Caleb growled in response to her words.
“What did you expect?” she growled back. “You made yourself into the bait. You got what you wanted. He came after you.”
“He was supposed to come after ME, not my people.”
“Then you understand less about the shamelessness of a sadist than you pretend to!” she growled again. “You said it yourself, he enjoys the pain he inflicts, and he likes to see you weakened.”
Caleb stared at her with anger and frustration.
“What better way to show you that he is stronger and more capable than you are,” she said. “It would never be a direct attack. Even at your weakest, that would have been stupid.”
He let out an angry sigh.
“Granger knows the kind of leader you are. He knows how much worse it would hurt you to have failed to protect your people in a crisis,” Ashleigh sighed.
“I didn’t….” Caleb couldn’t finish his sentence.
