Chapter 11

*

I sat on the edge of the bed staring down into the floor I had opened. My hands were washed clean and I wasn't going to touch the stuff again, I had placed it back carefully to ensure that none of it would spill out of the bag it was hidden in. He could have chosen a better way to hide it, we had safes I never looked into because I assumed I knew what was in them. Did I really? Black bags were kind of obvious. Didn't people use things like bibles or tape it to the inside of walls nowadays? Ben was quite lazy sometimes...

I had gone upstairs for a while and had seen Nicole come in a while before Stanley did. Stan smelt like weed but I brushed it off because I was afraid I would snap at him because of my anger towards Ben, I would talk to him about his smoking when I wasn't this pissed off. They were both in bed now, so I came back down here to wait for Ben to show up.

It was almost 11 PM when I heard the garage door open and then shut a few minutes later. I listened to the footsteps roam through the ground floor of the house, to the front door to lock it since he had entered from the garage and then towards our bedroom making me lose the sound for a few seconds as it was at the far side of the house above the part of the basement we kept the washing machine and dryer in. I listened to the confused steps make their way back above me and the concerned whispers of my name before I dialled his number on my phone. He answered after the first ring.

"Babe, where are you? You said nothing about going out –"

"The basement," I answered coldly. He went silent on the other end of the line before I heard him sigh and then hang up.

I dropped my phone back onto the bed beside me as his quick steps made their way along the length of the hall before he stepped down into the basement. I kept my eyes on the ground as I heard him coming towards me.

"Jordan –"

"Do not lie to me." I cut him off sternly, "I'm giving you one chance to explain. If you lie, I'll call the police and you can tell them the truth." I still hadn't looked at him.

He stepped forward but then stopped. I figured he was going to try to sit beside me but then decided against it. Good. I didn't want to be near him.

"The truth..." He sighed, "Um... I owed someone, someone I dealt with back in the day. He had some sort of trouble, told me not to ask, I didn't because that's how we used to work. If you don't ask, you're not involved. He told me he needed a place to hide this and I said I would, for a couple of months."

"The ship?" The ships were barely ever late, I had not heard of any significant storms that would have delayed any of the ships recently.

"Has absolutely nothing to do with this, I swear. That's business. I wouldn't risk it. That's why I kept this in here instead of the safe at work." He said. "That ship was late because it went off route for a while, completely the crew's fault."

We were silent before I kicked the wood and it swung shut with a loud thud.

"I want it out."

"Okay." He said.

"Tonight. How dare you, Ben?"

"No one knew he gave it to me –"

"What if someone did or does?! You think they'll let me teach children with a fucking record for this shit?" I threw my hand towards the hiding place to emphasize as I hissed at him. "You said you were done. You owe someone? You could have helped him put it somewhere else. How could store this in our fucking house?" I asked.

"There's no way anyone could have known, Jordan. I would never do anything to harm you. I was careful, it'll be out by the end of the week –"

"It'll be out by tonight." I cut him off. "Or I am," I added getting up.

"Jordan –"

"Are you really going to argue about this?" I asked finally looking at him. It wasn't something I was going to argue about. He bit his lip as he shook his head.

"I'm sorry." I stood still as he grabbed my hand. "I'm sorry. I'll get rid of it right now." He said.

I sighed. I hated what Ben had done in his past, and I couldn't stand any traces of it. I couldn't deal with the worrying and uncertainty it came with. There was a certainty in his past occupation though, I knew there was one; someone got hurt. Someone always got hurt. I didn't want to think about him getting hurt.

I leaned my head on his shoulder as he pulled me into a hug mumbling another apology and smiled as I took in a breath and hugged him back.

"By the way, I smelt weed –" Ben said as we let go.

"Stan." I cut him off.

"As I assumed."

"You should give him the benefit of the doubt sometime." I frowned at Ben.

"You do that enough for the both of us, Jordan. To literally every person we meet."

"At least I'm not silently accusing everyone I meet of a crime."

"If you did, you wouldn't be engaged to someone harbouring someone else's drugs."

"Shit, you're right. I really should stop giving everyone the benefit of the doubt." I said. We laughed. "Though, when I met you, I knew you were a criminal." I said.

"I got over it quick enough though. Lucky me or I wouldn't have you." I grinned flattered and he smirked before he pecked my lips. "I'll call him to pick this stuff up. Meet you upstairs." He said.

"Nah, you said I have to stop giving everyone the benefit of the doubt. I have to be here to make sure you call him." I smirked. Ben rolled his eyes and I chuckled before I yawned. "Never mind." He laughed.

"I won't take long."

"It doesn't matter, I'll be asleep." I mumbled as I made my way to the stairs.

"I love you." He called.

"I know." I replied in my haze as I shut the basement door behind to silence his protest at my reply.

I smiled sleepily before I made my way to our room. I hesitated as I reached it and instead made my way further down the hall before I cracked open Stanley's room's door. I frowned as I pushed it open more and stepped inside.

"Do you ever sleep?" I questioned seeing him seated on the edge of the bed. He had moved it against the wall beside the window and was staring outside into the back yard. There wasn't much to see besides the garden, grass and the trees and bushes blocking the view of the rear wall and creating their own wall of green.

"I'm about to." He replied not sounding tired at all. Liar. His face looked at hard and emotionless as always, his blue eyes didn't move from whatever he had been staring at when I had walked in.

"Are you alright?" I asked slowly. He didn't seem to be.

His eyes flickered to me in annoyance. "I would be if you left me alone."

"So... no?" I was joking, but he let out a frustrated sigh and I lifted my hands up in mock surrender. "Alright, you don't have to speak. Try to get some sleep this weekend, you have school on Monday." I said.

He didn't reply, but him hearing me was enough I guess. I pulled the door shut as I left and looked down the hall to see Ben come out of the basement with a bag. He gave me a tight, guilty smile and I returned a reassuring one before I made my way to our room.

I walked into our room wondering if Stanley's behaviour would change at all around other kids his age. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Another thought in my mind was whether I should look further into the Ben thing, into the drugs. Should I look at the safes? Should I look at the one in Ben's office at the docs? He couldn't blame me... But like he said, I was willing to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. I wanted to trust him. I wanted to take his word for it. I felt like it would be stupid to though...

I got into bed as lights shone in through the curtains, Ben's 'associate' must be here. A few minutes later Ben trotted into our room.

"Can I check your safe?" I asked.

"Sure." He tossed me his work keys. He knew which one I was talking about because I said your and not our.

I smiled.

"You can come to work with me so you would know I haven't even touched it. Really, J. That was all it was." He said.

"Okay." I said.

"I'm sorry for making you feel like you can't trust me." He said sitting on his side of the bed.

"I'll trust you again tomorrow morning." After I see the safe. He chuckled and I smiled shutting my eyes.

I already trusted him though. He knew how I felt about the illegal stuff, he knew what had happened to Ezra. He knew doing anything he had done before was a deal-breaker. I really believed he wouldn't risk everything we had and we had built to get back into it. This was just a onetime thing, it had to be. He still had a loyalty towards his old partners.

I opened my eyes when I felt him kiss me.

"Thank you for not freaking out. I should have told you when he asked, I was stupid."

"That's not new." I said as I turned over to my side so my back was facing him.

"What did you say?" He frowned.

I laughed rolling over as he jumped onto me and elbowed him in the ribs as he tried to lock me in his arms. He groaned rolling off me and I laughed again as I turned and hugged him.

"Really, I'm so sorry. It was stupid –"

"Really, I forgive you. Go to sleep." I mumbled yawning again. He chuckled.

"I have to get changed first."

"Then stop keeping me up." I shoved him off our bed making him land hard on the floor. "I can still be mad at you for it." I pointed out when he sat up to glare at me.

His face softened and he rolled his eyes as I smirked. "Just go to sleep." He said.

*