Swallow (Kindred Book 2) (22 page)

“Too cheesy?” he asked.

“Just a tad.”

His dimples receded and he looked her in the eye with sincerity. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but I’m glad you reached out to me.”

She relaxed and drank again. “I’ve been thinking about our conversation by the lake and… I thought we could maybe… get to know each other a bit better.”

His hand came toward her and she realized she’d walked into her own cheesy line. When she relented a smile, he joined in. “I hope you don’t use that line on all the guys.”

“I don’t use any lines,” she said with a tsk and a look of mock offense because their banter seemed to be relaxing them both and that was just how she wanted him: pliable. “Do I look like the type who goes trawling for men?”

His smile got even bigger and the grooves in his cheeks returned. “Hey, if I knew what that type looked like I wouldn’t have spent so many nights alone recently,” he said before pouring more beer down his throat.

A couple vacated a table nearer the door and so she slipped off her stool. “Well at the risk of sounding too forward, do you want to get a table?”

He noticed the vacant table too and nodded. They got up and Ben followed her to their new seats, which were nearer to the Kindred and to the exit, which for her was a double bonus. Once they were seated, there was a moment of silence and she began to squirm when Brodie spoke.

“Atta girl, Swallow, I’ve got a perfect line of sight.” Brodie praised her for seeing the opportunity and taking it. But where her honor was concerned, she wasn’t sure she trusted Brodie’s trigger finger not to get twitchy. He’d never hurt her, but her date wasn’t safe. All she could do was trust Swift to keep Raven reined in.

The quicker she did her job, the quicker she could get out of here and breathe easy again. “So, Ben,” she said, moving things along. “How is work?”

Her brows rose as she made eye contact. Starting with the benign subject of his work life allowed him to relax. It wasn’t as confrontational or suspicious as a bunch of Sutcliffe questions being her opening gambit.

He wrapped both hands around his beer glass. “My work is much less glamorous than I’m sure you think it is.”

She hadn’t thought physical therapy was glamorous, but she didn’t correct him. Insulting him upfront would be a rookie mistake. So she prompted him to keep talking. “You must meet interesting people.”

“The people are what make the job worth doing,” he said. “Everyone has a story and it’s a privilege to share their journey of rehabilitation with them.”

“Do you have any interesting patients at the moment?” she asked and listened with as much interest as she could muster while he told her about a few patients he was working with. Both of them were dancing around the real purpose for their meeting. She would guess that he didn’t want to appear to be rushing her any more than she wanted to rush him.

“People are often so grateful,” he said after telling her about a third patient. “They don’t realize that it’s them who do the hard work. I’m just there to guide and facilitate what they need.”

“You’re modest,” she said.

The dents in his cheeks deepened again and he glanced at their empty glasses. “Would you like another drink?”

She nodded, and he took their glasses to the bar, leaving her alone. “This isn’t working,” she murmured, glancing down at the table to hide her words.

“It is,” Tuck said. “You’ve got him on the hook. You’re a natural. You’ve just got to steer the conversation to Sutcliffe.”

“Any suggestions?” she asked. She was getting better at this ventriloquist thing of talking without moving her lips. “Should I just come out with it?”

She’d said she wanted to get to know him, implying that she wanted to be friends and to be comfortable with him before making her decisions about Sutcliffe. Quizzing him on the cult and its leader seemed heavy handed. But if Ben brought up the Brit then she could segue into her questions.

“Ask him about the future,” Tuck said. “His future is with Sutcliffe, right?”

Talking about the future was a good plan, and she had the time to think about how to approach it before he came back with the drinks. She craved the sound of Brodie’s voice, but it was silent in her ear and she was preoccupied with his mood. With his grief over Art, he’d had a tough enough time of late. The last thing he needed was to watch her flirting with another guy.

“It’s getting busier,” Ben said, when he sat down again. “There’s no space on the dance floor.”

The music had gotten louder and faster, she surmised that the music got more upbeat as the revelers got drunker. Then it probably slowed down again at the end of the night, to calm people, and to give the men a chance to make a move on those they’d met.

“Do you like to dance?” she asked, keeping conversation easy.

“I like music,” he said. “But I guess I just like to see people having fun.”

“Is that why you frequent this place?” she asked, scanning the room. “It’s welcoming.”

“Yes, it is.”

“A guy like you with a good job and a sense of humor. Why aren’t you married?”

He laughed. “Just haven’t met the right woman I guess,” he said. “It’s on my agenda. I’m ready to settle down. I’m getting too old for the dating scene.”

“I know what you mean,” she said and sipped her drink. “Is that why you got involved with Sutcliffe? You think he will help you settle down?”

He smiled and took a deep breath. Zara was glad he didn’t look hesitant or suspicious. “I’m glad you brought it up. I was avoiding talking about Albert because I didn’t want you to think I was trying to convert you.”

Score one for her. He wanted to talk about Sutcliffe and she wanted to listen. “I’m curious,” she said, thinking about what Grant had said about considering Sutcliffe’s cause. But she didn’t want to come across as too easy and so in a nod to her reluctance by the lake, she repeated her misgivings. “I can’t deny that. I’ve been thinking about our conversation and… I’m worried about you. I don’t know if you understand who Sutcliffe is.”

“You’re going to try and convert me?” he asked, and although that sentiment was extreme, his smile kept her from panicking. “You know so much about me, tell me about you. Have you been married?”

“Me? No,” she said, shaking her head. “No, I come from this small little town and my friends all hooked up young. Now they have kids who go to the same schools that we went to and I… I was always surprised at how easy it was for them to settle. We’ve got to experience life before we can settle down, right?”

“Yes,” he said. “How else can you know what you want unless you’re open to new things?”

“My father wanted me to stay in town and marry the boy next door. I disappointed him by going to college instead of staying home and doing chores.”

“How does he feel about your decision now?”

“I don’t talk to him much,” she said. “I think he’d rather pretend I didn’t exist. I was the flighty one with a warped view of my position in the world.”

“What position is that?” he asked, tilting his head and when she made eye contact, she was sure she blushed at his intent gaze. He was interested in what she had to say and for a few seconds she was flummoxed because she didn’t want the romantic attention of this man, yet here he was being the perfect date.

Being honest was the best approach, she didn’t know what intel Sutcliffe had on her and she had enough to remember without keeping track of lies about her past too. “I had grand notions of being a part of something bigger, of making a difference in the world.”

“Had?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “You don’t have those notions anymore?”

Tipping her head one way and then the other, she explained. “Between college and working, I think I’ve finally come to realize that the world doesn’t need me to save it.”

“Someone has to,” he said. “Don’t you think the world is on a dangerous path?”

Red flags began to pop up and wave, which was a familiar part of dating for her. Except this time, the warning lights were welcomed. They were her whole purpose for being here. “Oh, I think it is,” she said, thinking about everything she’d learned since getting involved with the Kindred. “But what can I do about it? I’m just one person.”

His smile was slow to creep up, but when it finally fixed in place, she knew she had him, even though the smile was caused by his belief that he’d found an open door. An avenue he could use to persuade her of the merits of his cause. “One person can make a difference,” he said. “If they join forces with other likeminded people.”

Ben didn’t seem to have Sutcliffe’s delusions of grandeur. In fact, he was one of the most down to earth people she’d ever met. By getting her to talk about herself, he was effectively doing what she was trying to, easing her into a place of security and using her history to bond with her. This was a complex dance and she wondered if he was aware of the different masks she wore behind this one she was showing him.

“And that’s what you get with Sutcliffe?” she asked because playing dumb and asking him to spell it out served no purpose. She wanted him to believe that she was astute, it made her a greater asset to Albert Sutcliffe. “You think that because you all frequent the same green field that you’re part of a hive? There is no community anymore, certainly not in big cities.”

His vehement excitement made him sway closer to her. “Albert gives us community and we’re teaching the children how important it is to look out for your neighbors,” he said and she nodded. “We have the same ideals that you do. We are part of something larger, and we know it will take time, we don’t expect instant results. But small changes will eventually make a difference to the big picture. We’re a group that wants to make a difference in the world and that have plans to do just that.”

She maintained some skepticism. “With Albert Sutcliffe as your messiah?”

“No,” he said and looked at the label on his bottle. “We’re not trying to save anyone’s soul. We’re more interested in saving the culture and freedom of future generations.”

“Sounds wonderful, but unbelievable,” she said, which was true. Many people wanted a safer, kinder world. But it wasn’t as simple as taking up residence on some green space and singing “Kumbayah.” “How did you get mixed up with him?”

“He was my patient. We met a couple of months ago. His leg was broken in an accident. We worked together to build up his balance and strength again. At first, he was just a patient. Then he started to open up to me and I was surprised by what he said.”

Leaning closer, she did her best to seem as intrigued as possible. “What did he tell you?” Not the whole truth if he was claiming his leg was broken in a regular accident.

“That he was going to do something about the condition of the world. He wanted to ensure the safety of our citizens. The government won’t do anything. They’re too interested in protecting their political capital. But Mr. Sutcliffe wants to take control of our future. We can’t be passive anymore. This is a new world. We live in an information and technology age. It’s not enough to plead ignorance. No one can get away with that. We have the ability to take control of our own destiny.”

He was passionate about what he was saying and she started to feel sorry for him because he couldn’t understand what kind of person Albert Sutcliffe was. No doubt Sutcliffe portrayed himself as harmless and seduced followers into taking on his cause before they realized what they were getting involved in.

She sighed. “I don’t know what to say,” she said, keeping her interest piqued on him. “It sounds too good to be true and you know what they say about that.”

“That’s what I thought at first as well,” he said. “But I’ve seen what he’s building, I’m a part of it now, and it’s wonderful. All he wants is to keep people safe.”

“So he let you join the group? What did you have to do?”

“There’s no initiation or hazing,” he said with an easy laugh. “I didn’t have to take a life or drink blood if that’s what you think. I started by visiting, taking supplies, and sitting in on some meetings.”

He was open to answering her questions and didn’t seem suspicious of why she was asking them. “So there’s no pressure to just jump straight in and make a commitment?”

“No. We have a vast amount of land and we’re largely self-sufficient. Imagine being able to live such a pure existence. Each person is vital to the community and we all look after each other.”

Getting inside would give them the chance to bug the house. Having succeeded so far, her confidence was growing, and the prospect of venturing onto Sutcliffe land alone wasn’t as daunting anymore. “It would be great to talk to more of the people there,” she said.

He frowned. “I can’t take you in without Mr. Sutcliffe’s permission, and he’s out of the country at the moment.”

“Will he be back soon?”

His gaze narrowed and she widened her smile in reaction to what might have been suspicion on his face. “Are you interested?”

She nodded. “If it is a place where everyone has a vital role and lives in a society untouched by cynicism. What have you got to hide?”

“I’ll talk to some people, if you want me to, and maybe we can go there together soon.”

She nodded again and went back to her wine. Ben relaxed, and she was so relieved that they’d overcome a major obstacle. She wanted to find out what Ben knew about Sutcliffe’s claims that he planned to protect the world.