Devil's Due (Destroyermen #12)(6)
“You are a monster,” Sandra breathed softly, noting that Kurokawa actually looked strangely disturbed to hear her say it. For some reason, possibly because of his expression, she left the little Colt where it was and allowed her hand to fall to her side. “I have no illusions about that,” she said more loudly. “But you already know as much as I could tell you. More, probably, with the League whispering in your ear. What else is there?”
“The League,” Kurokawa spat, “cares nothing for me except insofar as I might advance their own murky agenda. They give me information and they gave me Savoie, true. There are even . . . other ways in which they’ll still aid me. But what I want to know is, if Captain Reddy still lives, what will he do when he discovers I have you?” He leaned forward expectantly.
Sandra glanced at Diania, frowned, and finally shrugged. “There was a time when he would’ve started a war to save me. He kind of did, in a way. That’s how we wound up involved in the Imperial’s war against the Dominion—all because I was incidentally abducted along with the heir to the throne of the Empire of the New Britain Isles, and Matt thought certain people were holding us.” She looked Kurokawa directly in the eye. “The thing is, he would’ve done the same even if they’d only taken the Governor-Empress, because she was under our protection”— she shrugged again—“and I would’ve absolutely supported his decision. As it turned out, we’d already escaped. But that didn’t stop him. Not even a brand-new war, while we were already up to our necks fighting you and the Grik, made a difference to him, because it was the right thing to do. If that Matt Reddy knew you had us, and Adar and me in particular, he’d come at you with everything he had.” She shook her head. “I doubt that’s any secret to you. Now?” she said quietly. “He’s changed. He’s changed a lot. He loves me just as much, I don’t doubt that, but he’s grown . . . harder than that.”
“Harder?” Kurokawa demanded. “Like me?”
“He’s nothing like you,” Sandra snarled contemptuously. “The difference is, now he’s hard enough not to drop everything and come right after us. After you. He’s grown hard enough to lose us, to take the hit and keep on fighting, regardless of the cost to me or any of the others.” Her blue eyes turned as remorseless as the sea. “And if you hurt us, any of us, he will kill you, make no mistake. But he’ll do it in his time, and won’t waste lives. That’s the most important thing to him now. This war’s cost him—cost us all—so much that he just wants it over. But he also wants it won. So he’ll leave me here until it is, if he has to, but then he’ll come for me.” She gave Diania a gentle glance. “He’ll come for all of us. But most important, he’ll come for you, even if all he gets is revenge.”
“And if I tell him I have you? That I’ll kill you if he does not come?” Kurokawa demanded, eyes searching hers.
There it was. Unknowingly, he’d finally confirmed her suspicion that, despite all the battles fought across half this wildly mysterious world over the past two and a half years, no matter how many other enemies—and friends—joined the struggle, regardless how many murky threats loomed on the horizon, the whole vast, impersonal war he’d helped fuel and feed with blood remained profoundly personal to Hisashi Kurokawa. There’d been little question in Sandra’s mind that he’d try to use her and their unborn child against Matt, to bring on what he apparently wanted most: a final confrontation between them. Unfortunately, despite what she’d said, she could imagine nothing that would focus her husband’s rage more destructively and perhaps disastrously at this critical time, and Kurokawa was likely to get his wish.
“His retribution will only be more terrible,” Sandra said, staring back with all the defiance she could muster. “But killing us won’t bring it any quicker,” she lied. “You just don’t get it, do you?” she asked, her tone filled with wonder as she returned to the absolute truth. “You fight only for yourself, to destroy. He’s fighting to save a race of people, maybe the whole damn world! He’s idealistic, don’t you see?” Tears welled up in her eyes and she wiped them with her grimy sleeve and looked away. “Next to that, my fate’s nothing in the short term,” she whispered with as much conviction as she could summon. “But in the long term, whatever you do to me, to us, it won’t be as bad as what he does to you.”
For an instant, Sandra thought Kurokawa actually was going to lose it; order the guards to kill her then and there, and maybe march out and shoot all her friends with the pistol at his side. With tremendous effort clear to see beneath his purpling face, however, he slowly brought himself under control. Finally, he nodded. “I believe you,” he ground out. “And that’s fortunate for you”—he nodded at Diania—“and your servant as well. I must consider this for a time. All you have said. Until then, at least, you’ll not be harmed. Or molested!” he commanded, raising his voice so his order would carry to the guards who brought them. “I gave my word,” he added under his own breath, “and I’m not a monster!”
Suddenly striding around the desk, he beckoned at someone in the adjoining room. There were words, then a rustling, scraping sound. To Sandra’s astonishment, two more guards dragged a third form into the room by its arms and seated it on a chair. There, apparently unable to rise or do more than hold his head up, sat Chairman Adar.