Page 24 of Benedict’s Rejuvenation (Dark Patriots #5)

I left Montana three days ago. I had hoped to be back by the end of the week, but it wasn’t looking like that was happening.

It was Thursday morning, and we were gathered in the bosses’ conference room on the sixth floor.

It was the floor where all the executive offices were.

Everyone liked to call it the Lair of the Dragons jokingly.

In actuality, all the bosses and their wives were friendly people.

Undertaker was the scariest and probably the most likely to breathe fire.

That was not to say they weren’t capable of it.

It just wasn’t something they often did.

When I entered, the only other person there was Beau.

After the confrontation last weekend, he and I hadn’t had a chance to talk about it.

He sent a text message telling me how sorry he was and that we’d talk later.

He hadn’t needed to be in Virginia when I left on Monday afternoon.

Luckily, with him living in Montana, they had him working cases closer to home whenever possible.

I was envious. I wanted to be where I could come home at night to Kensy and to spend less time apart.

Every time I spent time with her, it became harder for me to be happy about returning to Virginia and my lonely apartment here. I counted the hours until I was back with Kensy. That wasn’t to say I no longer liked my job or didn’t want to do it. I absolutely did. I merely wanted what Beau had.

Beau had greeted me with a handshake and a man hug before we grabbed coffee and dropped into our chairs.

We hadn’t had time for personal catching up because Sean and Gabe entered.

A minute later, Undertaker and Sloan came in.

Griffin was the last in the door, a minute after the previous two.

I knew no one else was joining us when he shut and locked it behind him.

Anticipation flowed through me. The last few assignments I’d been on had been dull. Or I suppose the better term would be routine. Gabriel started the conversation.

“Thanks for coming to the office for this. I know it can be a pain. First, how are Keeley and Kensy doing?” he asked.

“Keeley is doing great,” Beau told him.

“And what about Kensy?” Griffin asked him.

Beau turned his head and tilted his chin toward me. “You’ll have to ask Ben. He was the last one to see her in person.” He had a tiny smirk on his face.

“Really? But she lives with you. He only comes to visit sometimes,” Gabe replied.

“Ah, you haven’t been caught up. Kensy decided to get a job, and she moved out last Friday. We helped her move. This one spent the remainder of the weekend and Monday with her at her place.”

“Why would he do that?” Sean asked.

I knew Beau was enjoying fucking with them.

“Ask him,” Beau answered.

Knowing I had no other choice, I told them, “Kensy and I are dating. We were keeping it under wraps until it came out last weekend. We’re taking things slow, even if her sister doubts us.”

Beau jumped in after the “sister” remark.

“Give Keeley time, Ben. I know she was a bit harsh on Saturday. She’s struggling with the concept that Kensy doesn’t need her for every little thing.

She’s wondering if she’ll have to be the one to comfort her or help her pick up the pieces if the two of you fail.

She’s scared to death that being involved will cause Kensy a setback.

” Beau defended his woman, and I expected nothing less. I’d do the same.

“And I can understand and respect it, Beau. However, she has to find a way to be supportive without pushing her sister away. They’re close and loving.

I don’t want anything to ruin that. Alright, enough talk about my personal life.

Sorry. You wanted us here to discuss something very important, you said.

” I directed the last statement to the four owners.

“True, we are here to talk business, but congratulations. We’re happy for you, Ben. I’d like to meet Kensy soon,” Sloan said, smiling.

“I’ll see what I can make happen. She’s getting out and socializing a little.”

The guys all added their blessings and approval to Sloan’s. Once that was out of the way, Sean was the one to lead us back to the reason we were here.

“Last Friday, you had a run-in with a guy named Rich Ambrose. You told Makayla you wanted him investigated. He claimed to be a reporter for the Missoula County Bulletin, a newspaper in Montana. From what Beau told us when he called to inform us, the guy seemed to have inside information, as if someone associated with the police force was feeding him details. He’s pushing for a story. Did I leave anything out?” Sean asked.

“No, you hit the high points. He was rather aggressive, and Kensy feared he’d begin hounding her and those closest to her.

Greater than that is her fear that he’ll find out what happened with the Chases, Boyko, and the rest, and we’ll all go to prison.

Please tell me Makayla found something,” I almost pleaded.

“I get the concern. What he said was almost as if he knew what you were hiding and wanted you to confess. Makayla came to me after she did her research. That was what we wanted to discuss today,” Gabe added.

God, if they wanted us here to talk about Ambrose, whatever Makayla found on him was bad. Beau and I exchanged a worried glance. He was thinking the same thing.

“What did she find?” I asked before Beau could.

“What she found is that there is no one named Rich Ambrose. I don’t just mean working for that paper.

I mean, at all. Makayla ran every possible variation of his first name and spellings of the last. Based on the age that Beau gave her, the guy doesn’t exist. There is a Richard Ambrose in Florida, but he’s ninety-two and in a nursing home.

Whoever that man was, he’s a fraud,” Sean told us.

“There is a possibility he is a reporter, but chose to lie about his name and where he works for whatever reason. Regardless, to do it screams nefarious intention in my book,” Undertaker growled.

All four of the lead Patriots, Beau, and I, were frowning. This news was beyond worrisome. What were his intentions toward Kensy and the story? Who the hell was he?

A growl came rumbling out of me. I wasn’t able to hold it back.

“Whoever he is and whatever he’s up to, he’d better disappear and leave us the hell alone. If I ever see him again, I’ll beat his fucking name and reason out of him,” I snapped.

“Hey, we get your anger. And yes, if he comes around again, we need to figure out who he is and what he wants. However, we must be cautious in our approach. I asked Makayla to find pictures of anyone Detective Chase and his wife were close to. Or was considered family to him and his wife. She’ll compile them, then have the four of you review the pictures and see if any could be of the fake Rich Ambrose.

He could be a former friend or a family member who’s suspicious about what has happened to them, or he wants closure.

Makayla said to give her time through the weekend to do it.

She wants to be very thorough,” Griffin told me.

“And we appreciate it. Damn, I hate that we have to tell the women this. Keeley already didn’t trust the guy,” Beau muttered.

“Kensy told me he made her feel ill at ease, but she wasn’t sure why. He irritated me,” I added for clarification.

“We’ll ensure you get that information,” Gabe stated.

“Thanks, we appreciate it. No disrespect, but this could’ve been told to us over the phone. Is this Ambrose guy the only reason for the trip?” Beau asked.

I knew he was working to keep irritation out of his voice.

At least I’d been here. He had flown from Montana specifically for this meeting.

It was a huge waste for him if we weren’t getting a new assignment briefing.

I steeled myself to hear that we would be sent on an extended mission and would be unable to see or talk to our loved ones for days, if not weeks. It was the last thing I wanted.

“We did not just ask you here because of Ambrose. It’s about a mission we want you, along with two others, to go on. We think this requires the expertise of you, Heath, and Justin. We haven’t received many details to share with you. It was hard to get the little we had,” Sean explained.

“What kind of mission? When do we leave?” I asked.

While the prospect of a mission would typically excite me, this one didn’t hit me the same way as past ones had.

Sure, it would be good if it were one filled with familiar people, and we could hold our heads high and tell others what we did.

However, most of the time, no one knew we’d done anything to save countless lives or the world.

Since meeting Kensy, I was inclined not to want those assignments anymore, though I did my share.

I’d hate it if I didn’t get a chance to see Kensy before leaving on another. You never knew if you’d make it back.

“We believe we’ve found one of the women taken and sold by Boyko.

We’re sending in a small team, consisting of the four of you.

The man she was sold to is rich and has a massive estate on the island of Maui.

It’s outside Hana, a small community on the island’s eastern end.

It’s more isolated than many other parts of the island, and due to the size of his estate, no one seems to care what happens behind the gate and walls,” Sean explained.

“Does this buyer have a name? What do we know about the bastard?” I grumbled.

Any mention of someone doing shit like what Boyko did made me more furious. There were times I wished I could bring him back to life so I could torture and kill the fucker again. This time, Kensy would get to watch if she wanted, while I let loose on him. I’d make it last for days, not mere hours.