Page 64 of Clear Blue Sky

“I don’t understand why you waited hours to tell me Mom pulled in a JSOC team. Why did you feel the need to keep that secret?” Nelson glanced up at his father. “And how the hell did she make that happen anyway?”

His dad sat down next to him and let out a long breath. “The truth is this isn’t completely sanctioned.”

“What does that mean?” During his time in Delta Force, Nelson worked more than one JSOC assignment and at least half a dozen unsanctioned missions. All that meant was that if he failed, the military would deny any involvement and he could possibly be left out to dry.

But no one ever used the wordswasn’t completely sanctionedwhen it came to anything that flew under the radar. Either it was, or it wasn’t. There wasn’t anything in between.

“The JSOC team’s involvement is something your mom arranged. It’s not on the books, and it’s not off the books. They are doing this because of their loyalty to me and your mother,” his dad said. “The only thing we have the green light on is to be read in on the investigation, which is a bunch of bureaucratic red tape right now.”

“I don’t understand. They know Marcus and his crew could be committing treason,” Maverick said. “Not to mention killed good men in the field.”

“They don’t have proof and they need to get it,” his father said. “They believe the only way to do that is to watch EMS Security, Ethan, and all the other players. According to Mom’s sources, the FBI is in the process of putting a plant in Ethan’s company. They want to know where the flow of information is going. Who they plan on buying from and selling intel to. They are looking at the bigger picture. Not what happened when Seth died.”

“I take it you and Mom didn’t explain all that was happening up here,” Phoenix said.

“I took time off to see my boys and she worked her magic in places this general doesn’t even know about.” His father lifted his cap and ran a hand across the top of his head. “The military wants to protect national security. That’s their job. They need proof of what Marcus and his crew are planning on doing. They are entertaining talks with Tyler’s company so they can gather their own intel. If they get involved with a tiff between you and Marcus that doesn’t even appear to be an issue, it could prevent them from moving forward with their plans.”

“Sometimes I fucking hate the government and the general military where it’s mission over men,” Nelson muttered. “It’s why we all went Special Forces where it’s often men over the mission.”

“I understand.” His father nodded. “Your mother and I both feel we can put an end to both problems. It’s why she put her neck on the line with the JSOC team.”

“Your job could be hanging in the air too, Dad.” Nelson arched a brow. “You’re a general. This could be seen as an act of—”

“You’re my son and what happened to you has haunted me every day. If I lose my rank, I don’t care. This is the right thing to do. Besides, I’m going to retire next year.”

“Are you serious?” Nelson stared at his dad. “I never thought I’d see that day.”

“Neither did I,” Maverick said.

“How does Mom feel about that?” Phoenix asked.

“She’s got one foot out the door as well.”

Nelson’s cell buzzed. He lifted it and glanced at the screen. “I got a text from Reese.”

“What does it say?” Maverick asked.

“Hensley’s successfully hacked into Marcus’ computer. She’s downloading the pertinent files onto a drive. Reese says we should all meet back at my place to discuss,” Nelson said. “Let’s pull up these lines and haul ass.”

* * *

“Hey. How are you holding up?” Nelson stepped from his boat to the dock and took Brandi into his arms, giving her a quick kiss on the lips, ignoring the fact that his brothers and parents were standing a few feet away. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms.

“I’m a little freaked out, to be honest,” Brandi said. “There’s some guy in your kitchen with all this specialized computer equipment and he, Reese, Stacey, and Frank are going through it all, talking in hushed voices like they don’t want me to hear any of it.”

“There’s a lot of sensitive information that my parents need to be careful with.” He pressed his lips against her forehead. “But I’ll make sure you’re not kept in the dark where it matters.”

“I’m scared.” She blinked. “It sounded like Marcus and his friends were planning on doing something sinister at my mom’s premiere party.”

“Let’s go inside and find out what’s going on.” He laced his fingers through hers and tugged her toward the steps that led up to the house.

His brothers and dad were two paces behind.

When he entered through the patio sliders, his mother stood behind a man sitting at the kitchen table who had set up a highly sophisticated laptop and other instruments that Nelson didn’t pretend to understand.

Reese, Stacey, and Frank were gathered around the table, all looking at printouts. Both Frank and Stacey were in uniform.

Stacey lifted her gaze. “Welcome to the party.”

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