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"I buy you desk so you can work," George said. "I hope you like."
I went over and ran my hand along the modular desk. It had a hutch with cupboards and drawers and was in a dark cherry wood. It was expensive. Much more so than anything I'd ever owned before.
"It's a lot better than my desk at the dorm," I said with a laugh, thinking of the rickety old student desk I'd left.
George smiled at me again. "If you need anything, just ask. I am your keeper while Hunter is away."
I nodded. "Thanks."
Then I began unpacking my boxes and getting my computer set up, resigned to my new reality.
After I finished organizing my books and files, I glanced around. Several workers were finishing a new bathroom, installing a tub and sink. They were working fast, and before the end of the afternoon, the walls to the bathroom had gone up and drywall was in place, the sections taped and mudded. It wasn't the best environment for studying, and I finally gave up and sat on the sofa and watched television for a while.
Different contractors came in that evening, putting down flooring in the bathroom and cleaning up. George came over to me and pointed at the bathroom.
"Is yours to use," he said, apparently pleased with it. "I pick best fixtures and colors. I hope you like."
I looked inside. It was ostentatious, with gilded faucets, marble countertops, and granite tiles on the two-person shower. A fantastic tub. All of it looked out over the bay.
"Blinds are inside windows," George said and pressed a switch that closed the blinds, blocking out the light. He opened them again. "You can put things in," he said and opened the vanity mirror. "I bring towels and soaps." He went to a bag beside the bathroom and sure enough, there were thick plush towels and bars of soap.
"It's very nice."
He smiled, pleased with the bathroom.
"Are you staying here, too?" I asked, noticing the small military cot beside his bank of security cameras in his office.
"When Hunter isn't here, twenty-four seven," he said and nodded. "You don't have to worry. You're safe here with us."
"Who are you to Hunter?" I asked, curious about the man and his relationship to Hunter.
"We work together in Afghanistan. We trust each other," he said. "He save my life many times. He is good man, Celia."
"Good men don't get messed up with the mafia," I said, unable to bite my tongue. For all I knew, George might be in the Russian mob.
"Sometimes good men do bad things for greater good," George said and shrugged. "I know Hunter for several years. He is best, very honorable. Hero."
I didn't say anything else, because there was no sense arguing with someone who was obviously a good friend and employee.
I used to think Hunter was a good man, but he seemed to be quite happy to get down and dirty with the Russian mob, being just as bad as they were—beating people up like Stepan, partying with them at his clubs, doi
ng business with them. He was on a first-name basis with Stepan and his ilk. From what I understood, Hunter was still running fights at the gym and there would be illegal betting involved, and who knew what else.
While I had no love for the thug Hunter had beat up and was glad he was paying for what he’d done to Graham, I believed in law and order, not vigilante justice. By beating Stepan up, Hunter had reduced himself to Stepan's level. That was the only conclusion you could draw from what he did. I remembered a quote from my philosophy class on Nietzsche and quoted it, not expecting George to know it.
"He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster."
George made a face, pursing his lips. "And if you gaze long into abyss, abyss will also gaze into you." Then he smiled.
"You know Nietzsche," I said, pleasantly surprised.
"I am old," he said with a laugh. "I spend many hours in desert waiting for fight to start. Books get you through long waits." He shook his head. "Hunter is not monster."
"So you say." I forced a smile, starting to feel a grudging admiration for George. I wasn't going to argue with him about how much of a monster Hunter had become. He obviously thought very highly of Hunter.
I glanced around the large space. "I unpacked my things," I said with a sigh. "If I'm going to be here for the duration, I might as well get comfortable."
"Hunter will protect you," George said, nodding. "Until all blows over."
