Page 152 of His Good Girl

Benjamin’s voice was cold. “I want the source.”

“You’ll have it,” I assured him.

“No,” he pushed back. “I want the source before they know we’re hunting.”

That was not Benjamin the assistant. That was Benjamin the man who had decided someone had threatened his household.

Dana looked at me. “You need to tell Avery.”

“I know.”

“And you need not to decide for her before you do.”

I looked at the closed folder still sitting on the table.

“I’m withdrawing.” My words brought all movement in the room to a halt.

Dana stared at me. Benjamin’s head turned slowly.

Tom went pale in a new and specific way. “From Hartwell?”

“Yes.”

“Callum,” Dana whispered.

“I won’t let them use her.”

Benjamin’s expression changed with alarming speed from fury to something worse. “You are making a decision in a room where the person most affected is not present.”

“I know what she’ll say.”

“No, you do not,” Dana barked sharply. “You know what you’re afraid she’ll say.”

I turned toward the door. “Bring her to my office.”

Benjamin did not move for half a second. Then he nodded once and left. Avery came to my office minutes later. I closed the door behind her and locked it.

“What happened?” she asked.

I told her everything. Avery listened without sitting. Her face went white again, then red, then very still.

When I finished, she said, “They have pictures of us having sex.”

My chest tightened. “Yes.”

“In your office.”

“Yes.”

“Against the window.”

I forced myself to hold her gaze. “Yes.”

She turned away and covered her mouth with one hand. I took one step toward her, then stopped.

“I’m sorry, Avery.”

She laughed once, brittle and awful. “You didn’t fly the drone.”