Page 69 of Six
Always loving a dramatic entrance, Six took the opportunity to spin around in the chair. “It’s funny you should say that, Kaden, because as a matter of fact, thereisvideo,” she said. And with that, she pressed a button and projected onto the wall the first video they’d found in Jeremy’s files—one involving all three of the men, Austin, Kaden, and Julian, assaulting and abusing two women who worked at the plantation.
Six didn’t watch the scene playing out in grand scale on the other side of the room. She’d seen it more often than she cared to. Instead, she watched the three people. Julia’s attention stayed fixed on the images, and Six had a moment’s thought that perhaps she was a sexual sadist. Her interest in the video didnotseem normal. Kaden, though one of the participants, seemed unable to watch it and had dropped his gaze to the floor and turned his head away. Austin, on the other hand, kept his attention on her.
“Who the fuck are you?” he demanded.
She lifted a shoulder. “Like I said earlier, other than the fact that I have lots of interesting contacts, it’s not that important.”
“This is entrapment,” he barked.
She smiled. “Hardly. I didn’t induce or persuade you to say or do anything. In fact, until this moment, I’ve said nothing at all.” It was not lost on Austin that she’d just overhead them confess not only to the abuses of the workers in Indonesia, but also to the federal charges involving bribery, espionage, and treason. The Feds were going toloveher.
“It will all be hearsay,” Kaden said, joining the conversation.
“You keep saying that word, Kad. I don’t think it means what you think it means,” Six said.
Kaden blinked at her bastardization of the line fromThe Princess Bride. “It will be,” he insisted. “We’ll deny this entire conversation, and then it will be your word against ours.”
Six inclined her head. “Had the Feds not been listening through this legally authorized device,” she said, unbuttoning her shirt two buttons to reveal the wire she wore, “then you’d be right. But as this whole morning was run strictly to protocol, although perhaps a bit unusually, there’s no hearsay involved.”
“You bitch,” Austin said, striding across the room toward her. Like the bully he was, he hesitated at the edge of the desk when she didn’t flinch.
“You may be right about that…no, scratch that, youareright about that, Austin,” she said, leaning back in the chair. “Iama bitch. But let’s be clear, I’m the bitch who’s going to bring you all down.”
He lunged for her then. Not the smartest move on his part. Partly because the Feds were still listening, but mostly because, well, she was trained, and taking him down would be like fighting a toddler. Although she’dneverfight a toddler, not physically, and as Austin came flying at her, she decided she’dvery muchlike to fight him.
His hands were up and coming toward her throat when she shot up from her seat, sending the chair flying backward. His fingers closed around her neck as the chair bounced off the wall behind her. She let Austin feel a moment of victory, a moment of triumph, before bringing her own arms up in between his and chopping his elbows out. He fell forward with the force he’d been using to keep his arms locked and she head-butted him in the nose with a single solid jerk.
“Fuck,” he shouted as blood began to pour down his face, and he staggered back two steps.
His gaze found hers and in it, she saw the bloodlust of a cornered animal. It was a look she’d seen before in those she’d hunted, although, admittedly, she’d never expected to see it here in the United States.
“I’m going to kill you,” he hissed. She almost smiled. She wasn’t quite sure how he thought he’d accomplish that. Even if he had a weapon, which he didn’t, he was no match for her training and experience. Of course, if he did try to kill her—which arguably, he just had—they could get him on an attempted murder rap, which wouldn’t be such a bad thing either.
Six shrugged, “Go ahead and try. I have to admit, I’m kind of curious how you think you’ll do that.” She kept her attention on Austin but sensed his brother moving in behind her. “And Kaden,” she continued, “you should stay out of this. I know you feel like you should step in, and that maybe two on one gives your brother better odds, but I can assure you it doesn’t. All it will do is piss me off and make me want to end this as efficiently as possible. And when I’m efficient, it’s possible people might die.” She wanted to add “Like Victor DePalma did,” but she restrained herself. There was no reason she needed to muddy the waters of the story they’d already committed to regarding DePalma’s death.
To her left, Julia gasped. Her dramatic delivery almost had Six laughing, but then Austin lunged forward again, drawing her attention back to the task at hand. And speaking of hands, suddenly there was a knife in Austin’s. She forced her gaze from the switchblade that he must have pulled from his pocket and focused on his eyes. Because it would be his eyes that would tell her his intent.
His gaze dropped to her chest, to the area that held the wire he now knew she was wearing. Attacking her there and slicing the wire wouldn’t damage the transmissions they’d already recorded, but it sure as shit would send a message. Six adjusted her body, preparing for an attack in that region, but then his gaze shifted up and locked on her neck.
She read everything in his eyes, in his face, in the split second before he attacked. He’d accepted that he wasn’t going to escape justice this time around, but just because he’d accepted it didn’t mean he wasn’t going to go down without a fight.
He lunged toward her again, one hand raised to grab her hair and force her head back. The other, held the knife at an angle so that the blade would slice cleanly across her neck. He got his hands into her hair and a bright look of triumph flashed in his eyes. Again, Six let him feel that moment—savor it if he could—then brought her hand up. Gripping his wrist, she used his own momentum to spin them around so that her back was to his front.
Stepping back into him, she threw him off-balance, although her hold on his hand that held the knife stayed firm. He staggered back to keep from stumbling, and she used the space between them to spin once more. Twisting his knife-wielding hand, she felt the distinctive crack of bone.
“Fuck!” Austin shouted, trying to yank his now-broken wrist back against his body to protect it.
The switchblade clattered to the floor as Gavin and several FBI agents burst through the door.
“You okay?” Gavin called as the agents fanned out, weapons drawn. She appreciated how he refrained from using her name. It wasn’t as if Julia and the Fogartys wouldn’t learn it later when they went to trial, but for now, she was glad to remain some nameless woman Austin hadn’t been able to bully or abuse.
“I’m good,” Six said. “He dropped his switchblade. It slid under the desk.” Kaden and Julia already had their hands up and agents were approaching them.
“Mr. Austin Fogarty,” Special Agent Chad Warwick said as he approached the man. “You have the right to remain silent.”
Six tuned out as the agent finished Mirandizing Austin and stepped out of the way as another agent approached to collect the knife. Within minutes, Julia, Austin, and Kaden had been led away in handcuffs and the knife lay on the desk in an evidence bag.
“Well, that was exciting,” Six said, her hands on her hips as she stared at the now-empty doorway, although she could see Holly arguing with an agent on the other side.
