Page 31 of Degrees of Control
“Kate, your dad can’t be in the position he’s in without having some pretty impressive security. Something must have happened that he didn’t expect. He’s not going to intentionally let something happen to her, or to you, for that matter,” she says.
“I don’t know, Jenny. I heard my dad tell Chase that the Prestian intel division was far superior to the Larussio’s, but they clearly decided instead to use the Larussio team. I can’t figure out why.”
“What did Chase tell you about it?” Jenny asks.
“I asked him about Dad’s reference to it and got absolutely nowhere. He just skirted the entire question,” I say.
“Kate, he’s been pretty forthcoming lately about everything else, hasn’t he?” she says.
“I thought so, but after today… I think he picks and chooses what he tells me and we still haven’t had a heart to heart about what happened in Miami.”
“I thought you were going to talk to him?”
“I tried, then we were interrupted and the moment just sort of passed and now all the doubts and fears I had when I first learned that Chase had been accused of drug trafficking are just multiplying,” I say.
“I can understand your concerns, especially after today,” Jenny says.
“The people he’s dealing with are ruthless. They’re probably the same men that kidnapped my mom and could have killed us in broad daylight today.”
“You know, maybe everyone is overreacting. It wouldn’t be the first time that Chase has reacted excessively where your safety is concerned.”
“I wish that were the case, but those helicopters moved in fast, Jenny. It was really scary. I don’t even think Chase knew that Jay had helicopters and snipers on standby,” I say.
“Maybe Jay is the one overreacting. I know Chase really trusts him, but it would explain why he didn’t tell Chase about the plan to have the helicopters out,” she says.
“No, he may have been overreacting about the helicopters passing over this morning, but the cars following us were armed,” I say. “If Jay hadn’t called in aerial support who knows what would have happened?”
We chat for a while longer about Torzial’s move into the Prestian Towers and the upcoming work week before disconnecting. I am still restless and sign on to email noting the progress of the medical center expansions. State approval has been received for the two building plans in Chicago and key stakeholders for the lower Illinois project have been identified. Brian, Chase’s chief operations officer, is in negotiations with two more facilities. I send him the culture survey which will be used as part of the standard readiness assessment before signing off.
I take my time getting ready for the rest of the day. I pull on the rust-colored cashmere sweater dress my mom bought me last year, with tights, flat brown boots, and hoop earrings and go in search of Chase.
His study door is closed, which is unusual but I decide to go in. I open it tentatively and he waves me inside. He is on speaker phone, and puts the call on mute. “Sid’s doing all the talking, as usual,” he says with a grin. He seems much more relaxed than earlier. I take a seat on the leather couch in the corner and try to follow the conversation.
“We’ve got confirmation that he’s in Yemen and heading south. There’s no doubt he intends to board the yacht. Everything is in place, now we have to be patient and watch and wait. In the meantime, I’m more concerned with what’s going on in the states,” Sid says.
“Me, too. You and Jay keep me posted,” he says, before hanging up. He is watching me intently. I’m not sure how to articulate what I feel about everything that has happened.
“I heard what you said to my dad earlier today. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t help overhear the conversation. Are you going to let me in on what’s going on?” I ask.
He sighs, cupping his chin with his hand while his thumb slowly runs across his lower lip. “Alfreita is making his way south through Yemen where we believe he will try to meet up with his ship, which is, as we speak, just south of Oman and heading west. He doesn’t know we have a lock on his whereabouts or he would have discontinued the journey south.”
“So he’s taking a chance on getting picked up by the communication waves because he desperately needs this shipment.”
“Yes, exactly. That’s what I can’t reconcile. If he is so driven to get the shipment moved, the last thing in the world he would want is for something to happen to us right now. The incidents today do not make sense on any level,” he says.
“Do you think Jay was overreacting?” I ask.
“No, Jay is seldom, if ever, wrong. We’ve learned a little more today and I should bring you up to speed,” he says.
“I’m listening,” I say.
“Jay overheard part of a conversation between your uncle Joey and someone else when they were working together to get your mom back. Let’s just say it made him suspicious, so he put tracers on all of your uncle’s communications.”
“My dad was okay with that?”
His eyebrows raise. “Your uncle Joey has been in almost constant contact with secure radio channels off the Gulf of Mexico. It is very likely that your father is being double crossed by his younger brother.”
“You think my uncle Joey is behind what happened today?” I ask.
