Page 19 of Benjamin and the Thief

“So you broke into my flat.”

He reached into the inside pocket of his tuxedo jacket. For a moment, she thought he was going to get out a weapon, but then she recognized the item in his hand: her set of lockpicks.

“You’re not the only one who knows how to use these,” he claimed and tossed them on the nearby table.

She thrust her chin up in defiance. What now? She needed time to think. “Mind if I put my groceries in the fridge?”

He stepped aside, but kept an eye on her as she placed the bread on the counter and the butter and ham into the nearly empty refrigerator. She’d just lost her appetite.

“What do you want from me?” she asked, without turning around to him.

“I want answers. Or you and I are gonna make a trip to the police together. I’m sure they will be very interested in finding out that you were trying to break into the Prestons’ safe.”

Slowly, she turned around to him and noticed the way he pinned her with his eyes. She saw something in them that reminded her of the previous night. Maybe she could use it to convince him not to involve the police.

“Would you really deliver your girlfriend to the police?”

Her heart thundered, drumming a nervous beat against her ribs.

Benjamin tilted his head to the side and scrutinized her. “Girlfriend? That’s what you’re going with?”

She shrugged. “Don’t tell me you don’t want to sleep with me again.”

She might not be a seductress, but she knew when a man wanted her. And Benjamin wanted her. She could use that to her advantage.

“What I want and what I have to do isn’t always the same,” he hedged.

But his answer told her enough to know that she had a chance if she played her cards right. But first, she had to see how loyal he was to the Prestons.

“I’m sure the pay from the Prestons can’t be all that much. They have a reputation for being stingy. Would you really wanna throw me under the bus for that?”

“I’m not employed by the Prestons. I work as an investigator and security expert for Scanguards. As for throwing you under the bus… I’d first have to know why you were trying to steal from them.”

Catalina hesitated. She didn’t know who Scanguards was, but assumed it was some sort of company that hired out security personnel. And the fact that he was an investigator could mean he had the right skills to help.

“So your security job with the Prestons is finished?”

“That’s right.”

He didn’t offer any more of an explanation, but simply stood there, waiting. The ball was in her court. She had to take a risk and give him an answer. It didn’t mean she had to tell him everything.

“My brother, Santiago, was sentenced to six years in prison for a theft he didn’t commit. And I need to prove that the Prestons framed him. He didn’t steal the damn necklace. My brother is innocent.”

She fell silent, waiting for Benjamin’s reaction. He didn’t speak immediately, as if he was digesting her words.

“Santiago Vargas is your brother.”

It was a statement, not a question, and it was odd the way he said it.

He motioned to the table. “I saw the court transcript with his name on it.”

“Then you know.”

He shook his head. “I didn’t really follow the case at the time. All I know is that a multi-million-dollar necklace was stolen, and that Santiago was found guilty and sentenced.”

“But he’s innocent,” Catalina insisted. “Santiago has never done anything bad or illegal in his life.”

“The jury seemed to think otherwise.”