“It is official,” Mason said. “The C-4 that was used? Remember we have that packaging?”
Troy nodded. “Yeah, sure. What about it?”
“Military supply,” he said. “It came from one of our bases.”
Chapter 8
Back in the dining area, Berkley was surprised, and yet not, when Troy reached out and grabbed her hand, then bent down and whispered, “Stay with me.”
She nodded. It amazed her in a way that he wasn’t acting this way. She was grateful, not to mention the fact that she really liked him, though she didn’t really know him. She knew his kind though. Just like Axel and Mason, they were all about doing the right thing. A stark contrast to the guys she worked with here, who appeared to be only after their own needs. It was a little disturbing to look around and to see just how many of them may not see her as she’d hoped and believed they did. Just the thought of the three gang rapes on board was disturbing enough.
More than disturbing, her friend Tabitha deserved a whole lot better than what she’d gotten from everybody here. It wasn’t fair that, when she needed support and help, she hadn’t been able to get either. The entire mess had been brushed under the carpet. Berkley didn’t even know now if she could do something about it for her friend. Berkley wanted to think so, but so much had happened, and most of the men were gone.
It was hard to look at the men still here and wonder if they had participated in those crimes. Unfortunately Tabitha hadn’t said anything about who her attackers were as she’d been blindfolded. Thankfully Berkley had been here to help collect evidence and to get her friend out of here. Berkley had never really thought about it or had the same insecurity or fear after what happened to Tabitha, somehow thinking it was specific to her, since she was a full-time crew member. But then Berkley hadn’t heard about the other two women until more recently. And now Berkley didn’t know what to think on the whole inhumanity of it, unless it was to point fingers at the unholy men who did this and throw them in shackles and dip them into shark-infested waters.
Denny looked up as they stepped into the dining area and frowned immediately. “About time,” he scolded them, ushering them to one of the big tables. “You sit at this one.”
She raised her eyebrows at that but didn’t say anything. Ahead of them Denny had seated the three company men at a smaller table off to one side. They had a tablecloth and silverware. Her table was just a regular cafeteria table, where Jonesy and Idiot were at one end. She took her place quietly at the other end of the table, with Troy on one side and Axel on the other. The other men looked from her to her two guardians but didn’t say anything. She wondered what they were thinking but didn’t dare ask. She looked over at Denny, wondering if they were supposed to get up, but he brought platters of food to their table. Roast beef, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and maybe meat loaf. She quickly served herself a normal portion and handed it to Troy.
Axel looked at her and asked, “How come you didn’t give it to me first, huh?”
She grinned at him. “I figured Troy here, being a little guy, might need some, and, if I gave it to you first, there wouldn’t be any left afterward.”
He chuckled.
“You guys know each other?” Idiot asked, interrupting their conversation.
She nodded. “I’ve met them both before several times,” she said smoothly. Of course she knew Axel well, better than Troy, but that seemed to settle something in the other men. As if understanding that prior relationship explained why she was sitting with them.
“I guess this isn’t the only rig you go to, is it?” Idiot asked.
She shook her head. “Nope. I travel a lot. I work for the company, just like you guys, but I can end up on any number of their rigs, depending on what the issues are.” She cut into the meat loaf and took a bite. Her eyebrows shot up. She stopped and looked at it, then took a second bite.
“Is it good?” Axel asked.
She nodded slowly. “Very unique flavor but very tasty.”
Before she realized it, she’d finished the meal on her plate. She pushed the plate slightly away and put her knife and fork on it, then settled back. “That was really good.”
“Don’t you eat here all the time?”
She nodded. “Sure, but this was especially good. Company men, you know?”
“What?” Axel looked at her, confused.
“When the company men are here,” Jonesy felt the need to explain, “everybody gets the benefit.”
“Ah,” Axel said with a nod. “That Denny is a sly one. He was all wound up earlier about not knowing they were coming.”
Everybody nodded.
“Well, it was definitely good,” she said.
“Good.” Jonesy reached out and grabbed another slab of roast beef off the platter.
She contemplated the food for a moment and then shook her head. “I want more,” she said, “but I don’t dare. I’ll just be miserable.”
She watched as the other men all appeared to be on their best behavior. Maybe it was because the company men were sitting in as well. A lively conversation was going on at that head table, but it was too far away for her to hear the details. She glanced from Troy’s to Axel’s plates and realized they would still be here for at least twenty minutes.
Troy looked at her, leaned over, and whispered, “You okay?”
She smiled up at him. “I’m fine. I want more to eat, but I’m too full.” She said, “I’d like to go back to work.”
“Is there any work you can do?”
She shrugged. “There’s always work one can do,” she said. She stared out one of the large windows to watch the storm rage outside. “I wish we’d found the pilot.”
He nodded. “So far there’s been no news.”
“What news can there be?” Jonesy asked. “The pilot probably got too close to the edge and fell.”
“Is that a normal problem?” Troy asked. “You have warning signs up and around, and he’s been here many times.”
Jonesy shrugged. “It happens. In bad weather like this, it’s fatal. Most of the time somebody’s out there with him, and it’s okay. We can grab him back in again, but, once they hit the water, you know what it’s like. Hypothermia sets in within minutes.”
Everybody dug back into their food, not wanting to take the conversation any further.
When Troy’s phone buzzed, she heard it, but she didn’t think anybody else did. Although she glanced at Axel, a stillness had come over him. Troy fished his phone from his pocket and glanced at the message that came in. He shoved the last bite of food in his mouth, then asked, “Is there any place to make a phone call around here?”
“With that storm, not likely,” one of the men said. “You can try the office though.”
Troy nodded, shoved his phone back in his pocket, and shot Axel a hard glance. With a gentle nod toward her, he turned and left.
She looked at Axel and raised an eyebrow. He shrugged and reached for another slab of meat loaf. She watched him inhale it and said, “I’ll go back to my office and get some work done.”