“So—and I’m just trying to understand here—is it fair to say that he was kidnapped in a preplanned ambush and then forced to watch Asadi get beaten to hell for three days?”
I snarl, which she seems to find amusing. “Yes.”
“Hmm.”
I shift uncomfortably, scanning her office as she works through what I’ve told her. The windows let in a lot of light, and the plants that adorn her windowsill are beautiful and wild. I look back, and Riley is patiently waiting for me.
Now that I’ve given her my attention, she says, “I really want you to understand that if I were you, I wouldn’t like this guy, either. I’m just wondering, though… Have you considered that being made to watch another man get beaten for three days is a form of extreme psychological torture?”
I open my mouth to protest, but, um… “No. Guess I never saw it that way.”
“Well, I guess if the guy is a huge asshole, he probably deserved it.”
She’s saying the words I totally feel, but the way she’s saying them and the glint in her eye tells me that she doesn’t believe them. Worse than that… “Well, he’s not even an asshole anymore because I guess according to my friend—”
“Everett. The one you’ve developed feelings for?” she verifies, picking up her pen again.
“Yes.”
I pause, and she gestures for me to continue.
“Well, according to him, Roly went and changed his whole life. He went and made amends with the guy he bullied in high school, and now they’re, like, together.”
“Togethertogether?”
“Yeah. And get this—the guy looks like a white Asadi.”
“Interesting,” she says, tapping her chin. “So maybe his making fun of Asadi was an immature way of saying he was attracted to him, at least on some level.”
“Probably.Asshole.” I know they kissed when Asadi freed them, but I’m going to keep that to myself.
“Not to let the facts get in the way of a good story, but…based on what you’ve told me, he didn’t know his torturers were in earshot and would use that information to hurt your husband.”
I already knew that. “Yeah, fair.”
She taps her chin again. “I’m curious—you said you beat him up. How did y’all even run into each other?”
“My brother-in-law lives here, and I knew Roly had started up this gym, Wrecked, or whatever. I wanted to meet the man who was responsible for my husband’s night terrors.”
“I’m familiar with Wrecked—I refer a lot of people to them. Roly is short for Rolando, then? He’s the smaller one, right?”
I bang my head gently on the arm of the couch. “Yeah, that’s him. Don’t tell me you’re friends with him, too.”
“No, nothing like that,” she assures me. “I’m just familiar with what they’re trying to do.”
“Which is?”
“Build community and a supportive environment for service members to get healthy.”
I sigh, defeated. “Yeah, sounds about right. I spent a few weeks going there to see what they’re about.”
“So, you saw him prior to your confrontation.”
I bob my head. “Several times.”
Tapping her pen on her notepad, she asks, “Did you intend to beat him up?”
Shaking my head, I give her the ugly answer. “I just wanted to put eyes on him. I wanted him to be an asshole so I could feel good about hating him, even though my husband had already forgiven him.”
