Page 55 of Need to Know

I was paralyzed for a moment as the uniformed man turned to face me and stepped closer.

"D…d…dad?" My god! It was true.

"Those movie posters don’t do you justice. You've grown into such a handsome devil. If I'm honest...a lot like your grandfather," he grinned, his eyes shining with affection and…pride.

I was tongue-tied for a long moment and then rage bubbled up and burst out. "IF YOU'RE HONEST? WHAT THE HELL?" I roared, incredulous. My reaction wiped the smile from his face. My brain had already been through the spin cycle today, but now my thoughts were offline and I was waiting for a reboot. My father was alive, and so the abductors had told me the truth, and they were after him. And as I glared in disbelief, I didn’t know whether to hug Curtis Hale or punch him. How old was he now? 57, 58?

For twelve years I’d grieved for my pops, for twelve fucking years I’d believed his body was incinerated in an explosion at an oil refinery. Seeing him alive caved me in and I grabbed the back of the couch for support and gasped for air.

"I know, I know, this is a shock. Look, sit down and take a breath son. Do you want a drink, there’s a generous selection," Curtis said matter-of-factly, gesturing toward the wet bar.

"Don't tell me what to do," I snarled. “You lost that right when you…what? Faked your death?”

He sighed with exasperation and ran a hand through his hair. “Let me explain—“

"Where have you been for twelve god-damn years? Do you have any idea what losing you did to mom? She's never dated...did you know that? You were it for her and then you were...you were just...gone. How could you...how fucking dare you?" I raged gesticulating like an angry Italian.

Curtis pinched the bridge of his nose, "Nate, please, I can explain—"

"Go to hell!" I knew I sounded like a petulant teen, but I couldn’t get my head around this bombshell revelation. “How the fuck did you even find me?”

“Oh, that was easy. I hacked your Rolex,” Curtis said delightedly, “I’ve been tracking your movements remotely for years using the watch, your phone, and the CCTV network.”

How was this possible? I turned and glared at the nightstand where my traitorous prized timepiece lay. Curtis pulled my attention back to him, stating,

”I’ve had to…pivot…learned a lot of new skills over the years. And by the way, that running app on your smart watch, Sprava, delete it! It’s a beacon to the whole goddamn world. It’s the quickest hack I’ve ever done. As long as you have the app on a device, I can find you anywhere in the world…and if I can—”

Emotional turmoil aside, my dad was still the Brainiac I’d wanted to emulate. “So, you’ve been stalking me?” I said dryly, trying to sound unimpressed, when in reality, I was impressed, and a little unnerved because now I understood how the paparazzi always seemed to find me!

“Well, yeah, you could say I’ve been stalking you, or you could say I’ve been looking out for you, protecting you from afar. You’re my only boy, Nate, I’ve looked out for you since the day you were born, and I’ll never stop.”

The sentiment made a brick in my protective wall crumble. “If you’re so good at this, how come I got abducted?”

“Yeaaah,” Curtis worried a hand over his mouth. “Sorry ‘bout that. I had a plan to get that Swedish guy to play the middle man, pass the chips to you safely. You weren’t supposed to discover what you had until you were out of the country. But things don’t always work out the way I hope.”

I looked at my father while my thoughts spun. What was I supposed to do now? “There’s an FBI agent outside the door, and three agencies are watching the hotel. It’s been great to catch up, but you need to leave!” I stated without emotion.

"Please, Newt, I wouldn't be here if I didn't have somewhere else to go—" Curtis pleaded.

"That sounds like a you problem, Dad!” I snapped back. “You’re in trouble and now you decide that it’s okay to turn my life upside down? You were dead. You missed…my life…my wedding.” Anger thrummed through me as I paced. “But I guess you're back in time for my divorce," I snarked. I heard how hysterical I sounded, but I couldn’t stop the tirade.

"And Beth! Do you know what you did to Beth? Your little girl was anorexic throughout her teens…it nearly killed her…according to her doctor; the death of her father was a pivotal factor. But she fought through it…she’s about to have your third grandchild."

Curtis flinched as if I’d slapped him and turned from me. He cupped his face in his hands and a pang of guilt hit me in the heart. That was a cruel thing to say. "I'm too old for this bullshit!” he murmured before dropping his hands and turning back to pin me with eyes so much like my own.

“Do you think I wanted to get you mixed up in this? I’ve defied a direct order from the CIA. I burned my mission. I’m an enemy of the state with a ten-million-dollar bounty on my head. My safe house was compromised this morning and I'm out of options."

I glared at the man I’d hero worshipped, the man who’d taught me so much about life. He’d just delivered another cruel lesson. Be careful who you trust. My father was a different person, a stranger, and this man was a danger magnet. He was here, in my god damn hotel suite, the suite I shared with Jack. I was totally conflicted, twisted up inside. Jack wasn’t talking to me. Would Jack punish me like Erik did? Would a displeased Jack behave in the same way—avoid me for the evening or was he coming back to the suite soon? I’d vowed to myself that I wouldn’t repeat the mistakes of my marriage and I wouldn’t put Jack in any more danger.

"You need to leave," I declared coldly.

Curtis held his hands up, his ice blue eyes pleading, “Nate! You’ve gotta listen to me…you’re not safe.”

“Really? Tell me something I don’t know. You put me in danger!” I said pointing an accusing finger at him.

“Yes, yes, I did, so let me explain what’s going on, you need to understand…please, we don’t have much time.”

I’d been seeking answers from Special Agent Porter and knew, as a civilian, she wasn’t going to give me any, but my father would. I threw my hands up in defeat, strode to the couch, and slumped down.