“And you’re okay with Bennett taking over?”
“I thought you would give it to your cousin Vinny… or even your nephew Marcus. Not once have you talked about turning the Kingston dynasty over to our children.”
I nod in agreement. She’s right. “I know. But Bennett came to me. He wants it.”
Slowly, she repeats in disbelief, “He wants it. Bennett wants to take over for you?” She shrugs her shoulders. “He’s never mentioned it to me.”
I nod. “After Cole’s wedding, I got the boys together, and we talked about the future. I told them what I was planning, but Bennett asked me to give him a chance.” I squeeze her hand. “I know you’re not happy hearing this?—”
She stops me. “I never want any of you in danger, but I’m not a fool either. Our children will be safer at the helm than working for either Vinny or Marcus.”
Surprised doesn’t even begin to cover it. “You’re okay with it then?”
Eyes wide, she stares at me. “You didn’t think I would be? But you’re doing it anyway?”
I hold my hands up to stop her. “Ellie, we built all this, and our son wants it. Do you really want me to tell him no?”
She shakes her head. “No, of course not. And of course he wants it. You groomed him to take over, whether you realize it or not.”
I tilt my head to the side. “So you knew he would take over one day.”
She pops a shoulder. “I figured.” She leans toward me. “So what’s this got to do with Audrey Sterling? She’s your informant?”
Surprised by her interest, I ask, “You really want to know?”
She nods enthusiastically. “Yes! Gah, I’m so bored sitting on charity boards and attending tea luncheons. I want to know what you all have been up to.”
I nod and reach up to cup her face. “Fine. I’ll tell you everything.”
She gasps in surprise. “Everything? No more of the ‘need to know basis’ or ‘the less you know the better’?”
I’ve fought with myself for years. I’ve always wanted to share things with Eleanor, not only because she’s my wife but also because I trust her judgment and the fact that anything has to be safer than what she’s doing now. “Yeah. Everything you wanna know, I’ll tell you.”
She squeezes my hand, and I just stare at our intertwined fingers. I can’t lose her. I won’t. And if telling her everything she wants to know is going to keep her by my side, so be it.
“Audrey moved into our territory a few months ago.”
Her eyebrows lift. “You let that happen?”
I bite my lip. I know she’s right. It’s not like me to let someone from a rival family move into our territory. Especially a Sterling, our biggest rival. “From the moment I found out about it, I had Bennett and Knox on it.”
Her eyes widen. “On it?”
I nod. “Yes, they were finding out everything they should about her, checking to see if she had a mission.”
Eleanor leans toward me. “Why is she here?”
I stroke her hand. “Because she’s trying to get away from her family. She doesn’t have any mission or ulterior motive. She’s just tired of how the Sterlings do things.”
Ellie purses her lips. “Interesting.”
Confused, I ask, “Interesting, why? You think she’s lying?”
She shakes her head. “No. But I find it interesting. Bennett has been different the last few months, and I’m wondering if that has anything to do with Audrey.”
I gasp. “What? No. She’s the enemy. Bennett would never do that.”
Eleanor rolls her eyes. “I don’t think she’s the enemy. Not if she’s trying to get away from the Sterlings.” Her eyes light up. “I bet she has something to do with Bennett’s decision to take over too. Have you talked to him about it?”
