Page 26 of Skin In the Game (The BlackWater)

“If I knew that do you think I’d be sitting here listening to this bullshit?” She snapped back and someone behind her laughed.

She turned, quickly meeting eyes with the man. He was tall, just like Cole Black, dark haired, just like him, but his face was rounder, slightly less chiselled and he had blue eyes, piercing blue eyes. His suit was expensive, tailored, and everything about him gave her BlackWater vibes and in particular Cole Black vibes. She felt her stomach turn and she realised she’d seen him before, he was the man back at the interrogation that had banged on the window at the end and essentially called Cole off his attack.

“Who are you?” She asked narrowing her eyes.

He smirked walking in and shutting the door. He then walked up, taking the chair next to Maddie and dragging it so that he sat at a perfect angle between her and Holden.

“This is Brandon Black. He heads up BlackWater.” Holden said.

“Black as in…?” She said quietly before she could stop herself.

“As in Cole Black’s cousin.” Brandon replied crossing one leg over the other so his ankle was across his knee and leaning back like he owned the god damn place. It was the same attitude she realised, the same sense of entitlement.

She shook her head slightly. So there was another then, another fucking Black, she thought looking from him to Holden.

“Why is he here?” She asked.

“I’ll leave you to it.” Holden said looking between them and she glared at him. It was all she could do not to stand up and punch the guy.

She watched as he left, her head following him while her body stayed still and when the door shut she snapped her eyes right back on Brandon Black.

“What do you want?” She half snarled at him. Her hands were clenching the base of the seat either side of her legs now, and her knuckles were white.

“Relax Maddie, I’m just here to talk.” He stated.

“Don’t call me that.” She snapped.

“That’s your name isn’t it?” He replied calmly.

“You don’t get to call me by my first name.” She stated.

He laughed a low laugh that didn’t sound as threatening as she expected.

“I prefer first names. It makes it more personal. You can call me Brandon.” He said.

“Fuck off.” She half muttered.

“Maddie you’re really not helping yourself here.” He said calmly.

“What would you know about it?” She retorted.

He sighed getting up and walking from where he sat to behind Holden’s desk looking out the window with his back to her.

“Let me explain a few things to you.” He said. “Three days ago you ended up crashing headlong into a two year investigation that BlackWater has been running. You and your team member whatever his name was…”

“McCullough.” She snapped but he ignored her interruption as if it hadn’t even happened.

“Your team mate got shot and you somehow ended up with some very incriminating data and items hidden in your apartment.”

She opened her mouth to argue and he turned then and the look he gave her made her mouth go dry.

“This is how I see it, you were running some sort of investigation into god knows what and somehow your investigation crossed over with ours. Your team mate saw something, had a hunch, a good one at that, and was stupid enough to not get back up when he followed that man you call Anderson into that warehouse. You then were stupid not to call back up and for some reason they singled you out to fit up as the fall guy.”

She swallowed. “So you believe me then, that that evidence wasn’t mine. That it was planted?”

“Yes but that doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.”

She scowled. “But you just said...”

“Shut up Maddie. You’re involved in this, they have made you involved in this, they singled you out in particular.” He said.

“Why?”

“Now you’re asking the right questions.” He replied.

She folded her arms leaning on the desk on her elbows. “I haven’t done anything though. I haven’t done anything to mark myself.”

He smirked like that wasn’t true and she rolled her eyes.

“Go on then, say what you’re thinking.” She snapped.

He pulled a filed across and opened it and she realised that it was her personnel file, that Holden had laid it out for him like a fucking invitation.

“Maddison Cooper, age 31, joined the army at 16, recruited into Blackops at 18, promoted through the ranks making officer within a year and a half….” He looked at her and she gritted her teeth. “Impressive Maddie.” He added and she let out a long low breath trying to calm herself.

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