Page 67 of Jael

“Maybe I was. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t also like you. I knew my dad wouldn’t be happy, but you were so different from everyone else. You were confident, but even in the work you did for my dad, you never seemed to enjoy it.”

“I never really did.”

“That’s what I mean. Everyone else in my world got something from it. You were the first person I thought might actually understand me. But then you—humiliated me.”

“I know.”

He studied his hands, sick at the memory. They’d spent time together on a couple of jobs, and it was enough for him to know she was different, and it had nothing to do with her money. He ruined it and got a slap, which was less than he deserved, before she ran away to the laughs of his friends. It was one of the things he’d asked God’s forgiveness for more than once, because it always stung to think about it.

“If I asked you to forgive me,” he said. “Would you?”

She smirked. “You want me to forgive you? Sure. You’re forgiven. Now will you leave me alone?”

“No.”

She sucked on her teeth and frowned. “You weren’t the worst, you know.”

“Worst what?”

“You weren’t the one who treated me the worst.”

He closed his eyes for a beat. “You haven’t had a lot of good men around you.”

“You knew one side of my father, but that wasn’t the man he really was.”

“He was good to me, but I knew he wasn’t a good man.”

She bit her bottom lip as she looked at him, and her frown deepened. “Did you know I almost married a prince? A guy from Saudi Arabia— Well, I say almost, but he was never interested in me like that. I threw myself at him when he visited us. My dad was doing a deal, and had asked me to keep the prince company.”

“You mean?—”

“No. How far I went was up to me. My job was to charm him. Make him feel welcome. I think this was right after you disappeared. I’d had enough of my life. My hope was that this guy could be my escape. He was nice enough. But he and my dad both knew what I was there for, and it wasn’t marriage. Once the deal was done, he left.”

“He was the only one?”

“That I tried to marry? Yes.”

“But there were more men you had to keep happy?”

“Sometimes. My dad always used me to his best advantage, whatever that happened to be at the moment. Sometimes that meant playing the perfect hostess.”

“I remember. You were still doing it at the dinner party the other night.”

She nodded. “At least that’s all he’s coerced me into lately…until now. I always thought that, one day, I’d escape it. But it’s not all bad. Christopher will probably get bored with me eventually, and life will go on. It’s far better than what it was like when I was—” She stopped abruptly and took a drink but didn’t continue.

“When you were what?” Danny pressed.

“Nothing. Never mind.”

“Please tell me.”

“You think you want to know, but you don’t.”

“Please.”

“Fine, but you asked for it. When I was a girl. My dad knew the evils of this world and said he wanted to prepare me for it. That gave him an excuse to use me however he wanted.” When she saw the horrified look on his face, she added, “Not like that. He never touched me. It was the things I saw. What I was a part of. Murders. Torture.”

“When you were young?”

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