Page 26 of Embedded
“It’s good that you did.” I tried to sound friendly, but I knew we were far from all right. “I think he missed you.”
“At least someone does,” she blurted, then her eyes went wide when she heard herself. I shifted my weight and the floorboards outed me. “Is Frank here?” She changed the topic, but before I could answer, Chase’s hand moved to her plump breast, and I sucked in a gulp of air. Her face went pink as she eased his hand away.
“Ah, Frank, yes, he is, and, ah, he said he wanted to meet you tomorrow afternoon.” I hated that my words were jumbled. “I think he wanted to give you some time to rest.”
“That was nice, but I need to figure out when I can get back into the field.”
Internally, I rolled my eyes and wondered when she’d figure out that wasn’t going to happen. Not unless she planned on returning to Mexico with a body bag in hand.
“Don’t hold your breath.” I shrugged, and the lines deepened around her mouth as she pressed her lips tightly together.
“Paul, despite how much you hate me, I’ve been working on something for the past five years. It’s an important story, and all the Perez and the Canos shit that’s been happening tells me it probably runs deep into the Ruiz family. I’m going to be the one who tells the story, and I hope it will take down several tiers of the Cartel.”
“Well, we all know what you’ll do for a story.” I glared at her. “What will this one cost? Your life?”
“Maybe.” She glared back at me while I stared at her like she had three heads. “Our jobs aren’t that different, you know,” she went on. “I may not carry a gun or rescue kidnapped victims, but I’m there to help the people too. I do whatever I can in my own way, and this story will give them hope to maybe be able to live without the threat of violence.”
I folded my arms and watched as Chase moved restlessly for a moment then reached up to hold a piece of her hair. He coughed but seemed content, and it screwed with my head even more. “And if you ever do get to tell your story, what exactly do you think is going to happen then?”
She looked away. “I’ll cross that bridge when I get there.”
“Because it seems to me you’ll be hunted down like a dog.” I made a face. “Oh, wait, much like you are now.”
“Paul, don’t exaggerate.”
“I’m not, Nicole. The only difference is Bruno wants you for himself, at least at this point. What happens when he learns you were working with us to get the boy over the border?”
“He already knows.” She didn’t miss a beat, and my face fell. “Oh, yeah, right before I shot him in the foot, I told him I was working with Blackstone.”
I covered my face with my hands and let out a long breath. “Nicole,” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, “now you really can’t go back.”
“That’s up for debate.” She kissed Chase on the head again when he stirred and gave a little cry. “I don’t know why you care so much. You’ve made it abundantly clear that whatever happened between us is over. So, no loss for you if I go back.”
I opened my mouth but clamped it shut. Am I done with her?
Chase reached for her breast and took a nosedive toward it. Quickly, she pulled him back. “Oh, no, those girls are out of commission for you, sir.” She giggled. “But you know what that tells me? Your tummy is finally hungry, and that’s a good sign.” She swung her legs over the bed and got up with him in her arms then moved toward me in her shirt and panties. “You go with Paul.” She held him out, but Chase scowled at me. I got it. I didn’t have breasts or smell like she did. I took him from her, and he let out a loud cry of protest.
“Just let me get dressed. I’ll be right back.” She grabbed some clothes and headed into the bathroom. He wiggled to get down, and I scanned the room for anything he could get into, then set him on the floor. He, of course, bolted for the bathroom door. I scooped him up and tossed him over my shoulder. To my utter surprise, he giggled.
“You like that?” I carefully turned him around in my arms then threw him over my other shoulder. His feet kicked out as he let out the best belly laugh I’d ever heard. “I knew you were one of us.” I did it again, and pure joy erupted from him. Then a small cough started, and I stopped, not wanting to set off his lungs. I lowered him down my front and admired his happy smile. “You’re so cute.”
“So, you’re a softy under all that brooding.” Nicole ran her hands through her hair as she crossed the room and picked up her phone. “Did I finally get a peek at what the real Paul is like?”
That comment hit hard, but I tucked the Eric Noah part of me back in its box. Only problem was Chase looked like me—well, at least I thought so—so I couldn’t escape my past completely.
“Knock-knock.” Olivia popped her head inside. “Hey, Uncle Paul, I was hoping to meet the baby and—” Her eyes widened when she saw Nicole. “Oh, my God, you’re even prettier in person.”
Of course, Olivia would know who Nicole was. She seemed to know everything. The girl never missed anything that happened around Shadows.
“Olivia, this is?—”
“Washington Post’s war correspondent, Nicole Winter,” Olivia gushed. “When Mom told me you were coming, I watched all your videos. My favorite was where you chased one of the Ruiz cousins to El Salvadore and right into the hands of Jim Canos. He never saw it coming.”
“I won’t lie, that one was really fun.” Nicole put on an earring, and it sparkled when she let it go. Why do I notice these things?
“Fun is an understatement.” Oliva laughed and sounded about twenty years old. She came close to see Chase and tickled him under his chin. “Hi, little fella. I’m Olivia. You’re pretty cute. Ms. Winter, do you think maybe we could talk more about what you do sometime? I have a few ideas for the house, and I’d love to run them by you.”
“I’d love that too, Olivia. Just let me get settled today, and I need to chat with Frank, then I’m all yours.”
