Page 30 of Bastian

ANYTHING FOR YOU

“All that is left of us are broken promises and dust.” — A

“Well, look at you, top dog.” The comforting sound of Benjamin’s voice makes me lift my head and turn my face from the computer screen. Although I don’t smile, I welcome my friend. My confidant. The one person who’s always been there for me, no matter what.

Benjamin Banning.

I stare at his smiling face, and it warms me. “Benjamin.”

“My girl.” His smile widens as he steps into my office, closing the door behind him. “I’m so fucking proud of you.” Benjamin moves towards where I am standing behind my desk and takes me into his arms, giving me one of his annoying but warm hugs. In his embrace, I allow myself to feel all the gratitude and, dare I say, the love I feel for this man.

Although I’m colder than most people, never with him.

He’s bigger than the last time I saw him if that’s even possible, and he finally finished the left tattoo sleeve that he’s been meaning to. He looks even more intimidating now.

He also cut his hair short on the sides and left it a little longer on top.

Benjamin is drop-dead gorgeous in an almost intimidating way. A heartbreaker, and he knows it.

He ditched his black-on-black uniform and is wearing dark jeans, black boots, and a sleeveless white shirt. He finally took my advice and started adding more colors to his wardrobe, I think sarcastically to myself.

“Take a seat.” I motion toward a chair. He does and then stares at me silently.

“Bossman is pissed as fuck.”

“And?” He laughs softly at my ‘I give no fucks about what he feels’ attitude.

“He wants the name of the person fucking with his public image, kid, and I’ve steered him away from getting to you for the last three years, but it’s getting to me, man.” He rubs his face exhaustedly.

Then the truth of this hits me because, in his quest to help me, he was acting disloyal to his boss and friend.

No one could’ve stayed hidden for so long, especially with the kind of resources Sebastian has, so I couldn’t have done it without Benjamin’s help.

Every time Sebastian made a move to find me, Benjamin was a step ahead and blocked him, all to get me to this point, but in all of this, he betrayed his closest friend.

Shit.

“I’m sorry.”

“What?”

Fuck, the word sorry always feels like acid in my throat. “For putting you in a position where you had to betray your friend.”

His gaze softens. “You’re my girl. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. You know this.”

How he manages to soften the rock in my chest every time, I don’t know, but he does.

Ironic since, for so long, he has been my rock.

“I would do anything for you, too,” I tell him, vulnerably, and hate it. Ugh, how tedious.

He smiles softly and leans forward with his elbows on his knees. “Would you stop all of this if I asked you to?”

Stiffening, “All but that.” Closing my eyes, I breathe through the pain and focus on the hate. Always hate. Because it’s the only thing that keeps me from getting hurt.

Smiling sadly, he carries on. “What he did was wrong on so many levels. If I could go back and save you from that pain, I would. I swear to fucking God I would.”

“I don’t want to—”

---