Sins, Lies & Spies (Black Brothers #2) (20 page)

CHAPTER

THIRTY-SEVEN

Knox

It seemed like I had only drifted off to sleep five minutes earlier when something woke me. The hair on my arms lifted and my ears zeroed in on the noises inside Trinity’s townhome. A soft click sounded somewhere in the distance. It could’ve been the icemaker or the furnace, but something told me it was much more than that. We weren’t alone.

The floorboards creaked, and Trinity squeezed my hand. “What was that?”

I shook my head and held my finger to her lips, my arm rustling against the sheet. With practiced ease, I slipped out of the bed and grabbed the switchblade inside the pocket of my pants. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring my gun. I knew Trinity had one, so I didn’t bother. I should’ve put it on the nightstand before we fell asleep, but I forgot.

I reached the door to the bedroom and cracked it open without a betraying squeak of the hinges or click of the door handle. The cool air wrapped around my chest from the hallway. My gaze shifted through the shadows, finally landing on a darkened silhouette pressed against the wall.

I glanced over my shoulder at Trinity. She sat with her back pressed against the headboard, clutching the sheets against her chest. I pointed to her and then to my feet, hoping she understood I wanted her to come stand next to me. I didn’t know what kind of weapons this person had, but Trinity would be a sitting duck in the bed.

Without vacillating, she slipped out of bed and tiptoed across the floor, stopping only when her front pressed against my back. Her warm exhalations whispered along my skin.

“Someone’s here,” she mumbled.

I nodded and pulled our bodies flush against the drywall, waiting for the person to move to the bedroom. After a minute that felt like an hour, I sensed someone just outside the door. My muscles tensed, prepared to strike, disarm, and kill if necessary. I hadn’t killed anyone since I left the military. I never liked that part of my job. As a Naval Intelligence officer, it didn’t happen as often as someone on the front lines, but I had killed people to protect and defend others and myself.

The door floated open, almost in slow motion, and a person dressed in black tentatively stepped over the threshold. I lunged forward, wrapping my arms around the person’s shockingly small waist. We hit the ground with a loud thud.

The intruder kicked, bucked, and hit. I straddled the person’s waist and immobilized his arms above his face. Trinity flipped on the overhead light, bathing the room in a yellow glow and I froze. It wasn’t a man. It was a woman. Even in a dark wig, I knew it was Darcey Benton. She had icy blue eyes, a long angular nose, and sharp cheekbones. I’d never talked to her, but our paths had crossed many times since I started investigating Derrick Benton.

My muscles tensed. “Why are you here?”

Her eyes narrowed. “Get off of me. I just wanted to have a little conversation with Trinity Jones.”

“I don’t think so.” I kept her arms pinned to the ground with one hand as I searched her for weapons. I didn’t find anything except a syringe filled with clear liquid. I pulled it out of the pocket of her black wool jacket.

I waved it in front of her face. “What’s this?”

She pursed her lips together, and hundreds of tiny wrinkles burst from the skin around her mouth. “It’s nothing.”

I held it out, and Trinity scooped it out of my hand, placing it on top of the dresser.

“Trinity,” I said, keeping my eyes glued on Darcey Benton. “Grab my phone from the pocket of my pants and call Ben Livingston.”

She crouched on the floor and stuffed her hand into the pocket of my discarded pants. “Who’s that?”

“My contact at the FBI.”

“No.” Darcey Benton shook her head back and forth, strands of hair from her black wig sticking to her face. “Just hear me out. I want talk to Miss Jones about solving this mess amicably without involving the press or anyone.”

“Let her go, Knox,” she said, her voice lacking emotion. “I want to hear what she has to say.”

I relaxed my hands around her wrist, but I didn’t move off her yet. “I think you’re making a mistake. Wait until you have the benefit of your attorney’s counsel tomorrow. You can’t trust her.”

***

Trinity

“I know that,” I answered with growing numbness as I stared into Darcey Benton’s icy blue eyes.

In truth, it didn’t matter what she said, tonight or tomorrow. I was done with my life being stuck in neutral while I followed the Bentons’ rules. I might not want my half of the trust, but I didn’t think Derrick or his mother should get the money either. They didn’t deserve it. With my back to Darcey and Knox, I propped his phone against a book and pressed the red button on the video camera of his phone. I spun around and used my body to shield the red light from Darcey and Knox.

“Go ahead.” I planted my hands on my hips. “I don’t have all night. I have an early morning appointment with my attorney.”

Knox stood and Darcey climbed to her feet, brushing the invisible dirt from her long jacket.

“Your share of the trust is worth roughly fifteen million dollars. However, the terms of the trust restrain your ability to access the money. You are entitled to a small yearly allowance starting at the age of twenty-five and continuing for the remainder of your life. If you don’t have children, the money will revert to Derrick or his heirs when you die.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “So what’s your point?”

“If you agree to sign papers giving up any right to the Benton Family Trust, and you publically deny Richard Benton was your biological father, I’m prepared to wire seven and a half million dollars into your bank account immediately.”

“You want me to settle for half of the money?” I shrugged. “Why would I do that?”

She took a step forward, shrinking the gap between us. “Because you’ll get all the money now and you can do whatever you want with it. You can spend it however you wish, whenever you wish.”

“Hm.” I leaned my hip against the dresser, pretending to consider her offer. “What do you think, Knox?”

His jaw was clamped tight. His eyes were hard. His body vibrated with anger. “That we should call the police and report a break in. I’m sure whatever is in that syringe is sufficient to charge her with attempted murder.”

She curled her hands into balls and the corner of her jaw twitched. “What he thinks is irrelevant. This is between us.”

“And when would I have to decide?”

“You have until seven in the morning to give me an answer. My attorney will have the documents ready to sign by ten a.m., but you have to fire your attorney. I want as little people involved as possible.”

“Wow. What a bargain,” I mocked. “Will the agreement give you the remainder of my half of the trust?”

“I’ll split the remainder between Derrick and me. We’re the only other beneficiaries.”

I chuckled cynically. “That’d be quite a windfall for you.”

She lifted her chin. “Seven and a half million dollars doesn’t make much difference for someone like me. I have more than enough to live comfortably for the rest of my life.”

“I’m not sure what I think is more entertaining.” I smiled without showing any teeth. “That you’re deluded enough to think I’d actually believe a word out of your mouth, or that you think I’m dumb enough to accept your offer.”

Her gaze flitted to the side. “I don’t have any motive to lie.”

“Really?” I scoffed. “Because according to my attorney, he estimated my share of the trust to be around a hundred million dollars. He also said you have a yearly allowance with the remainder going to Derrick and me.” Her face turned red, but I kept going. “So thank you for the offer. It was entertaining to listen to your lies, but I don’t need until morning to tell you to fuck off.”

I pointed my finger at her. “I plan to go after the entire share and more if I can get my hands on it. In fact, I won’t stop until you spend your final days completely destitute. You’re a liar, and I have the feeling you’re a murderer, too. You killed my mom when she asked for money to support me, didn’t you? You killed my cat. You trashed my townhome and threatened me.”

“You can’t prove it,” she sneered. “Nobody will believe a trashy nobody over me.”

I lifted up Knox’s phone and flashed the screen. “I think I’ve got all I need here.”

“No,” she yelled, her face contorting.

In one fluid motion, she lunged forward, grabbed the syringe from the dresser and flicked off the plastic lid. With her eyes narrowed and her lips twisted, she held it over her head like a warrior with a battle axe. My hand clamped around her wrist, pushing her arm away from me. Our eyes locked. Our arms moved forward and backward. My fingernails dug into her flesh like talons.

Grunts and groans filled the air. I lowered my shoulder and rammed it into the center of her chest. Her body slammed into the dresser, and a giant puff of air exploded from her mouth.

“You bitch,” she roared through clenched teeth.

She kicked the side of my leg and my knee buckled, giving her a split second advantage. She inched the syringe within striking distance of my neck, and I felt the tip drag along my skin.

I opened my mouth to scream for Knox, but he was already there. His hand wrapped around mine, and he shoved the syringe away from me, plunging it in the side of Darcey Benton’s neck.

Her eyes flared and a scream erupted from her mouth. Within seconds, she collapsed to the floor, her hands clutching her heart.

Knox crouched in front of her body and pressed his fingers just below the needle lodged in her neck. “There’s nothing we can do for her,” he said unnecessarily.

My vision swayed, and I collapsed on the end of the bed, dropping my head into my hands. Guilt sliced through my chest and I couldn’t breathe. “Oh my God,” I wheezed between gasps. “What did I do?”

“We did what we had to,” he said gently. “There was no way in hell I’d let that woman hurt you.”

“What now?” I mumbled between rolling sobs. My body shook from head to toe. She was evil, but I’d never hurt anyone before. With every drawn out tremor, I felt like I was coming apart at the seams.

I just helped kill someone.

Darcey Benton is dead because of me.

This isn’t happening.

I can’t breathe.

I’m going to be sick.

He pried my hands away from my face and kissed the top of my head. “We’re going to call the police, my contact at the FBI, and your attorney.”

My stomach rolled for the hundredth time as I gaped at Darcey Benton’s lifeless body. Her eyes stared sightlessly at the ceiling. Her mouth was lax and her hands were curled around the lapels of her jacket. I couldn’t believe this woman intended to kill me over money.

“What are we going to say?” My voice sounded as if I had swallowed a cup of glass.

“We’re going to tell the truth. We don’t have anything to hide.” He managed a faint smile. “And, thanks to you, we have the video to support our story.”

“Yes, we do,” I said softly, my muscles unknotting a tiny bit. I wrapped my arms around his neck, tears burning the corners of my eyes. His arms circled my waist, and he rocked me back and forth. Just being in his arms quieted my fears. I trusted him to guide me through this because nothing seemed insurmountable with him by my side. “I love you. I should’ve told you earlier, but I was too afraid that you’d reject me. Then I acted like a jerk the other night and I’ll understand if you’re done with me. I don’t expect you to say anything back or profess your undying love. I just wanted—”

“Shut up, Jones.” He pressed two fingers to my lips and shook his head. “If I didn’t love you, I would’ve dumped you weeks ago. I was just waiting for the right time to tell you.”

I leaned back, smirking. “Is that your way of telling me you love me and you can’t live without me?”

“Yes. I guess it was,” he said with a playful grin.

“Well, I would’ve hoped for a more romantic setting, but I’ll give you a pass given the circumstances.” I cocked my head toward Darcey Benton. “We should do something about her.”

“Yeah, we should.” His eyes met mine for an endless moment. “But first I want to hold you for a while and make sure you’re okay.”

I nodded because there was no need for words. I was alive, and Knox loved me. After decades of living in the shadows of the Benton family’s sins and lies, being with him was all that mattered.

EPILOGUE

Knox

Two months later…

I pulled through the gates of Archer’s home in L.A. and cut the engine. The full moon peeked through the swaying palm trees lining the front walkway to the large white Mediterranean home with its rust-colored barrel tiled roof. Iron lanterns strategically placed next to the arched front door winked at us in invitation.

I glanced at Trinity in the passenger seat next to me, and a feeling of ease and overwhelming happiness swept through me, as if all of the wrongs fate had committed against my brother and me had finally been righted. Archer found the love of his life in Langley and mine was sitting right next to me.

After his mother’s death, Derrick Benton quickly and quietly settled all matters pertaining to Trinity’s share of the Benton Family Trust. In exchange, Trinity agreed not to contest Derrick’s public statement that his mother had a heart attack.

Since the night Darcey Benton showed up at Trinity’s house, she had refused to have any contact with her half-brother. Instead, she funneled all conversations through her attorney. I didn’t know how long her determination to stay away from him would continue. Now that he had renounced his bid for reelection, he had plenty of time on his hands, and he made weekly attempts to heal the divide. I didn’t want him in our lives, but it was Trinity’s choice, and I’d support her either way.

Miles Knightly turned himself in to the FBI a month and a half ago. In exchange for immunity, he agreed to help prosecutors mount a case against Dima Antonov for the blackmail scheme involving Lang and Benton. Miles collapsed and died in his home two weeks ago. The police were still struggling to establish the cause of his death, but the FBI suspected Antonov had something to do with it.

“Are you ready to go inside?” I asked.

She twirled the diamond solitaire on her finger. “As ready as ever.”

I tapped her ring. “How long before one of them notices the ring?

I proposed to Trinity last week. I’d spent my entire life avoiding commitment, but it didn’t take me long to realize I wanted to spend my life with her. When she agreed to marry me, I asked her if she had a date in mind. She said as soon as possible. We were married the next day.

She smiled, holding out her hand. The diamond shot rainbows of light across the dashboard. “Langley will notice within five minutes.”

“You’re probably right. After we go in, there’s no turning back. You’ll be stuck with me forever.”

“I already thought I was.”

“I like the way you think.”

I brushed my lips across hers, then bit her lower lip teasingly. When she opened her mouth to mine, I couldn’t stop myself. I pulled her across the console and slipped my hands underneath her short black skirt. I closed my eyes as her lips explored a path down my neck.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

“Are you guys coming inside or what?” Archer said, smirking.

I rolled down the window. “Go away. Can’t you see we’re busy?”

“Yeah, well, I don’t care. You can continue this later. You’re already an hour late and Gunnar has been here for at least thirty minutes.” Archer shook his head. “I need you to run interference.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Give me another minute,” I said, sliding Trinity off my lap.

Trinity pushed her long dark hair behind her ears. “Who’s Gunnar?”

I watched Archer make his way back inside his house. “My other brother.”

Her brows scrunched together. “Wait. You never told me about another brother. What’s wrong with him?”

I closed my eyes for a second, remembering my little brother. We never really clicked. After his paternal grandparents won custody of him, his life was so different from Archer’s and mine. He had the world at his fingertips, whereas Archer and I still wallowed in the hell created by our mom without an end in sight. It’d been ten years since I’d seen him. He probably wasn’t so little anymore.

“You’ll see. He’s a man of few words.”

“Should I be nervous?”

“No. He’s harmless.” I squeezed her hand, and cracked open the car door. “Let’s do this so we can make our excuses and start our honeymoon.”

She glanced at her phone. “Ten hours and counting until our flight. Do you think you can wait that long?”

I took her hand in mine, our future stretching out before us, and not for the first time since I had met Trinity Jones, I couldn’t believe my luck. “I’d wait for you forever.”