Page 3 of Fighting for Family

“Thanks. I wish I never backed Leo in his company. Maybe then, he’d be here with Catherine and the kids. Melody’s struggling. Emma and Nugget have tried to take her mind off things, but it always ends up in tears. Between Catherine and her, it tears me apart.”

“You can’t control everything,” Maddie advised. “If you refused to back Leo, you know darn well he’d have found someone else. He loves his men. By the way, a Mr. Harold stopped by to see you. He wants you to return his call and asked for a meeting.”

Kassie shook her head. “These darn vendors keep getting more annoying. They know better than to contact me at home unless it’s an emergency.”

“It didn’t sound like a vendor,” she said. “I wrote his number down and left it on your fridge.”

Chase came out of the bedroom, wearing a clean shirt. Kassie walked into his arms, and he hugged her. “How did it go?”

Sighing, she sat at the kitchen table, where Maddie set down two cups of hot tea and a plate of warm biscuits. Joe brought a platter of bacon, and Chase gestured for them to sit while he grabbed everything else.

“It went all right. I got the babies asleep while Catherine comforted Melody. She cried for an hour last night. Carol left dinner for tonight, and I’ll do the remaining laundry when I return.”

Chase frowned. “You’re wearing yourself out,” he warned. “Samantha planned to go over this afternoon. Lizzy mentioned she made a week’s worth of kid-friendly meals. Ty will take over two weeks of prepped meals for the freezer. Bryanna and Tess plan to make breakfast foods and drop them off tomorrow. Claire and Gabby will visit over the weekend.”

“I promised Leo I’d watch over her,” she said quietly. “I don’t know which one breaks my heart more. Listening to Melody cry for her Daddy or Catherine calling Leo’s name in her sleep. Have you received any word?”

“They called as Michael picked up Emma for school. Saint said there’s no trace. They’ve doubled back and spread out to local villages. Colonel Rutherford replacement has reached out, but Saint doesn’t trust him. He wants to get Patch and Knight home before Claire and Gabby deliver their babies. They’re jumping out of their skins, and he says at this point they’re more of a risk than help.”

“Oh, no. We don’t need to lose them, too,” she said worriedly.

“I know,” Chase said slowly. “Ivan said Victoria got an urgent call and must return to Ireland. When the plane leaves to pick up Patch and Knight, I want to go help find Leo.”

“Chase, no,” Kassie said, shaking her head. “We’ve done this before. It’s bad enough to lose Leo and have the team still over there. I can’t think about possibly losing you, too.”

“It’s the only way Patch can return home. They need someone to act as a medic. Michael has a full load at the clinic. Ahmed can handle everything here with you and Addyson’s help,” Chase said, listing his plans. “Maddie and Joe have agreed to stay here while you help Catherine.”

Kassie took a deep breath. “It seems like you have everything figured out.”

“Leo saved us when we needed help. At least I can bring him home. Catherine and Melody need closure. Even you must see she’s not doing great. I won’t be surprised if Dr. Greene has some concerns,” Chase replied.

Kassie leaned into him. “Catherine barely eats. I know how she feels, but you came back to me. If Leo has a pulse, he’d have made contact by now. He’d fight to come home to Catherine.” Tears filled her eyes. “It’s too late, isn’t it?”

Chase stroked her hair. “Princess. The area’s remote. It’s surrounded by multiple villages. People barely have food and fresh water, much less medical supplies. Even if Leo managed to find a villager to help him, the amount of blood at the site…”

“Don’t say anymore,” she pleaded. “I can’t imagine Leo in pain or dying alone. How can one man disappear without a trace?”

Chase kissed her head and rubbed her arms. “I know you don’t want to hear this. Some of the villages can be hostile. Taking an American, especially a soldier’s body, and claiming they killed him, can become bragging rights.”

Shuddering, Kassie grabbed a napkin to wipe her face and blow her nose. “I’m sorry. I guess it’s not breakfast conversation.”

Joe reached across the table and took her hand. “Get it out now, Little Bit. I know you stay stoic around Catherine. You’re safe here to express your feelings. It’s not as if we didn’t have the same thoughts ourselves. Jake and I spoke last night. He wants to figure out something to do besides sitting on our keesters. Leo’s like a son to him and Carol. They’re devastated.”

“It won’t do you or Catherine any good to stop eating. Maybe us grans need to make a visit. We’ll see how this doctor visit goes for her today. I’ve learned a few intimidation tactics from Victoria, and I’ll come packed and armed,” Maddie said sternly.

Kassie smiled. “I don’t think anyone can adopt Victoria’s style.”

“Do you want to try me?” Maddie said, arching her brow at her goddaughter.

Kassie picked up her fork and shoveled the eggs into her mouth. “No, ma’am. I’ll eat my breakfast. Then, I must go into work today. Addyson and Annabelle have taken over the evening and overnight shifts. I’m behind on paperwork. I give Catherine something to keep her busy, and I redo it when she goes to bed. She added two nurses to the night shift, and they haven’t completed orientation training. She insists on working and doing her part. I don’t have the heart to tell her no. She needs to feel useful.”

“When do you expect Ivan to return?” Joe asked, reaching for another biscuit.

“He has his men scouring the villages. They heard rumors of a power takeover. Ivan won’t leave his men until he has things under control. It might be two weeks to a month,” Chase replied, sipping his coffee.

“I wonder what happened to force Victoria to leave and head home,” Kassie pondered. “Did Ivan say?”

“No. He only said it needed her urgent attention. I imagine if it appeared dangerous, Ivan would have accompanied her,” Chase said, watching Tori. “Will you take Tori and the twins to daycare today? I have a meeting at ten and three.”