We already went over this, Dad. Audrey isn’t her dad.”
He’s shaking his head like he can’t make sense of it. “But she’s a Sterling.”
I blow out a breath. “If it’s up to me, she won’t be for long.”
Dad freezes, and his eyes lock on mine. “What did you just say?”
I slowly stand up. I have never defied my father, but I’m not backing down on this. “I’m marrying Audrey.”
His face turns hard. “No, you’re not.”
“Father.”
“No.” He points toward me. “There are thousands of women in this city. Hell, you can have any woman you want, and you choose Victor Sterling’s daughter?”
I lift my chin. “I didn’t choose her because she’s his daughter.”
He doesn’t get it. He keeps shaking his head. “That doesn’t change who she is.”
I blurt out, “It changes everything.”
He shakes his head. “You don’t know what she’s capable of.”
I nod with complete confidence. I know exactly who she is and what she’s capable of. “Yes, I do.”
He waves his hand in front of himself. “You’ve known her a few months.”
I stand taller. “And in those few months, she’s risked her life helping us.”
His jaw tightens.
Before he continues, I keep my voice level and tell him, “You trust me to take over this family.”
He doesn’t answer. He just stares at me.
I hold up a finger and start to rattle off a list. “You trust me with our businesses. Our men. Our money. You trust me to make decisions that affect every person who carries the Kingston name.”
He shrugs. “That's different.”
I shake my head. “No, it isn't.” I take a step toward him. “If you trust me to take over everything you built, then you have to trust me to choose the woman who’ll stand beside me.”
He stares at me, and I don't look away. “Dad, I didn't come to this decision lightly.” I lift my chin. “I want to marry her.”
Dad drags a hand over his face. “You’ve got to be fuckin’ kidding me.”
I almost smile. I knew this would be hard for him to take, and honestly, it’s going better than I imagined it would.
He points at me. “Do you even understand what this means? If you marry her, every enemy the Sterlings have will become ours.”
I shrug. “They already are.”
“Victor will lose his fucking mind.”
My jaw tightens. “Good.”
Dad stares at me for a long second. “People won’t accept her.”
I take another step toward him. “They will if you and I tell them to and enforce it.”
He looks so surprised that he just keeps shaking his head. “You're serious about this? You want to marry Audrey Sterling?”
“I’m going to marry her, Dad. She’s the one I’ve chosen, and if you want me to be the head of the company and everything that entails, I get to choose the woman that stands beside me.”
Dad lets out a long breath. “This is going to be a fucking mess.”
I pop my shoulders. “We can fix it.”
I can’t stand here any longer. I’ve told him my plans, and now I just need him to accept it because it’s happening. I head toward the door, and Dad calls after me, “Bennett.”
I turn.
He points at me. “I haven't agreed to this.”
I grip the door handle. “I know.”
His eyebrows pull together, and I give him a nod. “But I'm not asking permission.”
I walk out and hear my dad bellow a curse word. I’ve never gone against his wishes before, and I know it’s going to take him a minute to get on board with it.
As I walk down the stairs, I meet my mother on the landing. She smiles at me. “How did it go?”
I shake my head and let out a breath. “About as good as you would expect.”
She smiles. “Well, you did just tell him that you’re marrying his rival's daughter.”
I grunt. I saw my mom on the way in and told her my plan. She accepted it a lot easier. “Yea, I know. I’m not sure if—”
She shakes her head. “Don’t worry. I’ll go talk to him.”
I kiss her forehead. “Thanks, Mom. Have I told you how good it is to have you back home?”
She smirks. “Enough about that. What about Audrey? Did she say yes? How did you propose?”
I grab my mom’s hands. “I haven’t asked her yet.”
Her eyebrows lift. “You haven’t asked her?” She puts a hand on her hip. “Well, what are you waiting for?”
I could tell her about Audrey’s apartment and everything that’s been going on, but now that I think about it, Mom is right. What am I waiting for?