Page 35 of Degrees of Control
Reply:You wanna talk?
I hit the Facetime feature and her image appears on the screen. “Jenny, what the hell is that on your head?”
“Oh, my God, I forgot I was wearing this. It’s the latest in micro-toweling, pulls the moisture right out of your hair,” she says.
“Great look!”
“Okay, enough with the idle chat. What’s going on?”
“I’m not sure if we’re going to last. He gave me every chance to ask him what was on my mind and I couldn’t do it. Maybe I should have insisted on making a clean break, security be damned.”
“Kate, I’ve never known you to be cryptic. Tell me what’s bothering you.”
“I told you about the issue with Interpol, and you know about the shit that went down in Miami. That is the stuff that keeps replaying over and over in my mind,” I say, avoiding reference to Ty’s injuries.
“Why didn’t you ask him?”
“I don’t know.”
“Maybe you’re not asking direct questions because you fear he’s going to tell you what you don’t want to hear,” she says.
“Jenny, how can I marry a person when we will always be dodging people like Alfreita?”
“Kate, if you haven’t forgotten, his team saved you from Martel who tried to kill you multiple times. He didn’t have anything to do with Mark’s vendetta against you.”
“I know and I still feel bad that I thought he did.”
“I think you only have one thing to decide. If he did what they accused him of, will you stay, is it a deal breaker?”
“Jenny, I love him, but I don’t want my children growing up in fear or having to deal with this,” I say.
“Kate, you should talk to your mom. Think about how many years she’s regretted her decision. What a lonely life she had. What if you never fall in love again, never have children?” she asks.
“God, Jenny, I can’t even fathom a life without him, but I’m so conflicted.”
“Don’t make any rash decisions, Kate. Get some sleep and think long and hard about what is important to you,” she says before we say goodnight.
CHAPTER TWELVE
I wake early feeling groggyand unrested. I glance at the clock on the nightstand and it is not even four a.m. The covers on his side remain untouched and I slip into my robe and head downstairs to find him. He is in his study, drinking a cup of coffee and listening to Sid on the speakerphone. His face is creased with a slight scowl and I enter hesitantly, but he looks up and his face softens as he places his coffee on the desk and gestures me into his arms. I climb into his lap tentatively and he puts his arm under my legs to support me, kissing the top of my hair and drawing me close. My head lays naturally into the crook of his shoulder and neck, and I breathe his scent in deeply. It is profoundly calming to me after a long sleepless night filled with doubt about our future.
I have not been paying attention to the conversation until I hear Sid mention my father’s name. Chase captures my eyes with his own, and the question and intensity within them surprises me.
“Sid, I agree. I’ll discuss it with Carlos. In the meantime, let’s stick with the plan. Katarina and I will be leaving for Aruba in a couple hours.”
“Sounds good, Chase. If calculations are correct they’ll be traveling through the Indian Ocean and won’t hit the Southern Atlantic for a few days. They’ll head directly north at that point. We’ve got teams positioned in Argentina and Brazil in the event they head out into the South Pacific, but it’s highly unlikely. If I were him I’d be traveling straight up to the Northern Atlantic and if we’re right, our teams will be in good position just outside of Venezuela, Morocco, and Spain. They’ll want to get as close as they can to the U.S. before things go down, and based on the communication feeds, Joey Larussio and his crew are gathering forces just outside of Morocco.”
“Great work, Sid. I’ll see you soon,” he says, before disconnecting. His eyes are still holding mine in their gaze and I see a brief look of uncertainty pass across his features.
“What’s happening, Chase?” I ask, shifting in his lap.
His finger runs the length of my face, down my cheek and across my lips. “Alfreita is onboard his ship, and as we anticipated, he’ll make the trip across the ocean to be as close as possible when Joey’s men try to overtake the shipment. He believes that Carlos and your family will be moving it through the Caribbean Sea north to the United States,” he explains.
“You were wrestling with how much to tell me?” I ask.
“You’re quite right, but I gave you my word that I would keep you informed,” he says.
“I’m glad you told me, Chase. So we’re certain it’s my uncle?” I ask.
