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For now.
But I need to play this smart. I don’t have my phone on me. I don’t have a gun, either. Which means Ben is my only way out. I walk over to the table and lean against it, as far from him as possible.
“How do you even know Adrik?”
He flinches like the name stings him. “I don’t. Er, I mean, I didn’t. He approached me a few days ago. Said that I could get revenge on Ruslan for everything he’s done. Said that he would protect me from him.”
“How did he know about you in the first place?”
“He was working with that reporter, Remmy.Which is how he knew about our deal. And when he couldn’t find Remmy, he decided to find me instead.”
I suppress the gag reflex that any mention of Remmy inspires and stay focused on the moment. “And how much money did he offer you?”
“None.” Ben offers me a shifty glance. “He told me I could get my kids back.”
“Bullshit. You didn’t do this for the kids. How much money did he offer you, Ben?” My voice is getting a little stronger, a little louder.
He grimaces and mumbles something unintelligible.
“I didn’t hear that.”
“Ten grand,” he croaks. “He offered me ten grand.”
I shake my head in disgust. “Good to know you can be bought so cheap. For God’s sake—these are your kids, Ben. That motherfucker was out there waving a gun in their faces and threatening theirlives. And you delivered them straight to him. How can you be so surprised that they’ve replaced you with the only man who’s ever tried to protect them?”
“Listen, I didn’t know the bastard was gonna get so… so fuckingscaryonce I agreed to everything,” Ben stammers. “I didn’t exactly know what his plan was.”
“But you agreed to it anyway?”
“I was upset!”
It takes all my self-control not to wring his freaking neck. But there’s a little voice in the back of my head that’s saying,Use him. You can kill him later.
“Ben, you can still make this right. You can still try to redeem yourself in your children’s eyes.”
He swivels toward me in alarm. “Are you insane? He would literally fuckin’ gut me.”
I grit my teeth. “Maybe that’s the risk you’ll have to take to make sure your kids are gonna be alright.”
“I’m not going up against that psychopath out there. He’s got a gun. And he’s got armed men everywhere.” He clears his throat miserably. “I’m just one man.”
“One man… who knows this house. Who knows where we are. Maybe you can just—”
“I’m not getting involved, Emma.”
“I’ve got news for you, Ben:you alreadyareinvolved.” I push myself off the table and spin around to face him. “And here’s another reality check for you: if Adrik doesn’t kill you, Ruslan definitely fucking will.”
“So I’m dead either way?”
“You made your own bed.”
His eyes glaze over for a moment. I’d like to think it’s reality hitting him at last, but this is Ben we’re talking about. Who the hell knows what’s going on in that self-absorbed mind of his? I’m certainly not gonna waste my time trying to decipher him. I’ve long since stopped trying to hope he’ll change.
“Just fucking go, Ben. You don’t deserve to breathe the same air as those children.”
He doesn’t argue. Just leaves the room without a word.Fuck you,I want to scream, but the words are lodged in my throat, weighed down by fear.
That was our last option walking out the door.
