He knew she was right and so he finished the sentence for her. “We would have turned against one another.”
She nodded. “I think so.”
He squeezed her fingers back. She was likely right. She usually was. And her words made him feel a bit better. She understood at least some of his decisions. “Rebecca, I can’t reverse my choices.”
“I know that,” she said with a shake of her head. “And for whatever it’s worth, I’m glad you’re here. That you’re not—”
She couldn’t even saydead. Her voice broke. He leaned closer, pressing his forehead to hers, his eyes closing. He breathed in her spicy scent that had always driven him half mad with wanting. “I’m glad you’re glad.”
“Bennet, that is no promise for the future. What you did…we’re broken.”
Broken? His throat swelled with the emotion that rolled through him. All these years, he’d thought of little but her. How could that have all been for naught? “Don’t say that.”
She pulled back, her forehead sliding against his. “It’s true. There are certain choices one can’t undo, and the same is true for feelings.”
His heart hammered against his ribs. He needed to find the words. She’d always been better at that than him, but this time, he needed to try. “That’s true. We can’t change the past. But that doesn’t have to dictate the future. We can still—”
“Bennet.” Her voice broke. “I can’t.”
The hack drew to a stop, and she pushed over him, nearly tripping on his legs as she tossed open the door. He held her waist to make certain she didn’t fall, until she righted herself and climbed from the carriage, disappearing down an alley. He looked up at the stately townhouse. This real estate had been purchased in the ashes of his former life.
“We’re not done, Rebecca. Not even close.” And then he snapped the door shut again. He had a new goal.
First, he’d put whoever had done this behind bars. But then…
Then he’d win Rebecca back. He had a few other attributes besides strength. One of them was persistence. He’d work for years to win her affection again. And the other…
A relentless nature that would push him to any length to make Rebecca his again.
CHAPTER FIVE
Rebecca duckedbetween a pile of crates, watching the unloading of theSea Goddess. It looked like any other boat at the docks. Men scurried to and from, busily hauling crates and yelling to one another as they worked.
She had to confess that Bennet’s ability to collect information in this madness impressed her. Yesterday, Rebecca had made it sound as though the answer was obvious, but in this mad scramble, she wasn’t certain how anyone managed to see or understand anything.
“What are you doing here?” Bennet’s deep voice growled behind her.
She gave a delicate sniff. She’d told him that she’d continue the investigation with or without his support. This villain, whoever he was, had ruined her life nearly as much as Bennet’s. She’d help bring him to justice.
“I told you yesterday,” she whispered back. “I’d investigate on my own if I had to.”
“And what are you looking for exactly, Rebecca? A crate labelled ‘money?’ I told you. They’re incredibly crafty at hiding it. I’ve attempted to figure it out for months now.”
She gave another sniff, because…well…he had a point.
“I don’t know what I’m looking for, this is my first time.” She’d followed leads, of course. And she’d tracked perpetrators too. But usually, it was a wayward lady or lord looking to have a tryst. The stakes weren’t quite as high, and in all honesty, the crime was often easy to spot.
He’d knelt behind her, his knees coming to either side of her in a way that trapped her between them, or protected her—she wasn’t quite certain. “Which is why you shouldn’t be here.”
“You knew I’d come,” she said, looking back at him over her shoulder. Mistake. His dark eyes glittered in the starlight, his strong masculine features looking even more angular in the darkness. He looked dangerously gorgeous despite the rough sailor garb he’d put on for the occasion.
“I did.” His hand slid to her waist, his fingers spreading wide over her ribs. “But I must insist you leave.”
“I will,” she said, forcing her attention back on the action. “After the boat is unloaded.”
“Rebecca,” he rumbled, close to her ear. The sound reverberated through her, sending delicious shivers up her spine.
“Bennet,” she replied, refusing to give in to the feeling, “we both know I’ll be safer here with you. And besides, I should wait until everything quiets down so that I don’t risk being seen.”