Page 102 of Dawn Caravan
“Based on what we know so far?” Tenzin was playing some app on her tablet with a rubber-tipped stylus. “Madina and Fynn.”
“Not Darius?”
“Not Darius. I told you, no ambition.”
“I really want it to be René,” he muttered. “Are you sure it’s not René?”
“Yes, Benjamin. Very sure.”
“Why?”
It had been a week since he’d joined the Dawn Caravan, and Ben felt no closer to understanding the dynamics at play. He was confident that Tenzin didn’t have the goblet, but that left Madina, Darius, Fynn, René, and Tatyana as suspects. He wasn’t ruling anyone out.
“René is as confused by all this as we are,” Tenzin said. “I can read him well enough to know. Kezia invited him like she invited me, but she’s more interested in seducing you now, and René’s more than a little put out. He doesn’t like you either.”
“Shocker.” Ben drummed his fingers on the table. “Not that I don’t love the idea of spoiling René’s party, but I really don’t think Kezia is into me.” He was staring at the makeshift board they’d created on his cupboards.
“She is.” Tenzin looked around the trailer. “Do you have a printer?”
“Yes.” He pointed to the corner.
“Good.”
The machine started to hum, but Ben reached for the tennis ball again and started tossing it up and down. “So if Madina and Fynn are the most likely suspects, we need to break into their trailers.”
Tenzin looked up, her eyes dancing. “Really?”
“Yes, really.”
She clapped. “I thought you were going to be honorable, but I agree. We really do need to break in.” She hopped to her feet and walked to the printer.
“Day isn’t an option for me anymore, so we have to find a way to distract them as a group, and then the two of us can slip away.”
And have sex!
No. Nooooope. Ben had managed to wrangle his libido under control, but spending every night pretending to be Tenzin’s partner was exhausting. She was as openly affectionate as she’d been before everything went to shit, which meant Ben had to be equally affectionate. And then as soon as they got behind closed doors, the tension was nearly unbearable.
Still, his amnis was happy. His amnis was happy just being in the same room as Tenzin.
Tenzin walked to the cupboards and put three sketches on top of their suspect board.
“Why are you putting pictures of Radu, Kezia, and that weird Poshani guard up? What do they call them? The Hazar?”
Tenzin pivoted to Ben and pointed to the guard. “You think this is a Poshani guard?”
“Yeah.”
She smiled a little. “That’s not a Poshani guard. That’s Radu and Kezia’s brother, Vano.”
“What?” Ben sat up straight. “That guy is the mysterious brother?”
“Yes. Why did you think he was a guard?”
“He was acting like one in Kashgar, standing behind Kezia while she watched me. It was odd, but I assumed he was her guard. He’s kind of…”
“Nondescript?”
“Yes. Then I saw him in Bucharest at Radu’s club—”
