“It sounds like you’ve endured a lot,” Blaze said before anyone else had the chance to speak, and a flicker of relief passed through my chest. He sounded convinced.
I only nodded weakly in response.
Julius was still frowning. “How did you fight us so well?”
Good point. Even held back by my injuries, it had to be clear that I was well-trained to men who’d done plenty of training themselves.
“Mixed martial arts starting when I was ten years old,” I said with a shrug. “Competitive MMA when I turned twelve, added karate to the mix when I turned fifteen.”
“Then how did your boyfriend manage to beat the shit out of you?” Garrison asked.
His insensitivity made my anger flare. “You’re an insensitive prick, aren’t you?” I snapped at him, the way I thought a woman in my circumstances might. “I got into training because I thought it’d help me—my father used to—” I shuddered. “But I guess it backfired on me. That’s how I met my boyfriend—he was one of my instructors. He was always a little better, a little stronger than me.”
The one benefit to my injuries was that I could hope these men hadn’t been able to tell just how unlikely that’d be when I was at my full capacity.
“All right,” Julius said. He didn’t look particularly affected by my sob story, but he wasn’t trying to pick it apart anymore either. I’d call that a win. He took a step closer, looming as he peered down at me. “We can’t let you just wander off. Like I told you, we can’t risk you compromising our covers. You could be a key component in our investigation—and it’s possible the murderers are out for your blood too. You’ll be safer with us anyway.”
I glanced down at my wrists and tested my luck. “Are you going to keep me tied up the whole time?”
Julius did offer a hint of a smile then. “I think we can give you that much freedom. Just be aware that if you try to make a break for it again, we will intervene.”
Something in his words cued Talon to put his gun back in his concealed holster. Julius reached for the ties, pulling a knife from his pocket. I held myself totally still as the gleaming blade sliced through the plastic.
When my first wrist released, I swiveled my hand, loosening the stiff muscles. How much could I convince them to loop me in on their progress with the case? I had to work this advantage in every way I could while I had the opportunity.
“I might be able to help your investigation,” I suggested as the tie around my wrist brace fell away and Julius bent down to tackle my ankles.
He glanced up at me, no less commanding when he was lower down. “How do you expect to do that?”
I groped for a reasonable proposition. “It was dark when I got to the house, and obviously I didn’t stick around to pay a lot of attention to the place. Maybe if I could look around the property in the daylight, I’ll see something that you all missed. I’ve been there enough times to have a pretty good memory of how it should be.”
Julius let out a thoughtful hum. “We’ll see. We’ve definitely had enough excitement today. Talon, take her back to her room for the night.”
Talon moved forward to escort me. I leapt up from the chair and to the side before he could outright grab me. “I can walk on my own.” I turned to look at Julius again. “And I could help you. I want the bastards responsible to rot in hell.”
Julius didn’t respond as Talon motioned me toward my bedroom. He might not be aiming his gun at me, but we both knew he had it on him. The other three were probably armed similarly. Gritting my teeth, I strode back to the bedroom one step ahead of him.
The second I walked inside, Talon closed the door behind me. Then came the unmistakable sound of the lock clicking into place.
They didn’t trust me all that much, not yet. I’d just have to find a way to change that.