Page 66 of Protected By The Green Berets

He may not know who I was, but he wasn’t stupid. I scrambled to think of what to tell him. It wasn’t fast enough to suit him.

He slammed a hand down on the table and I flinched. I was still kneeling in the corner, facing down these men. At least they were having to step past their dead comrades. That gave me some satisfaction. If I died here tonight, I wouldn't die easily.

“I have it on good authority that you and the men outside my compound have been searching for me.”

My heart sank at his words. If he knew about the guys… Were they dead? I couldn’t think about that right now.

“I’m not sure what you mean? What men?”

His dark eyes pinned me with a glare. His hand shot out and his knuckles raked my face in a backhanded slap. “I don’t like liars.”

It wasn’t the first time I’d been slapped. The Agency did far worse to prepare me for situations like this.He doesn’t like liars?Interesting, considering what he’d been doing to the people of Iraq for some time now. Murdering innocent people was better than lying in his mind? The man was insane.

“Okay. Then let’s be straight with each other,” I offered, holding a hand to my face. His slap had knocked me back into the wall again, but I’d managed to keep from falling on my ass.

“Why don’t you tell me why you’ve been setting off bombs?” There was no point in denying my knowledge of it. I didn’t know how he’d found out about us, but if I could keep him talking it would give my team time to find me… If they were still alive. The urge to huddle up into a ball and cry was there, but I shoved it deep down. I wasn’t going to die crying. In fact, I slowly stood up. No need to startle them and have them shoot me too early, but I wasn’t going to die on my knees either.

Roj’s lips quirked into a smile as he recognized the symbolism of my move. “You’re a brave woman.” He paced back and forth, his hands clasped together behind his back. He had nothing to worry about since his trained monkeys were holding me at gunpoint.

“In my experience, brave women die horrible deaths…after they live through torturous last moments.”

“Are you talking about actual torture? Or are you threatening to rape me?” I asked, cocking my head. I was proud of the fact that my voice was steady, because I was scared shitless. I wasn’t about to let him know that.

Surprise flickered over his face, but he answered. “Rape. Perhaps some torture. Both could be fun.”

“I’ll kill myself before I allow that,” I promised him. “And I’ll take as many of you out with me as I can.”

A full smile bloomed over his face. It was harsh and cruel. “Then we’ll rape your dead body.”

I gave him a nonchalant shrug despite my rapidly pounding heart. “What would I care at that point? You’d be the sick assholes fucking a corpse. I’d just be dead.”

He nodded as though to concede my point. “Who are you?”

“My name is Zinnia.” The point here was to keep him talking. Stall him. Let him get angry, or let him get complacent. Anything. I just need to keep him talking. It would give the guys time to get back here.

He searched my gaze for a moment and must have liked what he saw there because he continued. “Why are you here?”

“I’m here for you. To stop what you’re doing.”

His smile was feral. “You don’t even know why I’m doing this and you want to stop me? Very righteous of you. You’re not from here. What do you care what happens in Iraq?”

“You’ve killed American Soldiers. Our government doesn’t take kindly to that.”

He made a tsking sound of disgust. “Your government isn’t in charge here.”

“Oh? Who is? It can’t possibly be you.” Disdain bled from my words. “Is it The Holy Order? Are you their little lap dog?”

He moved so fast I didn’t have time to react. His second backhanded slap was much harder and sent me reeling into the wall.

I shook my head and glared over at him as he retreated back toward his men. “That’s brave. Slapping a woman. Twice.”

Maybe it wasn’t smart to be antagonizing him, but I couldn’t help myself. When I was backed into a corner—literally in this case—I tended to get bitchy.

“You don’t know what is good for you. American women never do.” He shook his head. “Search the place,” he barked and one of his men peeled off the line and started rummaging through everything. There wasn’t a lot of places to look so he came back quickly with my backpack. I’d done my best to hide it, but the odds of them not discovering it had been slim.

“Secure her. She will be useful.” With that order, Roj left the safehouse.

I eyed the men in front of me as they started toward me. Was it better to pick up my gun and force them to kill me? Or should I hold out hope that the guys would come for me?

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