The Squad

“What’s going on? Colton said you needed us, Cierra, what did he do to you?” A full-figured amazon with bright red hair glared at Mancini when she said this, and there was an audible sigh around the room. “No one did anything to anyone Ginger-Lee.” Seems to me like Mancini was trying hard not to laugh when he answered her. Pretty soon, the room was filling up with their spouses, and I found myself being pulled away from Jason’s clutches.

“Come on, girls, let’s go take care of this little one. These men don’t know how to treat anybody.” Ginger-Lee started tugging me towards the door.

“Wait, we’re talking here, Roxana you didn’t give us the name of the town.” I looked back at Mancini, almost helplessly. Any minute there was going to be a tug of war for my arm, I think.

“What town? Didn’t she come here to see Cierra?” One of the other men started to say something but Mancini held up his hand and shook his head for him to stop, and he did. I was dragged-carried to another part of the house that I had not yet seen.

It looked like the most comfortable place I’d ever seen, with huge soft suede couches in flowery pastels, large, no, humongous pillows spread throughout the room, and enough space to house a small park. I was pushed down onto one of those couches, and a tray was placed in my lap what seemed like seconds later.

“You didn’t eat breakfast, have this, and then you can tell us what’s going on.” Kat smiled at me before patting my shoulder and taking a seat across from me. There were more than ten women in the room, and if not for the looks of concern on their faces, the scene could’ve been one from my childhood.

“Come on, you guys, she can’t eat with all of us staring at her. Hi Roxy, I’m Dana-Sue, my husband Law was one of the men who brought you home.” She smiled as she rocked the little one in her arms, and I wondered if she realized what she’d just said. I haven’t had a home in many years. I doubt any of these women would be so welcoming if they knew my life story. No one would be, except for Jason, maybe.

MANCINI

“Why’d you let them go? Weren’t you still questioning her?” I’m sure Jason was more worried about her being out of his sight than he was about me not getting my questions answered. I held my finger up to my lips and headed for my desk with my phone to my ear. “Which room?” I could’ve done my own search, but I was no longer sure who was watching who here, so had to tread carefully?

“The informal lounge.” Drake answered before we hung up. I pulled the room up on the surveillance cameras, and the image covered half of the glass wall. So far, they were not discussing anything incriminating, just small talk amongst themselves, as Roxana picked at what was on her plate and looked around the room as if seeking the exits just in case, she needs one.

It’s going to take her a while to get over such things, I’m sure, and I have more than enough people on standby to help her with that, but I think getting rid of all the people involved in what had happened to her would go a long way to helping her on the road to recovery—something I plan to take care of as soon as possible.

I’ve already started trying to piece it together using the names of the bodies she’d left behind, but those men and women had handled a lot of kids in the time she’d been off the grid, so it was meticulous work. If she gives us the name of the town and shares what she knows about the people there, then it would be as simple as moving in and out. I’m sure the SEALs would love that, seeing as how they haven’t been on a real mission since we went into the desert.

On the screen, Cierra spoke up again. “Okay, so tell me, Roxy, this guy that killed my family, where is he?”

“What? She knows where he is? How? Is that why she wanted to see you?” Kat asked.

“What’s going on, Mancini?” Lyon came to stand beside me. “How come you let her go without getting what you were after?”

I reached beneath my desk and switched off the little device there. “I never told Cierra that Roxana was coming here just to see her.”

“And? I don’t get it.” I hit a few more keys on the comp, and another image popped up on the wall next to the room where the women were. “What’s that? What’s Mengele doing? One of her experiments?”

“Not exactly.” Fuck, I wasn’t looking forward to telling him the truth about this, not yet. It’s funny; he’s, in essence, my boss, the one I’ll be passing off the reigns to. I have no issue giving him everything else, but when it comes to his kid, I find myself walking a very tight rope. To him, she’s just his little girl, and I doubt that even once he gives in and takes his seat at the head of the table, he’d see things differently.