CHAPTER 10

BACKSTAGE

"Ok, I've roughed him up a bit" Clay came to the room where Dianna, Davis and Sonny were. He was trying to disguise it, but he was looking quite excited.

"Alright then" Davis looked at Dianna, then at the guys. "Showtime".

Dianna stayed behind, focusing. She was starting to feel hot inside the small room; it was very cold outside, but not in there, so she took off her fur coat and put it on the back of a chair.

She was pleased that the team guys; that is, almost all of the team guys, agreed to be a part of it. Davis and Blackburn explained to them that Jefferson was already interrogating the guard, with no success, and they had a dozen CIA agents, operatives and techs searching for the truck, which was likely parked inside a warehouse, so really there was nothing they could do except to interrogate. And when Davis and Blackburn found out from Dianna's previous employees, both in U.S. and Uruguay, that she was pretty much the fastest person that could extract information from bad guys, it didn't take much to convince them. She was, always, known for using unconventional methods; sometimes she used conventional methods too, obviously, but what made her stood apart from others was always her different approach. Not always playing parts, like this, but just… different. She used these type of elaborate plans when they were looking for a missing child, or a serial killer victim, when they had no time to waste. She knew what she was doing. She wrote articles and books about it. She gave lectures. She wasn't a dumb girl. She was just different. And that's why she was better than most.

Not a minute after the group left to scare the terrorist, Dianna heard footsteps approaching the room. Then the door aggressively opened.

"Seriously?" Jason got in, angry, loudly speaking, "You called Clay? And Sonny?"

"No. They volunteered" she gesticulated for him to lower his voice.

Jason then whispered, but the tension in his voice was the same. "Are you mad? Do you know what could happen to them if something goes wrong? If, I don't know, they really hurt the guy?"

Dianna stared at him, arms crossed, and shook her head. She wasn't in the mood for this. She needed to focus, alone, and don't forget the Arabic sentences that Clay taught her.

"You know what? I know you're still pissed because I got into your nerves, and I, unlike you, know when I crossed the line a bit. So I'm sorry if I offended your ego somehow, or whatever I said here before. Now get out".

Jason came closer. "Oh no. You didn't just offend me. You offended my team, my family, and even all of the Military people".

"Oh my God. Jason. Please". Dianna couldn't believe he was playing the victim card. She could do it too. "You pretty much called me crazy, and worse, in front of my superior, which by the way you're not, just because my ideas are unconventional. You called me a spoiled brat, but I live alone, without any family or real friends, for years, in a country where I don't know anybody, while you don't even need to put away your own groceries". She was gesticulating a lot.

Jason felt a bit sorry for her, but the last part of what she said reminded him that she was a crazy woman. And he was in a mood to gesticulate too, after he kept quiet listening to all of her shit before. "What the fuck are you even talking about, groceries? You see how unprofessional you are? Trying to make me feel guilty by making me imagine my sweet daughter being raped? What kind of person does that?" he was yelling at her.

All that she didn't yell and gesticulate before, Dianna was compensating now. "What? What? I never said that. Never! You're crazy. You're putting words into my mouth. And it's horrible of you to even say something like that to me. To me. I would never take a subject like this for granted, and you'd know that, if you didn't think you're always the victim of everything and everyone".

Jason was indignant, yelling really close to her face now, "A victim? A victim? Me? Look-"

"Oh my God! What the fuck" Clay suddenly opened the door, almost yelling at them, because he could hear them from the hallway, and he wasn't even sure if the Tango didn't hear them too, he truly hoped not. The guy was scared as shit, just how they wanted him to. Clay felt like he was the father of two fighting siblings.

Dianna and Jason turned to face him at the same time, while Jason still had his finger pointed at his chest.

Clay didn't even have the time to find out what happened, he urgently needed to take Dianna. "Look, let's go, the guy understands English, he's scared as shit of being tortured, apparently it's working, but let's go, now" he started to walk towards Dianna, reaching his arm to grab her, but Jason literally blocked him with his body.

"What, where are you taking her?"

"He's roughing me up Jason, what do you think? Let's go" Dianna answered, sarcastically, and started to go to Clay.

"No way, u-um, the fuck no" Jason just blocked them even more, opening his arms a bit and looking at Clay, "What if something happens, you hurt her or whatever? No, u-um, they'd expel you from the Navy, Clay".

Clay stood still, "Man, I understand your concern, but I'm just taking her to her cage. I'm not gonna slap her or punch her. Jesus".

Jason just stared for a second at him and then Dianna, still blocking them, then turned to grab her arm, "Fine, if it's just that, then I'll take her, come on" and pulled her, not aggressively, but Dianna still complained.

"Jason, wait" Dianna walked a few steps, barely able to keep up with his pace, "Jason", but he ignored her even when she tried to pull him back, the man was a bull and she couldn't call him louder to stop, so she just threw her body in front of him. He stopped immediately, staring at her face, confused. "My coat" she said, with a lock of her dark auburn hair in front of her face. She took it off with her free hand.

Jason sighed and instead of releasing her, he went back with her, as if she really was a prisoner, and Clay was heading out of the room. "Just get her fluffy coat, will ya?" Jason asked, and Clay got back inside to grab it.

"Could you please just… release me?" she shook off from him, annoyed, when Clay came with her fur coat. She took it and put it on.

"Good?" Jason sarcastically asked.

"Fine" she answered, annoyed, and immediately Jason took her not from one arm, but from both of them, holding them together with one of his hands on her back and wrapping his other arm on her waist and stomach. It was very humiliating, because he pretty much lifted her like she was a basket of dirty laundry. And continued to walk fast and angry to the cage area, while her feet almost didn't touch the ground. She obviously didn't need to fake anything, she was mad at him and feeling humiliated, even though he wasn't hurting her. She just needed to remind herself to not curse him in English, at least not without a Russian accent, and she'd be good.

Jason held her with one arm while opening the cage, like she weighted nothing, and then pushed her inside. Dianna noticed he pushed her fast but held her waist until he was sure she wasn't falling to the floor, so he was making sure she wasn't hurt. At least that. Then he glanced at her, still stern, and she was all disheveled and annoyed. He turned, got off the cage and violently shut and locked the cage door, shivering while walking away from the cage area.

"Oh, so now you decided to play a part, huh?" Davis teased, following Jason, and Clay came too, because they had previously agreed that Sonny would be the lousy guard first.

Jason went inside the now famous room on the back of the base, and put his hand on his forehead. "I just think" he gesticulated, extending his arm, "That you just put a mad woman in our Team, Davis".

"Excuse me?" Davis dangerously asked.

Clay was quiet and watching attentively, curious to see the result of that discussion.

Jason stopped for a second to look at Davis, and he calmed down a bit when he saw her killer look. "How can you agree to her plan? How?"

Davis noticed that Jason turned his drama queen mode on, and needed time to realize how he overreacted. Problem is, usually he insisted on the drama even when he already saw that he was exaggerating.

"How can you even imagine that I'd accept doing some crazy shit if I hadn't think about any other possibilities, huh?" she clapped back, and Clay wished he had popcorn in his hands. "I'm not a Seal, I don't jump off airplanes or blow up stuff, I don't do crazy shit. Of course that I'd never do this if I thought there was some better way to do it".

Jason put his hands on his hips and kept quiet, which meant, as both Davis and Clay knew, that he was finally listening to what was being said to him.

Clay decided to help out Davis. "Look, man. Have you ever googled her?" he said, with his relaxed and youthful demeanor. It was the easier way for Jason to understand.

Jason was still in the same pose. He wasn't a stalker. "What? Why would I do that?"

Davis and Clay looked at each other, smirking. Jason didn't like that.

"Just google her, man", Clay answered.

Jason didn't move. "Why can't you just tell me? Why do I need to google her?", he mocked.

"Look, I'll go back to the cages to make sure that Dianna and the Tango are talking, and that Sonny didn't actually hurt the guy by now. One of you guys need to come back to rough them up again, ok? Or ask Sonny. Bye". Davis casually left, and Jason walked to the room where he kept his bag and his phone, followed by Clay.

"How do I spell it" Jason muttered, opening a new google tab.

"You don't have her insta?" Clay asked, indignant.

"You do?" Jason felt left out.

Clay sighed. "V-E-I-L-E-R. And Dianna has two N's".

"No middle name?" Jason asked.

"No".

"Hum".

"I don't have a middle name", Clay stated, indignant.

"Shh" Jason shut him up, because the results were coming.

"Why 'shh'? You're not listening to it" Clay still was indignant. Jason ignored him, so he left.

The results came back and Jason made his way, phone in hand, to the cage area.

"I don't see much stuff" Jason approached Davis, indifferent to the part she was playing on an important mission.

Davis took his phone. It wasn't possible. "it's V-E-I, not V-I-E. Veiler", she whispered.

He looked at her. "It's Austrian" Davis explained.

"Like Hitler?" he whispered, surprised.

Davis sigh, and pointed at his phone with her chin. The results came. "Just look at it".

Jason kept quiet while reading the articles, books, and news that involved her name. He didn't click to open any of them, he could imagine from the title. There were a lot of news of children found alive, or victims of serial killers found alive, or any of those found dead, but at least found, due to her methods. She won an award and shook the hand of very important people. She gave lectures, but almost any interview, she was reserved. But all that made her famous was her different 'quirky' approach. She worked and consulted in a lot of places.

"No PhD, huh" Jason remarked, because he noticed that intelligent people usually had PhD's, whatever they're used for. He was rewarded with another sigh from Davis. "Yeah, because having a PhD is super important for doing her job".

"Shouldn't she be rich? Have you seen the piece of shit that she drives?"

Davis knew that Jason realized that he was wrong and overreacted, because he was changing the focus of the main subject. "She gave up a third of her payment to work with us, Jason. She usually does that when she works for the government, because she knows that people in the U.S. still suspect her loyalty and skills because she wasn't born here, and has a complicated last name. If she asked the government the same as some private companies probably offered her, we could never afford her", Davis patiently told him, he should know.

Jason kept quiet, putting his phone in his pocket and looking away.

"You should apologize to her" Davis added, raising an eyebrow.

He glanced away, then looked down. "Better not".

"Why?" Davis didn't understand, because he wasn't acting like she didn't deserve an apology. But she knew him well. "What did you tell her?" she whispered.

Jason had his hands on his hips again, but now he was also a bit hunched down. Suddenly, they heard a loud metal sound, because Dianna banged her rings on the cage bars.

"it's the cue. It worked. The guy will talk. Now go on, go rough her up a bit, just to be sure. Then take the dude to be questioned by Jefferson", Davis whispered to Jason, discreetly pushing him to go.

He started walking, trying to play the part, and he saw the Tango with his face glued to the door, with tears in his eyes. It really seemed to work. So he released his inner actor and creativity, he owed her that, at least.

"What is it, huh? Are you thinking this is some fucking hotel that you call the maid to bring you food?" He opened her cage aggressively, getting her by the arm, without pressing it too much, and making her stand up. He just looked at her and hesitated, because she had tears in her eyes and he didn't know if he had to rough her up too much, or where, and then she glanced at him and to the wall next to the Tango's cage, and he took the hint. He noticed that the Tango even stood up, ready to defend her, and she pulled all that off while he was basically just chatting and googling her.

So he took her lead and walked with her to the wall next to the Tango, and he was going to just hold her there and yell at her a bit, but she kinda threw herself against the wall, pretending it was him who was doing it, and the Tango was indignant now, so he continued the farce and came closer, pretending he was squeezing her a bit and looking angry.

He tried to avoid touching her too much, but his legs did touch hers, and just that was too much intimacy for them, at least he felt like it, so he pressed her arm on her back, to avoid being so close. But she whined, and even though he barely moved her arm, he felt terrible because he thought he hurt her, so he released her. She turned his face to him, looking into his eyes, still with tears in them, and muttered "Fuck you, American boy", angry, with an accent that made she sound angrier. He blinked his eyes, because he really didn't know if she was hurt or not, but he needed to talk to her immediately, he was feeling terrible. So he violently opened the Tango's cage and called Sonny to take the dude to the interrogation room, mentioning Jefferson. He saw when Dianna and the Tango exchanged profound and intimate looks.

As soon as the Tango left the area, out of nowhere, Dianna broke out of character and turned to face Jason, leaning her back against the wall. "I'm not hurt, it's ok" she said.

"Are you sure?" he touched her elbow, concerned.

"Yeah" she pulled her arm away from him, avoiding his touch. And walked away, to confirm to Davis when would the best time to give Jefferson the fake intel of Umar, the brother.

"Look" Jason touched her arm, gently this time. Davis left the area, nodding at him.

Dianna stopped to listen to him, but he wasn't saying anything, just had his hands in his pockets, looking down. He swayed his hips slightly forward, and this time Dianna couldn't help but to look at his groin. She immediately looked away when she realized.

He sighed, still looking down and unaware of her looks. "I googled you" he muttered.

Dianna smiled, with her lips closed, and crossed her arms. Victorious. "Did you? When"

He glanced at her, then glanced away. "Just now".

Dianna remained with her arms crossed, waiting, but apparently he almost never apologized in his life, and he was really struggling with the words. Because his face was looking very sorry.

He looked at her again. "I didn't google you before. I didn't know. You sounded a bit crazy".

Dianna knew that if he didn't look that cute she probably would've told him to fuck off. Yet, she couldn't. But she was still a bit angry at him. "Crazy, huh?"

"Well, it's not like your methods are conventional" he justified his reasoning, and he was right, obviously. She wasn't conventional.

"And you also said some harsh things to me" he added, now a bit cocky. Dianna pouted, this was not an apology.

"Really? Like what? That you're a hero, and was injured, shot, has PTSD, and meddles everywhere?" she sarcastically asked.

He stopped to think for a second. "You called me stubborn" he stated, feeling immediately stubborn.

Dianna looked down and shook her head.

Jason knew he overreacted before but wasn't sure how to apologize, it seems that he was just making it worse.

Dianna looked up and, unlike what Jason thought, she wasn't mad, she was chuckling. "Could you please just say you're sorry? It's getting lame now".

Jason laughed with her, admitting his fault. "I'm sorry. I'm terrible at this".

Then they stopped laughing, and he turned serious. He looked at her. "I'm sorry".

She swallowed and nodded, now with a serious expression as well. "I also said some things. I'm sorry too".

He nodded, still standing with his hands in his pockets, and they kept quiet for a couple of seconds, looking at each other, serious, then she looked down, but neither moved.

Davis got into the cage area, looking at Dianna and Jason just standing in front of each other and looking down, not even a couple of feet away. She smiled, but had to interrupt.

"Hey. I'm about to ask Jefferson to come out and tell him about what we found about the Tango". Davis said, and Jason and Dianna turned to her, slowly walking to her direction.

She continued, "His name is Danyal Thaulil, by the way, his photo was at the CIA database. He's about to have a very important brother who was just murdered by the Syrians, who thought Danyal is friends with the Americans. At least that's what we're telling Jefferson", she naughtily smiled.

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