Page 2 of Dauntless

I lifted my chin. If her intention was to embarrass me after all I’d been through, she had picked the wrong woman. “There was a protocol in place for the women in the room. I agreed to follow it and getting touched in front of the whole room was a part of it. I was masked at the time and presumed no one will recognize me. Not that I was okay with it. Still, irrespective of the many ways you ask and try to shame me, the fact remains that I was drugged, kidnapped, and beaten. That much won’t change.”

Trish pressed the pause button on her recorder. Her mouth set in a hard line. “I wasn’t shaming you. The FBI needs to know if what transpired was consensual; if you were coerced into having sex with Mr. Carmichael and Mr. Westbrook to explain your actions—"

“You’re out of order,” Elliott growled. “This interview is over.”

My mouth went dry. “You’re investigating Elliott for having sex with me? You’ve got to be kidding. He saved my life. The sex was consensual. The beating, drugging, kidnapping, and threats by Marco, Vincent, and The Agency, which kept me against my will, was not.”

“I agree with Mr. Carmichael,” Joshua concurred. “She’s answered enough of your questions. Unless you have new questions concerning the drugging, assault, and kidnapping that was not covered in the affidavit, on-scene police statements, follow-up police reports, and your own FBI reports, we are done.”

Trish tucked the loose curls of brown hair behind her ears before rising. “If you want to help the case, you’ll need to cooperate. The Agency has given their statement, and from what they shared, we needed Gia to go over her answers. I’m sorry if that makes you uncomfortable, but trust me, my questions are nothing compared to what you will be asked when crossed examined in court if this goes to trial. It’s best you prepare yourself for that eventuality.” She followed Elliott out of the room.

I snorted. “This is ridiculous. They have everything including tapes from Elliott. I don’t understand why they are wasting time with me; they should be going after The Agency.”

“Well, actually,” Stuart said, and my stomach turned— “Actually” was how he usually starts bad news. He was just as consistent this time.

“The Agency seems to be cooperating,” Stuart continued. “However, in their statement, they maintained that Marco and Vincent acted against their policy. The Agency has since terminated their memberships. Vincent is blaming Marco, but both have joined together and shared a completely different story on what happened.”

I tensed. “And what might that be?”

“Vincent claims he invited you to the cruise and you agreed, participated and were never in danger. He wasn’t present when you were assaulted by Marco.”

“He was still involved! It occurred at his home when I was forced to go to his place in San Francisco. He threatened to keep me against my will.” I paused for a moment, perplexed and then continued: “My story couldn’t be much different from that of the other women. I wasn’t the only one targeted. What about the statements of Liz and Angel?”

“Liz, I can’t speak for, but for Angel, I believe Vincent admitted to some of the things that happened to her,” Joshua responded. “He’s holding out until charges against him are lessened for cooperating.”

I grimaced. Evidently, there was no loyalty in the Santiago family, but there was no way I was going to let Vincent, or his nephew, Marco, get away with what they did to the rest of the women and me. “I must still have a case. I want to press charges. They need to go to jail.”

“I understand you’re angry,” Joshua said, leaning forward. “But what about how the trial will affect you? You must think about that. Your lifestyle will be tried on the court of public opinion, and believe me, you will lose and so will everyone close to you, including your company.”

My jaw tightened in irritation. He was right. Dane had made good on selling the shares of Perfetto back to me. I was now the owner and head of the company. Whatever happened would be on me, and I wasn’t the only one that would suffer the consequences. Hundreds of employees, who had no idea what The Agency was, would be harmed by the stories of my sex life. This was precisely what Vincent had told me The Agency would do, but there still had to be a way for me to do something. “So public shaming should make me shy away from justice?”

“I’m just keeping it real,” Joshua said frankly. “I understand from Stuart you’re already involved in an embezzlement case—”

“That was my accountant,” I cut in. “I’m not guilty of doing anything—”

“The public will think differently,” Joshua said. “Your choices will go on trial. You think Special Agent Walker was being unfair? Compared to what is to come if this goes to trial, she was being kind. Once it comes out that you were on a sex cruise, fondled publicly, and engaged in threesomes, the public will prosecute not just you, but your sex life, too.”

I opened my mouth and closed it. “Surely people would stand by and support me when details of what happened were revealed?”

Even I could hear the doubt in my voice. Nothing the public and media like more than a salacious sex scandal. I could already imagine the story playing out more like a reality television show than my life.

“I’m sorry, Gia, but I must agree with Joshua,” Stuart said in a gentle voice. “Now, we might try to keep as much of your private life out of the headlines, but the defense lawyers and connections wouldn’t, which could make things worse for you. Worst case, your association with your brand could be ruined. I’m sure Mr. Carmichael will agree that the FBI would be more interested in prosecuting The Agency and a possible sex-trafficking ring. They will want to go after the big fish than low-hanging ones like Marco and Vincent.”

My stomach lurched. The idea of just walking away after what I had been through was unbearable. “So, I just let this go?” My voice cracked. “What about Angel?”

“To be honest, Angel has a stronger case,” Joshua replied. “If she recovers, her testimony could help put her captors in jail.”

“Yes, but in your case, we go after them financially,” Stuart added. “You have a solid civil case there. The money can help cover any immediate cost the publicity might have on Perfetto while we sort through the case.”

“So, money makes all the legal charges go away,” I grumbled in annoyance. “I’ll be no better than them if I take money.”

“I don’t agree,” Joshua countered. “It would make you smart. You let the FBI proceed with their case. Marco may get jail time for hurting you, but I wouldn’t count on it. A civil lawsuit is your best hope.”

I shook my head. That wasn’t going to be enough. “No. I’m not just giving up.”

“It’s not giving up,” Joshua spoke over me, his voice raised. “We proceed with a civil lawsuit for twenty million. Your connections with the community and your ex-husband’s Governorship would strengthen your case. His election team needs a spin to avoid any negative press associated with your involvement, even if you were hurt because of it. We start today. In fact, I’ve been in contact with Governor Walsh’s people. They agreed to have him meet you at your home when you return today—”

“Cancel that right now,” I demanded, turning away from Joshua. “Stuart, I know you didn’t agree to this.”

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