Page 53 of Benjamin and the Thief

“I wish we could make love right now, but we have to leave. You can’t stay here. You’re too vulnerable here.”

“Vulnerable?”

“Yes. We can’t risk the Prestons finding you here, where I can’t protect you. Pack a bag. You’ll be staying with me.”

She hesitated, but only for a few seconds. Then she nodded. “Alright.”

“But we have to go to my office first. Anita sent the video the prosecution relied on in your brother’s case. We need to figure out if it was doctored.”

And that wasn’t the only thing they had to look into. There were plenty of other things to investigate before they could call it a night. The clock was ticking.

24

Catalina sat in the passenger seat of Benjamin’s Porsche, her head swimming with everything she’d found out in the past half hour. She didn’t even know where to begin to process everything that had happened. She was overwhelmed with both relief, delight, and fear.

Knowing that her brother was safe for now was a big relief. He now had a personal bodyguard—albeit a fellow inmate. But most likely that was better than a guard looking out for him. Another inmate would be by his side all the time, while a guard wouldn’t. That Benjamin was paying for all this, she couldn’t even fathom. And without even telling her. It was selfless of him and generous beyond belief. But now she also understood why he was doing it: he loved her.

While it hadn’t completely come out of left field since he’d shown her from the start that he liked her, she hadn’t expected him to declare his love so soon and so freely. Weren’t men supposed to keep their feelings close to their vest? Weren’t they the ones who took longer than women to fall in love? How had she gotten so lucky with him? It would have been so easy for him to pull back from her once he’d found out how complicated her life was—and getting more complicated by the hour.

Finding out that the Prestons had a video of her trying to break into their safe had sent a shock through her system. She felt like a fool! She’d seen the security video that had been instrumental in convicting her brother. It had been taken in the same room.

However, she’d counted on the security system being turned off during the party. Why else would they have hired security for the event? None of the alarms had been on during the party, and she’d assumed that meant that the cameras weren’t recording either.

“I can’t believe how stupid I was,” she said now, shaking her head, while Benjamin was driving into the underground garage.

“About what?”

“The security camera in the Prestons’ bedroom. I should have known they were always recording, even when the alarm wasn’t turned on.”

Benjamin put his hand over hers. “We can’t change that now.”

He parked near the elevator and switched off the engine.

“Come, let’s go to my office, and we’ll continue where we left off.”

He opened the driver’s side door and hopped out. By the time she’d grabbed her handbag from the spot by her feet, Benjamin had already walked around the car and opened the door for her. He helped her exit, then led her to the elevator, while still holding her hand. In the elevator, he pressed the button to the second floor. The elevator began to move, and he leaned in and kissed her temple.

“Don’t worry, baby, we’ll figure it all out.”

She forced a smile onto her lips. “I wish I had your confidence.”

He shrugged. “I’ve had many years of experience with investigations. You’d be just as confident if you’d done this for nearly twenty years.”

The hint about his age brought back another question. Benjamin had just celebrated his 37th birthday, so why did his father look like he was no older than forty? And it was clear that he was his father. The family resemblance was overwhelming. Benjamin and Damian looked like they were chiseled from their father’s features, the same black hair, the same piercing blue eyes, and the same facial structure. In fact, their father looked as if he was their older brother.

“Uhm, about that… Your father. He looks so young. But if he’s your biological father, he must be at least in his late fifties, if not older. I just can’t get my head around that.”

“We get that a lot. We just have really good genes. Besides, fifty- and sixty-year-old people these days just don’t look that old anymore. They dress younger and don’t behave like old people. They’re much more active. Dad still works full-time, and I can’t imagine him ever retiring.”

She let his words sink in. In a way, he was right. Sixty was probably the new forty. Still, there was something else about his father that had felt odd.

“Your father is very… how shall I say? Adamant. If I have to be honest, he scared me a bit.”

Benjamin chuckled. “Yeah, he can have that effect on people who don’t know him. But don’t worry, you’ll get to know him better, and then you’ll see that he’s really just a big teddy bear. Mom has got him wrapped around her little finger.”

He winked at her. The elevator doors opened, and they exited. The corridor was broad, and to her surprise, despite the late hour—it was at least eight p.m.—several people were rushing around.

“People are working late here,” she commented.