The Benefactor

by Nana Malone

  Now they stayed mum. Figures.

  “Come with me. I’ll explain everything.”

  “You better. Before I met you guys, I had a perfectly normal, average life. I’d like to get back to it.”

  If I had a heart, that would have fucking hurt. “I hope you can. But first we have to make sure you’re safe, and then we can figure everything else out.”

  “What, I’m supposed to just trust you after you kept things from me?”

  “For starters.”

  “For that to happen, you’d have to show that you were trustworthy. And right now, I’m not buying it.”

  She attempted to storm out the front door, and I had to take her arm to stop her. She whirled on me looking every bit the fierce warrior. “Do not touch me.”

  I put my hands up. “Fine, but you can’t go out that way. We need to go out the back. There’s another elevator, and a car is waiting already. It’s bulletproof. And there’s an exit that way.”

  Her dark gaze met mine, and I could see the sparks of fire in her eyes. I’d messed up. Getting her to trust me again was going to be a feat for the ages.

  It was okay, though. I didn’t need her to trust me. I just needed to keep her safe. And if I was being entirely honest with myself, it was probably better for her if she didn’t trust me.

  3

  Ben

  East worked fast. By the time the massive wrought iron gates parted for us to enter Covington House, East had a full security team waiting.

  I recognized Erik Johansson immediately. He ran one the foremost exclusive security firms in England. His brother was also Elite, though Erik had declined his calling.

  He met us at the car. “Mr. Covington, Miss Ashong, my men and I are here to look after you.” His manner was brusque and efficient, and he gave nothing away about our relationship in front of Livy.

  At my back door, Erik showed Livy the security dashboard and the panic button, letting her know where she could find the other panels.

  The tension in the car had been tight. Coiled. Olivia hadn’t spoken a word. She kept doing that thing where she tapped her fingers gently against her leg.

  From the weeks that we’d spent together, I knew that’s what she did when she was thinking, working something out in her head. When we stepped into the house, my house, the place I’d vowed never to live in again, my heart burned in my chest.

  I’d built this house for another woman. One who had cast me aside. And now I was bringing a new woman here. One I would do almost anything to keep. The pit of angst in my gut over just how much I wanted her here made me want to throttle myself. Get your shit together.

  When the side doors closed behind us with Erik’s two men, Scott and Matthew, posted outside the door, she turned to me. “Was I just a shag?”

  What the actual fuck was she on about? “What?”

  “Was. I. Just. A. Shag?”

  I frowned at her. “Are you serious right now?” She was clearly losing it. Maybe the trauma of the day had been too much.

  “It bears asking, right? You don’t tell me vital things I need to know.”

  “Liv—”

  “You know, you’re not the only one. Dex kept all kinds of shit from me too. I’m sick and tired of the people in my life keeping things from me. My mother with this book and how fucked up it all is, Dex and his inability to keep his dick in his pants, and now you. Jesus. Everything about you is a damn mystery. You are swathed in secrets.”

  “Just because I didn’t tell you doesn’t mean—”

  Once again, she didn’t let me finish. “When you give a shit about someone, you tell them things. Things that affect them, that affect their safety and happiness. So, I have to ask. Am I just a shag then? A way to pass the time?”

  Fuck. “That’s what you’re worried about? It’s bollocks, and you know it. There are things I can’t tell you. Things that are strictly need-to-know and you do not need to know.” That’s right, when up against the fucking ropes, double down. Because when the fuck has that ever panned out?

  Her eyes spat fire. “You think I didn’t need to know the reason behind my move to the loft? The level of danger I was in? You think I didn’t need to know that I was in real danger and not just from Fenton?”

  I shook my head. “I—I. Fuck. I’m trying to protect you. Knowing everything wouldn’t have helped you.”

  “Maybe if you’d respected me enough to realize I can handle the truth we wouldn’t be in this situation.” She shook her head. “What the hell has happened to my life? Two months ago, I was perfectly normal. And I was fine. Now people want to kill me.”

  “Don’t fool yourself. You weren’t fine. What a load of bollocks.” I already had a nice-sized manhole dug, so I might as well keep digging. “From the moment I had my hand on your arse, we were inevitable. So stop pretending like this could ever be just a shag. I’m doing everything in my power to keep you safe. That twat had his hands on you, and all I want to do is lock you in a tower so I can go murder him slowly. Does that sound like just a fucking shag?”

  She brushed past me into the open-plan dining and living room, and her steps were unsure as if she didn’t really know where to go. Who could blame her? I’d never brought her here before.

  Another fucking secret.

  “Where are we, Ben?”

  I knew where this was going. “My house.”

  “One I knew nothing about until today.”

  “Fuck, what do you want me to say, Livy? I’m sorry? I don’t like this house. I have loathed it since I built it. So of course I never brought you here.”

  She shook her head as she turned to face me. “You don’t get it. My whole adult life, people have kept things from me. I don’t need that from you.”

  “Livy, you don’t understand. There are things I cannot tell you. Things that bring even more danger your way. Put you more at risk.”

  “More at risk? More than someone trying to grab me out of your flat? Watching my every move?”

  The knot in my gut just twisted tighter. “You don’t understand. Secrets whispered are never revealed.”

  She swiped at a tear that slid down her cheek. “What does that even mean? Let me be clear, the only way I’m staying is if you start telling me the truth. What exactly did you do that put the target on my back?”

  Fuck. God, she was such a pain in the ass. Why couldn’t she just accept that she couldn’t know everything?

  Because she’s not that kind of woman. But you knew that already.

  I rubbed at the stubble on my jaw. “Do you really want it that way? Okay, fine. Just have a seat and I’ll tell you everything.”

  “Oh right, because I’m just going to sit here blithely and accept what you feed me?”

  “Jesus Christ, could you just sit down? It’s already hard enough as it is. Don’t compound the difficulty by pacing the whole time I explain.”

  She narrowed her gaze at me and sighed. Then she sat on the very corner of my sectional. Knowing that she probably didn’t want me next to her, I picked the massive leather chair across from her and leaned forward, placing my elbows on my knees. “Okay, please know that I didn’t want any of this to happen. If everything had gone well that night, you would still be living your old life, and I wouldn’t have known anything about you.” I licked my lips. “I’m sure you’ve heard of secret societies.”

  She choked back a laugh. “What does a bunch of guys drinking too much and telling themselves they’ll run the world have to do with somebody trying to kill me?”

  “At Eton, there’s this group. It’s called the Pops. Most of the prime ministers of the UK have been a Pop. Actors, titans of industry, influential people. The men have all come out of the Pops. Those who didn’t make the Pops consider it a failure in their career.”

  Her gaze narrowed. “So you’re telling me that you’re in the Pops?”

  I sighed. In for a penny in for a pound. “No, something much more. There’s an even smaller group selected from the Pops o
nce a year. We’re called the Elite.”

  Her gaze lifted and met mine, unwavering. I’d expected confusion, surprise, disdain. But she was calm. She already bloody knew.

  “You already know?”

  “Some of it. Telly called earlier. She told me some of this.”

  Well, at least I wasn’t breaking that oath. “Christ. Okay, new starting point. There was an initiation rite ten years ago, the night that I was initiated. There was a part of the ceremony when something went wrong, and a friend of mine died that night. Toby, the one I told you about. We were told it was a terrible accident, it never should have happened, and that it was no one’s fault. And we let them get away without having to answer for it. The night you and I met I was trying to get data off the Van Linsteds’ servers. Anything we can use against the Van Linsteds. Their family has controlled the Elite for too long.”

  Her brows furrowed. “You’re being serious?”

  “Yes, I am, unfortunately.” I wanted to stand and walk around to get some of the adrenaline out, but I knew I had to sit and tell the story so she would listen and believe it. “This group, the Elite… Those of us in it, when we’re initiated, we’re taken for training. The kind of training that seems like spy stuff.”

  “This is… this is The Skulls.”

  I smirked. “Not quite, but the tenets are the same.”

  “And you think they’re responsible for Toby’s death?”

  “What they stand for is. But I blame myself too. For ten years, I pushed thoughts of Toby aside. I sat back and accepted what I’d been told because it was the easiest thing to do. But I can’t do that anymore. There’s a senior council that directs our actions and our movements, settles disputes and that sort of thing. But there’s one person, the Director Prime, and whoever sits on that seat is the most powerful man in the world.”

  “Something tells me there are no women in this boys’ club.”

  “No, there aren’t. The Director Prime keeps his seat for ten years, and the Van Linsted family has had a member in that seat for thirty damn years.”

  “So you’re telling me that the Elite are the most powerful men in the world? And the Van Linsteds are the most influential family in the world?”

  “Exactly. And they are the tip of the iceberg. They did nothing when Toby died. Just stood by. They never even wanted him in the Elite. His family struggled and nothing was done for them. They tried to make us forget him, but we’re not going to. Under their watch, my friend died and nothing was done about it, so we’re trying to rectify that. Starting with ousting them from power. Some feathers are going to be ruffled.”

  Her eyes went wide. “When you say ruffled?”

  “The less you know, the better.”

  “Jesus Christ, who the fuck are these people?”

  “They’re the devils in disguise. And I wish to God I had never said yes when I was tapped.”

  Her gaze roamed over my face. “Your father was in it?”

  I nodded. “There was a part of me that felt like I could say no, but also a part of me that was ambitious enough to want to step out of my father’s shadow. And I thought they could help me do that. I convinced Toby to join. All of our fathers are lords, though Bridge’s father doesn’t acknowledge him. Toby’s did, in a way, but he abandoned him and his mother and sister for a whole new family that was more acceptable.”

  She winced. “What was wrong with Toby’s family?”

  “They’re South Asian. His mother is from Mumbai.”

  “Racist too. That’s delightful.”

  “Yeah, great organization I joined. I know.”

  “What does this have to do with me?”

  “That night at the fundraiser, we were trying to get information that would help us overthrow the Director Prime and make sure Bram Van Linsted never takes the seat.”

  “If they’re as powerful as you say, there’s no way they’re going to take that lying down.”

  “I would have sworn no one saw me pass you the drive. We checked the CCTV feeds. It looked like a clean pass. No one should have seen it, Liv. The files on the drive have given us information on how to dethrone the emperor. But then you were mugged and we were attacked. After I was shot at, we knew that the Van Linsteds realized what we were up to, so we took some precautions with you so you would be protected. I should have told you. You’re right. I didn’t want you scared or terrorized.”

  Her dark gaze met mine. “Ben…” She licked her lips. “But why me? If they didn’t see the pass, then I’m not a target.”

  “Marcus Van Linsted knows you’re important to me. He’s already made it clear that if I don’t back off trying to unseat his family, they’re coming for me. Until tonight, I didn’t know for certain how far they were willing to go.”

  Still disbelieving, she shook her head. “But nothing happened until Paris. They have no way of knowing about us.”

  I only wished she was right. “You don’t know the Elite.”

  Livy

  Lies.

  So easy to tell, so difficult to pull back.

  I’d gotten caught up in something that had nothing to do with me. And he didn’t owe me anything. Hell, I barely even knew him. It wasn’t like he had actually told me anything real about himself.

  Now that the truth was out, the question was, what was I going to do with it? This was the man I thought I had fallen for, but the man I had started to have feelings for didn’t exist. Just like the last man I’d had feelings for. I kept falling in love with fantasy versions of men. And that needed to stop. Right the hell now. “So what you’re telling me is your secret society is out to kill me, because what? They think I matter to you?”

  He scrubbed a hand over that stupidly handsome face. Seriously, why would such a jawline even exist on a person?

  Focus. Don’t worry about how good he looks or how amazing he smells. Focus on the man and what he’s telling you and how he’s acting.

  “That’s our current theory. But what happened tonight is an extreme reaction. Power is what really matters. Power is king. Hurting you tonight was messy, sloppy. Not like the Van Linsteds at all. The Elite work in the shadows. They know we’re coming for Bram and are desperate to stop us.” He hung his head. “I’m sorry, Liv. This was never supposed to touch you.”

  “You’re sorry? Are you sorry that this is what’s going on, or are you sorry that you didn’t tell me and help me prepare?”

  “Look, it was never my intention to get you caught up in this. It happened in a split-fucking second.”

  “I don’t even know who you are.”

  “You know who I am. You have always known.”

  “No, I don’t. You’re charming, but you’ve never cracked that layer beneath. You’re commanding and bossy, and a pain in the ass, but you never let me see you. And that’s my fault. I started to fall for you without really knowing who you were.”

  “You know me. After everything we’ve been through—”

  “Do I? I don’t want to stay here.”

  His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  “I want you to take me to Telly’s.”

  “Telly can’t protect you.”

  “Well, it seems that neither can you.”

  He opened his mouth to argue.

  “Here’s the thing, you can either organize one of those burly security boys out there to get a car and take me to Telly’s, or you’ll be holding me here against my will. In which case, that’s kidnapping. So which is it going to be?”

  “You know, I’m more than willing to hold you against your will.”

  No way he was being serious. “Okay, then I will fight you every step of the way.”

  “You’re being stubborn. This is idiotic. You’re going to get hurt.”

  “Like you care?”

  “Of course I bloody care.”

  “If you cared so much, you would have told me what the hell was going on weeks ago. Before I slept with you. Now I have slept with you, and I really wish I hadn�
��t. I feel used, lied to, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with you.”

  “Liv, come on. You know it’s not like that. I was just trying to keep you safe.”

  “Yeah, that’s how you see it, but you have to understand how I see it. So, what’s it going to be? Kidnapping or Telly’s?”

  He shook his head stubbornly, looking very well like he might try to keep me there.

  “Mr. Covington, I won’t be able to sleep until I know I’m somewhere safe. I don’t feel safe here, considering you created my situation. So, if you don’t mind, I want to go to Telly’s.”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I’ll take you myself.”

  “What, you’re going to drive? You need to be protected just as much as I do. Because if these psychos are after me, they’re after you.”

  “I won’t drive, and we’ll take security. But I want to make sure you’re safely inside before I leave you there.”

  “Fine.”

  “I’ll leave you a car and a guard. And I’ll have someone pack up your things in the loft and bring them to you so you can come to work or do whatever you need to do.”

  “Fine, thank you.”

  “Liv, I never meant for any of this to happen. I just want you to be safe. You…” He cleared his throat. “You mean a lot to me.”

  “Yeah, I’m not inclined to believe that right now.”

  Livy

  When I arrived at Telly’s, she met me with open arms. And Carmen didn’t seem to mind at all that I was crashing their love pad. But still, I’d have to find a longer-term solution because I couldn’t just be a couch surfer forever.

  Ben hadn’t been kidding. He walked me all the way up to Telly’s, made sure to post a guard outside the door, and told Telly that I wasn’t to go anywhere without the guard. Telly took the matter seriously too. Great, I’d have to deal with them both trying to run my life.

  When Ben left, Telly handed me a mug of tea and took her usual spot on the couch. “Spill. What the fuck?”

  “Tell, I just want to go to sleep.”