Page 28 of Breached

“And where, exactly, is my son?”

SEVEN

NICOLE

Itossed around between the sheets. I’d felt a sense of unease all night long. Paul hadn’t come to bed, and it was now nearing midnight. I knew Cole had said Paul was off with Frank somewhere, but I never imagined he’d be gone for this long. Obviously, something big needed his attention.

My phone vibrated from where it sat on the nightstand. I rolled over and pulled out the charger cord.

Mia: Hope this doesn’t wake you, but I figured I’d tell you first. Chase had a relapse—he’s okay, but he’s back on meds again.

I sat up and quickly called her.

“Hey, Nicole,” she sounded beat, “I promise he’s okay. I just know if I were you, I’d want to be in the loop. It might just be a cold, but as his lungs are still recovering, it hit him a bit hard.”

I smiled, but it quickly faded when the urge to be with Chase grew stronger. “I can’t thank you enough for letting me know.” I tipped my head back against the headboard. “How’s everyone doing?”

“Good.” She yawned. “I mean, all things considered, things are slowly going back to normal. Whatever the hell that really is.” She huffed, and I did too. “How are things there?”

I hesitated, unsure how much the guys shared with their wives when they were away. “It’s going.”

She chuckled. “You sound like one of them.”

I scratched my nose. “I guess I’m just navigating how much I can share.”

“I respect that.”

I pulled the sheet up higher over my chest. “Can we switch to a wives’ chat for a moment?”

“Sure.” She seemed to like that idea.

“Well, maybe it’s more of a family question, but at the risk of overstepping, what’s going on with your father and Paul?”

She went quiet. “What do you mean?” I heard the tenseness in her voice.

“I heard Frank really chewing out Paul. Cole even snapped at him, and the guys seem to be avoiding Frank—going around him too, if you know what I mean. That doesn’t seem normal to me.” I rubbed my head. “Maybe I’m reading too much into something that’s not there, but I don’t know.”

Mia let out a long breath, and I guessed there was a story there, maybe some kind of history. I’d heard enough to know Keith and John had a problem with Frank, but I didn’t know why.

“Tell me to stop if I’m being too personal.” I needed to tread carefully.

“No, you’re not,” she said softly. “What you’re seeing is history that dates back a decade or so. It’s not my place to tell that story. It’s a big one. I can tell you that my father is struggling with being pushed out of his position—a position he should have retired from years ago, to be honest. I don’t know how he’s managed to stay as long as he has.”

“It’s okay, Mia. I can understand how difficult that must be for him. Aging is hard on most people, and your dad worked all the way up to being a general, which shows he took his career seriously.”

“Ha,” she huffed, “you have no idea.” She sounded a little bitter. “Dad is determined to make his mark before he goes. He wants more than anything to take down the Cartel or at least some part of it, so his time in the service means something. It’s ridiculous because he’s already made his mark. He was part of building the whole Shadows-Blackstone organization. That alone puts him in the books, if you will.”

“Yes, it sure does,” I agreed.

“I’ve always had a bit of a strained relationship with my dad, as I felt second to his career. But enough about that. At this point, I think Frank’s focus is reckless, and, between you and me, I’m nervous he’s going to put the guys in a bad situation, and something awful might happen.” She sucked in a sharp breath. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. Now I’m over-sharing.”

“Your fears are valid, Mia,” I reassured her. “I get the same feeling.”

“Do me a favor and watch out for them for me?”

“Of course.”

She yawned again. “Know that Cole will always listen. Even if he doesn’t say anything back, he’s internalizing. And when in doubt—go to Mark. He takes everything to Cole.” She laughed at that.