Chapter 15
Tasha listened, fascinated by the insight of the three brothers. She knew Khal missed whatever camaraderie they shared when they were younger and more carefree. She’d heard him make comments, just a casual memory here and there about moments of mischief that he and his brothers had gotten into as kids.
Her heart pounded harder as she watched the three men converse. Their intelligence was obvious but there was a stronger, more interesting, undercurrent between them. It was almost as if all three of them wanted the same thing; to rediscover their brotherhood.
Tasha listened half-heartedly. They were brainstorming at the moment. When they came up with an agenda, she would start to take notes again.
She flipped over to the next meeting on the day’s agenda. Mentally, she was reviewing the notes for that meeting when she heard something strange.
“Tasha explained that…” and “Tasha thinks that…” And the best one, “Tasha knows how to…”
She kept her head bowed, trying not to cry. She’d offered so much analysis and guidance to Nathan and he’d taken everything from her, presenting her information and opinions as his own. Which was fine, except he never gave her credit for anything.
Here was Khal, a far more powerful man, telling his equally powerful brothers that she was the genesis for the information and idea.
It was such a small issue, and perhaps she had been petty in the past for wanting her boss to credit her efforts with the ideas he was advocating, but it meant so much to her.
She looked up and…Khal lifted his eyes at that same moment. Something passed between them and she felt a shiver, then heat. Intense, soul-drenching heat! The look his eyes conveyed was something so special, so powerful, it was impossible to look away.
“What if we…” Joran said, interrupting that moment. Tasha noticed the reluctance in Khal to refocus on the conversation. Tasha sat back in the leather chair, feeling a sense of…joy and warmth simmer inside of her. No, it wasn’t simmering. It was vibrating. Yes, her whole body felt as if she were vibrating with energy and life and happiness!
“What if it’s something more nefarious?” Raj interjected.
Tasha smiled faintly and looked down at her notes.
“What are you suggesting?” Joran asked.
Raj tilted his head thoughtfully, his eyes unfocused. “What if there’s some other purpose for the explosion? We’ve already established that the event probably wasn’t politically motivated. It won’t have a significant financial impact. From the reports you gave us,” he continued, “there isn’t even a large repair expense. So, we can rule out greedy contractors.”
“And that means…?” Khal asked, leaving the question hanging.
Silence.
It was Khal that finally spoke. “If this is just some ass trying to get a reaction, then we’ll need to act fast.”
“It could also be someone testing out the local law enforcements’ reaction time,” Raj offered.
Everyone looked at him. “Tell me more,” Khal suggested.
Raj looked at each of them, including Tasha. “Well, we’ve tentatively ruled out financial or political motivation. And there weren’t a lot of serious injuries and the damage wasn’t significant. The main reaction was chaos and confusion.”
“Right,” Joran said, nodding. “You’re thinking that perhaps the explosion was just a way to find out what our response would be to a bomb?”
Raj nodded and Khal rubbed his chin, contemplating the possibilities. “You think that this was just a test? That someone is trying to find out what I would do if an explosion like this happened?”
Raj shrugged, leaning back again. “It’s possible. Maybe it has nothing to do with your reaction. Maybe the person who created the explosion just wanted to find out how quickly the police would arrive at a specific destination.”
The room suddenly went cold.
“You think this explosion was just a practice run,” Joran filled in, saying the words that no one wanted to say out loud.
“I don’t know,” Raj continued. “It’s possible. I’m just putting that out as a possibility.”
“Who would do something like that?” Khal rasped angrily, his body tight with fury.
“Someone who likes chaos,” Tasha whispered, forgetting that she’d promised to stay silent during these meetings. When she lifted her eyes, all three men were staring at her. “Sorry!” she said, lifting a hand to apologize.
“Don’t be sorry,” Joran replied. “Your analysis was spot on. If you hadn’t looked at the explosion from a different angle, we might not be prepared for what could come next.”
“I don’t think we even have laws in place for something like this,” Raj added.
“If we do,” Khal continued, “I don’t think that the punishment would be adequate.”
“What’s an adequate punishment for wounding and maiming a large group of people just for kicks and giggles?”
Tasha was already picturing the punishment. And in her head she pictured the image of Nathan King, being sprayed with hot oil, then strapped to a tree, his tiny penis dangling between his pasty white thighs, a big red X spray painted on his pathetic chest while his constituents used a paint ball gun to shoot at whatever body part they deemed responsible for the mess he’d created in American politics.