Page 61 of Shadow Redemption
He began to talk, starting with his father’s death, continuing through his mother’s transformation, and his training at Silas’s hands. When he finished, Ben waited for Nico’s reaction.
When his team leader was silent for too long, Ben chanced a glance his direction. His heart sank at the disgust and raw fury on Nico’s face. Would he have to ask Maddox for a team reassignment? The possibility made him want to puke. He loved working with Shadow. Losing them would be akin to losing his family all over again.
Nico turned and clamped a hand over Ben’s shoulder. “When we smoke out Ruth’s stalker, we’re going after that viper and destroying his nest. We’re going to finish this, Ben.”
“They don’t have a website and keep a low profile,” he choked out. “They’re like that Whack-A-Mole game. You beat them down with a hammer and they’ll pop back up again in a different place.”
“Davidson and his cronies won’t be able to hide from Fortress or us. They don’t know it yet, buddy, but they’re days are numbered. They won’t be able to hurt any more kids when we’re finished with them.”
Ben shook his head. “I can’t ask you to do this. It’s my problem, my nightmare. I won’t risk any of you.”
“You’re not asking. We’re a team, a family. What hurts you hurts us, too. We’ll do recon to find out what we’re up against. If we need more teams, Maddox will be glad to assign them. Shadow is going to take Eden down.”
“Not all the men of the commune are evil. Some of them didn’t know what was going on because they weren’t part of the power structure. Only those in the inner circle or leaders were given children to train. By the time they finished with the kids, they were too afraid or beaten down to tell anyone what had been going on.”
“Are all the men of the commune armed?”
Ben frowned and thought back to his time in the compound. He blinked as the truth dawned on him. “No, only the leaders and those in power along with the guards. They’re tasked with protecting the commune if we come under attack. Why didn’t I remember that before now?”
“The only reference you have is the child’s memories,” Ruth said. “The child didn’t think in terms of weapons and guard rotations like you would now as a military-trained adult.”
“I’m a Navy SEAL as well as black ops. That should have been my first consideration. Instead, my boyhood fears came to the front.”
“Learned response,” Nico said. “You did what you could to get law enforcement on the task of shutting down Eden. Unfortunately, the police have to follow the rules. We don’t. However, I think it might be worth our while to get the feds involved.”
Ben flinched. “Seriously? They always screw things up.”
“Yeah, I know. Davidson has taken his commune of horrors on the road across state lines several times over the years that you’ve been trying to nail them. The feds aren’t a fan of human traffickers and that’s exactly what Davidson and his buddies are. Trust me, the feds will want in on this and chances are pretty good that they’ll be happy to have a big coup like this one to crow about to the media. I want to broach the subject with Maddox and possibly Rafe Torres. He’s the best fed I know, especially since he’s now one of us. Is that acceptable to you?”
Ben stared at the ocean for a minute, running through every other possible scenario. In the end, he realized he didn’t have any other options. He’d tried working with local law enforcement and they had failed. Now, his future with Ruth was on the line. He wanted the freedom to love her without being afraid to leave her alone when he was on assignment for fear that Davidson or one of his flock would kidnap Ruth and subject her to the same treatment that he’d suffered.
He gripped Ruth’s hand and turned to Nico. “Do it.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Sandwiched between Ben and Joe with Sam standing in front of her, Ruth’s level of worry grew as the Casa del Mar elevator descended to the lobby.
Ben’s hand tightened around hers. “We’ve got this, sunshine. Concentrate on your job and let us handle the rest.” He kissed her fingers as the silver doors slid open. “We’re good at what we do.” They walked through the lobby and out a side door to the beach.
Ruth paused at the end of the boardwalk and removed her shoes. Her bodyguards, however, did not.
“You’ll get sand in your shoes,” Ruth murmured to Ben.
“Bare feet are a drawback in a fight.” Ben wrapped his arm around Ruth’s waist as they crossed the sand.
“Do you expect trouble?”
“Always.”
No wonder he stayed alert when they were in public. Thinking back through the past few days, Ruth realized she was alive because Ben prepared for the worst. Nothing caught him by surprise.
Her lips curved. Except her. She surprised him when she wouldn’t walk away from Ben after he revealed his past. But he didn’t know that she’d been falling in love with him from his first grouchy comment when Shadow snatched her from Hugo’s lair. Instead of treating her as a fragile, helpless woman, Ben demanded she fight back and help in her rescue. To her surprise, she had responded and discovered more inner strength than she ever imagined.
While she healed, she wanted to help Ben heal, too. He needed someone in his life who accepted every part of him, his past included, and loved him anyway. She wanted to be the person Ben turned to, knowing that he could trust her with his heart.
As Ruth walked toward a large air-conditioned tent and milling people, two men watched her progress across the sand. Both looked surprised, then frowned at Ben’s proprietary hold.
She sighed. Great. A rocky start to the day. Scott Barber, the photographer, strode toward her while her agent, Rich Eisenhower, remained in place, glowering at Ben.