Page 21 of Lacey's Fight

He didn’t like it. Jemima was dead, it was only fitting that he spend the rest of his life nothing more than the shell of the man he’d once been.

CHAPTER FIVE

August 4th

10:41 P.M.

England was a beautiful country.

Too bad she couldn’t enjoy it.

Lacey was too strung out.

This case was everything she and her sisters had wanted from the moment Prey rescued them. Knowing that the man who had hurt them so badly was still out there had made adjusting to a world they knew nothing about that much harder. They had never given up on hoping one day they might get a chance to take him down.

To have that chance slip away twice already put more pressure on her and this mission.

Which meant she should have her entire focus on it and not the silent man sitting beside her.

Ben was a distraction she couldn’t afford.

Yet he was a distraction that wasn’t going anywhere.

Like she’d told him on the plane, life was too short to hold onto negativity. Wasn’t always easy to let go of the things that hurt you, but the only other alternative was to let them consume you.

Ben had definitely messed with her head and made her feel bad about herself. But they had to make peace to work together, and it was more than obvious if left to his own devices Ben would never have done anything, choosing to let the tension between them continue to build.

Big picture.

Putting up with the fact that Ben didn’t like her was a small price to pay to finally get a chance to destroy the man who had come perilously close to destroying her.

Some days closer than others.

The private car that had picked them up from the airport began to slow, and she focused herself, slipping into character. Prey managed several identities they could use with detailed and regularly updated backgrounds, and the ones that had been chosen for her and Ben were perfect. Diana Harper was a flirty, bubbly socialite with a darker side she kept hidden, a role Lacey could play with ease. Her husband, Drake, was a powerful businessman with ruthlessness and willingness to do anything to make money that lent authenticity to their story.

As far as she was concerned, the only thing that might mess this up was Ben’s reactions to her. It was clear he didn’t like her, but he was going to have to find a way to put that aside and accept that he was supposed to be her devoted, protective husband. Since he wasn’t used to undercover work like this, she prayed he could pull it off.

They’d been in character since they got off the plane. They’d been met by two men sent to pick them up and endured both a search of their luggage and their bodies. Thankfully, it wasn’t a strip search and just a pat down because from the way Ben had glowered at the two men as they ran their hands—very dispassionately—over her body, he’d been giving off I’ll rip you to pieces vibes. Maybe she shouldn’t be worried about his acting abilities.

He could pull this off, they both could.

They had to.

Anything less wasn’t acceptable.

The Master wasn’t getting away again.

Whatever it took, she was going to make sure that he met with the fate he deserved.

Once they’d entered the car, Ben had pulled out a laptop and begun to work. What exactly he was doing to make it look like he was working she had no idea. Lacey had pulled out her cell phone, pretending she was chatting with friends and flicking through her social media apps. Part of their cover was social media, every detail that could be considered had been, Prey didn’t do anything by half measures.

Now, she slipped her cell phone into her purse and leaned toward the window. “Darling, are you seeing this? Look how beautiful the manor house is,” she said as the driver pulled up to large wrought iron gates, giving them a view of the mansion at the end of a long tree-lined driveway.

Although it was night, the sky was clear, and with the moonlight and starlight, they could get a reasonable view of the house.

“This is what I was telling you I wanted. Some nice, quiet little spot where we can build the most amazing manor house just like this. It will be the absolute, most perfect place for us to start this new venture,” she gushed. Pretending that she agreed with buying and selling people, using them against their will made her feel sick inside, but it was for a good cause. Lacey just had to keep reminding herself of that.

As though he somehow sensed how difficult this was for her despite the bright smile on her lips, Ben closed his laptop and placed a large hand on her thigh. Regardless of how important this mission was, by far the biggest of her career, her body instantly responded. With all his pent-up, tightly controlled emotions, Lacey just knew that if the two of them ever fell into bed together it would be explosive.

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