And goshdarnit! Where the heckfire was Bran when she needed him? She had a great quote fromAFewGoodMenshe would love to share. Unfortunately, he was outside with the captain, Bruce, and Nigel, making sure no more wet-suited men climbed aboard to cause mischief. Also, they were securing the fishing boat to the back of theBlackGoldso they could tow it with them back to Key West—and that wasonejob she was happy to leave to the men, thank you very much. Then again, she couldn’t help but wonder if that pit planted firmly in the center of her stomach was there because she was missing Bran’s presence, his ready smile, and his even-readier wit. But that was so completely nutso, she didn’t allow herself to really contemplate it.
Imean, seriously, Stockholm syndrome much, Maddy?Although was it still Stockholm syndrome if she wasn’t technically a captive and he wasn’t technically a captor? Was there a name for a swift, irrational attraction to the person who saved your life?
She’d have to look it up once she got home. For now, her attention was glued to Olivia, who tilted her head and let her gaze drift over Jonathan. Her upper lip curled with disdain. “Well, you don’t look very nightmarish right now, Agent Wilson.”
Olivia was trying to rile the guy. From what Maddy had seen so far, it wouldn’t take much. Johnny Boy seemed to have a pretty exaggerated opinion of himself. In fact, if he had green hair and a perpetual smile painted on his face, he would have made an awesomely good nemesis for Batman.Thisplacedeservesabetterclassofcriminal, andI’mgonnagiveittothem! Bwahahaha!
For Pete’s sake! Bran really needed to get in here. All her good material was going to waste!
“In fact,” Olivia continued, “you look like the idiot who acted on a planted piece of Intel in a Company memo and then got caught sneaking onto a boat full of SEALs.” SEALs?ButIthoughtBransaidtheyweresalvorsworkingforthegovernment, so what the heckfire is—“You look like a guy whose grand master plan got blown to shit.”
Jonathan muttered something under his breath.
“What’s that?” Olivia asked.
“I didn’t know they were SEALs!” he shouted, spittle flying from the corner of his mouth. Maddy was happy she was seated on the sofa and not at the table.Bleck.“I thought they were either CIA or some other government agency! In which case, they would have negotiated and haggled for a lot longer than two fucking minutes before opening fire!”
“Allowing you the time to sneak up behind them,” Olivia mused, “lay on your trigger, and catch everyone in the crossfire. Then, once we were all dead, you could take your time scouring the yacht for the case of chemicals. Which, by the way, actuallyarealready on their way back to the mainland.”
Jonathan glared at her, and Olivia lifted a brow, laughing, the sound low and husky,taunting. “Come on, you have to admit it was a ridiculously risky move. And that, combined with the fact that you fell for the trap Morales and I laid for you, proves you’re an idiot.”
Johnny Boy called her a filthy name, and Leo slammed his hand down on the table. It sounded like a rifle shot. “Watch your mouth,” he warned, his tone the audio version of a hazard sign.Proceedatyourownrisk.
“Fuck you!” Jonathon roared.
Leo didn’t flinch. He simply allowed his mouth to curve into a grin. “Not on your best day, buddy.”
“Don’t worry, Leo,” Olivia said. “Nothing this asshole says can hurt me.” She turned to the asshole in question. “So why do it?” she prodded now that Johnny Boy was literally foaming at the mouth. The blood crusting around his ruined nose bubbled with each of his ragged breaths. And his one good eye glared feverishly. The bad one was swollen completely shut. Leo had sure enough done a number on the man. Maddy shivered at the memory of his huge fists connecting with the guy over and over again. For a while there, she’d thought Leo would beat him to death. SEALs? Yep, she could totally buy that. “For money? Is someone paying you to—”
Olivia didn’t get any further than that because Jonathan launched into a tirade about the “great evil that was the United States of America” and the “sacrilege of American combat boots setting foot on holy Muslim soil.” Then he went on to spout something about being “born to bring down the infidels” and “seeing his name burned into the annals of time.”
It was at that point in his rant that Wolf cut in. “You’re not a Muslim,” he said, a heavy dose of disgust lacing his deep voice. “At best, you’re a megalomaniac who wants a place in history. At worst, you’re a psychopath who glommed on to an ideology you thought would explain your need to wreak havoc on the world and justify your thirst for mass murder.”
“What would you know of Islam?” Jonathan hissed. “Allah commands us to slay the infidels wherever we catch them. To cut off their heads and their fingers!”
Wolf shook his head. “You’re mangling the scripture and quoting it out of context. Have you forgotten the Quran also teaches that Allah delivered Prophet Mohammed to humanity to make us more merciful to one another? And that Allah commanded you to take not a life because it will be as if you have slain all of humanity, and if you save a life it will be as if you saved all of humanity?”
Wow. Maddy wouldn’t have thought it to look at him, but the man knew his stuff. Jonathan obviously came to the same conclusion because he turned beet red under all the dried blood on his face and started spewing even crazier crap about murdering nonbelievers and cleansing the world through holy jihad.
Instead of rising to the bait, Wolf simply crossed his arms over his chest. “You can’t pick apart pieces of a religion to make it fit your narrative. You either take it in context, as a whole, and with the knowledge that its historical significance has changed over the years, or you don’t take it at all. You’re worse than the radicals who are raised in the religion. At least they have the excuse of having been brainwashed by crooked imams. People like you—”
“Forget it,” Olivia cut in. “There’s no reasoning with a crazy man.”
“I’m not crazy,” Jonathan spit. “Just because I believe in something—”
“Youarecrazy,” Olivia interrupted, provoking a growl of rage from him. “Andyou’re a traitor. You do realize the penalty for treason is death, right?”
A vicious smile curved Jonathan’s busted lips. “And justthinkof the headlines. It will be the trial of the century! A CIA agent who managed for years to devolve top secret information and wreck countless missions. I will make you all look like fools. They will write stories about me, make movies about me. And my death as a martyr will—”
“See?” Wolf flicked a finger toward him, interrupting. “What did I tell you? Nothing more than a megalomaniac with a psychotic streak.”
Olivia sighed, shaking her head. “You’re right, Wolf. I just wish—”
“Wait,” Jonathan cut in. He’d been vibrating with fervor in his seat since they brought him in, but now he was eerily still. Maddy sensed something portentous was about to happen and sat forward. “Leo and Wolf?” He sent a one-eyed glance around the table. “Oh, this is rich. This is good. You’re working with the guys who were your cover in Syria? Did you tell them you made the decision that got their teammate killed?”
* * *
7:55 p.m.…
