Dayanara
Now that the time was here, I had a hard time deciding where to start. The more I heard his voice on those recordings, the more I thought of what he did to Breezy and me. How my brother and I might never have the closeness we once had, and knowing it was all Marshall’s fault made me furious.
But when I became truly furious, I burned ice cold, not hot.
I shut down emotions until they exploded.
And then I truly became the hailstorm my men called me.
They had no idea how aptly they’d named me.
I loved my club name. My hands were steady.
My body primed as I leaned over the man tied to the table. I made sure he was staring only at me.
“I’m going to remove that tape. But it’s not so you can beg and try to persuade me that I shouldn’t do what I’m about to do.
No, it’s so I can hear your screams and pleas for mercy.
Only you need to know something. I feel no mercy.
The only thing you may want to pray for is a quicker death.
And the only way to earn that is to tell us whatever we want to know.
No holding back. No making up lies. Tell the whole truth, and I’ll allow you a faster death.
Nod your head if you understand,” I instructed.
He nodded, but I knew he’d still beg and try to persuade me. He wouldn’t be able to stop himself. I ripped the duct tape from his mouth. He winced, and when it was off, his lips beaded up with blood.
“Please, Daya, you need to listen to me. I know you. I know that you’re not capable of hurting someone, let alone killing them.
Sure, you were a Marine, but not everyone is a killing machine.
If you hear me out, you’ll see what Jess did.
You’ll understand why I’m here and why what happened years ago was meant to be.
Like we’re meant to be,” he spewed the instant his mouth was uncovered.
I let him do it. Then I tossed back my head and laughed. But it wasn’t a pleasant laugh. This kind sent chills down people’s spines. More than a few people had told me. I laughed for a good fifteen or so seconds, then it died away.
“Tsk, tsk, I’m very disappointed in you, Marshall. For someone obsessed, I would’ve thought you’d do more research on the object of your obsession. For example, what I did for those ten years in the Marine Corps.”
He got a confused look on his face. “What do you mean? You were in an office in supply chain management, or something along those lines. You rode a desk. Women say they want to be equals, but when it comes to things like danger or killing, they change their tune,” he said without rancor.
He was ruffling feathers he shouldn’t. I guess this would be my first surprise.
“You think you know me. You don’t. You have no idea what I did in the Corps.
I haven’t shared that, not even with my family and my men.
I was waiting to be face-to-face with you.
The only people outside of my commanding officers who know what I was are Bull and Outlaw.
Bull, you said you read my military jacket.
I bet a man like you gets his hands on the unredacted version.
The way you said it and the way you stared at me told me you knew who I was.
Outlaw investigated me. I have no doubt he knows, or at least guessed. ”
All heads turned to Bull, then to Outlaw. They were watching me. Outlaw gave me a nod. Bull went further.
“Yeah, I had the unredacted one. That’s why I have no issue with you handling this and more. May I ask why you haven’t told your old men? Or your family?” Bull asked.
“Honestly, I’d left that behind when I got out.
I didn’t want to talk to my family about it.
How would they understand? As for Predator and Stalker, I planned to tell them, then I wanted to know if they would allow me this and the sentry duty, those kinds of dangerous things, without knowing my past. I had to see if I’d be treated as their equal.
I’m sorry, my loves. I hope you can forgive me.
I had to be sure,” I told them. Before they could blast me for withholding information, I turned back to Bull.
“Would you like to do the honors? I feel, as the father of Harlow, a fellow female Marine with an unusual job, you’re ideal to do it. If not, I will, and you can chime in wherever.”
“I’d be honored. Daya was an extraordinary Marine.
She got top marks throughout her career.
In fact, the Corps begged her not to leave, but she insisted.
She wanted to be home. Her baby sister still struggled despite it being five years since her ordeal.
When Breezy reported what Webb did to her, Daya had already reenlisted for five years, so she had to tough it out.
Sure, she was officially part of MAGTF, the Marine Air-Ground Task Force, but she had a less-advertised job.
One that was discovered by accident, but once known, was used.
“Payne, Daya did your kind of thing. She was part of a select team that, when the Marines went into a new hot zone, or were out to get vital information needed to save American and their allies’ lives, they were used.
Daya’s success rate in obtaining viable information was ninety percent.
She did it first as an inquiry. When that failed, she became their interrogator. ” Bull announced my past with pride.
Shock was evident on everyone’s face, except the two who knew about it. My brother and Stryder looked at me like they didn’t know whether to believe Bull. My guys, I watched them, anxious to hear if I’d made the wrong choice in keeping silent. It took them a few seconds to say anything.
“Hailstorm, we wish you’d told us, but I get it. I do. You’re still coming to trust us no matter what. However, I want you to know. No matter what a badass you are, we’ll always want to be your protectors,” Stalker said.
“Stalker is right. And we’ll devise an appropriate punishment for hiding it from us. It’ll be one for when we have privacy,” Predator added. The other guys chuckled, while Stryder groaned and made a gagging face.
“Woman, we’ll be talking later. We need to compare notes,” Payne informed me. He smiled like he’d been given a present.
“You got it. Would you happen to have a piece of cloth or a bucket? I saw the sink,” I replied.
“I do. Give me a minute,” Payne said before heading to the cabinets. He brought a piece of cloth out of a drawer, snagged a bucket from by the wall, filled it with water, and then handed it off to me. Now, back to the work at hand.
“Stalker, Predator, I need your hands.”
“Sure, Hailstorm. What do you need us to do?” Stalker asked as they both came to stand next to me.
“I need you on each side of his head. Stretch and hold this cloth tightly against his entire face. Don’t let go until I tell you to.”
“What’re you doing?” Marshall asked, his voice tinged with panic.
“Why, I’m giving everyone a tutorial on the proper way to waterboard someone. I mean, I know some of them know, but this is for those who don’t.
“No, you can’t. This isn’t you. You can’t hurt me,” Marshall stated.
“Watch me,” I said.
I glanced at Payne. He came forward to hold Marshall’s head still.
He had a surprise for me. It was a mouth guard, the kind dentists used to keep their patients’ mouths open.
Payne held his head still after inserting the guard.
I then nodded to my men. They did as I asked.
When the cloth was in place, I held the bucket above his nose and mouth.
I poured the water in a steady stream over the openings.
The pace didn’t allow him a pause to breathe.
Water poured into his mouth and nose, and as he fought it, into his lungs.
He was experiencing what it was like to drown.
There was an art to knowing how long to do it before the person, in fact, drowned. I knew it. I stopped short. The coughing and sputtering went on for a while. I indicated the cloth could be removed for the moment. When Marshall settled, his red, watery eyes sought mine. Payne removed the guard.
“H-how could you?” he rasped hoarsely.
“How could I? Easy. See, you’re the reason I can do this.
You’re why I chose to become what I did in the Corps.
It was my determination never to let someone like you harm people who didn’t deserve it that made me step up the first time to get information from an enemy.
When talking didn’t work, I asked to get creative.
My commanding officer allowed it, though reluctantly.
I knew my fellow Marines thought I couldn’t do it.
Even though I’d covered their backs and saved their lives, they still only saw me as a fragile woman.
After that first time, they never made that mistake again.
My commanding officer recommended me for a special team.
“Do I enjoy inflicting pain and killing? I would say no. I crave protecting people who need it—those who can’t protect themselves. However, in your case, I’ve got to admit, you’ll be the first I enjoy. Before you die, you’ll regret not only what you did to Breezy and me, but those other girls.”
“I did nothing to deserve this. I love you and Breezy. I regretted ever letting you go. When I saw her, I realized I was being given a second chance. I could make her happy. But she got confused. You had clearly poisoned her against me. She told Jess. He didn’t understand then either.
And then it all went to hell. But I’m free now.
The three of us can be together. We’ll make a family of our own. ”
As I looked into his eyes, I saw not merely a man who had a sick fascination for teenagers. He was farther gone. In his sick mind, what he did to us and others wasn’t wrong, and he thought we’d be open to being with him and having a future together.