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Emma stood up and extended her hand. “My cue to leave.”
She turned to Benjamin. “Whatever plan Rory has, let her follow through with it. She’s more capable than you think. Rory, it was a pleasure.”
“I can’t wait to have coffee with you again.” I stood up and hugged her. She stiffened for a second, and then, it was like she’d known me her whole life. “Thank you for being so brave,” she whispered in my ear.
My eyes misted over. “And thank you for helping me. I think you have no idea how good you are.”
As she walked toward the exit, I turned to look at Benjamin.
He looked like he was having a seizure and realizing something horrible at the same time. I took his hand and helped him sit down.
“So.”
He opened and closed his mouth. “So.”
“Most of what’s been happening at East Harbor is known to me, Benjamin. I wanted you to know I’m going to be part of the gala.”
He groaned immediately. “Rory, no. You have no idea—”
“Oh, but I do. I have every idea. I’ve spent the last two weeks with ideas. Now, I want solutions. You believe in karmic balancing, right, Benjamin?”
He nodded listlessly. “Sure, when it’s not out to get my ass.”
I resisted the urge to laugh at him. “Well, karma doesn’t have to try to play fair. It just does. I told Noah this as well. You can’t stop me. But you can help.”
He considered me for a second and then let out a long, slow breath. “I’ve seen that face before . I know what that look means. You wouldn’t listen even if I tried to stop you, Rory. But I’m not letting you face any of it alone. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll be there.”
I smiled. “That’s what I was hoping for. I need you to tell me about June, Benjamin.”
Another groan. “Oh, man, Eli...”
“I’m meeting him tomorrow afternoon after classes end. But before I do, I need to know I’m on the right track. Because convincing him will be, well...”
He inclined his head and buried his face in his hands. “Oh, he’s going to fight you.” He groaned again. “And he’s going to say it’s not right and he can’t... Rory, he loves you. We all do, but for Eli, you’re a second chance. A chance he wasn’t expecting.”
“Which is why it’s important for me to know, Benjamin,” I whispered.
Reaching out, I took his hand in mine.
“You have to understand, if I don’t put a stop to this, there will be more people who will face what your sister and June did. For me to even have a life without the guilt eating me apart, I have to do what I can.”
Benjamin let out a strangled breath.
“Okay. Okay.”
Two hours later, I was headed for my last stop of the day. My head was so full of information it hurt. I almost thought it would explode any second.
I mulled over the name in my head.Elex.
Elijah suited him more. But hey, he was a man with a past. A dark one, and maybe that justified the need to get rid of that name.
I’d changed my last name the day I found out who my father was. It was a coming-of-age thing for me. I even met Chelsea and cut a cake to celebrate that shit.
Rebirth.That’s what it was.
My heart ached for Elijah.
He’d been the man with the most secrets of all three of them. But then, he’d also lost the most.
