Tormented

Yes.

She wasn’t sure how much he knew, but when she dared to meet his gaze, she saw that she couldn’t dismiss him with another lie. She reached for the pen, but he held it out of reach.

“How badly do you want this pen?”

Not knowing what exactly had been recorded, she couldn’t say for sure. She replied, “It depends.”

“On what?”

Should she tell him? What would happen if she told him the truth?

Various memories came back to her, of him questioning her about graduate school and what career she saw for herself. Had he suspected something all this time? If so, maintaining the lie would only raise his ire.

He wasn’t giving her back to Jake. He had a business deal with the guy that might be in jeopardy if he didn’t stay in Jake’s good graces, but Ben was willing to risk it to keep her. Maybe she owed him the truth, or at least part of it.

He knew her pen was no ordinary pen, so she should probably come clean on that.

“It depends on what’s on the recording,” she said at last.

He appeared unsurprised, confirming her thought that he knew what the pen was about.

“Nothing criminal. Just eight consenting adults engaged in role-playing.”

“You mean when the women were made to act like pets?”

“Yes. You want to tell me why you were recording all of us?”

What if what she said upset him? Would he change his mind about returning her to Jake? She could always leave. Worst case, she wouldn’t get her story. And maybe it would take her longer to get a job at a place like the Tribune, but it wasn’t like her whole future hinged on whether she got the scoop on the Scarlet Auction.

A part of her wanted to tell Ben, too. She was tired of the charade, tired of dancing around his questions. She wanted him to know the truth.

“Do you mind if I use your phone to text someone?” she asked. “Then I’ll tell you more.”

“Let me guess: you’re texting Sam.”

She nodded. He did nothing, and for the moment, she thought he would refuse, but he handed her his cell. She typed the following:

This is Kimani. We’re heading back to Jake’s cabin in Trinity County. Will contact you again when I arrive.

“You want to tell me who Sam really is?” Ben asked after she had returned his phone.

“I’m not in the Scarlet Auction for the money,” she said, then took another long deep breath. “I’m working on a— My roommate participated in the Scarlet Auction not too long ago. She got beaten up badly by some creep not unlike Jake. I’m investigating the Scarlet Auction so that what happened to my roommate doesn’t happen again.”

“Investigating for whom?”

“For the public.”

“And Sam?”

“Sam is...someone who can help me. We’re thinking of putting together an expose on the questionable practices of the Scarlet Auction.”

“I’m not interested in appearing in any expose.”

“Oh, we’d change people’s names to protect the innocent.”

“Is your interest only in the Scarlet Auction?”

“Yes.”