Page 105 of Carbon

“How are you feeling?”

“How the fuck do you think?”

Gideon merely nodded. “It’s best if I explain a few things, but first I need to start with a question. Do you know where Guy Leroux is?”

Ben couldn’t hide his surprise, but he quickly recovered and shook his head. “London somewhere. Always one step ahead of me.”

“No matter. Now we don’t have to look for you as well, we can concentrate our efforts on finding him.”

“So what do you plan to do with me? Call the police?”

Gideon chuckled, and even managed to make that sound sexy. “Non. The police still...how do the English say it? Have their heads up their arses with regards to the Fordham case. Fixing that comes after dealing with Leroux in terms of priorities.”

I couldn’t keep my mouth shut any longer. “They know you didn’t do it.”

“Really? Then why did they snatch me off the street?”

“Because they’re trying to help you. We all are.”

“Funny way—”

Black waved him quiet. “You know who I am?”

Ben looked him up and down. “I can take a guess.”

“Then you know that if I wanted you in jail, you’d be in jail. And if I wanted you dead, you’d be six fucking feet under. So let’s stop with the ‘he said, she said,’ and concentrate on our primary objective, shall we? Where the hell is Leroux?”

The colour drained out of Ben’s face. “Shit. What time is it? How long have I been out?”

“An hour, give or take.”

Ben tried to get up, but the shackles meant he didn’t get more than two steps before Black planted himself in the way.

“Sit.”

I put my hands on my hips. “Don’t speak to him that way.”

But Ben had already sat, head in his hands. “I need to get back to Roxy.”

The colour drained out of me too, and I sank down beside him. “Who the hell is Roxy?”

He managed half a smile, but it disappeared almost instantly. “Don’t get upset. It’s not like that. Leroux tried to kill her, and I’ve been doing my best to keep her safe. But I’ve fucking failed at that too because now I’m here and she’s alone.”

“Where is she?” Black asked.

Ben hesitated, and Black blew out a breath. Patience didn’t seem to be his strong suit.

“If you don’t tell us, we can’t help her,” Black said.

I watched Ben go through the same struggle as I did, only I’d agonised for weeks over whether to trust Blackwood and Ben didn’t have that long. I reached for his hand, steeling myself for him to snatch it away and beyond relieved when he didn’t.

“They’re good people. Please let them help.”

“She’s in a bedsit in Peckham.”

“Address?”

Ben mumbled it. “But I should go. She’s been through hell, and she’s scared of strangers. Especially men.”

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