His gaze narrows. “So you’re telling me you think my brother is responsible? You think Benji played a part?”
My throat tightens. “I don’t know.”
“Are you serious?” He jerks back. “You’re trying to pin Abi’s death on my brother?”
“No, I’m pinning it on Robert. I didn’t consider anything about your brother until Cole brought him up.”
“And still you continued with the accusations. You realize speculation like this can get Benji killed, right? The mere possibility of betrayal could be enough for Torian to end his life.”
I close my mouth. Swallow.
“Answer me.” He keeps his voice low. “Explain what the hell is going on in that mind of yours.”
“I don’t know.” I shake my head.
There’s too much noise. Too many voices. Some of them tell me I’m right—Abi didn’t kill herself. Robert is responsible. Others suffocate me, laying blame at my feet, telling me I’m wrong, wrong, wrong. “I can’t explain how I feel. All I know is that I’m certain Robert killed her.”
There’s more. So much more, but I don’t know how to tell him.
“You don’t get it. If Robert killed her, it means Benji is involved. Or he fucked up.” He shoves his hands into his hair. “You heard Torian. Nobody else knew where she was. Not one single person had any idea where those women were.”
“It’s not his fault if Robert followed them.”
“From where? The airport? After they were hurried onto a private jet from Greece?” He shakes his head and winces with the movement. “You think Luther preempted his own death, arranged for a jet, and had Robert waiting here in Portland?”
“Maybe Abi called someone. She could’ve told anyone she was going home.”
“Benji wouldn’t have risked it. There’s no way he would’ve let that information get out.”
“Then I don’t know.” I throw my arms up at my sides. “Maybe someone found them. Maybe some random person suspected something when they went for food, or gas, or whatever. Maybe Luther had a database of all the women he stole.”
I’m clutching at straws. Scrambling.
Luca grins, the tweak of lips unkind. “You think Luther had a database? You seriously think he documented his crimes for someone to find?”
“No,” I admit. “He was too paranoid, but—”
“You’re too paranoid,” he counters. “You’re losing your shit, Pen. You need to pull yourself together.”
“And you’re complacent and dismissive. There are things you don’t know, Luca. Things I haven’t told you.”
His eyes narrow. “What things?”
I don’t want to say. Not now. Not after his heartfelt admission earlier.
“Penny?” He shoves from the bed. “What things?”
I lick my lips to ease the painful dryness. “I don’t want to cause more trouble between us.” I need to keep this to myself. Even Tobias knew not to announce his suspicions until he whispered them in my ear.
“There’s no trouble between us, shorty. That’s not what this is.”
“Then what is it?”
“A learning curve.” He eats up the distance between us, the tight pull of his brows announcing the pain continuing to pummel him. “No matter what happens, I’m still protecting you with my life. Nothing changes that. There’s not one damn thing you could tell me to cause trouble.”
“I could test that theory.” I could… but I don’t want to.
“Let me prove myself to you.”
I shake my head, unable to voice my deeper suspicions.
“Come on, Pen. You know you can trust me.”
I stare at him. At the conviction. The plea for understanding.
The problem is, I believe him. I believe everything he says yet he can’t give me the same in return. “I recognize his voice, Luc.”
“Whose?” He scrutinizes me.
My heart thunders, each beat rampant. “Benji’s.” I swallow again, unable to get enough moisture as Luca frowns at me. “I heard him on the phone the day Abi died. At first, I thought he sounded familiar because his tone is a lot like yours. But that’s not it. I didn’t realize until Tobias said something that his voice was familiar because I’d heard him speaking to Luther.”
“What did Tobias say?”
“That the voice of Layla’s husband sounded like one of the men his baba spoke to all the time. That he hadn’t met your brother yet, but was worried he was a bad man.”
He stiffens, his shoulders snapping rigid. “What conversations did you hear? What was discussed?”
“I can’t remember.” I wrap my arms around my waist. “Tobias didn’t say, either. And I admit, I didn’t sense a bad vibe when I first heard him in Portland, but now things are getting messed up and I don’t know what to think.”