Amanda considered the comment and decided to ignore it. Though she had never made the transition to wanting to be with her teacher in that way, the very thought, particularly now, was especially revolting.
“That’s why your mom agreed to help me so fast when I stopped by a little while ago?” It was a question phrased as a comment.
“That’s right. She was really mad.”
“Like I said, I’m sorry.”
“Well, if I hadn’t done this, maybe he would have never written that article.”
“You can’t blame yourself for that. You were just a down payment. They’ve been doing that to me for years. You know all those doctor appointments?”
“I always wondered about that. You sure went to the doctor a lot for being the healthiest person I know.”
“Jake and I were in my dad’s house, and we saw all these records of how my mom cheated three different insurance companies. She was making money on me by taking me to the doctor.”
“Why didn’t anyone do anything?”
“In his notes he talks about having tried, but it was only like twenty thousand dollars or something, and there were million-dollar corporate cases out there.”
The two friends sat for a while on the bed without saying anything. Amanda continued to absently rub Brianna’s back as she was now leaning into her, shoulder to shoulder.
“What about Nina? What are you going to do?”
“I’ve got a plan for her,” Amanda replied. “But can I ask you why you didn’t say no to her?” Amanda believed she understood why, but wanted to be sure.
Brianna rocked against her for a moment and said, “I think you know, but here goes.” She paused, sniffed once, and continued. “Your grandmother, you know I don’t even feel right calling her by that fake name, ‘Nina,’ anymore.”
“I know what you mean.”
“Anyway, two years ago when you were told your dad was dead the first time, she came to my mom one day asking if she could help out with any expenses. You know, mom had gotten laid off from her job, and, well, you know I’ve never really had a dad. We were hurting, and the swimming, well, that was all I really had.”
“But you couldn’t afford it anymore?”
“Anymore? Try ever. My mom even tried sleeping with the swimming coach, but that didn’t work out for long.”
“Jesus. I’m sorry, Bree.”
“Don’t be. But you know, your grandmother sees a lot, and I think she saw that. We were getting free lessons for a while, but that dried up when my mom and the coach broke up. All of this happened about the same time. So your grandmother either started paying the lessons or worked a connection. I think it was a connection, but I’m not sure. All I knew was, I got to keep swimming and to hang out with you.”
“So you owed her one?”
“That’s right. Thinking about it now, I think she was probably planning for something like this way back then. But then there was no insurance money, I heard.”
“That’s another thing; there was some money, and my mother got it. She lied to me.”
Brianna slowly shook her head and then looked at her for the first time in awhile. “I’m so sorry, Amanda. All I ever wanted was for us to be best friends, you know.”
Amanda wiped a tear from her own eyes and laughed. “We’ve got to quit saying ‘I’m sorry,’ you know?” Then she shoved her with her shoulder. “We came out okay, didn’t we?”
“Yeah, I think so. I think we’ll be okay.”
Amanda prayed that they would be.
“I still can’t believe Dagus burned down my dad’s house… ”
“When did he do that?”
“Right after we were there the other day.”
“The day you went to North Carolina? He couldn’t have. He was at the lake with me. He got totally sunburned.”
“But what about his arms and chest? The hair was gone. I just assumed he had burned himself.”
Brianna looked down, embarrassed.
“He made me shave him. Amanda, he didn’t burn down your dad’s house. He wasn’t there. He’s a sick freak, but he didn’t do that.”
“If he didn’t do it, then who did?”
A wave of panic rushed over her as she considered the possibilities.
CHAPTER 79
“What’s your deal, man?”
Matt was, at best, foggy on where he was and who was talking to him, though it sounded like Hobart. He sensed he was on his back and in a bed. The last thing he could remember was… well he wasn’t sure.
The Database Is Always There.
The hard drives. Mullah Rahman’s house. The hand grenade.
It was coming back to him slowly, like a vintage car driving a winding mountain road.
The hand grenade.
Since he generally had no feeling or sensation in any part of his body, he wondered if he had survived, and, if so, how well.
“I’m serious, dude. You backhanded that bitch like you were A-Rod or some shit.”
Matt opened his eyes and saw Hobart standing over him, hair disheveled, face unshaven, uniform dirty.
“Van Dreeves?” The hard drives were all Matt could think about.
“He’s fine,” Hobart smiled.
Matt managed a weak smile and said, “The hard drives?”
Hobart nodded his head.
“The. Entire. Database.”
“Can we crosscheck against Yemen and Dubai?”
“Already have.”
“And?”
“And aren’t you even remotely interested in your own condition?”
Matt coughed, felt a pain in his ribs. “Only if there’s something worth going after.”
“Listen, dude,” Hobart began. He grabbed and held up both of Matt’s hands. “You’ve got all your limbs. You can breathe. And you’re going to be ok. That’s what counts.”
Matt nodded.
“What counts is starting with Yemen and Dubai and then going after the rest of that list.”
“Mission for Dubai is tonight. We’re sending a bunker buster in there. Going to explode it from the inside out,” Hobart said.
“And Yemen?”
“We’re watching it. Developing patterns of life.” Hobart hesitated.
“And?”
“And maybe waiting for you to be ready.”
Matt smiled.
“Was it a three second or five second fuse?”
Hobart laughed.
“Four. That bitch flew past my face, got into the other room and exploded, killing the dude shooting at us.”
Van Dreeves came walking in.
“How’s A-Rod?”
“Bite me, VD,” Matt said. “Rahman?”
“Got away. That was his detachment left in contact. Son of a bitch is slicker than snot on a doorknob,” Hobart said.
“But we’ve got a bead on him,” Van Dreeves said. “That’s why I’m here.”
“Fatwa still out on Zach?”
“Five million.”
“We’ve got to capture that dude, get him to retract it and then…”
“Right, and then…”
Matt sat up, stiff, and looked at himself in the mirror of his hospital room. His face was lacerated and bandaged in different areas. His hair was matted with what he figured to be blood. “Where the hell am I?”
“Bagram. Air Force had a new hospital built. It’s like the Taj,” Hobart said.
“Injuries?”
“Nah, we’re okay,” Hobart smiled.
“I’m talking about mine, dickweed.”
“Just jacking with you. You took some shrapnel to the face, which improved things quite a bit, by the way. And then some in the legs.”
“And you have no penis,” Van Dreeves added.
For a brief moment Matt considered the possibility, as evidenced by the stricken look on his face, and then realized Van Dreeves was joking.