Dangerous Secrets (Dangerous Series: Book 1)

Chapter 15 - Show me your secret

Stella woke up with a terrible headache. Her mouth was dry and she felt weak and dewy. She was still in Ben's bed, but he wasn't there. Instead Winston had jumped up with her. She gave him a big hug. As always, he was happy and wiggled his tail.

Stella was overwhelmed with her new life in Alvik. Sometimes her old life felt like a vague memory or a distant dream. Winston was the only thing that remained the same. He was what kept her sane in this new and crazy world. He didn't care if she was rich or poor, popular or lonely. He loved her for her.

There was a knock on the door. Ben came in balancing a tray with coffee, bacon and scrambled eggs.

"How are you feeling?" he asked and sat down next to her on the bed.

"I'm pretty shaken after yesterday," Stella answered and sat up.

"Here, this should help," Ben said and gave Stella a fork. "It's understandable. A lot happened yesterday."

"Yeah... I can't believe that happened. It feels like a dream. Some parts a nice dream and some parts a nightmare."

"What happened after the party... Was that a dream or a nightmare?"

Stella knew he was referring to their kiss. She had yearned for him since the first second she saw him and their kiss was just as amazing as she thought it would be, even better. Her body got hot just thinking about it. She was too embarrassed to look him in the eyes.

"It was a good dream, a very good dream... But it was wrong."

"Yeah... Maybe we just needed to get it out for our systems. Might be best not to tell anyone about it." Stella nodded. "Hey, what did you tell the police?"

"What you told me to. I said it was a masked guy with a gun that tried to rob us, but he got scared and fled when he heard the sirens."

"Okay, good." Ben looked relieved. "I'm sorry you had to lie to them. I'm sorry about a lot actually. My blood boils when I think about what Max did to you."

"It's okay. I'll be okay."

"Do you still want to see the office today?"

Stella nodded. If someone was going to point a gun at her again, she wanted to know why. She wanted to know everything.

Stella and Ben shared the breakfast he had prepared. With each bite she felt a little bit better. Winston also helped them finish up the bacon. They talked about the party, the fun parts before Max came. About the music, drinks and how all the girls were crazy about Kian. It was fun, for a short moment it was as if the bad things hadn't happened.

After breakfast Ben hit the showers. Stella went back to her room. She looked at her phone and saw that she had several messages from Tristan. He had heard about the shooting and was worried that she might have been at the party. Shame washed over her. He was perfect, she didn't deserve him. It would break his heart if he knew she kissed Ben yesterday.

Stella was exhausted. She had more feelings and thoughts than she could handle. Is it possible to be in love with two people at the same time? Am I in love with two people? When she was with Tristan, he was the only one she wanted, but then she saw Ben and it was as if she was hypnotised. No. Ben is my step brother and he has a girlfriend. The kiss was a mistake. It was just a strange reaction to all the crazy things that had happened that night.

Stella sent Tristan a message saying she was okay. She lied and said she wasn't at the party. She hated lying, but it was easier that way. She missed him. Everything with him was easy, and right now she needed that.

After lunch with Ed and Diana, Stella and Ben started walking towards Ben's office. She also brought Winston. Just like Ben did the day Stella arrived to Alvik, he once again walked straight into the forest. Stella and Winston followed. She could see a vague path and thought that it was probably made by him.

After about ten minutes Ben stopped.

"What's happening?" Stella asked.

"We're here."

They were still in the middle of the forest and she couldn't see any buildings. Ben pointed a bit further ahead. She saw two more people and a dog. She grabbed Ben's arm out of fear. Was it the police? I should never have come. The person in front of them did the same. Ben chuckled. That's when she realised that they were standing in front of a house with mirror walls.

Ben took Stella's hand and led her up to the house and knocked. First two fast knocks and then two slow ones. The door opened slightly. Stella recognised Aimee's examining eyes. When she saw it was Ben on the other side of the door she opened it fully. She hugged them both and welcomed them in.

"Sorry," Aimee said. "Winston has to wait on the outside."

"Oh, that's okay. I understand."

Stella tied Winston's leash around a big stone, scratched him behind the ear and walked into the building. She quickly realised it wasn't an office, it was a drug lab. It was clinically clean and most people were wearing plastic gloves and safety goggles. 

They all smiled and waved at Ben. It even seemed like they bettered their posture when he was around. 

Aimee showed Stella around while Ben talked to a girl sitting with a pamflet and a calculator.

Aimee was kind to Stella. She explained how the business worked and answered all of Stella's questions. She told her that basically all of Ben's friends worked there, that no one in his family knew the truth about the business and that Ben was the reason they hadn't been caught yet. That he was the big brain behind everything.

Stelle made sure that Ben couldn't hear her before she asked:

"What is the story about Max? What happened?"

"What have Ben told you?" Aimee's tone changed and she nervously looked at Ben. "Hasn't he told you? I mean, after what happened at the party I assumed... Shit, was I not supposed to tell you stuff?"

"Don't worry," Stella put her hand on Aimee's shoulder. "He brought me here because he wants me to know everything. He told me that Max was the one who came up with the pill, but he got addicted and started stealing from the company. I don't know, I guess I just wanted to hear the story from someone else."

"It's crazy, but it's true. It's a really sad story as well. Max's family is really poor, he was the one who kept the roof over their heads, so when he got fired he completely lost it. But Ben had no choice."

"Why do you do this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you need the money?"

"No," Aimee laughed.

"Then why do you do it?"

Aimee's smile disappeared. She frowned and thought for a while.

"I don't know. I guess it's because all of my friends work here. It's fun, we get to work together."

When Stella came home she was confused. She laid down in her bed with Winston. She wasn't sure if Ben was a prisoner or the warden. When he told her that he wanted out, that he tried to stop the business, she believed him. But when she visited the office it seemed like he was a king entering his kingdom.

Aimee seemed clueless. It was like it was all a game for her. She was bored and wanted to spend time with her friends. She wanted to be with the cool kids. Did she really not understand that they are selling illegal drugs? That they are ruining lives? That she could go to jail?