Page 87 of Breached

“Looks that way.” Paul shrugged, not at all fazed.

“Shouldn’t we maybe offer a safer alternative?”

Paul sipped his coffee, turning his back on the madness as he leaned against the railing. “Why?”

I laughed. “So he doesn’t get hurt.”

“He’d better stay inside the wagon, then.”

“Paul.”

He grinned at me. “If he falls, he’ll get what, muddy? If he gets hurt, he’ll get at the most a scraped knee. Being reckless is what being a kid is all about. They’ll learn that next time a bungee cord isn’t the best thing to use, so they’ll go back to the shed, poke around for something else. Failure is the best medicine for kids—builds character and helps with their critical thinking skills,” he explained as he watched them. “Look at Brandon. He’s wiser than most of us. It’s because Keith lets him have a go at everything this house has to offer.”

“Okay.” I chewed the inside of my cheek. I knew he was right. He and I were both risk takers, so I got what he said. I didn’t want to coddle Chase, but it was hard not to want to protect him from everything.

“Hey,” John poked his head out the door, “General Bruce will be here any minute.”

“Copy that.” Paul leaned down and kissed my cheek. “I need to go send off a quick email to Grim. I won’t be long.”

“Sounds good.” I went back to watching the kids and let my mind wander. It had been a week since that unnerving night we had stayed in the saferoom under Shadows. Hearing the RPGs firing and the gunfire so close had hit hard. I was so happy when everyone finally came back home, and the place was filled with the hustle and bustle of family again. I really needed it.

Dr. Roberts had been particularly quiet since the attack, and Sloane and I kept an eye on him, but we both agreed to give him his space. He often went up the hill to sit near Abigail’s place of rest. He told me he liked to talk to her and always placed fresh flowers there. I only joined him once to see if he was all right. The others had their markers close by as well, and he said it comforted him. The family didn’t believe in burying their dead. They believed in scattering their ashes on their beloved mountain. I thought back to the day they had scattered the ashes of Abigail, Daniel, and Sue and how I had to smile at their rather inappropriate jokes afterward. I knew they used humor to get through difficult times. To be honest, it seemed to be the best medicine for them. They respectfully placed a special marker afterward to have a place to go to remember them.

Tires on pavement drew me back, and I saw the general step out of his SUV.

“Olivia,” I called and nodded at the vehicle to let her know I was going inside. She had offered to help keep the kids out of the main house for a bit.

I slipped inside and went into the kitchen and was immediately handed a rather large glass of red wine from Savannah.

“Trust me, from what Cole said, we’re all going to need this.” She rolled her eyes.

“How bad can he make it for the guys?” I knew Cole had taken a huge risk setting up the hit on the tunnels the way he did, but someone needed to do it.

She took a sip from her glass as we walked together into the living room, then she drew me aside away from where Cole, Paul, and John stood talking with General Bruce. “I’ll give you the quick version.” She glanced toward the bar where Mark was pouring drinks. “Shadows is independently funded, so we aren’t actually reliant on the US military, but the guys are all ex-special ops trained, and the military likes to be able to call on them.

“The guys want to work with the military, but sometimes they also need to step into the ‘gray areas’ to get a job done. In the past, that was easier when Frank was still at the wheel—it was how things ran back then. But now…I don’t know.” She tilted her head and thought for a moment. “General Bruce is different. He’s a follow the rules kind of man.” She rubbed her face with her free hand.

“I see,” I murmured and glanced at the General.

“Anyway, this could go a few ways. Cole could take the hit, and the guys would be in trouble for a while and face some shitty consequences, or they could part ways with the military altogether and basically become mercenaries.” She made a face, telling me that wasn’t what they’d want. “Or they could be assigned another general. Trouble is, the next guy in line is rumored to be—well, let’s just say he wouldn’t be a great fit.”

I sipped my wine as I absorbed what she told me. “But at the end of the day, he can’t prove that Cole or Blackstone had anything to do with it, right? They can just deny they had any knowledge of it. It was Devil’s Reach and Grim Gates who attacked the tunnels and targeted the Ruiz family, so how would he know?”

“He probably can’t prove anything, but Frank saw Rafe Hunter when they were all in New Mexico. In case Frank said something, Cole had to tell General Bruce that Rafe was there with his team⁠—”

“Savannah, my reporter head can’t take it anymore. What is it about those guys? I did a deep dive on Rafe and his team, but it’s like the internet has been wiped clean. What in the world happened with them?”

“Nicole, here’s what you need to know about these guys and this house.” She glanced around the room. “Once you’re in, you’re in. They share a lot with us, but when they don’t, it’s for a very good reason, like the information could hurt me or someone else. So, the fact that Cole never shared Rafe’s story with me, even when I asked, means I let it go.”

“That’s like a wire brush to my brain,” I muttered. I fully understood and respected that, but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow.

“What I do know is that whatever it was happened last year. Rafe was the Lieutenant Commander of his team. They were on a mission, something went sideways, and when they returned home, he was dishonorably discharged. When he left, his entire team left with him. And, if you know anything about the Navy and making SEAL Team Six, it’s not a team you’d walk away from. People spend their entire lives training for it, and Rafe made DEVGRU his first time—top of his class at thirty.”

“Damn.” That was impressive, but it only increased my curiosity about his story.

“I know.” She looked over my shoulder at General Bruce, who was now heading toward the kitchen with some of the guys. “My guess is Rafe won’t let it go. Whatever it was that made the Navy cut ties with him, things will get ugly before it ever gets better.”

I wonder if I could help.