Bennett - Milly Taiden Page 0,26

She was slipping on a pair of jeans and a simple black tee when her phone rang.

The display had Nick’s name shining bright as the shrill sound of the phone echoed through the room. She considered ignoring the call. She didn’t know what to say to her boss just yet. But she knew that if she didn’t pick up, he would be that much more nervous and anxious. He had only hired her on a trial basis, and he didn’t fully trust her yet.

He should have probably listened to his instincts on that one.

“Hello?” Her voice cracked on the cheerfulness she tried to add to her tone.

“Dakota, it’s Nick. I am just checking in. How is everything?”

It was a good thing Nick had called and not shown up. He would have smelt the lie immediately.

“Fine.”

Dakota knew she should tell Nick the truth. But if he knew what she had done, he would never hire her. More than that, there was the fact that a man’s life hung in the balance.

She had learned a long time ago that you never go to your boss with a problem if you didn’t already have a solution. Dakota would call him as soon as Bennett pulled through.

“You sound upset. What happened?”

“Oh, just lost a game of Wars of Sorcerers. I’m competitive, so I really hate losing.”

“I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about. I tried calling Ben, and he didn’t answer.”

Shit.

“He’s in the lab. He must have put his phone on silent mode.”

Nick’s end of the line went quiet for a second too long. “I thought you were playing a game.”

Fuck. This is why she made a crappy employee. She was a lousy liar.

“Right. That was earlier. Still nursing the metaphorical wound.” She looked down at the gunshot wound in her stomach and leg. Both were healing quite well. “He’s in the lab now. I hate to bother him, but I can if you really need him.

Nick mumbled something about geeks being the same, and the voice of a woman came through. “Don’t be a jerk, Nick. Is that the new girl? Leave her alone and let her do her job. She’s fine. You’re fine, right, honey? Tell my husband to get lost so he can finally focus on the sunshine and this amazing rooftop pool.”

Dakota felt a flash of shame. Nick was a good man who deserved a holiday with his wife. She had really fucked things up by letting Bennett get injured. In more ways than one.

For a tiny second, she considered telling Nick everything, but hearing the sound of his wife’s voice made her change her mind.

This was a curveball. But her previous instinct of keeping everything from her boss until it was resolved was better. Besides, he could do nothing. He was too far away. He would only have to cut his trip short, miss his cousin’s wedding, and seriously piss off his wife.

For all she knew, the threat for the serum was over. They had taken the saline solution-filled vials. Who knew how long it would take Baldy to figure out he had a dud? By that time, Bennett would be better and a shifter to boot. They could take on whatever threat came their way. Together.

Then Dakota could prove to Nick just how capable and resourceful she was.

“It’s fine, go on and enjoy your time with your wife. I’ll call you if I need to.”

Nick grumbled some more, but he ended the call.

Dakota pressed the device into her chest, eyes shut tight. She had lied to her boss. That had to mean she was the world’s worst trial employee ever.

She would worry about that later. When Bennett was better. She slid her phone into her back pocket and made her way down the hall and into Ben’s bedroom.

His three friends were sitting quietly all around him.

“How is he?” she asked.

Vance shook his head. “We have no idea. With all of the medical degrees in this room, you’d think we could give you a better answer, but we just can’t.”

“We don’t know what the serum is,” Corey specified. “We have no way of knowing if it’s helping.”

“He’s stable for now,” Stuart said. “That’s what she wanted to know, you savages.” He gave her a small, tight smile.

“I’m sorry.” She wiped a stray tear from her face. She wasn’t a crier, but she had cried more in the last hour than she had in her whole entire life. “I didn’t mean to put him in danger.” A sobbing hiccup shook