“You asshole!” I bellowed out, surprising everyone, Benson included, as I landed a harsh blow to his face.
He stumbled back, attempting to maintain his balance.
“We were on the same training team! We were friends!” I spat. “And this is how you repay me? You agree to fuck with her memory? I thought you were better than that!”
Straightening his spine, he wiped at his lip, smearing the bit of blood that was visible. “I did it for you, Tyler. Do you think I liked having to do that? I hated it. I knew you’d never forgive me for betraying you like that, but it was all about keeping her safe. From day one, everything we’ve done on this island has been to keep her out of harm’s way.”
“How?!” I shouted. “Please tell me how you staying at my house and telling her you’ve lived there for years could possibly keep her safe? If anything, it just confused her more!” I pulled back, about to take another swing when I was swiftly disabled and pushed against the wall.
“No plan is without its faults,” Martin growled, restraining me. His eyes met mine as if he was trying to tell me there was no other way.
“My brother said the reason he gave the go-ahead on gaslighting her was to protect the integrity of the mission, to make her think she never met me, to protect my ass. He didn’t mention anything about trying to protect Mackenzie.”
“That was one of the reasons. We had to go through every possible scenario,” he explained, releasing his hold on me once he grew confident I was no longer going to do Benson any more harm. “I was the only one who had been made aware of some of the details of the mission and I had to act quickly. My biggest concern was her safety and protecting her true identity. What was one way of putting her on the radar?” Martin asked.
“A police report,” I mumbled under my breath. I had done my fair share of interfering with a few police investigations while working the case in order to keep her true identity hidden. I understood all too well.
“Precisely. What if she went to the police with everything? I knew it was a long shot, but I had to consider the possibility. ‘Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.’ I had to do everything within my power to ensure her true identity never made it into a public record of any kind. That could have been disastrous. What if, as you believe, her father’s not behind all of this and someone else is trying to silence anyone and everyone who could prove his innocence? What if they found Mackenzie? I couldn’t stand aside and do nothing. The best way for me to protect her was for her to doubt whether any of it happened, that she never met you. So don’t blame your brother or Benson. Blame me,” he said adamantly, straightening the lines of his dark suit. “He was simply following orders, just like you when you took this assignment.”
I stood in place, absorbing Martin’s words, as several pairs of eyes stared in nervous anticipation. If I could listen to and trust anyone in this room, other than Eli, it was Martin. He was practically family. He had been my father’s right-hand man when he was still alive and running the company. Growing up, I couldn’t really remember a day when I didn’t see him at my father’s side. After my father was killed on an assignment, Martin temporarily ran the company while we figured out what to do. When Alexander requested an honorable discharge and left his SEAL team to come run the company, we were all surprised. Suffice it to say, Martin knew what he was talking about. Despite not wanting to believe there could have been any valid reason to gaslight Mackenzie, maybe there was.
Taking a breath, I ran my hands over my face as I considered his words. He was right. Following orders and chain of command was all we had to make our missions and operations successful. Without it, there would be disorder, chaos. I knew I would do anything to protect Mackenzie. And Martin would, too, despite the effect it had.
“We okay?” Benson asked, slowly approaching me and extending his hand.
Eyeing him, I nodded, shaking it. “Yeah. We’re okay.”
“Well, good,” Eli’s voice cut through. “We’re all ready to start if you are.”