Gina was in the study, reviewing the household ledger, when Vesper entered. She didn't knock. Her face was grim.
"Security has Chloe," Vesper said.
Gina dropped her pen. Chloe. The young assistant. The only person in this house who had shown Gina kindness in the past. Hansford had broken her leg last time for passing a note.
"Where?" Gina stood up.
"The basement holding room. Zoe accused her of theft."
Gina moved. She didn't walk; she ran.
She burst into the basement room. The air smelled of damp concrete and fear.
The head of security, a brute named Miller, was standing over a chair. Chloe was curled in it, sobbing. Her hand was cradled against her chest. Her index finger was bent at a sickening angle.
Zoe, a maid who slept with Hansford for extra cash, stood in the corner, smirking.
"Stop!" Gina shouted.
Miller stepped back. "Mrs. Burris. We caught this girl stealing the Senator's files."
Gina ignored him. She knelt beside Chloe. "Let me see."
Chloe whimpered, pulling away. "I didn't do it, ma'am. I swear."
Gina gently took Chloe's hand. The finger was dislocated, maybe fractured. Rage, hot and blinding, flooded Gina's vision. But she forced it down into cold calculation.
She stood up and turned to Zoe.
"You saw her steal?" Gina asked softly.
"Yes," Zoe said, crossing her arms. "She had the files in her apron."
"Which files?"
"The... confidential ones."
Gina laughed. It was a harsh sound. "The study door requires dual authentication, Zoe. My fingerprint and an authorized keycard. Chloe has neither."
She stepped closer to Zoe. "You're lying."
"I'm not!" Zoe insisted. "The Senator gave me..." She stopped, realizing she was about to admit she had access.
"Search her," Gina ordered Miller.
Miller hesitated. "Ma'am, Zoe is trusted by the Senator..."
"Search her, or I call the police and report an assault on a minor," Gina barked.
Miller sighed and patted Zoe down. He reached into her apron pocket and pulled out a plastic card.
It was Hansford's personal keycard.
Zoe's eyes went wide. "That's not mine! I didn't put that there!"
Gina looked at Vesper. Vesper gave a microscopic nod. She had planted it during the confusion.
"Grand larceny," Gina said. "Stealing a Senator's access card. That's a federal offense, Zoe."
"She planted it!" Zoe screamed, pointing at Vesper.
"Take her away," Gina said to Miller. "Lock her in the guest cottage until the police arrive. And Miller? If you touch Chloe again, I will have your license revoked."
Miller, realizing the power dynamic had shifted, grabbed Zoe by the arm. "Let's go."
As they dragged the screaming maid out, Gina turned back to Chloe.
"Vesper, get the first aid kit. The trauma one."
Gina set Chloe's finger right there in the basement. She worked with the precision of the surgeon she should have been.
"Why?" Chloe asked through her tears as Gina bandaged her hand. "Why did you save me?"
Gina wiped a tear from the girl's cheek. "Because you are the only one in this house who has a soul. And because I need you."
"For what?"
"War," Gina said.
