The door opened, and Seeta was thrust into the room. The guard who’d hit Mike grinned and slammed the door behind him. Julia caught her and helped her sit in the same red plastic chair she’d sat in earlier.

She thanked Julia and settled in her seat. There were tear marks running down her cheeks but no new visible injuries.

Julia leaned forward. “ Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

She took Seeta’s hand in hers and held it. Julia acted sincerely. Mike couldn’t tell if she was a good actor or if she hadn’t bought everything he’d been selling. Her performance almost made him want to second-guess his assessment of Seeta. Could she be who she said she was? Could she have been here for six months, held against her will? Was she beaten and tortured, forced to ensure Randall continued to do his work here?

He ignored what the two women talked about and let his eyes trace Seeta’s injuries from head to her feet. Nothing new. The injuries he could see all looked weeks old. Were they inflicted at some point when needed to make an impact on her man? The more he looked at her, the more unsure he grew. But, no. The math. Her appearance didn’t make sense. He tried to determine if there was any makeup on her bruises. He didn’t see any. He knew he was grasping.

His gaze fell to the hands clasped together: Julia’s lightly colored tan hand and Seeta’s darker almond tone. The dry Afghan heat had done a number on Julia’s hands ever since the underground river. He knew the dry Afghan heat well. The moisture in your skin evaporates, causing it to become dehydrated, tight, and flaky. There was a chip missing from her thumbnail. She’d only been in country less than a week, but the heat had taken effect. Of course, the last day plus had taken a toll.

The hand Julia held was soft and supple. Her nails were short and unadorned but perfectly clipped and rounded. Her cuticles were trimmed and healthy.

A half smile formed on his face. He was right. She had either turned or, more likely, Hotak hired her to develop a relationship with Randall to get him here to work. He glanced up at her face. His smile widened. She must be getting a lot of money for those bruises.

He realized they were looking at him. “What?”

Seeta let go of Julia’s hand. “I said, why are you looking at me like that?”

Her foot was between them on the floor. He grabbed it and pulled it up to his face. Seeta braced herself on the chair’s arms as it lifted onto two legs. She tried to jerk her foot away. He didn’t let go until he was satisfied he was right. Six months here, barefooted or wearing shoes, it wouldn’t matter; her feet would be a cracked, dry, a mess. They were the same as her hands, soft, pliant, healthy.

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He let go.

She dropped her feet under the chair a spark of anger swept across her face.

The skin between Julia’s nose wrinkled. “Mike?”

“What can I say? I’m a foot man.”

“Why did you do that?” Seeta's anger transformed into tears filling her eyes.

“Shut up for a minute.” He held her glare.

Julia’s mouth dropped. “You heard what she’s been through since she’s been here. How can you say that?”

“Because she isn’t who she says she is.”

Seeta lifted her shoulders. “Of course I am. I told you Randall and I were kidnapped and brought here. You yourselves knew about the incident.”

“No. There’s more to it than that, isn’t there?” He watched, but her body language gave nothing away.

Her nostrils flared in anger. “No. Randall and I fell in love in the States. We’re going to make a life for ourselves after this.”

“I don’t think so.”

Her eyes bore into him. “I don’t care what you think?”

He was missing something. Why would she be here? Money? There had to be more to it than that. Everyone liked money, but she’d been here six months playing Randall. A thought occurred to him.

“You’re involved with someone here. Someone would do this to you, and you’re fine with it.”

Her cheek twitched.

“That means you’re damaged.” He watched the rage play across her face. He lifted his head. Of course. “It’s the Giant. You two are together. He’s making you do it, or you volunteered, but you like it? Don’t you?”

She clamped her lips together and sneered at him.

He stood. “Here’s how this is going to work now.”

Seeta jumped up off the chair, her foot landing on his. She knocked his arms out of the way and pushed him backward.

He should have been expecting it, but he didn’t. The back of his knee caught the bed frame, and he fell backward, the back of his head hitting the wall behind him. The pain in his head exploded. She landed on him, her fist rained down on his chest. He tried to defend himself, but his arms felt like rubber.

Through his hazy eyesight, Julia leaped on Seeta’s back. She wrapped an arm around Seeta’s neck and pulled. Seeta tried to buck her off, but they fell back onto Julia’s bed instead. Mike lifted to help but fell back, his head spinning. He blinked several times, trying not to throw up.

A guttural whimper passed through the long, dark hair covering Julia’s face. Julia’s other hand clamped onto the arm around Seeta’s neck and pulled the arm tighter. Seeta punched over her shoulder, but the strikes were awkward and had little power. The gasping woman bucked back at Julia and kicked his bed to free herself. Julia lifted her legs, wrapped her ankles around the struggling woman, and pulled her closer. Seeta stomped the bed frame, lifting them partway off the bed, but Julia’s hold around Seeta's neck remained strong. Seeta’s hands grabbed at the arm, choking the life out of her, but she couldn’t get her fingers between to pull the arm away.

Julia’s arm yanked harder, and Seeta’s legs kicked out with less energy. Her fist beat against Julia’s arm, her legs pushed off the bed frame, lifting the two women until they fell to the bed. Finally, the fight in Seeta’s struggle began to weaken. Her legs stopped kicking. Fists landed on Julia’s arm with less enthusiasm. A leg twitched, then relaxed. Seeta’s arms fell, one to her chest and the other off the bed. Julia pulled in tight until her muscles gave out and released the dead woman.