Page 87 of Damned
Once Bree went back to work, she intended to rectify the false image circulated by Hollywood and the biased media. She wasn’t going back toUSA Timeline, either. They didn’t deserve her.World Geo had been ecstatic when she’d contacted them, had even requested an interview on all she’d gone through in Turkey. They wanted her side of the story. And they’d given her a huge signing bonus, even said she could work from home if she wanted to.
“Actually, Bree…” Sullivan tipped back in his chair, “you’ve been around a military man all your life. In fact…” The door opened behind him, and there stood Bree’s parents with Robin.
“Mommy!” Robin squealed, but instantly shushed when she saw Kruze. “Oh, I sorry,” she ducked her head into her shoulders and whispered, like the cute little scamp she was, “Mister Kruze is taking a nap like I hafta sometimes. I be very quiet. Shhhhh.”
Kruze moaned in his sleep, then stiffened and growled. But the instant Bree laced her fingers with his, he relaxed. His head tipped to his shoulder. His hair, longer on top, tumbled over his brow, making him look like an adorable, kissable, little boy. There went Bree’s heart again, thump, right at his feet. She swiped a quick hand over her eyes before Robin noticed.
But she was too late. “Mommy, you’re sad,” Robin whined, her chubby little arms held out for Bree to take her.
Bree’s father handed Robin over. Was that a tear in his eye? “Are you okay, Dad?” she asked as she set Robin on the bed beside Kruze and let her snuggle into his uninjured side.
“Yeah,” he answered, but he choked that single word out, like it had gotten stuck in his throat. “I am now.”
Sullivan kicked back in his chair and grumbled, “Tell her. If you don’t, Brandon, I sure as hell will.”
“Bree…” Her dad stammered. “I’m not who you think… I mean, I used to be…” He growled. “I’ve known McQueen, err, Senator Sullivan, for years. He and I were in Iraq together back in the early nineties, not in combat, but as Army intelligence officers. We answered to General Schwarzkopf. You know who he was?”
“Stormin’ Norman? Sure. He led coalition forces in the first Gulf War.” There was something else her dad wasn’t telling her. “Why didn’t I know this before?”
“Because your father never left the intelligence business, sweetheart,” Bree’s mother replied. “He’s worked for Senator Sullivan ever since McQueen hung his shingle on Capitol Hill.”
Bree didn’t know what to say, except… “But I thought you were in insurance?”
“Well, I kinda was, sometimes. I needed a plausible cover story, honey. I’m so sorry.”
Her eyes shot to her mother. “Do you really work at that pre-school, Mom? Or are you some kind of spy, too?”
Lark’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, yes, I most certainly work at the pre-school. I’m the sane one in the family. Honest, we never meant to deceive you, but it was important your father maintain a plausible cover.”
“And it worked thirty-some years,” Sullivan muttered. “Then you had to retire, you quitter.”
Brandon beamed. “Yes, sir, I had better things to do with my life than skulk around back alleys and infiltrate cartels.” He held both hands up before Bree could ask about those cartels. “Later, honey. There are things I can’t talk about, but I’ll tell you what I can. Just not here.”
She turned her glare on Senator Sullivan. “That’s how you knew I had a daughter. When we talked, you distinctly asked if I was raising Robin to be just like me. You knew! But I was too worried to put two and two together that day.” Her glare pivoted back to her dad. “It was you! You’re Mister X. You sent Kruze to rescue me.”
“Mommy, shhhhh,” Robin ordered, her pointer finger on her lips and her brows pinched into a scowl. “Mister Kruze is really tired. You hafta be quiet, too.”
“Yes, sorry, sillykins,” Bree told her daughter. “But Dad…” she hissed.
The enormity of her father’s deceit hit hard. He’d been a covert operator all her life. How had she never seen the signs? Because she’d been busy with school and college and work, then being a single mother and… Because she’d trusted him. Lord, she needed time to process this enormous hit. Her father was Mister X. Lord, what next?
Brandon stepped in and wrapped both arms around her. “I’m sorry it took me so long to find you, baby girl,” he said as he kissed her temple. “But when you went missing, no one atUSA Timeline would talk to me. I had to go undercover as an insurance actuary auditing their operational risks to get deep enough inside. Financially, USA Timeline is on shaky ground. Lantz hasn’t maintained adequate business capital for the last two years. Not like it matters anymore, but his outlays far exceed his income. Plus he’s had a few lawsuits lately, one of them a multi-million-dollar sexual harassment suit he settled out of court. But once I had access to his secretary’s computer—”
Bree pulled away from him. “You found proof?”
“Not right away. I was there for weeks with nothing to go on but my gut. But someone left a file on my briefcase one morning, and I believe it was his secretary. A copy of your article and a dozen pictures of you with Derya Najjar were in that file. It was your story and those pictures you sent that finally told me where to look for you. If you hadn’t sent them, if that unknown person hadn’t given them to me…” He shuddered beneath her. “With Senator Sullivan’s help, we were able to identify the area as Eastern Anatolia and then—”
“I sent a drone to scout those gawddamned mountains for a missing United States citizen,” Sullivan growled.
“Aw, you sweared.” Robin waggled her pointer finger accusingly at the senator. “Mommy says intelligent people never have to say naughty words. You should say you’re sorry.”
Sullivan had the grace to smile. “You’re right, Missy Banks. I am sorry I used inappropriate language. Thanks for reminding me to watch my Ps and Qs.”
“Mommy, what’s Ps and Qs?”
“They’re manners,” Bree’s mom filled in. “Now hush, little one, and let your mommy talk.”
“Dad,” Bree cried. “I’ve been wondering who cared enough to look for me, and it was you all along.” She broke down. There were more questions she needed answered, but not now. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
