Page 3 of Digit's Deflection
As I finish, Liora tugs at the ties that bind her. “I don’t like it.” Her voice catches, and I hear the tears I can’t see with her lying on her stomach.
I’m not sure what happens next, but everything seems to happen all at once. I reach out to help her over onto her back andinto a seated position, and suddenly she goes batshit. Struggling against the scarf securing her wrists behind her, she starts yelling at me, but I can’t make out what she’s saying since she’s crying hard at the same time.
I’m so shocked atherreaction, thatI’mslow to react.
“Get it off. Fuck it, Treven, get this fucking thing off me.” The cocktail of emotion I hear in Liora’s voice galvanizes me into action, catapulting me out of my temporary paralysis.
Undoing my mother’s scarf, I toss it in the general direction of the mattress as I reach for her to comfort her. She shoves me away, leaping to her feet at the same time. I watch her scramble to get back into the bra and T-shirt I’ve barely stripped her of – completely numb with shock – and then in horror as she dashes for the door.
Without another single word, she yanks the door open, and I watch my world leave without so much as a goodbye.
2
DIGIT
Present
Testosterone permeates the room, as nine pissed off SEALs file in.
“All right, gentlemen. Settle down and let’s get down to business,” Commander Hurt says, his eyes travelling the room assessing each member of our team. “I understand that tempers are high, and you want justice, but it won’t help our cause to go off half-cocked.”
Doing as we’re told, we take a seat and quietly wait, but the atmosphere in the room is tense. The man’s not wrong when he says tempers are high. William Armatrout the fucking third has yanked our chains too many times for it to be anything else. Then to take one of our own? No, sir. That simply will not fly.
To be honest, as mad as we are, I don’t envy the commander his position right now. He’s caught between a rock and a hard place. He knows the party line, and it’s his sworn duty to uphold it, but he’s as done with Armatrout’s crap as the rest of us. Wants him eliminated as much as we do but isn’t allowed to give us free rein to do so.
The decree handed down from on high is to do our level best to bring the man in alive for questioning. Like that piece of shitpsycho is ever going to give up information worth anything. He knows he’s as good as dead anyway if he does. The minute we take him into custody again will once more put a target on his back.
The last time we apprehended him, he managed to slither his way out of it and disappeared for a long time. But he’s too cocky, or stupid, or both, to stay hidden for too long. He’s flipped us the proverbial bird too many times already, but now that he’s grabbed Indigo’s dad? We won’t stop until we bring the fucker home in a body bag. A fact we intend to neglect sharing with command.
“Since we all know Tex is the best at recon, I’ve brought him into this as a consultant. Given his unique skill set, I’m sure you’ll all agree he’s the best man for the job at hand.” The words he leaves unsaid hang in the air, bringing with it a small modicum of reassurance that our commander has our backs without being able to say so in as many words. “Knight, would you be so kind as to take us through the facts as you understand them?”
All eyes turn to our team leader, and it’s clear to see the situation is weighing heavily on the man. Given that the kidnapped man could very well become his father-in-law in the not-so-distant future, it’s abundantly obvious he’s taking strain. Not to mention, Indigo is out of her mind with worry for her dad, adding another layer of concern.
In a voice devoid of all emotion, Knight places the facts as he knows them on record.
“Last night, at approximately twenty-three hundred hours fifteen, Ms. Indigo Jones received a text message from William Armatrout III informing her that he’d kidnapped her father and that she would find evidence of such in an envelope in her mailbox.
“Upon retrieving said envelope, she opened it to find his Naval signet ring – so identified by the engraved inscription on the inside of the band – along with his Trident pin, a polaroid of Commander Jones holding a current newspaper, clear signs of a beating on his face, and a letter stating that Armatrout would be willing to trade the commander for Indigo – Ms. Jones.”
Knight pauses for a moment, his gaze lifting to Commander Hurt. Face giving nothing away, he indicates for Knight to continue.
“She has seven days to hand herself over to Armatrout, during which time no further harm would come to her father. However, the letter continued, stating that should Ms. Jones fail to accept his ‘offer’, he would have no choice but to express his displeasure by punishing the man in ‘anyway he saw fit in the moment’. And, with this fucker, we all know what that means.
“Needless to say, Ms. Jones is beside herself with fear. She blames herself for what’s happened to her father, and, because of this, there is concern that she will act rashly by trading herself for her father. As I see it, knowing Armatrout’s history and having studied him for some time now, I can state with nearly one hundred percent certainty that he will not honor his ‘offer’ and will murder them both once he has her too.”
The silence that hangs in the room when Knight stops talking is fraught with all the things left unsaid. All the horrors that this crazy-assed freak loves to inflict on his captives. The hell he will put both Commander Jones and Indie through, until death becomes a blessing rather than something to be feared.
The commander takes his time considering the options and, I’m guessing, selecting his words with care. The unhappy expression on his face is an outward reflection of how we’re all feeling. Not to mention the current feeling of helplessness as we sit in an air-conditioned room while, I’m willing to bet, circumstances will be very different for Commander Jones.
Commander Hurt quietly confers with Tex for long moments before he turns back to the room at large.
“Gents, this situation is unacceptable – this we all agree on. How best to handle it is the hot topic of the moment. However, based on orders handed down previously, it is our job to do all in our power to find William Armatrout and bring him back alive.
“Under ideal conditions, this is possible. However, as experienced personnel, we all know that conditions are seldom ideal. So, while I caution you to observe your orders, I do acknowledge that less than ideal conditions may be faced.”
His intense gaze lands on each of us individually before he continues.
“A search and rescue mission will require recon, and Tex is here to assist us as far as possible. Digit, you and Tex will work closely as a team, running tech on this mission. He will be your most valuable asset Stateside once you head out into the field. So let’s put our heads together and find a way to bring the commander home to his daughter.”
