The Shepherd's Crook Pt. 04

"Don, I only met her this past September, and I just discovered she's been tracing my steps to learn about my life today. I certainly didn't ask her to fall on your dick. That it was available for her to fall on is your doing," Ben said, returning the heat.

Don was quiet for a moment. "Yes, you're right. I'm sorry, Ben. Feeling a little too sorry for myself these days."

"I'm also sorry you got caught up in... whatever it is. I don't have enough information on what she's doing other than speaking to people who've been involved in my life. Can you recall what you told her about me?" Ben asked.

"She seemed pretty impressed that we were business partners. She might have asked about the strip club, but I was pretty drunk when she started grilling me. You should probably speak to Bryan and his crew. They spent more time with her than me. Hang on a second. Let me text Evie to see if she still keeps in touch with the girl you rescued from the club. Betty?"

"Becky," Ben corrected.

"Ah! Right, right," Don muttered, distracted by his tapping on the phone's keypad. Then Ben heard a sound effect of something swooshing away.

Don put the cell to his ear again. "I'm wondering if Robin went to speak to her as well. I've asked Evie to confirm."

"How is Evie doing?" Ben asked.

He could hear the smile in Don's voice. "She's still my friend though she's disappointed in me. Everyone is, really. But I made sure this mess hasn't affected the business in any way. We're still doing really well, as seen by our sales reports. The team is still happy and busy."

"That's great to hear, Don. I'd like you to ensure you take care of yourself, too. Yes, people are relying on you, but you can spend some time on your well-being. If you need help with this, there are people trained to talk you through it. There's no stigma. It's just another health issue."

Don was quiet again for a moment. "Thanks, Ben."

There was a bing, and Don made a pleased sound. "Evie just got back to me, and she said Robin did speak with Becky and her mother. She must have done that after she left us. Christ, this woman is frighteningly thorough."

"Thanks for checking up on that for me, Don. I'll give Bryan a call and see what he recalls."

"I'd say no worries, but it sounds like you may have some," Don said cautiously.

Ben sighed. "I'll look into it. Thanks again. Bye!"

After hanging up, Ben looked up Bryan's number on his cell and dialed it on the burner. He wondered if it was too late to call the man.

"Yeah, who the fuck is this?" a voice barked into the phone. There was a fair amount of noise in the background. The gang might be out on the town again.

"It's Ben Shepherd."

"OH! Oh! Hey Ben! Sorry, this isn't your usual number!" the man laughed.

Ben smiled as Bryan was as enthusiastic as usual. "Borrowed a friend's. Listen, I need to ask you about a woman who worked at your company last year. The one who had a fling with Don."

"A fling! Ha! You say the funniest things. They shagged, and Don got caught with a wet wick!" the man guffawed.

Ben rolled his eyes. "Right, well, I heard about it when I just spoke to him. Don mentioned she hung out with you and the team."

There was a hesitation then Bryan came back on. "Yeah... right... I recall her joining us on a pub crawl or two. She spent most of her time with Mare, though. They were right mates until she had to piss off. Left Mare with a case of the sads."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Do you have Mare's number so I could speak to her?" Ben asked.

Bryan snorted. "I'll do ya one better. MARE! Come talk to Ben!"

He heard a group of voices suddenly yell out his name, and the phone was fumbled into Mare's hands.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mare. It's Ben Shepherd. Do you have a moment to talk, somewhere quiet?"

"Oh! Uh, give me a moment," she said.

The background noise gradually diminished, and there was a sudden drop in volume as she stepped outside.

"How's that?" Mare asked.

"Much better! First off, how are you feeling? Bryan said you were feeling a little blue earlier this year," Ben began.

"Oh! Nah, I'm okay now. Thanks for asking," she said, and Ben could hear the pleased smile.

"That's good to hear. I just discovered that a woman by the name of Robin has been tracking down people I've associated with and has been pumping them for information on me. I'm unsure what her ultimate goal is with this information, but I understand she spent time with you. Do you recall what you spoke about with her?" Ben asked gently.

Mare made a throat-clearing sound, and there was a moment of quiet before she spoke. "Robin was a lot of fun to be around. I really felt comfortable with her, and she could make anyone smile. We talked a lot about everything. One night she asked about the girl you rescued from the strip club, and I told her everything I could remember. Evie told her about the shopping trip you sent her on the next day. That was really sweet of you, Ben."

Ben grunted.

"Who is Robin Wood? Is that even her name?" Mare asked, and Ben could hear an echo of the hurt she'd felt when Robin left.

Ben sighed. "I don't know who she is. This is the first time I've heard that last name! I met her a few months ago when she was a flight attendant on a jet service I used to fly between a few countries. I saw her a few times over a few days, and I also thought she was charming, funny, and easy to talk to. I said more about my personal life than I usually would have. Then I discovered she spent time with a good friend of mine in France before she was a flight attendant and prior to France she was working at your company. Everywhere she's been, she's been digging for information about me. I'm... thinking she might be planning to publish it. The problem is, she stole something from my friend in France. I need to get it back for her."

"Shit! She stole from your friend? What's gotten into her?" Mare asked.

Ben recalled the night in Singapore. "We talked about our childhoods; she said she'd had a humble one. I don't know if it's true, but she said her mother was a maid in a large manor home and her father was a taxi driver. I think she has the drive to own one of those manor homes one day."

"With no friends to share it with her," Mare sad sadly.

"She's burning through a lot of trust along the way," Ben agreed.

"If she ever calls me, and I don't expect her to, did you want me to say anything to her?" Mare asked.

Ben thought for a second before answering. "No. When I found out she was abusing the trust of my friends, I lost all respect for her. She's not worth our time. Thanks, Mare! Send my regards to the team."

"Thanks, Ben. I will."

The line went dead, and Ben lowered the phone as he stood looking out at the white snow covering the countryside. That pristine cover went all the way down into the valley and up the mountains on the other side. It looked pure, clean, and untouched, bringing him a little comfort as he enjoyed the view.

Robin Wood. If he could trust that this was her real name. For some reason, Ben thought it was.

At one time, he thought she might be a good person, someone he could rely upon.

But that wasn't the case.

Arms wrapped around his waist, and soft breasts pressed against his back as Gabriella rested her cheek against Ben's shoulder.

"Are you all right, Ben?" she asked.

He hugged her arms and sighed. "Yeah, just a little disappointed. Robin seemed like a good person, but she's messing with some truly nice people and leaving wreckage in her wake. That's not cool. She helped break up Don Blake's marriage though he's definitely at fault, too. She hurt the feelings of one of Don's engineering team. She stole from Stephanie. I think she might be gathering information about me to publish a book."

Gabriella released him and moved to face him. She looked into his eyes and saw his discomfort at the idea. "What do you want to do?"

He took a deep breath. "I want to go home and hide in my basement, away from all the prying eyes, but I won't do that. I have so many wonderful people around me now. I want to share my days with them." Ben touched her chin and tilted her face up gently so he could kiss her tenderly. Then he smiled at her as her eyes shone with love. "I'll just keep your faces in my mind and heart and push all that noise aside. I've been through worse."

"Are we going home tomorrow?" Gabriella asked.

Ben nodded. "With a brief stop in London. I believe Fisher mentioned we'd stop there for refueling. I need to contact Dennis to get the home address for Robin Wood. We'll make a brief visit to retrieve Stephanie's property."

Gabriella gave Ben an evaluating look. "That's all you plan to do there?"

"I'll ask her about her plan for the information she's gathered. I may even ask her nicely to cease and desist, but that's all," he admitted.

Gabriella nodded and gave him a hug. "I can't wait to get you home," she sighed.

Ben smiled. Home sounded so good.

Chapter 48

Stephanie might have been blind, and she might have been frail from months of depression and self-neglect, but they'd purged all the old sculptures from her studio quickly. For a fresh start, she said.

Then she found new energy to drag Ben to her small single bed in the corner and fucked him silly. Stephanie wanted to ride his pony, she said as she giggled. She'd been listening to some new music, it seemed.

She did ride his pony, then let Ben fill her from behind, doggy-style. Finally, he drove himself down into her from above, pounding her into her mattress while she clung to him and cried out in bliss.

The studio wasn't the most soundproof room in the chateau, and they filled it with the sounds of their gasps, cries, and moans until Stephanie finally said enough.

He was worried he'd been a little too rough with her, but she had the widest smile as they cuddled.

Before she completely faded, she made Ben promise to let her map his body in the morning. Her muse wanted her to create a new sculpture of him which she promised not to sell. He told her to speak to Alexis after she and Béatrice talked to Richard and Henry. He wouldn't explain why as it made him too uncomfortable, so he just kissed her.

The following morning he'd fulfilled his promise to her and relaxed back on the mattress as she ran her fingers over every inch of his skin as she wore an expression of fierce concentration. Ben got a little stiff down below from her attention, but she was still a little too sensitive from the night before. That didn't mean she didn't spend time mapping his cock in excruciating detail.

Afterward, Ben and Gabriella kissed her, Alexis, and Béatrice goodbye, and the group piled into the vans. They had to hurry back to Grenoble to make their take-off time.

All the way back, the Commandos dropped innuendos about Ben's noisy visit with the artist. As they'd been on the ground floor during that entire interval, they'd enjoyed the audio track of Ben and Stephanie's reunion.

Zama lamented her top-floor room robbed her of this. Moon just smiled innocently as her room had been just up a flight of stairs and within hearing range of the studio.

Evelyn fidgeted as she'd heard some of it when she checked in with the Commandos before heading to bed.

Liliya listened to the teasing with interest.

Gabriella hid her satisfied smile as she knew she would soon make those sounds with Ben herself.

"Fisher, we need to make a brief stop in London," Ben said.

The man looked over the seat at Ben in frustration. "Again?"

"I spoke with Dennis last night, and I have the address for Robin Wood. We need to retrieve the item she stole from Stephanie."

'Shit! How much time will you need?" Fisher growled.

"She lives in a townhome in Hounslow, a suburb just east of Heathrow. It's a five-minute drive," Ben explained.

"Fine. Killjoy and I will take you. The rest will stay with the plane," he insisted.

"Evelyn and I will be with Ben as well," Liliya insisted. Fisher glared at her but nodded.

The drive back to Grenoble didn't take long, and the flight to Heathrow was relatively smooth. Once they were on the ground, Ben found himself whisked through a back door with Fisher, Stim, Evelyn, Liliya, and Moon. He wasn't sure why Moon was in the group, but Fisher didn't give him time to ask as they rushed through the accessways of the terminal.

They were met by some security personnel who directed them to an airport security van which they climbed into. Fisher shook his head when Ben went to speak, so he just waited and glanced over at Moon, who smiled at him. One of the airport security team climbed behind the wheel, and they were on their way. Fisher gave the driver the address Ben had provided him, and within seven minutes, they were parked in front of the home.

It wasn't much to look at. Dennis said Robin told him she inherited her home from her grannie, a two-story townhome in the middle of a block of identical dwellings. Most showed some level of disrepair, and hers desperately needed a paint job. None of the homes had any green space in front, favoring parking pads instead. Ben assumed Robin was away from her home more than she lived in it.

He got out of the van and stood before the home, wondering what he would say. He thought he should give her hell for hurting his friends, stealing from them, and misrepresenting herself. All of that felt insufficient. He decided he wouldn't give her any more of his time than he had to. He glanced back at his protection, then looked to the van, but only the driver was still visible. He frowned as Moon was gone.

"We don't have much time, Ben," Fisher said.

Glancing back at the CO, Ben nodded and walked to the door. He pressed the doorbell and waited. A peephole in the door showed a glimmer of light, perhaps from a back window. That light flickered as someone approached the door.

Ben heard someone on the other side of the door swear, and it was a feminine voice.

"Robin? It's Ben. I just want to speak with you," he said calmly.

There was a long delay, then the door opened but stopped as there was a chain across the gap.

"Ben! W-what are you doing here?" she asked nervously, her blue eye peering at him through the gap.

He raised an eyebrow. "I think you know why I traveled all the way to your door to speak to you."

"No! No, I don't!" she said quickly.

Ben sighed. "My friends have been telling me about a woman who came into their lives, befriended them, grilled them for information on me, and just as quickly cast them aside and left. A beautiful red-haired woman named Robin."

The compliment surprised her, as did his gentle tone. She might have expected him to be angry. Her exposed eye watched him carefully.

"Honestly, I just want to talk. You should know by speaking to everyone I'm a man of my word. No one here means you any harm, and no one will lift a finger against you. I have to get back to the airport momentarily. May we come in?" Ben asked.

She watched his face carefully, then nodded. The door closed and reopened without the chain as Robin stepped back, running her fingers through her hair, trying to make it presentable. She might not have washed it for some time. She also looked like she'd been living in the tracksuit she was wearing, which needed a wash.

"I-I wasn't expecting company," she blurted.

Ben followed Evelyn inside as she looked in all directions and nodded.

"Five minutes, Ben," Fisher said, and Ben nodded as he stepped inside with Liliya following.

They stepped into a sitting room, and Ben smiled as he could see Robin's grandmother's style written all over it. There was almost nothing of Robin in the room.

"What that for?" Robin asked Ben as she stared at him.

He looked at her curiously. "What's what for?"

"Your smile as you entered? What's so funny?" Robin said defensively.

Ben shook his head. "It's not funny. It's sweet. I can see your grandmother's touch in this room. It feels like you haven't changed anything."

Robin nodded slowly, her guard dropping a little.

Ben fixed his eyes on her. "Time is short, so I'll get right to the point. It came to my attention that you've been tracing my path, speaking to people in my life, and pumping them for information on me. Why?"

Robin glanced at the faces of the two women with Ben and swallowed. "A book. I'm writing a book."

"About me?" Ben asked.

"Yes," she said firmly. "You won't give interviews, and there is a huge demand for your story. I wanted to be the one to meet that demand. It's going to make me rich!"

Ben nodded. "Can I ask you not to write it?"

She chuckled. "You can ask, but it's already been written. It's with my publisher right now."

"Ah. I assume they gave you an advance on it?" Ben said.

"Only a small one at first, but once it goes to print, I'll get the rest."

"Who is the publisher?" Ben asked.

Robin's eyes flared. "I'm not going to tell you that. I'm not jeopardizing my fortune by letting you interfere."

Ben watched her and nodded. "Okay."

She peered at him closer. "What does okay mean?"

"Nothing at all," Ben shrugged. He knew he should just leave, but he had a few minutes left, and for his friend's sake, he wanted to say something. "There is also the damage you did to my friends. You hurt quite a few people in your quest to get my story. Don Blake told me how he ruined his marriage by giving into temptation with you. He's got a real problem which you didn't help."

"It's not my fault he cheated on his wife!" Robin said scornfully.

"Not entirely, no, but it takes three to cheat: a couple in a monogamous relationship and at least one other person willing to help break that vow. Don couldn't cheat by himself, and you knew he was married. Not cool."

Robin glared at him. "I think you should leave now."

Ben nodded. "Sure, but I'm also here for Stephanie Murino's property."

Robin's eyes looked away from Ben. "I've no idea what you mean by that."

Ben waited until she glanced back at him. Was that guilt on her face? It looked like it to Ben. He aimed a questioning look at Liliya, who was a far better lie detector than he was. She nodded with a flat expression.

"You won't return it?" Ben asked plainly and saw Robin begin to scowl. She was digging in her heels. She wouldn't be giving anything she'd worked to get. Time to take a different direction.

"By the way, Mary says hello. She was pretty sad when you left as she thought you'd become friends. Then she was confused and disappointed when she found out you were just squeezing people for information. I told her you were likely hoping to get rich off this somehow. Maybe one day, own one of those mansions your mother used to clean. She was worried you'd succeed but discover you had no one to share it with because you hurt everyone on your way up."

Robin sucked in a sharp breath as her eyes teared up.

"I thought you were a pretty great woman until I found out you stole from a blind woman suffering from depression. I can't begin to express how revolting that is," Ben said calmly as he held Robin's eyes.

"Get out!" Robin shrieked and pointed to the door.

"Give me Stephanie's property, and I'll go," Ben said.

"You'll get out, or I'll call the police!" she shouted.

Ben shook his head in disgust and gestured for Evelyn to lead them out.

Liliya was angry, so her accent was heavier. "You are stupid. You use same name everywhere you go. You are so easy to find."

"Liliya," Ben said as he saw Robin's eyes widen at the subtle threat. Liliya smiled and followed him out.

They met Fisher outside, and he glanced at the grim look on Ben's face. "No luck?"

Ben shook his head. "No, let's go," he said and walked to the van. Everyone got in, but one person was still missing.

Ben caught Fisher's eye. "Where's Moon?"