Page 76 of Too Broken to Love

His forever.

The General tapped his earpiece as he met Hudson’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Fifteen minutes out from the marina. My team reports a sizable yacht not registered with border patrol. They’ve alerted the authorities.”

Hudson punched his hand into the back of the General’s seat. “We don’t have time to wait.”

“Didn’t say we were.” The General caught his attention in the mirror again. “In the meantime, what do you suggest we do next, Doc?”

Hudson smothered a flinch.

Shit.

The General’s blunt reminder to think with his head, not his heart, hit its mark.

Keeping his emotions out of this mission wasn’t possible, but digging to the root of the problem by asking the right questions was a tactic he could manage.

Pounding his fist into his palm, he whipped his torso toward Nathaniel. His ribs burned in sweet, fortifying pain. “What else happened?”

“They said they wanted to get rid of Frank because he was a liability but couldn’t because they had some important client they needed to keep happy who liked him.”

“Why was Frank a liability?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Last time you told this story you said you didn’t know. Which is it?”

“I…”

Hudson’s pulse hammered at his temples. Screw the rational approach. “Every second it takes for you to remember is another second your family is unprotected.”

The General cleared his throat. Hudson got the message and forced himself to think of Nathaniel like a patient and not a hostage. “Look, I’m just as worried about Tessa as you are about your son and his family. I don’t want any of them to get hurt.” He tapped the back of the General’s seat. “Make the call.”

The General handed Malcolm a phone. “You know what to do.”

Malcolm tapped random keys. “Done. A security team is five minutes out. Surveillance reports everyone is safe.”

“Thank you.” Nathaniel slumped into the leather seat.

Hudson refused to say you’re welcome. “Now close your eyes and think back to that day. Did the Passage enforcers say anything about Tessa?”

Nathaniel’s breathing evened out. “No, not that I remember.”

“How about why they wanted to get rid of Frank?”

Nathaniel shook his head and peered at him.

Hudson clenched his jaw. “Close your eyes.”

He forced himself to take a deep breath instead of lowering Nathaniel’s lids for him—permanently. “How did you feel when the enforcers were interrogating you?”

“Pissed. They beat the shit out of me. And hungry. It was supposed to be a lunch meeting and I hadn’t eaten. To make it worse, the bastards kept teasing me with a glass of single-malt scotch, holding it up to my nose and mouth and snatching it away.” Nathaniel’s lips twisted. “They kept saying how much easier it was to take a beating when you were⁠—”

“When you were what?”

Nathaniel closed his eyes without being told. “Drunk.”

That single word packed so much pain, Hudson should have felt sorry for him. He didn’t, but he forced sympathy into his voice anyway. “What happened next?”

“One of them smashed the bottle on the leg of my chair.” Nathaniel’s eyes gathered with tears. “Oh God. I’d forgotten about this part.”