Chapter 40

For once, Brock, Meredith and Randi weren't the last people ready for breakfast. Still, Cynthia dawdled until they were the last people to appear at the small facility Esmi had chosen for their breakfast.

Brock immediately spotted a few different faces when he followed his group into the room. Chastity Durant, Louisa Bond, Tia Barnett and four or five other women from the U.S. National Team were also having a light breakfast.

"This is a surprise," Brock said when he was shown to a seat at the same table as Chastity and Louisa. Tia was sitting with J.C. and the others were spread out at tables around the room.

"It was meant to be," Louisa said. "We have the morning to visit with our family and friends before we have to report back to get ready for tonight's game."

"I tried to get in contact with your husband to see if he wanted to join us," Brock said. "I could never get in touch with him."

Brock didn't want to tell Louisa that he had left a half dozen messages and the man had returned exactly none of them.

"He is too busy to come this week," Louisa replied. "I told him one of the reasons we pushed for financial improvements was to help our families, so they could work less to support us. He didn't appear to get the message. He and I are going to have a discussion while I'm home for Christmas."

Brock was thankful that Meredith turned the subject to something else by asking Chastity about her plans for the holidays.

"I'm going to spend the time with my Mom," Chastity said. "It'll be weird to be in Buffalo without Brock. I haven't been back since I left a week after he did."

"You're always welcome to come visit us," Meredith said. "I know I got lucky to catch Brock when I did. I'm sorry that things didn't work out for you. I really hope we both can be happy."

"I waited too long to make the right choice," Chastity admitted after a sad smile. "I could have led the charge to get the changes we got. I'm supposed to be a leader, after all. Instead I sat back and let it happen. I knew what it was costing me but I let it happen anyway."

She leaned slightly closer and lowered her voice.

"I don't know what happened in New York and I don't want to know," she said. "But Brock cares for you. If you come to the point where you have to decide what's important, think about that."

"I do," Meredith said. "I'm surprised he told you about New York, though."

"He didn't," Chastity replied. "One of my teammates saw you up there. She recognized you from a picture I have of everyone at Brock's house. He stuck up for you just like he always does. But remember, he stuck up for me too until I put him in a spot that he no longer could take it. Don't get to that point, Meredith."

"I won't," Meredith promised. "I... , I have no idea why I went out those nights. I think part of it was because I've never done anything like that before. I went crazy and I didn't make good choices. God, maybe I should call your friend and see exactly how stupid I was. I don't remember a lot of it."

"It's over," Chastity advised. "Let it go. He has. He'll never think of it again unless you bring it to the front. Just make sure you don't find yourself in a spot where you'll let him down again."

Meredith nodded and Chastity moved back away from her. She glanced at Louisa and nodded.

"We have a few awards we'd like to give out," Louisa said after she rose from her seat. "They're just small tokens from the players for the things the people in this room helped to bring to pass."

The other players walked from person to person and handed out team jerseys signed by the team.

"I was still in Las Vegas," Zack protested.

"If you're here today, you would have helped if you had known," Louisa remarked. Faith Perez positive beamed when Chastity handed her a second jersey – this one small enough for her to wear and adorned with Chastity's Number 10. Maria got one, too, and accepted it with grace even if she wasn't as excited as her sister.

"That was really sweet," Brock said when Louisa and Chastity resumed their seats.

"We wouldn't be here if it weren't for the people in this room," Louisa said. "We'd have been sitting at home wondering what could have been. I don't think I would have regretted the stand we took but I think I would have missed being a part of something special. This is the only way we could think of to say thank you."

"You're welcome," Brock said for the group. "Now bring home the Cup!"

"You know it," Chastity replied.

As breakfast ended and the players left, Brock was pulled aside by Cynthia Lu.

"Meredith and Randi are riding back with others," she said. "I wish to have a private conversation with you about something I'm not certain how to broach."

"I've always been a 'just get on with it' kind of guy," Brock said. He could see that Cynthia was troubled by something. It was rare that he could get any indication of her emotions so he decided it must be troubling her greatly.

"That is the problem," Cynthia said. "I think I have to tread carefully. My concerns are partly professional and partly personal. I'm not entirely sure where one stops and the other starts. That is unusual for me. I hope you will bear with me. If I didn't believe what I have to say is important, I would have taken the time to consider how to say it more properly."

"Sure," Brock said. "However you want to do it."

Cynthia took a deep breath and composed her thoughts.

"As you know, part of my job is to screen those who have access to our players and our organization," she began. "As with your sister, you know those screenings are thorough. We do the typical background checks. We want to ensure that the person is not heavily in debt, for instance. We want to ensure that he is not a wanted criminal or someone who might have an ulterior motive for seeking a friendship with a player on our team."

Brock nodded to show he was following so far.

"We also do a more in depth screening if something raises questions," she said. "Before we do this, we usually discuss it with the player – as we do when a threatening letter arrives. In some cases – usually if I am unsure of how a player might react – I will wait until I have more answers before I approach him. Most usually, the secondary screening puts my mind at ease and I don't ever discuss it with the player. Again, I will use a personal example if you don't mind."

"I don't," Brock said, beginning to wonder where this was going.

"Meredith has a history of mental illness," Cynthia said. "Her initial screening brought up several gaps in her educational background. It is not unusual if those gaps occur during the college years. People take time away from college for any number of reasons, almost always legitimate. Hers came during her high school years. I wondered why someone with a high GPA in high school and college would not have a diploma but instead have a GED. So I delved further and found what transpired during her late teens. I determined that you were aware of the situation and I felt no need to approach you to discuss it."

"I am aware of it," Brock said.

"Please know that when I inform the player of situations I find troubling, I do not push him in one direction or the other," Cynthia continued. "I simply inform him of what I've found and let the decision rest with the player. Also, I am the only person who sees the information. I will go back to Meredith's situation. Once I came to the conclusion it was not something that you were unaware of, I shredded the hard copy file and double deleted the digital version. The software I brought with me ensures the file can never be retrieved. The sectors on the disc it occupied are overwritten seven times. It is time consuming but considering the amount of personal information I acquire, I believe it is necessary."

Brock nodded. He still didn't understand where this discussion was headed.

"Which brings me to something I am not certain how to discuss," Cynthia said. "I have done a background search on all the people who were here today with the exception of the young women from the soccer team. Oh, and Al's children, of course. I have some information that, given recent circumstances, I find troubling. In itself, what I know is not something I would normally divulge. In fact, I do not believe it poses a danger to the team in any fashion. However, here is my quandary. I have found that I like the people that you've surrounded yourself with. And what I know might pose a danger to one of them."

"Then there is no quandary at all," Brock insisted. "If you've found out someone is threatening anyone in this room, I'd like to know about it."

"If someone threatened anyone in this room, you would already know," Cynthia said. "I will not perform my duties as I did in your case. That was a costly mistake I will not repeat. Although I am unsure of how I could have done it, I am also positive I should have done more to bring light to Ms. Maynard. This is of a more personal nature, Brock. It is not a physical threat but I believe it might pose, well, I suppose it might pose a psychological threat. I feel I am overstepping my bounds by intruding into things that are not really my concern. As I said, I have found I am fond of this person. But I do not think I am close enough to discuss the situation with her myself."

Brock narrowed his eyes.

"This concerns Ms. Darby," Cynthia said. "Are you aware that Darby is not her birth name?"

"I know that she and her mother reverted to her mother's maiden name when Randi was 12," Brock said. "I am not actually aware of the name she was born with."

Cynthia let out a sigh of relief.

"Then you are aware of the circumstances leading up to the change of name?" she asked.

"Generally," Brock said. "She has confided of the situation her father placed her in. Is this something you've just learned?"

"No," Cynthia told him. "I've known of this from a few weeks after I saw you with Ms. Darby for the second time. As I said, this wasn't relevant so I deleted the information and destroyed the file. That is why I told you in such detail of how the file is removed. I didn't want you to think the information was still available for anyone to find. She was the victim of a crime. She didn't commit a crime. I saw no need to bring it to your attention."

"Well, that's gratifying but I'm not sure where this is going," Brock said.

"The nature of Ms. Darby's attack can lead to several unhealthy lifestyle choices," Cynthia said. "I am concerned that what she suffered as a child is causing her to delve into those choices now. Or at least to begin considering those choices now."

"Uh, I thought you knew about the relationship I have with her and Meredith," Brock said.

"Oh, I do," Cynthia confirmed. "That isn't what I'm speaking about. I'm afraid Ms. Darby left her laptop open last night when she joined you in her room. I didn't want the battery to die so I closed it. No, that is false. I began to close it until I saw what she was looking at. Then I fear I have overstepped my role as security chief and possibly as a friend. What she was looking at was unsettling so I pulled her browser history. The nature of her recent internet searches is what led me to have this discussion with you."

"You went through her computer," Brock said.

"Yes," Cynthia said. "I invaded her privacy most egregiously. I would apologize if I felt badly about it. Given what I've found, I believe I acted in her best interests and in yours. Brock, she has visited a host of alternative lifestyle websites in the past three days."

"Alternative lifestyle websites?" Brock asked.

"Those dealing specifically with dominance and submission," Cynthia clarified.

"Oh, those," Brock said with relief. "God, I thought you meant child pornography or maybe terrorists chat rooms."

"Brock, this is serious," Cynthia said. "In my time with the Secret Service, I had opportunity to be around people who participate in this type of relationship. I do not see Ms. Darby as being this type of person. I think her involvement in something such as this would cause irreparable harm not only to her reputation but to her personality."

Brock found himself unable to stop the smile that spread to his face.

"She's researching a television role," he said. "This is confidential. She's been selected to play the role of a submissive woman in a television series based on a book. She's doing some internet research but she's also wanted to get a feel for the part. She's asked Meredith and me to help her with that. She won't be trolling the sex clubs or anything."

"A television role?" Cynthia asked. She closed her eyes for a moment and smiled. "A television role. Of course. I'm relieved I didn't approach her. I had considered confronting her. I would have looked like a fool and she would have been upset that I had spied on her. I will apologize to her, of course. I have researched the subject myself for my master's thesis and I know that many submissive women were subjected to long-term sexual abuse at a young age. I didn't want to see Ms. Darby find herself in a situation that was far different than what she envisioned. I am truly sorry, Brock."