Protect Her: Part 11 Read Free

hoped that whatever punishment he faced would be fair. If nothing else, because he had been kind to me for the three years I spent on Calamata Island. He had made poor decisions, but I didn’t think he was a bad man. Or angel.
    “I need to be sure you are keeping me in the loop,” Benjamin said. “I can’t keep my brothers from finding out you are alive if you hide things from me until it is too late.”
    “That’s the reason you let me go,” I said. “It wasn’t out of the kindness of your heart. You knew you’d be able to use me as bait, and you wanted to get to Riley before your brothers did. You can use that as a way to keep a lid on what they want to do to you.” I wanted to smack myself against the forehead. Of course, Benjamin was only interested in saving his own skin.
    “There is no reason that I can’t achieve all of that while keeping you safe. Your assumption that your dark angel would want to see you at all could be a great overestimation on your part,” Benjamin said.
    “He will want to see me once he knows I’m alive,” I said.
    “You know what he’s been doing. You’ve seen the aftermath of his adventures so far, haven’t you?”
    “I have,” I said. Images blinked in my mind. The one thing in common in all of them was the blood. So much blood. I felt my stomach churn. “What of it?”
    “You think that now that Riley has a taste of the kind of power he can wield over man and demon alike, he will want to give that up?”
    “That isn’t who he is,” I said. I gulped at the intensity of his stare. “Riley is a good man. He’s made some bad decisions in the past, but he can atone for those.”
    It was slightly ironic. Benjamin and I had had the same argument about the potential for good and evil in people for years. I could see that he remembered this too as he shook his head with a sigh. “Evil is evil, Paige. I am concerned that when you discover that truth for yourself, it will devastate you.”
    I lifted my chin. “I’ve seen evil in the world. You forget who I was and what I went through before I came to Calamata Island. I’ve seen the darkness and the world’s dark underbelly. I know the lengths that men will go to achieve and hold onto their deepest, darkest desires. That is why I know Riley isn’t like them. He’s confused. Lost. And right now, he’s alone.”
    “Not alone,” Benjamin said ruefully. A folder appeared in his hand. He dropped it onto the bed. “I have my sources even as you have yours. I think you’ll find this bit of information…illuminating.”
    He moved toward me, and I stepped aside from the open door. He stopped as he reached the threshold and turned his cheek over his shoulder. “This is bigger than Riley, Paige, and I think you know that. This is about saving lives. I need your help. I know the feeling isn’t mutual, but I trust you more than I trust anyone on this sorry plane of existence. We can help each other. Think about what I’ve said. Don’t hide what you know from me.”
    I blinked, and he was gone. I jumped when Viho emerged from the other side of the door. I could tell by the look on his face that he had overheard at least a portion of the conversation.
    “You keep powerful company,” he said, but his tone of voice told me that he was less than impressed.
    “I can’t afford to let him get in the way,” I said as I stormed to the bed. I stared down at the folder that sat there. It wasn’t thick, but I knew that what I’d find inside was going to upset me. “You heard what he said? That Riley isn’t working alone?”
    Viho nodded. He motioned toward the door, and I gestured for him to come inside. It was nice to know at least some people in the world still had manners. He closed the door behind him and sat down in a chair at the small table under the room’s window that looked over the front of the motel.
    I picked up the folder and moved to the table. I sat across from him as I set the folder down between us. “He