Deadly Secret

by Tara Thomas

  “She’s homeless and starving,” he told his older brother. “Seriously, what did you think was going to happen? She was going to take us all down? Did you even look at her?”

  “It’s not her I’m necessarily worried about. It’s the entourage of violence and attacks that seem to follow her.” Kipling looked over to Keaton who was in deep discussion with Tilly. “Didn’t you say she was standing outside watching when Elise had the gun on Tilly?”

  “She was, but Elise had nothing to do with the clubs or the attacks there and Jade helped me get inside. She wasn’t in on it.” Keaton frowned. “She looked so different. At that time, she looked like she could kick major ass.”

  Alyssa stepped forward. “She’s been on the streets since then, I’d be willing to bet. That’s a hard life.”

  “I can’t believe your Kaja and my Jade are the same person. How is that even possible?” Tilly asked. “When I saw her, she was dressed completely in black and had blue streaks in her hair. You see her as almost a superhero and Bea knows her as a street urchin. I have to say, Knox, I’m going to have to stand with Kip on this one. We don’t have a clue who she really is.”

  “And we won’t know unless she decides to tell us,” Alyssa said. “Should I leave and come back later to pick up the files you called about?”

  “No,” Knox said. “No, I’ll go get them. I’d meant to bring them in here earlier and got sidetracked. I’ll just be a minute.”

  He left the library and walked to the office he and Bea had taken over with the Brock case. Once inside, he was making sure he had everything when a muffled sob stopped him cold.

  He didn’t think it was Bea, Jade had been the one crying as they left the library, but he had to make certain. The kitchen was across the hall from the office. As quietly as he could, he tiptoed out into the hall, making sure to avoid the third floorboard from the right of the office because it always creaked when someone stepped on it.

  Bea and Jade were sitting in the breakfast nook with their backs to him. Bea must have found the pot roast and, not for the first time, he was glad Lena always made enough to feed an army. From the looks of it, Jade had quite a lot to eat.

  At the moment, though, the young woman had her head buried in her hands. Bea set a glass of tea down and put her arm around Jade’s bony shoulders.

  “I know what it’s like to have a difficult relationship with your guardian,” Bea said. “Though my situation isn’t as complex or as violent as I think yours is, I know that pain.”

  Jade had stopped crying and was watching her.

  “Have you decided what you can tell me?”

  Jade shook her head.

  Bea smiled. “How about you eat while I talk, okay?”

  Jade didn’t answer verbally but rather, she picked up her fork and took a huge bite.

  “My mother died when I was young. I grew up hearing whispers that she died of a broken heart, that she really didn’t love my father and that she was still in love with her first husband who died. I had a half brother, but his time was split between our house and his father’s family. Why Mom married the reverend, I’ve always wondered. If it wasn’t for the fact that he’s so damn righteous, I’d think she got pregnant before they got married.”

  Knox thought he heard Jade snort.

  Bea continued, “The reverend never made it a secret that he wanted a boy. Unfortunately, since my mother died, he was stuck with me and he never let an opportunity pass that would allow him to tell me that as a female I was lesser than a male. He saw me as weak and unworthy. And I was a horrible disappointment for going to law school. Law isn’t an acceptable profession in his mind for a woman. All we’re good for is pushing out babies and cooking. I wanted more and didn’t see anything wrong with the path I took. I still don’t.”

  Knox’s heart ached for his wife. He’d had no idea the circumstances of her childhood. Why had she never told him?

  “To this day,” Bea said. “I think the only reason I’m who I am today is because of my mother’s parents. I stayed with them a lot and one day, when I was ten, I told them I wasn’t going back to the reverend’s house. He didn’t care.”

  Jade had finished her dinner and was watching Bea.

  “I always wondered,” Bea mused. “How a man who had dedicated his life to the One who is known for love, could live with so much hate inside him.”

  Knox knew his parents hadn’t been perfect, but he never doubted their love for each other or their children.

  “How old were you when you went to live with your guardian?” Bea asked and it looked like Jade was going to answer when Tom walked in front the entrance near the dining room.

  “Just wanted to let you know I was back from dinner,” Tom said, and stopped short at the scene before him. Knox was almost certain the guard snarled before schooling his expression.

  “I don’t remember,” Jade said, and he didn’t think it was his imagination that she looked paler than before.

  “Thanks, Tom,” Bea said, and turned to Jade. “That’s okay. Let’s get you to a bedroom so you can get a good night’s sleep. We’ll talk in the morning over pancakes.”

  “But Kipling said…”

  Bea smiled. “His bark is worse than his bite. Don’t worry about him. You need sleep.”

  He looked down the hallway, he needed to head back to the library before someone came looking for him and gave away the fact that he’d been listening. By the time he heard a chair scrape across the floor in the kitchen, he had already grabbed the files and was on his way down the hall.

  “Here’s what we have,” Knox told Alyssa, handing her the copies he and Bea had made the night before. “Bea attached some notes to a few of the pages. I’m interested to get your take on the matter. I wonder if we’re too biased to look at it objectively.”

  “What’s your take on Jade?” Kipling asked.

  Knox scratched his head. “I hear what you and Tilly are saying, but I trust Bea, too. She’s a good judge of character and I don’t see her taking on a case, especially one that has to be pro bono, if she didn’t believe in what she was fighting for.”

  Kipling raised an eyebrow. “What exactly is she fighting for?”

  He gave his brother a smug grin. Bastard thought he had him. “I don’t know. She didn’t tell me and I didn’t ask. Goes back to that trust thing.”

  “Smooth.” Kipling nodded. “Very smooth, bro.”

  “I think we need to give the poor girl a break,” Knox said. “She’s been living on the streets and before that she was in a homeless shelter. I think it’s safe to say she’s not a trained ninja sent to take us out.”

  “Might want to hold off on that call.”

  Knox turned to see Bea striding into the library. Alone.

  “If she is a trained ninja,” Knox said, “I hope to hell you didn’t leave her alone in the kitchen. Poor Lena has been through enough lately.”

  “She’s not a ninja,” Bea said, walking up to Knox and hooking her arm around his. “And I didn’t leave her alone. She’s sleeping in one of the guestrooms.”

  “In this house?” Kipling asked.

  “Yes, in this house. Did you think I sent her to the neighbors?” Bea put her free hand on her hip as if daring him to say something. “She was so tired, she was falling asleep while eating. Since she’s been on the streets, she’s only allowed herself to sleep in one spot for two or three hours. I’m surprised she was still functioning the way she’s been living.”

  “Why is that?” Knox asked.

  “You and I aren’t the only ones with someone after us,” Bea said. “I’m working on getting a place for her to stay.”

  Neither one of them moved or said anything else. It was Alyssa who finally broke the silence. “I’ll be on my way,” she said. “I’ll let you know what we find, one way or another.”

  CHAPTER 7

  “How long do you think she’ll sleep?” Knox asked Bea as they went through more files.

  Bea checked her watch.
So far she’d been out at least four hours. “I really don’t know. With her stomach full and knowing she’s safe? I wouldn’t be shocked if she slept until sometime tomorrow afternoon.”

  He put down the paper he was reading. “Earlier, you told Kip you were working on a place for her to stay?”

  “I was thinking about letting her use Brent’s house. I mean he’s not going to be using it anytime soon.” Not only that, but Brent had a top-of-the-line security system in place.

  “Seriously?”

  “What?”

  “You’re going to let a near perfect stranger, whose past is shady at best, criminal at worst, stay in your brother’s restored multimillion dollar historical home?”

  “Now you’re starting to sound like your brother.” Anger and grief both raged through her body. It was a very peculiar feeling to say the least, especially when paired with the kinship she felt toward Jade. “I thought you would understand. You know, since you’re the so-called saint.”

  Knox looked away and sighed. She knew it had been a low blow. Knox didn’t like that nickname, given to him by the local newspapers because he was the Benedict brother who was never caught at nightclubs at all hours of the night or who sported a new girlfriend every other day.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  He nodded.

  “It’s just … I look at her and I see her pain.” She knew she wouldn’t be able to explain it the right way or to convey to him exactly how she felt. “Her biological parents are both dead and she’s been living with a guardian who’s involved in criminal affairs. She hasn’t told me what yet. She said she could provide evidence to use against him, but I have to work a deal so she’s pardoned. As you can probably imagine, that’s hard to do when I don’t know who her guardian is or what crimes he’s committed.”

  “You’re trying to gain her trust,” he said.

  He was finally getting it. “Yes, that’s part of it. But she’s all alone and I feel that. I lived that. Not to the extreme like she has. I was never out on the streets. But I know what it’s like to feel as if it’s you against the world.”

  “I told Kip I trusted you and here I am second-guessing you. I’m the one who should be apologizing, not you.”

  “I’ll take full responsibility for her actions. That’s how much I trust her.”

  He gently stroked her cheek. “Then that’s good enough for me and you won’t hear another word from me questioning you.”

  “It’s okay to question me,” she said. “If I’m ever doing anything you don’t understand, I want you to question me. Just don’t shut me out. I hate that.”

  Knox framed her face with his hands and she saw the truth in his eyes when he whispered, “Never,” and then sealed his promise with a kiss. Her heart was still light as she watched him walk to the desk and sat down.

  She remembered how her father had shut her out. He’d never talk, he’d turn almost statue-like. So much so that it felt like she was talking to a stone. She was never sure which she hated more: his silence or his words that only told of how much life would be better if she’d only been a boy.

  Somewhere in the back of her mind, she took note of the fact that her father still hadn’t called about the house. She had called him again, and again got his voice mail. Worry that something was horribly wrong began to work its way into her thoughts.

  Knox must have sensed her melancholy, because he got up from the desk he was working and silently crossed the room to her. He held out his hand and she allowed herself to be pulled up and into his embrace.

  For several long minutes, he just held her. She blinked back tears because he felt so good and strong and she was positive he could shield her from anything.

  He softly stroked her hair and his voice was rough when he whispered, “I will never shut you out. Ever. If you want to talk, I’ll listen. If you just want me to hold you, I’ll hold you. I could never be a stone around you, Bea. How could I when it’s you who makes me feel alive?”

  He made her feel alive, too. More than that, he made life feel alive. She almost giggled at how silly that sounded, but it was all true. She pulled back and looked in his solid and trustworthy gaze. “I love you, Knox Benedict.”

  He planted a chaste kiss on her lips. “And I love you, Beatrice Benedict.”

  She laughed and punched him in the chest. “Don’t ever call me Beatrice. I hate that name.”

  His eyes danced with mischief. “I think it has a nice ring to it. ‘Please rise for the Honorable Beatrice Benedict.’”

  “I don’t want to be a judge, I’m not even sure I want to run for Congress anymore.” It was the first time she’d said it out loud and, she had to admit, it felt good.

  “You’re not?” Knox asked.

  “I’m beginning to think I could get more done working with Keaton and Tilly. Think about how the three of us could help Jade. It makes more sense than trying to do something in Washington.”

  He answered her with a kiss. One that was most definitely not chaste. Bea moaned and stepped further into his embrace. She wanted his hands on her again. Like the night before, she wanted to feel him above her, and under her, and in her. She wanted him to remind her that they were both alive and in love.

  But as much as she wanted, she knew nothing of the sort would happen in an open office on the first floor of the family home he shared with two other brothers, an almost sister-in-law, and a sleeping young woman filled with equal parts secrets and danger. He pulled back and groaned.

  “I haven’t kissed you enough today,” he said.

  “It’s been a busy day.”

  “It should never be that busy.”

  “How true.” She gave him quick kiss. “I’m going to call Brent. Want me to tell him we’re coming for a visit?”

  “Yes. Ask if Friday afternoon is good.”

  “Please.” She waved her hand. “I’m not asking anything. I’ll him we’ll see him Friday.”

  * * *

  Knox watched his wife as she prepared for bed a short time later. He wasn’t sure what it was that made a woman going through her nighttime rituals so hot.

  She was brushing her hair and caught him staring. She met his gaze the mirror, gave him a sultry smile, and kept brushing. He stood and made his way slowly to her, never once breaking eye contact.

  He stood behind her and reached for the hairbrush, which she put wordlessly in his hand. She closed her eyes as he resumed brushing her hair. Its color had always fascinated him. To call it red would be too simplistic because dozens of colors glimmered under the light. And he wasn’t sure how exactly she got it to be so soft, but he loved dragging his fingers through it.

  He placed the brush down and gently slid the fingers of both hands into her hair and began to massage her scalp. He’d discovered early in their relationship that she simply adored having her scalp massaged. Such an easy thing to bring her pleasure.

  Under his hands, he felt the remaining tension leave her body and within seconds, she made appreciative groans deep in her throat. Still, he kept his fingers moving, willing any stress or concern out of her body. At least for tonight.

  He stopped before he relaxed her so much, she fell asleep. He’d made that mistake before. On their third date, they’d gone boating. When they returned to the dock, her hair was all tangled and the way she brushed it made him flinch. He’d finally taken the brush from her and told her to let him do it so she’d have some hair left.

  He recalled her soft sighs of pleasure and he’d been thrilled she reacted so strongly to his touch. He’d finished and looked forward to finding out if other parts of her body reacted the same way. But as soon as he put the brush down, he’d heard her soft snores.

  He smiled at the memory and brushed her hair over her right shoulder, exposing her neck to him. He bent down and whispered against her skin, “Feel good?”

  Her eyes didn’t open and her voice was a bit hoarse when she replied, “So good.”

  S
he wore a silver gown with tiny straps and he couldn’t resist the urge to tug one down and kiss the top of her shoulder.

  She hummed in appreciation and he kissed his way across her back, delighting in how her skin pebbled up as he did so.

  “Still good?” he asked.

  Her reply was a lazy nod.

  “Open your eyes,” he said.

  This time the eyes that met his were dark with lust and need. He placed a hand on either of her shoulders. “I want you. I want to have you in that bed under me. Right now. But I know it’s been a long day, so if you don’t want the same thing, tell me.”

  She rose to her feet with the elegance of a queen and turned to face him. With slow, teasing moves, she lowered the gown strap he hadn’t touched and in one smooth move, whipped the gown over her head and let it flutter to the floor. She took his breath away. She wore nothing under the gown. Just Bea. Pure glorious, Bea.

  “God, you’re beautiful,” he said.

  She was unashamed before him, but then again, it had always been that way between them. They were two parts to a better, more complete whole and as such, embarrassment had no foothold.

  She turned again, this time to walk toward the bed, looking over her shoulder only once to ensure he was following.

  Like he’d go anywhere else.

  She climbed onto the bed and rose to her knees and when he stood before her, she slipped her hands under his shirt and pulled it over his head. With both hands, she palmed his chest, but when she reached for his waistband, he stopped her.

  “Not yet,” he said.

  “Not yet?” She cocked an eyebrow at him.

  “I wanted tonight to be about you.” His heart still ached from what he overheard her telling Jade. He couldn’t fix that, but he could give her this.

  “In that case, what I want is to take your pants off.”

  He batted her hands away again. “That’s not what I meant.”

  “Just one little kiss?” She licked her lips. “Please?”

  Damn, like there was any man alive who could turn that down. “You’re impossible … have I told you that before?”