been one of the few who could afford to live decently. He carried a bottle of cranberry juice and a small gym bag. The man tossed the gym bag toward the corner of the room, smiling when he heard a metallic thud as it landed on the floor. How disconcerting.
She attentively watched his every movement as he sat down at the table across from her. He twisted the top off the bottle of juice and set it on the table, glancing at the two men in the corner before turning to face his prisoner. It was indeed going to be a very fun day, but not for her. Because as Jeffrey Murdock made eye contact with her, Caroline knew that she was screwed.
Chapter Seventeen
The Fed
Murdock tapped his fingers on the table, staring at her. His gaze drifted to her nose, to her bloody clothes, and back up again. His lips curled up into a most disturbing smile. “Hello, Gerard.”
“Jeffrey,” she said. “I didn’t think you had a soul to sell and yet here’s the proof.”
He laughed. “You always were a charming woman. But not all that shrewd. I was simply thrilled when you arrived last week. We have so much catching up to do.”
Did the idiots running the place really think that the vermin sitting across the table from her could make her give them information? Caroline narrowed her eyes. “I can’t think of a single thing we have to talk about.”
He pushed the bottle of cranberry juice toward her. “You look like you might need this.”
“I could use some food too, but you all don’t seem too fond of the concept of keeping your prisoners in good health.”
Murdock laughed again. “Don’t be silly. Tell me, what have you been up to lately?”
“Don’t waste your breath. I’m not telling you a damn thing because I don’t know anything.”
His grin faded, just a little. “I’m sure you know a great many things.”
She wasn’t really in any position to make demands, but Murdock’s presence caused her to lower her guard. “Take me back to my cell.”
“Not yet. I just want to have a little chat.”
Right. “Fuck you.”
He continued to tap his fingers on the table, moving along to a rhythm that only he knew. “What a terrible attitude. That’s too bad. When I found out you were here I requested that you be assigned to me.”
That didn’t sound good at all. “Assigned to you?”
“I’m in charge of interrogations.” He could barely keep the pride out of his voice. “I run a few of them, in certain special circumstances. And you’re the most special of circumstances.”
She couldn’t draw her gaze away from his. The hatred in his eyes seared her soul. Caroline was utterly fucked. “You jumped at the chance to join these bastards, didn’t you?”
Murdock smiled at her malevolently. “It was just a happy coincidence that so many people I dislike happen to be in here.”
Jesus Christ, what a small man. He’d asked her out twice and she’d turned him down twice. She hadn’t thought more of it than that, but things had gone downhill after she made it clear she wasn’t interested. They kept their distance during Caroline’s last year in Congress, but he would still be there at the most inopportune times, giving off a prickly vibe that always left her feeling violated.
She’d occasionally wonder if maybe his fixation on her was less than healthy, and Jack would agree. But then she’d push it aside, believing she was being petty. Clearly she’d made a terrible error in judgment. There was more to this than just a rejected date, but she wasn’t about to open that can of worms.
“You really need to get over whatever it was you thought the two of us could have,” she said. “I was never going to go out with you.”
Murdock cackled. A man, cackling. A wretched sound regardless of gender, worse coming from him. “Such a little ego you have. That isn’t what this is about.”
“So what is it about?”
He glared at her. “Political penance.”
Caroline leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. What an ass. “I’ve done nothing wrong.”
The fingers tapping on the table curled into a fist. “You’ve done everything wrong.”
“You’re the one who couldn’t win a statewide election. At least Santos managed to do that.”
“Ah, yes,” Murdock said. “President Santos. Tell me, Gerard. How do you feel about the man?”
Caroline bit her tongue. They’d sent him in here to goad her. Push her buttons. She refused to be sucked in. She