Page 22 of Breached

“All right—yeah, I’ll send her to Mexico City.” He cleared his throat like he had something more to say.

“Jack.” I just needed him to say whatever was on his mind. I could read him like an open book.

“So, I got wind of something. Remember Matt Windstone?”

Oh, yes, he was friends with my camera guy Ben. “Yeah, he’s a cameraman—mainly works in El Salvador.”

“Right, well, he just brought a story to the higher-ups, and it sounds like Rafael Cruz and his cousins are pissed your soldier friend didn’t die even after they worked him over pretty good. They figured he was dead. Now, Bruno’s put it out to everyone who will listen that he knows you still have the child and where you are.” My stomach plummeted.

“Any chance I can get ahead of this narrative?”

He went quiet. “I really don’t see how, since there’s a photo of you holding a child after the explosion outside of that restaurant in Redstone.” What the hell? We had figured it out that Bruno had been behind the explosion, but to know there was a photo circulating out there was a shock. “Check your phone.” As he said the words, I felt it vibrate in my hand. I pulled it away from my ear and clicked on the photo. There I was with Chase in my arms outside of Zack’s, next to the vehicle I was supposed to get in. I pinched the photo to blow it up and saw a slightly blurry Paul and Olivia in the background. The asshole took the photo moments before he blew the place up? Heartless.

“How?” I whispered, putting the phone back to my ear.

“Apparently, Matt heard that Bruno’s brother got drunk and bragged that he knew the child’s whereabouts—he passed it around—and, well, the news made it to Rafael.”

“Do you think Bruno knows his brother did that?”

“I’m not sure, but listen, they crossed the border into the US this morning.”

My head went light. The Cruz Cartel was the last thing we needed right now. “Shit.”

“Yeah, so, be warned, you may have company soon.”

I heard voices not far from me. “Thanks, Jack. I’ll call you back.” I hung up and made my way out the back. I was about to step around the corner of the building when I heard raised voices. I peeked and saw Frank yelling in Paul’s face.

“You want to repeat what you just said?” Frank snarled.

Paul, who towered a foot above him, seemed unfazed. “You had no right to go to Nicole with it. You’re using her to get me to do what you want.”

Huh?

SIX

PAUL

“I’ve got prosthetics coming in twenty. You will be in that room,” he pointed to the room across the way from the War Room, “and you will do as I say,” Frank ordered then turned on his heel and rushed off.

I pressed my lips together to stop the string of curse words I wanted to fire off at him. It took everything I had not to chase after him. I took a steady breath as I entered the War Room. Cole was speaking quietly to the others. It sounded serious and probably important, but I couldn’t wait.

“Yellow,” I said firmly, and they all looked up. I pointed at the door, and Keith shut it.

Cole stood straighter, looked at Mark, then gave a tight nod.

“Where’s Nicole?” I scanned the room.

Mark made eye contact with me as if he wanted to say something, but then I heard Frank’s voice, and my anger surged again and I shook my head.

“She got a call,” John spoke up, “said she needed five but hasn’t been back. Should I get her?”

“No.” I looked at Cole, who then glanced at Hunter and his team. They were busy with something else. They needed to be in the know on this, but I wanted to have this conversation with just my guys first. It was uncomfortable enough as it was.

Twenty minutes later, I leaned against the table in the room where Frank had told me to wait for him. Anger churned inside me like a heavy grinding weight against my ribcage. I thought about Eric Noah and all the years I’d lived as him. It had taken so much from me mentally and emotionally, and only the knowledge that he had been incredibly useful to my Blackstone brothers had kept me there. That and Chili—if not for him, I’d have never been able to make it back to Paul. He kept me sane. I wished he was here for this, but he had to be seen back in Rosarito in order to keep his fake identity alive. Even if Bruno wanted him dead for helping to get Nicole and Chase over the border.

The door ripped open, and Frank came in. He stopped short, and his eyes went to slits as he saw I wasn’t alone.

“What’s this?”