Randy caught it, quickly switching gears. "So, you two were gonna take on all these mercenaries alone?" "Yep. Two against the world." Debra nodded.
She''d nned to bust out with Marion and join forces with their people outside.
In her script, the Illuminati would nab her for murder, wait for Drake toe rescue her, cut her loose if he didn''t show up, or try to recruit her.
With the Four Great Families behind her, they''d want her alive, not dead. Even with Frederic''s threats, Marion''s presence kept her steady.
Randy and Erica noticed Debra and Marion holding hands, and the vibe got awkward.
"Uh, this ce is a dump," Randy said. "I''ll have my guys clean up. Let''s get out of here."
Debra shook her head. "Not yet."
"Why? Their backup ising up."
"Let''s take Ryan and Troy with us."
"Who?" Erica and Randy asked in unison, clueless.
An hourter, they got back to the Lowe Mansion. Debra sat on the sofa.
"So, how does it feel? Quite the rollercoaster, huh?" she said, looking at Troy and Ryan.
Marion sat beside her, peeling an orange for her. The two boys stared at him, wide-eyed with curiosity and a touch of fear.<fn88bf> Readplete version only at </fn88bf>
Erica smacked the table. "You heard thedy. Quit gawking at Marion."
"Marion Houston?" Ryan whispered. "No way."
Marion paused mid-peel. It was the first time someone had doubted him.
Troy piped up, "Yeah, the legendary Marion peeling oranges for a woman?"
Randy cracked up. They had a point. Before getting together with Debra, Marion had never served anyone like that.
"Focus, people." Randy cleared his throat. "What did the police ask you?"
Ryan hesitated. Troy jumped in, "I''m not telling you squat."
Marion set the orange down, but that small move spooked them.
"What''s it gonna be?" he asked coolly. "A beating or a bullet?"
Ryan gulped, "I''ll talk. I''ll talk."
In fact, he idolized Marion. "They asked if we''d been kidnapped or roughed up."