Page 50 of Benjamin and the Thief

“And you’re using Benjamin to do what? Take revenge on the Prestons?”

“No!” She shook off his hand. “It’s not about revenge. It’s about justice.”

He scoffed. “Whatever you wanna call it, you’re using my son to do your dirty work. Do you have any idea what he’s already risked for you? And what for? Sex? And once it’s clear that he can’t do anything for your brother? What then? You’ll turn your back on him and look for somebody else who tells you he can help your brother? Is that it?”

His accusations riled her up. Her chest was heaving, and she was trying to find the strength to push back on his cruel words.

“You probably even staged your chance meeting with Benjamin. You played the vulnerable pretty girl he wouldn’t be able to resist helping!”

“That’s not true,” she shot back, finally finding her voice again. “I did nothing of the sort! I never expected to meet a man as good as Benjamin, somebody who had honor and compassion. Somebody with a big heart. And I certainly didn’t plan to fall in love with him. But I did. And I wish I didn’t have to accept his help, so that I could just be a normal girlfriend. But just because I accepted his help to clear my brother’s name doesn’t mean that my feelings for him aren’t real. I love him, and there’s nothing you nor anybody else can do about it.”

Benjamin’s father stared at her, and silence descended around them. A few seconds passed.

“I see,” he said with a nod, his expression unreadable. “I hope you know what you’re doing. Benjamin is no ordinary man. If you play with his feelings, he will lash out.”

She wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but it was definitely a warning. Did he think that she was lying to him? Was he just a father who wanted to protect his son, or was there more behind his words?

“What are you saying?”

He took a step closer, and again, she felt as if she were in his thrall. It was the oddest feeling she’d ever had. As if with his words alone he could compel her to do anything he wanted. His eyes pinned her, and she couldn’t look away.

“You hurt my son, and I’ll be back. Do you understand?”

She swallowed the lump in her throat, while a cold shiver ran down her spine. This was how mobsters talked.

All of a sudden, the sound of creaking hinges reached her ears, and she clung to it like to a life raft.

23

Benjamin had rushed up the stairs of Catalina’s apartment building, taking two steps at once. He knew his father was here, because he’d seen his Porsche parked outside.

The door to Catalina’s flat was only ajar, and he opened it. His father and Catalina were staring at each other in the middle of the room.

“Dad!” he called out, making him look over his shoulder. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“We were just talking,” Amaury answered.

Benjamin reached Catalina and put his hand on her arm. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. He squeezed her arm reassuringly.

“Dad, a word. Outside.”

When his father walked toward the door, Benjamin said to Catalina, “Excuse us for a moment.”

Outside, he pulled the door closed and glared at his father.

“Why were you harassing Catalina?”

“I wasn’t harassing her,” Amaury snapped. “I’m just looking out for you. You should have told me that she’s Santiago Vargas’s sister. And I could have told you right away that she’s using you.”

“Like Mom was using you to get justice for Eddie?”

“That was entirely different!”

“Was it? Because from where I stand, it’s the same. Mom asked you to help her. And Catalina asked me to help her get justice for her brother.”

“By dragging you into her mess. Don’t you see that? You think the Prestons are gonna let that video slide? They’ll recognize her, and then the jig is up. And you’re right in the middle of it. It won’t be easy for you to distance yourself from this, unless you do the right thing now.”