Rushing the Goal (Assassins #8)(159)

But even he knew that nothing would dull the pain inside of him.

No, only Lucy could make it better.

Rolling over, he brought her pillow into his arms, nuzzling his nose into it, hoping to get a whiff of her. Taking in a long pull, her flowery scent intoxicated him and everything hurt.

Why couldn’t she just talk to him?

When his phone rang, he scrambled to get to it, almost falling off the bed before getting his phone in his hand.

But he didn’t recognize the number.

Hopeful, though, he answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, this is Mark Sinclair. This number called me last night.”

“Yes!” Benji said, sitting up. “This is Benji. Benji Paxton, Lucy’s boyfriend.”

Or was he?

The thought made his whole body ache.

“Hey, Benji, what’s up?”

“Um, well, funny you should ask,” he said, exhaling hard. “Lucy left for Florida—without me—and I really don’t know what’s going on. And I was wondering, hoping, actually, maybe you knew something about this.”

Mark paused, and Benji could hear him clicking his pen against something. “I’m sorry, what do you mean, left? I thought you all were going.”

“Yeah, I did too, but she called saying she needed time to think. Whatever the hell that means.”

Mark made a disgruntled noise and muttered, “Fool woman.”

Benji panicked. “Listen, I know you don’t owe me anything, that you don’t have to tell me anything. But, if I’m losing my family, I need to know. I need to fix it. Save this before I can’t.”

Mark chuckled. “Boy, you love those girls.”

“Like you wouldn’t believe. Both of them.”

“I can tell. I can hear it in your voice.”

“Then you know I have to know what is going on so I can fix it. I can’t lose my family, Mark. I can’t, not again,” he said, his voice breaking as the tears flooded his eyes.

When Mark cleared his throat, Benji held his breath. “All right, son, listen. I’m gonna give you my address and you come on over, okay?”

Benji was out of bed and getting dressed before Mark even finished his sentence. He wasn’t sure what this would help, but it was clear Mark knew something. Getting the address, Benji rushed out of the house, into his truck, and then across town to Mark’s office. Knowing that Mark could possibly help him gave him renewed hope he could fix this. But when he got there, nothing could have prepared him for what Mark had to say.

Blinking, completely speechless, Benji just looked across the desk at the older man, unsure what to do or say.

“It was fake, though. Completely. I saw that with one look at it.”

“So he’s trying to say I touched Angie inappropriately?” Benji asked, choking on a sob. He would never. Who would even think to accuse someone of that?

A f*cking sicko, that’s who.

Mark held his hands out, shaking his head. “I know, crazy. But since he has the intentions of making the allegation formal, it will be investigated. They will question Angie, they will question you, and Lucy, if it makes it to court.”

“So you think it won’t,” Benji said, his mind racing, and Mark shook his head.

“Let me tell you something about my daughter,” he said then, leaning back in his chair. “Lucy isn’t dumb. She’s a survivor and she protects the ones she loves. She thinks if she cuts all ties with you, goes to court and says you two aren’t together any longer, that it will be a dead end. What she doesn’t realize is they’re still gonna investigate the allegation, which will run your name through the mud. It’ll hit the media, for sure. I’ve already contacted your lawyer this morning. It’s going to get nasty if it goes to court.”

And then it all made sense. She was doing this to protect him. That damn, crazy, gorgeous, fool woman was willing to break them up, and it still wouldn’t stop his name from being ruined, no matter what she tried. Didn’t she realize he was nothing without her? He was going to shake some sense into her when he got his hands on her, which would be right as soon as he left Mark’s office. But something was bothering him about what her father had said.

Benji’s eyes narrowed as he held Mark’s gaze. “You keep saying ‘if it goes to court.’ What does that mean?”

“It means that, just like Rick, I know how to hire a PI. And what my PI found will confirm that he is the lowest piece of shit imaginable.”

“Okay,” Benji said slowly, shaking his head, confused. What in the world was Mark implying?

“I can’t go to him with this, being a man of the courts, but you can. You and Lucy together can urge him to keep his bullshit-ass video out of court, so that his dirty laundry doesn’t fly free. ’Cause I’ll fly it, loud and proud, to ruin that f*cker,” he said, acid dripping from his voice. “My hope for court next week is that we walk in, everything goes in our favor, and that’s the end. I had planned on calling Lucy and telling her this today, but I have a feeling I won’t need to do that.”

Benji shook his head. “No, sir, I plan to take care of it.”

Mark nodded. “She’s lucky to have you.”

Benji’s lips curved. “Funny. Usually, I say that.”

He nodded, looking down before pushing the file to Benji. “Well, Benji, I’m depending on you to take care of her.”