She gave them both a sunny smile. “He patted me on the ass once. I was planning on having him kneecapped anyway.”

Top made a soft grunting noise and folded his arms.

“Saxon set us up,” said Bunny.

“Well, that’s his job, isn’t it?” she countered. Then she sat back and laced her fingers together on top of the desk. “Look, guys, this isn’t the Cub Scouts. You know what Blue Diamond does or you wouldn’t be here. One of our field scouts pegged you as likely material, and we did a thorough background check on each of you. All the way back to kindergarten. You, Mr. Redfield—”

“Call me Buck.”

“You, Buck, are a bit of a bad boy type,” she continued. “Maybe playing to type? Milking the reputation?”

Bunny said nothing.

“And you, Mr. Guidry,” said HK, “you make a big show of liking to sit racist pricks down on their ass, but I wonder if what you really like is the fight itself.”

“You walking anywhere in the direction of a point?” asked Top.

“Right to it, then … sure. That’s fine,” said HK. “Over the last eight days, you’ve been tested on a lot of different weapons systems, military tactics, and threat assessment capabilities, and you each demonstrated a remarkably wide range of knowledge and comfort.”

“If it goes bang or boom, we know about it,” said Bunny.

“And your unarmed combat skills are several cuts above the norm. On a par with Delta. Which makes me wonder why neither of you were ever recruited by them.”

“I think you know the answer to that,” Top said quietly.

“Because you don’t play well with others except when you want to,” said HK. “And because neither of you is averse to making some unreported money on the side.”

“Times are tough,” said Bunny. “Economy’s in the toilet.”

“Oh, I’m not judging,” HK said brightly. “I’m very much in favor of an entrepreneurial spirit. We are, to be more precise.”

“‘We’ being Blue Diamond?” asked Top.

Her smile changed, became smaller and a bit secretive. “Consider Blue Diamond—at least this division of it—as a talent agency for very specialized services we offer to a variety of clients.”

They said nothing, waiting for the other shoe.

“It’s clear that you two are a cut above the usual herd,” continued HK. “Your aptitude, resourcefulness, and knowledge are top-shelf and, quite frankly, you’re overqualified for the kind of work most of Blue Diamond does.”

“Not much I won’t do for a paycheck and bennies,” said Bunny. “Most employers stop reading when they get to the details of my discharge.”