Page 97 of Knotted

A knot tightens in my chest.See you at the gala.

No mention of going together. Is that what she wants? Separate entrances, separate...everything?

And the email. AHeraldemail. So why would Jules say Sydney’s no longer with them?

Confusion twists in my gut as I shut down the computer and drain my glass. For a long while, I don’t go to my wife, and I don’t email back.

I simply sit in the quiet, letting the darkness wrap around me, and I think.

CHAPTER 43

Brian

“Two weeks, Captain.” The voice on the other end of the line is sharp, unyielding, like the steel of a cannon. “That’s your deadline. If you can’t produce the family member you claim took your card, the facts speak for themselves. Your card. Stolen money. We can all do the math.”

Colby’s jaw clenches so tight I can almost hear his teeth grind, frustration pouring off him.

I jump in, trying to keep things from boiling over. “Sir, with all due respect, two weeks is nowhere near enough. Wearemaking progress. If we just?—”

“Frankly, Mr. Bishop, the only reason you’ve even gotten this far is because your daddy called my daddy,” he spits, the worddaddydripping with contempt. What he really means is my congressman pulled strings with his chain of command.

I know better than anyone that pulling a move like this is the equivalent of firing a flare gun at a grizzly bear. To be done when you’re out of options and as a last resort because the backlash will be brutal.

And by the sound of his voice? Oh, yeah, he’s definitely pissed.

“You’ve been dragging this out long enough,” his voice snaps. “In two weeks, if this Angelina Spenser isn’t standing in front of me,youwill be appearing before the military tribunal. Is that clear?”

Colby and I respond in unison, voices tight. “Yes, sir.”

The line goes dead with a sharp, emotionless click.

“Shit.” I rub my temple, the pressure building. “Where exactly is your XO located?”

Colby exhales, trying to keep it together. “Iceland. Secure as hell. Three military jets and a chopper just to get there—and that’s if we travel straight through.”

“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath. “This is a goddamned nightmare.”

Colby leans back in his chair, deflated. “I’m screwed.”

“No, you’re not,” I insist, though every tick of the countdown echoes in my head.

Why Uncle Sam won’t just take the damn money and call it a day is beyond me. Instead, they’d rather make an example out of a decorated soldier like Colby.

Is there any universe where this makes sense?

My phone buzzes, vibrating against the desk. Logan’s name flashes on the screen. He’s got strict orders not to bother me unless something’s on fire, blown to pieces, or royally fucked, so I answer.

“What?”

“That tux appointment. The tailor called. Need me to cancel it?”

Right. The tailor. The one who would’ve come to me, noproblem, but I didn’t want to make a fuss. I glance over at Colby. “I can cancel.”

“Don’t cancel,” he says, shaking his head. “Everyone’s been working around the clock, and you’ve been burning every spare minute on this. You have a life, too.”

“I’m still working on this.”

“I know you are. Your entire team is. It’ll be okay,” he says, but the half-hearted tone makes my gut sink. It’s killing him, and it’s killing me, too.

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