Page 76 of Always Been Mine

“You keep on sayingwe, Porter,” Travis said. “Who exactly iswe? Do you even trust anyone right now in the CIA?”

“I am working with a covert group.”

“Does this covert group have a name?” Gabe inquired. This was the first he had heard of this.

“Their name is not important. They won’t want to work with anyone else at this point. But we do need someone who can hack through Red Bridge communication.”

“That someone won’t be Cat,” Travis reiterated ominously.

“I can speak perfectly for myself, Travis,” his wife retorted.

“Think on it,” Porter said. “I’m sure we can manage eventually, but Caitlin can do it faster. We don’t have the luxury oftime. Intel is pointing to a transaction within the next three weeks.”

“If this has something to do with cocaine shipments, shouldn’t we be keeping an eye on Fuego?” Gabe asked.

“We already are,” Porter said. “Especially since Beatrice disappeared. The entire gang has gone to ground.”

“How about the Skulls? Do they have any intel at this point?” Travis asked.

“Crane is keeping his club out of this since the Russians are involved. We’re not getting help there.”

“Is there anything we can do besides involving Cat?” Travis asked.

Porter sighed. “There is something. Your team is handling Senator Mendoza’s security?”

“You don’t think the senator is involved in any of this, do you?” Beatrice asked.

“No, but they killed his uncle for a reason,” Porter said. “The assassination was blamed on the armed conflict in Colombia, but I’m not discounting he may have been a convenient patsy to mislead us about Gabe being the real target. It would be beneficial to have ears in his office, just to keep a pulse on the political landscape in Colombia.”

“I’m up for it,” Nate announced.

Porter nodded in approval. The admiral turned to Gabe. “How about you, Commander?”

“I’ll leave the security of the senator to BSI.” His gaze fell on his woman. She had an unguarded look on her face, looking so lost. Despite her earlier feistiness, she was in no way over what happened to her. “I want to comb through what we have of Beatrice’s abduction. We could be missing a clue here.” Beatrice looked at him apprehensively. She wasn’t ready to relive the nightmare, but they needed to debrief her while everything was fresh in her mind. Still, he couldn’t help adding, “When you’re ready, okay, babe?”

She sighed in resignation and nodded.

Gabe lookedon as Beatrice’s assistant kept her company in the living room. If Doug Keller wasn’t gay, Gabe would definitely have a problem with him. Right now, Doug had his arms around Beatrice; she was leaning against him with her head on his chest. They were murmuring, so Gabe had no idea what they were talking about. He was getting impatient with people showing up, although it was understandable given how many people cared for Beatrice. Travis, Caitlin, and Nate left an hour ago. It was ironic that the person who should be the most concerned was nowhere to be found. Gabe was getting dinner ready, something as simple as popping a frozen casserole in the oven.

“You want another beer, Doug?” Gabe called out.

Doug raised his bottle. “I’m good, thanks.”

Gabe went looking for Porter. He sure hoped the admiral didn’t leave without saying goodbye. Beatrice was used to her father’s indifference, but Gabe’s blood had been on a simmer since they got her back. Save for the shock of seeing his daughter’s arms brutalized, the admiral had remained mostly detached.

The safe house belonged to Porter. Whether it was CIA-owned or not, Gabe had no idea. Before they left his house in Alexandria, Porter told him to pack a bag for himself and Beatrice, plus whatever he needed for Rhino, enough for at least a few days. Gabe agreed. Until they knew exactly what was going on, Beatrice’s condo and his house were not safe. This place was also equipped with state-of-the-art computers and a communications room. This was not just a safe house but a satellite op center.

He found the admiral on the back patio, smoking a cigar in the chilly January evening.

“Dinner should be ready in an hour.”

The admiral said nothing for a long time. He took a fewpuffs of his cigar and said, “I never planned to marry Lorraine.”

Beatrice’s mother. Gabe stilled, not sure where the admiral was going with this.

“She got pregnant,” Porter said. “At that time, it seemed like the honorable thing to do.” The admiral snuffed out the cigar under his boot. “I didn’t want a family to tie me down, but, Gabe, when I first held my daughter, I fell in love with her.” The admiral laughed derisively. “Hard to believe, huh, Commander?”

“What happened then?”

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