Page 132 of Carbon

Emmy fetched the orange juice from the fridge and poured herself a glass. “She really did crash on purpose. But look on the bright side, Leroux came off worse.”

Ben’s jaw dropped. “You got him?”

“He’s under police guard in hospital.”

“What the hell happened?” Ben echoed Leo’s words.

“You have to promise not to get mad.”

“Why?”

“Promise.”

He sighed. “Fine, I promise.”

We headed into the lounge, where Ben wrapped his arms gently around me as Emmy recounted the afternoon’s events. I’d been afraid he’d be angry at my stupidity, but instead, he kissed the corner of my lips.

“Please don’t ever try to handle things on your own again.”

That was a no-brainer. “I won’t.”

“Fuck, if anything had happened to you...”

“It didn’t. Sofia found me in time. Uh, howdidyou find me?”

Emmy answered for her. “Roxy saw you leave in a hurry and called Gideon, then we tracked your phone. Sofia was the closest, so she arrived first. It was a stroke of luck when Leroux ordered her to play chauffeur.”

“I’m not sure I’d describe it as luck.”

“I would. If Sofia hadn’t been driving, you’d probably be in Dover by now.”

And that didn’t bear thinking about. I shuddered, and Ben pressed his lips against my cheek. “It’s over. Don’t think about it. We’ve got the rest of our lives to live, and right now, you have to decide where you want me to take you on our first date.”

“Anywhere?”

He looked down at the floor. “Well, not too expensive. I don’t have much money until I get a job. Then I’ll make it up to you.”

“There’s a job for you at Blackwood if you want it,” Emmy said.

He slowly raised his eyes. “Are you kidding?”

“I never kid about work. Everyone’s been impressed by your performance over the last couple of weeks.”

“But I thought with my record from the legion...”

“Because you fought for people who couldn’t fight for themselves even when it cost you everything? You’re exactly the kind of person we want working for us.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

I gave him a nudge. “You told me you always wanted to work there. Say yes.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with it?” he asked me. “I might be late home quite often.”

“Follow your dreams. I followed mine, and look what happened.”

Ben broke out the grin I loved so much. “In that case, I’d be honoured to work for Blackwood.”

“There we go, sorted. Now, make sure you take Gus somewhere nice.”

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