Page 87 of Healing Conviction
“Go there…” He pointed to the chair in the corner farthest from Nora and the door, following Gail as she complied. “Sit. Hands flat on your legs. Then do not move.”
With Nora several feet away behind the desk in the large office, and the intruder in a subdued position, he finally took a breath. His chest felt like it was caving in with the pressure in his lungs, but he maintained focus on Gail’s minute movements.
“A-are you with B-BlackStone S-Securities?”
They didn’t reply and Draco watched Gail’s body language change with the passing milliseconds. The small bead of sweat pricking her brow, the way her shoulders shook, her fingers widely splayed and trembling, like she was doing her best to follow his orders exactly. Her mouth flapped open and closed before she swallowed and spoke.
“I-Is there something in p-particular you are looking for?”
Draco waited for Nora to speak, not looking at her, trusting that she was the perfect person in the situation to do the talking. When she finally did, her voice was calm and curious.
“Love this pic. You’ve got a beautiful family.”
“Oh… um, th-thank you,” Gail whispered and swallowed again. “Uh… m-my husband… F-Frank. My ch-children. They’re uh… they’re uh, Jonas a-and, um… C-Carmen.” Every word seemed easier than the last, but she still had to take a gulp between phrases.
“And the dog? What’s the pupper’s name?”
Gail’s shoulders began to relax, and she inhaled a heavy breath before she answered with a slight smile. “That’s Chewster.”
“Huh… rhymes with the ice cream?”
A nervous laugh escaped Gail as she nodded. “Y-yeah. The kids, uh, couldn’t decide between Chewy a-and Bruiser, but they both love the ice cream, so they did a combination of the two. You, uh, you should’ve seen them arguing over dinner the night we got him. They only came to a consensus after Frank and I took them for dessert to get them to quit bickering and decide.”
“That’s so adorable…” Nora’s soft laugh seemed to act like a balm to the woman’s fear. “Say, do they know that you aid and abet human trafficking, or is that not dinner table talk?”
Gail’s lips snapped into a thin line, and the pearl of sweat that had been threatening to drop finally slid down her sallow cheeks. She blinked several times before she closed her eyes and rested with her back against the plush chair.
“She asked you a question.” Draco’s voice was like gravel and hurt to push out of his dry throat. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d swallowed since the woman arrived.
“Th-they don’t know anything. They know their dad is sick and their mom loves the way he still looks at her, even after all these years. That would all be ruined if he knew. I-I can’t have him finding out.”
Noratsked. “Hm… we’re at an impasse there, I believe. ‘Cause see, my associate and I, we’re gonna make surethe worldfinds out. You understand? I am sympathetic to your sick husband, truly. Finding out your loved one is a ruthless monster is a crushing blow. I would know. But you? Yeah, I don’t really have much sympathy for you, babe. Especially not when I think of the very real women I’ve had to help through the trauma thatyou’vehelped cause. Honestly, if I have anything to do with it, your husband’s perception of you will be the least of your problems. Besides, you won’t have to worry about that when you’re stuck all by your lonesome in a jail cell.”
Gail gulped before a nervous laugh escaped her. She moved to clasp her hands together in front of her but Draco grunted. Her eyes widened, as if she’d almost forgotten somehow that he was there, and she resumed her posture before clearing her throat.
“Jail never crossed my mind. All I could think about was that look in his eyes. The kind of look that forms only after years of trust and devotion—”
“The kind of look that can disappear in an instant,” Nora finished for her.
Gail paused and gave her a single nod. “Yes. Exactly.”
Nora hummed her agreement before sucking her teeth. “See, I can’t stop thinking about the look my friend had when she realized that her best friend had been kidnapped, raped, and murdered, all in front of her eyes. That it hadn’t all been a nightmare.”
Draco fought back the wince at Nora’s reference to the time Jaybird’s sister, Ellie, was kidnapped. He’d heard that she’d had a rough time going through therapy while he was in a coma. He’d never imagined how it would’ve been for Nora to be one of the ones to comfort her.
“I’m sorry about your friend. I-I’m sorry for all of it.”
“Are you? Splendid. How ‘bout you help us, then? Let’s start from the beginning. What gave you the idea of running a human trafficking ring through your company, hm? Or better yet,who?”
Gail swiped at the sweat on her forehead and quickly moved her hand back to position. “It wasn’t like that.”
“So enlighten me then. Please, I’m in the mood for a good story, but make it quick. My associate and I have plans for the rest of our night.”
Gail’s chin trembled before she finally sighed. “The company hasn’t always been bad. I had the best intentions when I formed it.”
“The best villains always do,” Nora chimed.
“You’re right,” Gail agreed without any emotion. “I guess it makes sense that you’d see me like that. But to tell you the truth, it all started with a frivolous lawsuit. The patent kind that would tank our company if it had any validity, but also the kind the board of directors and I were sure would get laughed out of the court. Except it wasn’t. At every turn, there was an obstacle, a legal hoop we had to leap through. It became clear that the law firm going against us—”