Page 39 of Breached

“You’re on a lot of pain meds, Nicole. Close your eyes. We’ll be there soon, and you can talk to Paul.” He spoke quickly, and my Spidey senses kicked in. Frank and Paul had been at each other’s throats lately, and I’d heard the guys whispering about Frank. All the Eric Noah stuff flooded my brain and hit me like a brick wall, as I fell into a tailspin of memories.

“Paul is Eric,” I muttered in disbelief. I felt like someone reached inside my chest and squeezed my heart. “Why?”

He gave me a glance, and his face wore a cold expression. Frank wasn’t my favorite person, and I began to wonder if my sixth sense about him had been correct. There was something about him.

“The greatest gift you can give this country is the ultimate sacrifice.” He sounded odd as he said it.

“What do you mean?” I couldn’t help but wonder if he was thinking clearly. Were his words meant for me or for Paul? Slowly, I turned my head and looked at Frank, who had his gaze now locked on the road.

“Why are we driving so fast? Frank, I—” My words fell away as fear pushed aside the brain fog, and things started to click together.

“It’s fine,” he said firmly, but I saw him shift in his seat.

I slowly untangled my purse strap, which I realized I was clinging to, and slipped a hand inside and hit Paul’s name. It wasn’t easy, but I managed to send the call out. Careful not to draw attention to what I was doing, I kept my eyes on my lap like I was looking at my jeans. When I saw the call connect, I said, “Frank, why are we heading the opposite way from the airport?”

His face twitched, and I could see he was very determined in that moment. “I need your help.”

“Help?” I hoped Paul was listening.

“I need you to go back to Bruno.” The panic hit all at once, hot and smothering.

“How can that possibly help anything!” Oh, my God, I wasn’t there to help catch the monster. I was its friggin’ bait!

“No, no, no, Frank.” I started to spiral. I couldn’t do this again. I was a strong woman, but there were only so many times a person could escape Bruno, and my chances had run out. Shit, the last time I escaped from him, it was only by the skin of my teeth.

“I’m sorry, Nicole, but this needs to happen, and I can’t sit back while Cole lets Blackstone take down everything his father and I worked so hard to create.”

I unclipped my seatbelt and tried to jump into the back seat, but he swerved to the shoulder of the road and jammed on the brakes so hard I was sent headlong into the front dash.

“Ouch!” I cried and put a hand to my forehead. He tore off his belt and grabbed my flailing hands. “Please, Frank, you’re not thinking clearly!”

“No, that’s the one thing I am.” For an older man, he was agile and had both my wrists in zip ties before I realized. “As I said, sometimes it takes the ultimate sacrifice to do right by our country, Nicole.” He pulled my arm hard so I sat back properly on the seat, then switched gears and tore back onto the road. As he did, the back wheels clipped the lip of the pavement and we bounced in our seats. My purse tipped over, spilling its contents. My phone hit my shoe, and I saw it was still connected.

We hadn’t seen another vehicle, so the road wasn’t a popular stretch. It was most likely why Bruno’s mother had built her new compound there, but there were road signs I could use to let Paul know where we were. I saw the little blue mile markers that lined the highway. They were useful when people broke down and needed help.

“Please, we’re at marker fifty-four,” I begged. “We still have time to turn back!”

“No.”

“How is giving me back to Bruno going to help this situation? You don’t need me helping you from the inside—you have Eric Noah for that.” Even the mention of his name on my tongue again made my stomach roll and my chest ache.

“No, I don’t!” he shouted, and I could sense his stress. “Besides, it’s not just about that.” He shook his head. “It’s about leaving a mark.” He glared at me, and I knew that Frank was no longer the man he must have once been. Whoever the hell this person was he was no four-star general.

“What kind of mark?” I was terrified to know the answer.

He ignored me, and I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing to God the drug would get the hell out of my system so I could think clearly. Normally, adrenaline made the drugs subside, but…I stilled when I felt the spot on my shoulder. With both hands, I pressed on the tender spot, and a realization kicked in. “You gave me something else, didn’t you?”

He laughed and reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a syringe that looked to be half full.

“My body might look old, but my mind is still very sharp, Ms. Winter,” he said matter-of-factly. “You might be a small woman, and I could fight you physically, given my skills over the years, but I see your real strength.” He tapped his head. “It’s your quick thinking that I needed to look out for. I knew you’d never see the value in what I need you to do, so I had to get resourceful.”

“What?” My voice shook and I realized the man was way past reason. “Oh, my God—Frank, no! Drugging me and handing me over to Bruno. Why are you doing this?”

“It’s too late, Nicole. My mind is made up.”

“Think of Mia!” How could he betray his daughter like this? “Think of what she’ll have to carry if you do this!”

“She’ll be fine.”