18. Spartan

Benni's revelation dumbfounded me.What did she mean by saying she was only interested in Amy's father? I've treated her like crap so that she would stay away from me. "What the hell are you talking about? We haven't even spoken to each other since that night Amy was conceived."

"What does that have to do with me loving you? Do you think I'm so fickle I would stop loving you because you refuse to speak to me? If I could control my emotions, I would," Benni exclaimed passionately.

"You can't possibly be in love with me," I said, glancing at her. "I've completely ignored you."

"I know you have! That just proves how stupid I am when it comes to you. I'm not going to talk to you about being in love. I might be foolish, but I won't let you chase me away again. My daughter has finally gotten to claim you as her father, so I won't be returning to Spain," Benni declared.

"I don't want you to go anywhere, and I never meant for you to leave the mountain, let alone the country. When I told you to leave, I meant the damn hotel and go home. I know how much you love it here. I'm sorry for how I treated you; I was a complete jerk."

"Yes, you were and still are. I'm ordering pizza for dinner," Benni said, walking into the house, leaving me to watch her retreating figure.

"I'll send Brian this photo that Allison took," Ghost said, heading off with his phone. Just then the police pulled into the driveway. "Damn it, I'd rather handle this ourselves," I muttered as Steel's cousin approached us.

"Why didn't you call us when Allison first disappeared? Now, the fucking perpetrator has a better chance of getting away. Did you know it's against the law not to report a kidnapping? Allison is my friend, and you could have blown this entire case up in our faces. Tell me everything you know," He demanded.

"We don't have much information. If I were you, I wouldn't ask Ghost any questions. He just got home, and he's ready to take down whoever gets in his way. There is this guy who wants Benni, but she doesn't want him, so he wanted to kill me because he thought I was in his way of having Benni, but when he came here to kill me, Allison was alone. It's my fault I left her here," I confessed.

"What is his name?" Dane asked, jotting down notes.

"Thomas Kapper, we're checking to see if he has a place around here somewhere," I replied.

"I need to ask Benni some questions. Is she here?" Dane asked.

"She's inside. I'll go with you. Just be gentle; she feels guilty because she knows this guy, and didn't know he was dangerous," I warned.

"I'm not the one who ripped her heart out; I never would have treated her like that," Dane retorted.

"Careful there, Dane. If you keep this up, I'll kick your ass," I warned, knowing Steel's cousins were tough.

"Spartan, you do realize you're threatening a police officer that you are going to kick his ass," Dane said, walking past me into the house, "I don't want to arrest you, but I will."

I knew Steel's brothers were as tough as he was, and I didn't want to fight anyone right now. I only wanted to find Allison, and the more people who could help, the better.

Ghost joined us on the porch. I saw him shake Dane's hand, and Dane pulled him into a hug. "We'll find her, and when we do, the kidnapper will go to prison."

"The kidnapper won't have a chance to go to prison because I'm going to take care of him," Ghost said, opening the screen door. "I'm going to check out a couple more realtors and see if they've rented any homes around this area. I'll see you later," he said, grabbing his jacket and walking to his vehicle.

We walked inside. Amy was playing, and I picked her up and kissed her cheek, "Dane, this is Amy. She's my daughter."

"Hello, Amy," Dane said, then he looked at me. She has your eyes," Amy smiled. "and your dimples."

"Yes, she does," I said, smiling. I set her down before my eyes started to water.

"Benni, can I ask you a few questions?" Dane said when he saw Benni on her computer.

"Sure, how have you been, Dane? Steel says you'll be getting married next month. Do you mind if I put that in my monthly edition?"

"Of course, I love reading your monthly internet magazine. Now, can we talk about this man who kidnapped Allison? His name is Thomas Kapper. Is that his real name?"

"As far as I know, it is. I've known him for a couple of years, and he has always gone by that name. Maybe it's not his name, and that's why Marcus hasn't been able to find him."

"Marcus is helping?" Dane said, frowning.

"Yes," Benni said.

"He's my brother-in-law, but I don't think he should get involved. I'll go talk to him. I don't want him to get in trouble for using his FBI contacts. I wish we had the guy"s fingerprints," Dane said, looking at us.

"Okay, I'll call if I need anything else. I'll talk to you later."

After he left, Benni and I stood there looking at each other. I didn't know what to say, I was about to walk out when she spoke.

"I'm sorry I brought that horrible person here to hurt the people I love. We have to find Allison. This is all my fault," She said, covering her face. I pulled her into my arms and froze; my heart slammed into my chest, and I could barely breathe. My body betrayed me, and Benni looked up at me. I bent my head and kissed her.

"I want a kiss," Amy said, and I stepped back and dropped my hands. I couldn't believe kissed her. I picked Amy up and kissed her cheek. Then I sat her down and walked out the door.

What the hell is wrong with me? I kissed Benni, and I loved it; I wanted to strip her clothes from her body and take her to my bed. I went in the back and started chopping wood.

"Damn, how long have you been chopping? You have enough wood for the entire winter," Rebel said, walking toward me. What are we going to do about Allison? I can't believe the bastard came into our home and kidnapped her. How the hell did we allow that? I'm fucking ashamed this happened in our home."

"I can't believe it either; I should have made sure Allison went with us," Rebel said, shaking his head. I hope we find her soon. Viper will be home tomorrow. Ryan and her other brothers are questioning people about newcomers moving in the area."