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She didn't try to hide her surprise, or her disbelief. "And that's not in our files, why?"
Deerfield grimaced. "Because it was taken out by your godfather. " He sneered. " 'No proof, supposition only,' was his damned argument. We couldn't find proof. "
Now wasn't that a familiar scenario.
"Perhaps because no proof existed," she suggested, as she gripped tightly in anger the small purse she held in her hands.
"But the proof was there, proof I wasn't allowed to use because of international implications. " Deerfield sneered. "And I suspect because your godfather thought more of his friendship with Mustafa than he did of his country. "
"I'd be careful, Vince. My godfather wouldn't cover up murder. Nor would he pull information he believed was relevant," she stated.
His lips twisted furiously as he turned and poured himself another drink before turning back to her. "He wouldn't accept the proof," he told her, his voice rough. "Eyewitness accounts. Witnesses who saw the girl's body, saw the sexual abuse inflicted on it. She'd been raped, Agent Mathews, horribly. An autopsy confirmed she had been raped to death by two men at the same time. And Khalid's and Abram's depravities together were well-known. She was Abram's wife, and evidently he simply grew tired of her. "
Shock filled her. "This isn't information that I uncovered, and I've researched every facet of Khalid's life. "
"Then you didn't research enough," he snapped. "Abram is as depraved as Khalid. He disgusts even his own people. He'll never succeed his father as ruler, because the religious hardliners will never accept an unmarried king who allows others to fuck his whores as he watches. His second wife died before she could even give birth to his child, and he has no intention of acquiring another wife. He gets tired of them and he kills them. Men like him and Khalid are a disease, Marty. One that requires a cure. "
Hatred gleamed in his eyes as the fury seemed to build within him.
"That's not your call, Deerfield," she argued. "And a man's sexual tastes don't define him, nor do they make him a murderer. "
"They do when he kills the stupid bitches willing to fuck him and his brother at the same time. Silly little whores who fool themselves into believing those men love them, only to learn they're no more than a toy. Then you're damned right, it defines him. "
"You're losing your objectivity," she said, backing slowly to the door. "Nothing you've said here warrants the Bureau's harassment of him. If you're not very careful, he's going to have a lawsuit against the entire Bureau. "
Deerfield smirked at her warning.
"Worry about yourself, I'll worry about the Bureau. That's my job, and I'm damned good at it. "
He's not stable, she thought. He is slipping over an edge that could end up causing irreparable damage between the United States and a potential ally.
"My job is nearly over," she warned him. "Khalid is no traitor, and he's no murderer--"
Deerfield broke her argument off with a sharp, derisive laugh.
"You've fallen for him, haven't you? Wouldn't your father be proud to know how far you'll end up sinking for that bastard? Would you betray your country for him, Agent Mathews? Would you let him watch as another man fucks you?"
"You've lost your mind," she breathed out roughly.
"Ask him about her," he snarled, his expression twisting into lines of fury. "Her name was Lessa. She was Abram's wife. A tiny little thing who they broke. " His gaze flicked over her in scorn. "I hope you never experience the horror she must have faced as they fucked her to death. "
"I don't have to ask him about anything. Khalid isn't a monster, and he'd never hurt one of his lovers, or anyone else's. And I will remind you, you're the one who put me on that assignment to watch him. It was your responsibility to tell me everything, no matter the fact that someone else believed the information irrelevant. "
"I didn't tell you to fuck him!"
"Speak to me like that again and you'll regret it. " Marty's fingers clenched her purse even tighter as anger coursed through her. "I've taken your abusive tirades long enough, Deerfield. "
"For God's sake, do you think I'd bother to berate you if I didn't thi
nk you'd make a damned fine agent one of these days?" Surprise seemed to reflect in his expression now as he held his hands out in supplication. "You're risking your life and your career with this man. "
"And I will remind you that it's no longer your concern. " She could feel her heart racing, adrenaline surging through her as she recognized the fact that her boss's sanity just might be slipping.
"I thought you were smarter than this. " He shook his head slowly. "Damn. I thought you were a better agent than this. "
Marty gripped the doorknob behind her and stared at him in fury. "I think you should sit down and think about what you're doing, Deerfield," she told him coldly. "You're the one risking your life. You're the one whose career is already shot to hell. Don't make it worse. "
He smiled slowly, confidently. "I'll win in the end. "
