I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Thanks for that, Abigail and Parker. Can wepleaseget back to the matter at hand?”
Everyone around the table mumbles an apology, and I turn once again to our captive. “Can I untie you, or do you have a death wish?”
She puffs out her chest, but deflates pretty quickly. “Fine. Untie me.”
I cut through her bindings as Jake moves the display from the wall to the table. She stretches out her wrists and fingers as she scoots forward to see the display a little more clearly.
Using the touchscreen, she reaches out and drags the documents in front of her. Leaning forward, she reads everything, taking her time. Finally, she sits back, straightening her spine as she levels an even stare at DB.
“We try not to involve citizens, but we didn’t have the information we needed on you. If we had realized that you were staying at his house, and that you were his security, we would’ve used a different strategy.”
“I was staying because the contractors were dicking him around, and he was starting to get suspicious.”
“Of what?”
“That they’d been paid off by his enemies,” she answers, glaring at everyone in the room.
“Did he ever say who those enemies were by name, aside from the CEO?” I ask.
She looks down. “He indicated that the CEO’s family could be a problem. Though, I did some research, and it looks like he was the only child to parents who also didn’t have any siblings, so not exactly sure what family he was talking about.”
DB looks amused. “Then why did you take the job?”
Her eyes snap back up to him, defiant. “Because a job is a job, and he looked like an entitled, likely paranoid, rich douche. And I’m just starting out, so I needed a paycheck. Happy?”
DB’s grin broadens. “Exceedingly. Our records indicate that you are USMC.”
“Rah,” I say reflexively.
Her eyes shift back to me, puzzled. “Rah?”
IknewI liked her. “Rah,” I respond, reassuringly.
Ronan looks between the two of us, squinting one eye. “Do I wanna know what just went on there?”
I shrug. “Just some Marine business you wouldn’t know anything about, civilian.”
DB pops his cane again, getting our attention, and gestures for us to shut the hell up.
“So, you see our dilemma,” he says, scooting in next to her, allowing himself to be vulnerable to her superior physicality. “We’re trying to be a net positive in this world. We’re trying to take care of the victims. We’re trying to set ourselves up for a decent retirement. We’re not trying to kill people like you. You’re one of the good ones, and I don’t believe that you knew anything about his perversions.”
She turns, making sure they have eye contact, then shakes her head. “I absolutely did not, nor would I have ever knowingly signed on with a rapist. The Marines have not always taken care of their own, at least not the women. There’s a reason why I am so good at hand-to-hand combat.”
DB pulls up a different picture, one that Abigail reacts to right away.
“Can I assume from your reaction that you recognize this man?”
Her lips flatten and she grits through her teeth. “Yes.”
“It was a shame when he died so young of a heart attack.”
Rafi turns in Everett’s lap, patting his face. “Yeah, a damn shame.”
She opens her mouth, a look of incredulousness stamped on her face. “Are you telling me that wasyou?”
DB regards her carefully and leans forward on his cane. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you. Were we the judge, jury, and executioner in his case?Yes. Did the women on his base stop getting raped?Also yes. Was he some rich asshole that we made a lot of money off of? No. We take the money that’s available, but that is not our only or even our highest goal.”
She sits there for a few extra moments, her lower half still tied to the chair, her posture still rigid.
