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Paul stood and snapped his back. “I can promise you, Nicole, Eric Noah is dead.”
“You know that for sure?”
“Yes,” both said at the same time.
I raised my hands as if to say if you say so.
“Well, good. Now, if only you could remove Bruno, Agustin, and Rafael, the world might sleep a little better.”
John agreed.
I watched as Paul slipped out onto the patio to join Keith and wondered if I should follow.
TWENTY
PAUL
I slid the door closed behind me and leaned over the railing near Keith. “Hey, man,” he said but kept his eyes on the busy marina below, “how ya holding up?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Ask me again when this is all over.”
“Shit,” he lowered his head, “I seriously understand that statement.”
“Can I ask you something?” He looked over. “Do you look at me any different from when you knew me before, versus now, I mean? When you think of them,” I meant the Cartel, “do you think of me?”
He fiddled with the wedding ring he wore on his right hand and seemed to think about his words. “You know what I see when I look at you Paul? I see a man who gave up everything for Blackstone and your country. Don’t forget how many women you and Chili saved during that time as well. You played a role for a decade. Put your whole life on pause. You didn’t have to do it, but you did. To me, that’s a true soldier.” I pushed back the emotion that had taken me over. I hated this whole topic, but knew Keith, out of all the guys had been the one who handled my return the easiest.
My son, Nicole, this whole mission played with my head, and I hated the disconnect I seemed to have with John since I’d come back. He was my best friend, my brother, and although it might be on my side, I had to find my way back.
“Thanks, man. I feel like I’m slipping backward.”
Keith stood straight. “What do we do when we slip?”
“I know.” I nodded and knew what I needed to do. “What about?—”
“We’re up, boys,” John shouted from the behind the door, and we were instantly ready to move down to the boat. John handed Nicole her earpiece and told her to hang back and let us know if she recognized anyone. We headed down the back stairs to blend in with the nightlife of the marina.
Mark signaled Selena was coming up to the boat. We sank into the shadows and blended the best we could. We had no idea if we were the only ones watching the slip. I was the closest to the boat and had a good view.
We could hear the baby’s cries as Selena got close. My stomach took a nosedive, and my heart went with it. There was my son in a filthy Onesie flopping around on her hip like a rag doll. His mouth was open, and his cries echoed through the lines of boats. His face was flushed, and he looked terrified. Something inside of me shifted, and I saw red.
“Easy, brother,” John said softly in my ear. “Play this out right.”
“I demand to know where Arlo is!” Selena snapped into her phone in English, and I wondered who she was speaking to. From our research, we knew Arlo was her boyfriend and another one of the Canos’ soldiers. “You brought me here, and I didn’t sign up for this shit!” She looked at my boy. “Cállate!” My grip on my handgun tightened when she yelled at my child to shut up. “This wasn’t the deal!”
“Let her onto the boat,” Cole said through our earpieces. “Let’s make sure no one else is coming.”
“I don’t know when he ate last.” She cursed again. “All he does is scream!” She yelled right in my baby’s face when she spoke. “I hate this kid. I’m done!” She hopped onto the boat and practically chucked my son on the bench seat. He struggled to sit up, and when he did, he put his head back and screamed some more. “I hate you!” Selena whirled with her hand raised to slap him, and then, to my horror, Nicole appeared next to the boat with her hands in the air.
“Everyone hold,” I said quickly as I tried to process what was happening. This was not in the plan. “Nicole, what are you doing?” She didn’t answer, but I knew she could hear me.
“Excuse me?” Nicole called, and Selena quickly snatched up my son and glared at her.
“Go away!”
“Sorry for bothering you,” Nicole pressed, “but I heard your baby crying, and as a mother myself, I recognize the stress you must be under. My daughter has bad colic, and there are times when I think if someone could just see how I was about to lose it and take my child just for a minute so maybe I could think straight. What’s the baby’s name?”
Selena squeezed her eyes shut as Nicole stepped down onto the boat. “Stop!” she yelled, but Nicole didn’t stop. Panic ripped through me, and I fought to stay still.