Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 149641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 748(@200wpm)___ 599(@250wpm)___ 499(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 748(@200wpm)___ 599(@250wpm)___ 499(@300wpm)
“What are you talking about? She punched me,” Ben complained.
Kala moved in and gripped Kenzie’s arm, way more gently than Ben had, but the sleeve fell back and there was a clear imprint of his hand on her wrist. “He’s talking about this. You weren’t playing with her. You were trying to hurt her, and that is not allowed in this club. Consider your rights here stripped. You can leave the dungeon floor, Master Ben. Also, you don’t get that title anymore.”
“Could you back off, please?” She didn’t need her twin’s rage. She needed to be alone. She needed to mourn him. Or at least mourn the him she’d thought he was.
Ben had gone a pasty white as his eyes found her wrist. “I didn’t mean to do that. I needed to talk to her.”
TJ stood at Kenzie’s other side. Cooper had left to inform her parents that the world had blown up. “Yeah, that’s why she said you touched her in anger. Man, I get something happened, but that’s not right.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt her. Kenzie, let me look at it.” Ben started toward her.
TJ stepped in between them. “No. Cooper can look at her when he gets back. He’s had some training. He’ll decide if we need to call a doctor. I have no idea what happened, but you two need some space.”
“I know what happened,” Lucy said. “Huisman called and Ben picked up like the good boy he is.”
Kala’s eyes flared. “He did what?”
The words seemed to remind Ben that he was the injured party here. He straightened up. “Yes, Manny called me and I answered because I know what happens when I don’t. He laid some hard truths out for me.”
Kenzie felt infinitely tired. She covered her wrist again. “You can tell us all the horrible things we’ve done in conference. That way you don’t have to do it twice. Or you can write it up before you head back to Toronto.”
A low huff came from Ben. “Ah, now I’m getting kicked out.”
“Why the hell would you want to hang around with the whore who’s leading you astray?” She was getting sick of Ben’s crap.
Kala’s head shook as she considered Ben. “What are you talking about? You’re listening to Huisman? About what? You’re supposed to hate Huisman. We went through this months ago when that fucker told us you were working with him. Kenzie is the one who convinced us you would never. Now you’re having long phone conversations with the man?”
“He told you I was working with him?” Ben asked, his eyes going hard.
Kenzie didn’t care. She wanted to get this over with. “It doesn’t matter.”
“When we were in Nepal, Huisman had some interesting thoughts about you,” TJ pointed out. “He told Zach you were working with him. According to him, you were the reason they found us in Liverpool. Kenzie shut that down quickly because she knows he lies.”
“I would never work with that sociopath,” Ben said.
“But I would.” Kenzie knew the answer to that question. She’d known it would all go bad the minute he answered that call. He would believe Huisman because he desperately needed their game to continue.
She wanted out now. She’d thought she could save him.
You can’t save someone. You can only love them enough that they want to save themselves, but sweet girl, sometimes it doesn’t work and you have to know when it’s time to save yourself.
She could hear her mom’s words. She should have listened better. Her dad was all about the condom, but her mom was about protecting her heart.
“Did you or did you not know that Manny was aware the two of you were twins?” Ben asked the question like he already knew the answer.
What the hell? “Of course I knew.”
He nodded like she’d made his point. “You told him. Did you do it in Australia? How long has he known while you lied to me?"
Kenzie was so fucking confused. “Ben, have you read the files my father sent to your handler? He sent everything to you after Nepal.”
“Of course,” he replied. “Not that I can trust a word in those files since your whole family lies.”
Kala seemed to deflate. She moved in and put an arm around her sister, letting her know she was going to be what Kenzie needed her to be. “Dude, Huisman’s been watching our family since before we joined the Agency. Did you read that part? Because I know my mom and dad made sure your agency knew.”
Ben went still as though trying to figure out what he was missing. “Manny blames your father for his father’s death.”
Even though her father hadn’t been there that day and it hadn’t been one of his men who’d shot the elder Huisman. “Yes, and Huisman’s grandfather kept a file on us from then on. When we joined the Agency and they erased Kala and me, Huisman had the files from before. Of course he knew. His family has been watching mine since we were children.”