Rage (Benson Security 3)

Dimitri looked towards heaven and clamped a hand over Megan’s mouth. “Pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Ryan snorted. “Like we didn’t already know.”

“What’s this about Callum and a woman?” Joe Barone, ex-US marine and team trainer, frowned as he came up beside Elle. “He didn’t hurt her, did he?” he asked her quietly.

Elle gasped. “He wouldn’t do that. You know he wouldn’t.”

“He hasn’t been himself for months. I’m worried about him.”

“We all are. But he’d never hurt a woman. You know that, Joe.” Elle glared at him. “That was out of order.”

“I know, I know.” The American ran a hand through his short brown hair, making it stand on end. “But he trashed his house, Elle. You were there. He hit Lake and would have knocked him out if he hadn’t been drunk off his ass. I’m not sure what he’s capable of anymore. He hasn’t even spoken to any of the team for months.”

Elle cast a glance at Dimitri to make sure he wasn’t listening when she brought up his sister. Although Katrina was doing well now, living and working in a shelter for abused women in Invertary, the memory of what had happened to her was still very fresh for all of them.

“You saw how Callum reacted after we rescued Katrina from the bastard who was holding her as his sex slave,” Elle whispered. “He would never force himself on someone. Never.”

Joe’s eyes went hard. “I didn’t say that. I asked if he was too rough. I wanted to know if he was in control.”

“Well, hell, Joe, why didn’t you just say that?” She turned back to her laptop, wishing she was dealing with code instead of people. There was never any chance of misunderstanding computer code. “I’ve been worried about him.”

Joe nodded, placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “We all are.”

“Why are you all in here?” Rachel Ford-Talbot’s voice cut through the room like a buzzsaw on glass. “We’re meeting in the conference room.” She made a show of looking at her Rolex. “Five minutes ago.”

Ryan caught Elle’s gaze and rolled his eyes. They were all desperate for Callum to come back to work, because that meant Rachel would no longer be their only on-site boss. Being in charge was going to Rachel’s head, and it was only a matter of time before someone locked her in one of the basement interrogation rooms and “forgot” she was there.

“We’re monitoring Callum,” Elle told Rachel. “He seems to be doing better. I think it’s time he came back.”

“I miss Callum,” Megan said. “I miss the way he’d come in, shout at us, grumble about having to work with a bunch of amateurs and then lock himself in his office for hours planning military manoeuvres, in case we needed them.”

“Good times,” Joe agreed.

“Elle’s right: we need to make more of an effort to get him back,” Megan said.

“How exactly should we do that?” Dimitri said. “He won’t even talk to any of us. If he knew about the surveillance we have on him, he’d lose his mind.”

“I thought he’d notice it months ago,” Elle said. “But he hasn’t been his usual paranoid self. He shows no interest in anything. The only person he talks to is Betty, and those conversations are seriously disturbing.”

Megan made the sign of the cross. “Betty McLeod is Invertary’s answer to Satan. She’s probably whispering ways he could off himself into his ear.” She stopped suddenly, her eyes going wide. “Could he be brainwashed?”

“Don’t be daft,” Ryan said.

“No, seriously,” Megan said. “Think about it. He was perfectly fine until Peru. Maybe Betty was in contact with him earlier than we think.”

“I don’t think Betty has the skills to brainwash anyone,” Joe said of the eighty-nine-year-old. “Half the time she can’t even find her own teeth. Brainwashing seems beyond her abilities.”

“Don’t underestimate her,” Megan warned. “That’s where people usually go wrong. It’s best to assume she can do whatever you suspect her of doing.”

“I’ve been monitoring his cell since he came on board with Benson Security,” Elle said. “I would know if he’d been talking to Betty.”

Everyone gaped at her.

“What?” She held up her hands.

Joe frowned at her. “Do you monitor our cell phones too?”

The tension in the room amped up. Elle wasn’t threatened. She was doing it for their own good. “Sure I do. I have GPS tracking on all of you. If there’s a problem, I’m going to know about it. And after Megan’s run-in with the psycho who kept texting her, I also record all your messages and calls.”