Everyone needs the basics, Brynne. Food, water…a bed.

She provoked emotions in me I didn’t know existed until the night she strolled into the Andersen Gallery talking bollocks about me and my trusty hand.

She tugged the towel away from me with a sexy smirk and used it to wrap up all that glorious nakedness in fluffy cream cotton. A damn shame. She walked into the bedroom and I could hear drawers opening and closing. I loved the sounds of her in there, moving around and preparing for bed. I pulled a towel down for myself and started drying off, immensely grateful I would sleep with her in my arms tonight.

6

I opened my eyes in the dark to the scent of Brynne up my nose and smiled when I figured out where we were. She’s in your bed with you. I was careful to be still so as not to disturb her sleeping. She faced me, but her head was turned down and curled around her arm. I just watched her breathe for a few minutes, entranced and content for the first time in days. I wanted to touch my girl but I let her sleep. By God she needed it.

Need. So much need inside me now. Needs only Brynne could satisfy, and that scared me. I couldn’t imagine feeling this way about any woman just a month ago, and now I couldn’t imagine not having her in my life. The time apart had changed me forever I feared.

I inhaled deeply and held it. The faint smell of sex was in the sheets from earlier but mostly it was just her clean, flowery scent that intoxicated me. It intoxicated me now just as it had intoxicated me on the very first night we met. She smelled so good I hated to leave her alone in the bed but I got up carefully and threw on some joggers and a t-shirt.

I headed across the great room and down the hall to my office, leaving the bedroom door open a crack in case Brynne woke with a bad dream. I really needed a smoke and I really needed to talk to her dad.

“Tom Bennett.” His clipped American accent on the other end of my mobile reminded me of how far away Brynne was from her family, although I must admit I loved that she considered London her home now.

“It’s Ethan.” I dragged in a deep inhale off my cig.

A beat of silence and then rushed questions. “Is Brynne safe? What’s happened? Where is she?”

“Nothing’s happened, Tom. She’s sleeping right now and perfectly safe.” I inhaled again.

“You’re with her? Wait. Is she at your place right now?” The silence grew very thick and ominous as Tom Bennett contemplated exactly what I’d been doing with his daughter. “So you two have worked it out. Look, I’m sorry about that call I made—”

“You’re sorry?” I interrupted him. “And yes, Brynne is with me at the moment and I plan to keep her very close, Tom.” I stubbed out my Djarum and decided against lighting up a new one until after this conversation was done. “Just so you know, I’m not going to apologize for being with her either. You set this whole thing up. I’m just the simple bloke who fell for a beautiful, lovely girl. Can’t help that now, can we?”

Tom made a noise that sounded like frustration to me. I had to give him credit for not exploding but maybe he still had it in him. “Look, Ethan…I only want her safe. Brynne makes her own decisions in regards to who she wants to date. I just want those bastards to keep away from her. From reminding her of all the bad shit. You have no idea how she’s suffered. It nearly destroyed her.”

“I know. She told me everything tonight. I have a few things to say to you as well.”

“Go ahead,” Tom said impatiently.

“First, I want to thank you for acting on your ominous vibe and coming home for lunch to check on her that day. And second, I want to ask you something.” I paused for effect. “What in the mother-fuck were you thinking by not telling me what really happened to your daughter? Knowledge is power, Tom. How in the hell can I keep her protected when I don’t know what they did to her? What Brynne described to me was not some indiscreet sex tape as you alluded to; it was a criminal act of assault and abuse upon a seventeen year old girl by three legally adult men.”

“I know that,” he said in a defeated voice. “I didn’t want to break her trust and disclose the details to you or anyone. That story is hers and hers alone to tell.”

Fuck this. I lit a second Djarum. “You left out the part about the senator getting her the scholarship to University of London. He knows exactly where she is, and has for years.”

“I realize that, and again, only wanted to get her as far away from those people as possible!” he gritted back. “I know this situation is potentially a disaster and leaves my daughter in the worst sort of position! Now do you see why I need you? This whole thing would have slipped away into oblivion if not for that plane crash. Who would have imagined Oakley being vetted as the next vice president!”

I sighed loudly. “I’m working on him and so far I’m not finding any dirtiness popping up about the senator. I know his boy is trouble, but Senator Oakley’s black book is neat and tidy.”

“Well, I don’t trust him. And now one of those f**king degenerates is out of the picture! This story is everything the senator wishes dead and buried, and right now, my daughter is in the middle of that shit pile! This is unacceptable!”

“You’re right, and I’m watching them all, believe me. I have some contacts in the SF that are looking into the son’s military record. If there’s anything there I’ll find it. Question for you. Brynne said the only person identifiable on the video was herself. She told me the others were mostly off camera and their voices dubbed over with a song—”

“I—I saw it. I saw what they did to my baby girl…” The man sounded broken now.

I closed my eyes and willed the images to just fade away. I couldn’t imagine being in his shoes, having seen that vileness and not tried to kill who hurt her. Tom Bennett got praise for not becoming a murderer in my book.

I cleared my throat so I could speak. “There’s something else you need to know about me.”

“What’s that?”

“She’s my responsibility now. I call the shots, and I make the contact with Oakley’s people when and if the time comes. Brynne is an adult and we are together. And if you’re worried about my motives for telling you this, don’t be. I love her, Tom. I’m going to do whatever it takes to keep her safe and happy.” I took a final drag on the smoke and let my words sink in.

He sighed before he answered. “I have two things to say to that. From a client who needs you, I wholeheartedly agree. I know you’re the man for the job. If anyone can see Brynne through this mess it will be you.”