Page 14 of Embedded
“I am.”
“Scale of pain?”
“Seven,” I lied.
“I need you back on solid feet, Paul, so if you need a few days, take them.”
“Don’t need ’em.” I didn’t miss a beat.
“Good.” He eyed me hard through his glasses. “I have something in the works that I’m going to run by you when I have all the details. Copy?”
“Copy.” I couldn’t remember when Frank took any time off for himself or his family. He was a workhorse who never slept. There was a time I admired that, but over the years, I started to see the toll it took on him and wondered if it was worth sacrificing everything for the greater good. I knew he was about to be forced into retirement, and he had nothing to look forward to. I sure regretted having no real family of my own. I hated that I’d lost the years with my Blackstone family and all that I’d missed while I was in Mexico. The kids being born and all that. It left a hole, but I was happy to have them now.
“Stay sharp.”
“Yes, sir.” I watched as he disappeared around the corner.
The hallway was quiet, which made it easier to follow voices, and soon I heard John and moved in his direction.
“Don’t let Frank see you in here.” John sounded concerned as he looked up from his laptop. I looked around the small, airless room we were in on the base, then looked back to where John sat. I carefully lowered myself into a chair next to him.
The pain in my chest burned, but I breathed through it before I answered. “I passed him in the hallway. He’s okay with it.”
“He shouldn’t be. You look like shit.”
I could hear the rasp in my voice as I tried to clear my throat and felt the sweat that broke out over my forehead. I felt the toll the surgery had taken on me, but my head finally felt close to normal now that the drugs they’d shoved in my veins had cleared somewhat. God, I hated all things medical.
“Truth, how are you feeling?”
“I feel like I’ve been at a rave for a week straight and then was stabbed as I left.” I lifted a hand in lieu of a shrug.
He sputtered a laugh. “Good lord, man. You’ve had a cocktail of drugs, surgery to close two stab wounds in a chest that was shot to hell a decade ago. You’re lucky you can stand at all.”
“When do they get here?” I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes and wished to hell I felt better. My mind was a mess with the fact that my son was moments from arriving with a woman I couldn’t get out of my head. Anger at her made my stomach hurt. I couldn’t believe she’d used my child for a goddamn news story.
“Anytime now,” he assured me. “Dark Water checked in and said the Canoses were heavily protecting the southern borders on an anonymous tip that Nicole and Chase were heading that way.” He smirked at the lie Ty had spread. “But they were also spotted leaving the El Paso border ten minutes after Chili grabbed them.”
“That’s odd. Makes you wonder if the Canoses have some mutual friends.”
“Anyone come to—” His attention was pulled by his phone as it vibrated on the table.
“Is that?”
“Yup, they’re here. Give me a minute to talk to her first.” He reached out a hand and put it on my arm then hopped to his feet. Without a thought, I did the same and gasped as pain flooded through me. He turned and eyed me hard then hurried out the door with me not far behind him. He was almost to the airplane hangar when Cole met up with him. I heard the engine from the big rig rev down then stop. Cole and John glanced back at me then hurried ahead through the big doors.
I managed to make it to the door before it closed and jammed my foot in it so it didn’t latch. I awkwardly pulled it open so I could walk through. I stopped dead in my tracks when I looked past them and saw my son. He was still in the makeshift pouch against Nicole’s chest. Her arms were around him.
He’s here.
I forced my emotions back as a commotion behind me made me turn. The medical team, a doctor and a nurse who Cole had arranged for, came rushing in with Mike and Mark.
“Everything’s checked and the jet’s ready to go,” Mike called as they came up behind me. Keith had been in conversation with Frank on the far side of the hangar, but when they saw me, they walked over. Keith coughed like he was unsure of where my head was. I didn’t know either.
I looked toward Nicole and saw Cole nod at her as her mouth moved, and I quickly stepped close enough to hear what she was saying. I saw her gaze on my face as she continued, but I couldn’t muster a smile, and she looked down at my son.
Nicole filled us in on Chase’s condition. “He had Tylenol a couple of hours ago, but he’s still hot, and I’ve been worried about his breathing. He’ll drink a little but not enough. He’ll hardly eat at all.” The doctor reached for him, but when Nicole began to move him, he whimpered, and she paused. “He, ah, he doesn’t like to be moved too much.” The doctor basically had to peel Chase off Nicole.
“Mama.” His little hand reached toward her, and her face fell as he was taken.
