Page 18 of All The Way Under
“Have they…hurt you? Other than the darts, I mean. Are they violent?” he asks.
I narrow my eyes. “Don’t think you can take them?”
He shakes his head. “I’m merely trying to figure out what makes them tick. I was sailing the channel, so I wasn’t completely blind to the risk and knew some things going in to my sail, but seeing this firsthand is something else entirely.”
“They haven’t taken advantage of me,” I deadpan. “Nothing but the blow dart. By all means, you tell me what you think makes them tick.”
Brody stands, and it’s a little surreal because he has to duck to keep his head from hitting the ceiling. He is the epitome of a man, which begs the question.
“How the hell did you get captured? You’re double the size of them.”
“Money and power make them tick. Obviously. Look at where they live,” he replies. “And I’m just a mechanic who likes to lift weights. Who the hell expects to be kidnapped? I didn’t think that’s what was happening to me until it was too late.”
I smirk. “I killed two of the bastards on my way out.”
I slow blink once and again.
“It’s why they hate me, and I scream a lot. Have to act like a crazy killer to keep my reputation intact.”
Brody’s eyes widen, and it’s satisfying to watch the shock cross his features.
“You killed two men? How?”
“With my bare hands and pure female rage,” I joke. “And a gun,obviously.What was I supposed to do when they tried to board me with black masks and rifles?” I give the same word back to him.
“I shot them. Were you sailing the channel without a gun?” I ask, dumbfounded that a man who looks like this didn’t prepare. Brody looks like the kind of guy who is prepared for anything.
“I didn’t anticipate sailing the channel. It was a backup plan when my GPS went offline, and I wasn’t sure what to do next.”
So he’s not a great sailor. Maybe not even a good one. I won’t hold it against him.
I fire back. “Where did you leave from?”
“Lisbon,” he replies.
“What was the purpose of your sail?”
He leans back on his elbows.
“Why the interrogation?”
“I just want to learn,” I say. “Plus, no skilled sailor doesn’t bring some form of self-defense, especially when you’re solo. Trying to figure out what you were thinking.”
His gaze flits to the bars of our cage door.
“I was heading to Australia to spread my friend’s ashes along the coast, and I’m sure you know how strict their laws are. Sailing in general is a fucking dreadful pastime. I was merely doing what was asked of me.” Brody’s gaze turns wistful. “What are the odds they let us out of here if you stop screaming? Not free us, completely, but perhaps put us to work while they figure out the politics. They could use help building, I bet. That’s the angle I’ll use.”
I hold up one hand.
“Wait, wait. You said,I’ll.So I’m not invited? This is just your plan?”
Brody tilts his head to the side, his jaw working back and forth as he lets his eyes cut down to my legs and back up to my face.
“I’m not sure you’re worth the risk. What are you good at other than screaming and eavesdropping?”
I can’t help it. My eyes flare.
“What have I done to deserve automatic disdain other than give you information to form your escape plan? You are so barbaric. You haven’t even asked me my name!”
