Watery Grave (SEAL Brotherhood: Legacy Book 1) Page 2

  “But you left me alone with three hellions, Christy. And we didn’t do the deed this morning before you left. That’s always a bad sign. Next time, let me take you in the shower like I started to before you realized you were running late.” He kissed her softly, the went back for a deep one, feeling her melt into him.

  “But I was running late,” she sighed, kissing him back.

  “I love it when we have to be quick. I like it urgent and bare.”

  “Oh, you do, do you? So, is that why you turned off my phone?”

  “I did. I had plans. And you were stronger than I was.”

  “I’m never stronger than you are, Kyle.” She brushed her fingers over his lips. He palmed her left buttock and pressed her against his package.

  “So, I could take you right here and you couldn’t resist me?” he whispered to her ear, chewing on her earlobe.

  “Not with that thing staring at us!” She barked and pointed to the case.

  Kyle dropped his arms and sighed. “Now we’re back to that, and I was just getting the biggest hard-on of my week.”

  She winked at him, and then was all business. “Go make your calls, lover boy. I’ll make sure the kids turn in early tonight and you can have your way with me in the hot tub. How’s that?”

  “Works for me!”

  Chapter 2

  A team of eight men stood with Kyle around the patio table, gazing down at the pink case that had mysteriously shown up to Kyle and Christy’s house. No one touched it, instead treating it like an object or projectile from Outer Space.

  “I’m going to be totally honest with you, Kyle,” Fredo said, rubbing his chin. “You need to blow this thing up. I don’t know if it’s safe, or lethal.” The height-challenged SEAL didn’t resemble his giant brothers on the team, but his heart was fierce. And, because he was an explosives expert, it was his answer to everything.

  “Seriously, Kyle. I don’t think Gunny would mind,” added Trace. “If he’s looking down on us right now, he’s laughing his ass off.”

  There was some agreement within the group, quietly expressed.

  Calvin Cooper, Fredo’s best friend, made another suggestion. “Can we borrow one of SDPD’s Xray units? Maybe get a peek inside? They have one they use for bomb threats. We could—”

  He was interrupted by T.J. Talbot. “No way they’d let you Xray that thing. Maybe soak it down with water? Dunk it in an abandoned pool or something to make sure it isn’t flammable?”

  “And then contaminate the pool and kill any kid or animal who came near it? How would we go about draining the water, and where would we put it? Just creates a bigger problem,” answered Kyle.

  Tucker had a suggestion. “Call the funeral home. Ask them what happens to ashes that are that old, if there’s any pressure buildup in the urn. I kinda doubt it, though.”

  “Christy’s on the phone with them now. From the sounds of it, no one wants to stick their neck out to tell her anything. Health and Safety issues, it appears.”

  Fredo and Tucker both had a chuckle over that one.

  “Oh sure, they do the toastie thing, get them up to what two thousand degrees?” Fredo barked. “Ten years later they better hope nothing survived that and became lethal. But just to be sure, they don’t want to say. It’s in an urn, for Chrissakes!”

  “But they have a plug at the bottom that screws open,” added Jason Kealoha. “When I took Tommy to the Gulf, it was pretty airtight, but no pressure. I unscrewed it, and the wind took it all away. I think you’re safe. More than likely, it’s a muddy sludge, even after all these years.”

  “You would think they would have opened the case, looked inside. I would have,” said Danny Begay. He shuddered. “I don’t want to touch that thing. The Dine don’t like ashes or dead bodies. I’m going with my ancestors on this one, Kyle.”

  Kyle shrugged. Each man had his private and public thoughts. They all took turns commenting on what should be done, as Christy appeared at the back screen door, and opened it. Kyle’s three kids stood behind, faces plastered into the grid, watching their mom.

  Her long shapely legs were now fitted into a comfortable stretchy pair of leggings and a sloppy top which nearly hung down to her knees. With her blonde hair scrunched up in a clip, she headed directly for the bag in her bare feet, filled with attitude and purpose, almost appearing angry. Her red nail polish sparkled in the late afternoon sun.

  The crowd of muscled warriors in front of her separated without a word like drops of oil in a glass of water.

  She leaned over the table, grabbed the bag, and, before Kyle could yank it away from her, she unclasped the lock, using her combination code and opened the lid like slicing the top of a man’s skull and peeling it back. Her red nails dug into the contents and out she pulled the much-tarnished steel tube engraved with a Trident on the front. About the size of a small milkshake at the Scupper, she held it over her head, and shook it like she was mixing a martini.

  The men looked on in shocked horror.

  Nobody came for her, so she eyed them all and shook the contents again, which rattled around as if it was filled with pieces of small rocks and topsoil. With a devilish grin, she began to twist open the container and immediately Kyle and T.J. were all over her. T.J. yanked the container away as Kyle held her back several feet, but she tried to resist, without luck.

  Several of the men guffawed. “Remind me where you got your courage, Christy?” T.J. mumbled.

  “She’s been holding out on us,” added Cooper.

  “Holy smoke!” swore Fredo.

  “And that’s exactly what we got here. These are genuine Joseph Hoskins ashes all right,” T.J. said as he poured part of the chunky grey mixture on the table. Little clusters had formed in the ash, several looking like tiny rosebuds. T.J. wrinkled his nose, prepared to smell something he’d live to regret and reserved the rest, re-securing the bottom plug. A tiny gust of wind picked up a whirlwind and drove some light grey ash toward Heaven as if it had been divinely ordained.

  Three of the members crossed themselves. Someone swore, and Tucker, who had been in the path of the cloud as it was moving, brushed his shirt off and rubbed his hair free of anything lingering. “Goddammit,” he mumbled, displeased. “I’m gonna need a fuckin’ shower before I can walk through my own front door.”

  Fredo examined the contents on the table. “That’s kinda chunky, don’t you think? Are those pieces of his pacemaker or something?”

  “They take those out. Nuclear waste,” barked T.J. But he too was examining the grey clumps.

  “Maybe teeth?” asked Fredo.

  Christy wiggled free from Kyle’s grip and addressed the team, with her hands on her hips. “And you guys are in charge of keeping this country safe. Look at all of you, afraid of a little bit of ash, remains from a friend.”

  “Well, that’s the point, Christy,” said Coop. “We wanted to make sure it was safe. We weren’t afraid. And it was out of respect for Gunny. Even though Fredo here wanted to blow him up.”

  “Again,” said several others, in unison.

  “And what’s this clumpy stuff?” asked Danny, his face also reflecting disgust.

  “How did you get the balls to do that?” Fredo asked.

  Christy smiled, relishing the moment she knew was going to quickly pass. “When no one at the funeral home had an answer, I figured it was no biggie. And I remember studying about an ancient dig in Egypt, where remains were found in clay pots and stored for thousands of years. You actually think his ashes would explode?”

  “Kinda makes me glad we didn’t go asking for the Xray machine,” whispered Coop.

  “No kidding,” answered Kyle.

  “But I still want to know how come it looks like that. Is that from the sea water getting into it?” persisted Danny.

  Christy grinned. “I added potpourri so it would go through customs, just in case they tried to open it.”

  There was a collective “ah” as the mystery of the grey chunky matter was solved
.

  “So now what?” asked Trace. “We bury him all over again?”

  T.J. re-poured the remaining ash back into the cylinder and screwed it shut again. He set it down next to the ridiculous-looking pink camo cosmetic case with the stickers all over it, including some smiley faces and many smiley hearts. Wiping his hands on his jeans, he continued, “I say we’re in for a do-over. We pick a date before our next workup, and see if we can get one of those cheap five-day cruises from San Diego to somewhere along Baja—maybe Cabo? We release old Gunny to the whale migration lanes along the Pacific.”

  “I’m for that. Something cheap, and simple. We could take the wives, the kids, make it a Team vacation. Some of us didn’t get to do it the first time around,” said Trace.

  “No, we’re not going to do it that way again!” Coop had his arms folded across his chest. “But I think Libby would love it, and the kids would too. They’re old enough to enjoy a boat trip.”

  “Then it’s settled. I’ll get word out so we know how many we are, and I’ll get with the agent who booked us before, if she’s still around,” said Kyle. He walked over to Christy, grabbing her around the waist and planting a big kiss on her cheek. He nuzzled her ear and whispered just loud enough for the team to hear, “And God knows we could use a little small cabin space, while the kids are preoccupied.”

  Jake, who was paying alimony and child support to two former wives, supporting four kids that he knew of, spoke his peace. “Make sure it’s cheap, okay? If I’m bringing Ginger and the two girls, I can’t afford two rooms. We’ll all be packed in there like sardines. Either that, or I can’t go. We’re kinda on the fence about the whole thing.”

  “You bringing Karlene or Monica too?” asked Fredo.

  “Oh, like that would go over really well with Ginger, you dumb fuck,” Jake dished back.

  “Fredo!” shouted Christy. “You’re a married man!” But the comment hung in the air, unanswered. Jake’s ex, Karlene, was still unmarried and had been a serial dater of many of the single SEALs on Team 3. There had been a healthy rivalry developing amongst the men over who would finally win her over. Monica, whom Jake never married but had a daughter with, was considered too hot to handle and the single guys stayed away.

  Kyle growled. “Jake doesn’t need any more problems, Fredo. If he brings Ginger and the girls, just remember we’re going to Mexico. There’s a certain General Cortez looking for him too, so I doubt Jake will be doing much sightseeing.”

  “Kyle,” T.J. started, “I think we all could use a little Team Bonding right about now. This is as good an excuse as any, wouldn’t you say? And anyhow, wouldn’t it be a good idea to put the memory of that last cruise out of everyone’s mind and replace it with a nice, relaxing boating excursion along the Mexican Riviera?”

  “It could be just the thing we need right now.” Kyle was convinced.

  “Just the sun, the sea, and our wives. The kids can run like a pack of wolves and get into trouble we don’t have to see. I think it would be a blast,” T.J. whispered, handing Christy the cannister, with a wink. “What could be better?”

  Chapter 3

  There were 53 of them by the time they added everybody in, and Christy was going nuts, just trying to keep her room assignments straight. They had requested that everyone be housed in the same section of the ship, but since some wanted to get bigger state rooms than others, some wanted balconies and some wanted interior suites, it was a minefield to figure out. In the end, she did a pretty good job of keeping people happy, paying what they could afford to, and in a couple of cases, she and Kyle helped along some of the single SEALs who had not built up their savings. It was always true, that a newbie SEAL usually went out and bought himself a brand-new truck or SUV, and odds were good it would be repossessed within the first year.

  Due to the number of children that were coming with them, this particular itinerary and ship was made for families. It wasn’t a heavy drinking crowd, although most cruise ships turned into that, nonetheless. They had a huge children’s section including a three-story tree house, outdoor water slides and all sorts of events run by cruise staff members that the couples could take advantage of to find a little bit of personal alone time and to dine at some of the seven world-class restaurants on board. The ship was brand new, not one of the largest ships in the fleet, but this was one of its very first runs. It would be spending the rest of the year, the winter months, in South America or doing the transatlantic tours.

  Kyle and the three little Lansdownes followed behind her as she searched the hallway, looking for their room. She had booked a little extra space, with a wider balcony, and it included a bunk bed. One of the kids would have to sleep on the couch, or with her and Kyle.

  Kyle was trying to keep the boys from ganging up on Maggie, since Brandon was older than she was, but Luke was vying for that position, which left Maggie out completely. It was already looking like she’d probably be sleeping with her and Kyle.

  “Would you just quit it?” screamed Maggie, complaining to her dad. “Brandon is stepping on the back of my heels, dad. I want you to tell him to stop.”

  “Brandon, you heard Maggie. What’s got into you?” Kyle barked.

  “I didn’t do it. Luke did.”

  Luke piped up immediately to defend himself, screaming, “That’s not fair. You’re lying Brandon. You are a fucking liar!”

  That got Christy’s attention. She dropped her bags, turned around and grabbed both Brandon and Luke by their ears, even though Brandon came up to mid chest level on her. But she pulled them aside and spoke to them, her face not more than two inches from the front of theirs.

  “I’ll not have that language on this vacation, do you hear? If you’re gonna talk like that, I’ll have your dad fly you two home and Maggie and I will have a nice vacation.”

  Both boys squirmed, not liking the pressure she was applying to the upper cartilage of their ears.

  “I’m going to say this one more time boys, and then I’m just going to let your dad do the corporal punishment thing. Now you know what that means, and he doesn’t spank lightly like I do. You won’t be able to sit down for the entire cruise if you don’t stop giving each other trouble. And it’s not fair on all the rest of us. Your dad’s the leader of this group, we are supposed to act like a model family, the family everyone’s supposed to emulate. You got it?”

  “Yes ma’am.” The boys said in unison.

  “I’m going to start reducing your amount of playtime or swim time by single digits starting tonight. Then tomorrow if it doesn’t get any better, I’m going to double it. And if you’re not real careful, you’re going to be eating hot dogs and potato chips in the room every day and not having any play time. Now if you think that’ll work for you, that you can sit around and watch TV, just consider one thing. There are only three channels on the ship, plus the closed-circuit feed, the shopping channel. One of them is an animal documentary series. One of them is Chinese business TV, and one of them is BBC news.”

  She didn’t think that either boy knew what this meant, but their little noses were scrunched up anyway. It wasn’t their normal fare of cartoons, action films, or music videos. She could see that it had somewhat of an impact on them.

  “But what if Maggie starts it. She sometimes does little things that just push my buttons,” said Luke. Christy could see Kyle cover his mouth, secretly wanting to break out in a laugh, because little Luke repeated the words with the same tonality as his father did from time to time. Luke was a carbon copy of his old man.

  “You bring it to my attention then. That’s what you do,” she encouraged him.

  “Yes ma’am.” The boys said in unison again.

  Christy turned to her daughter. “Maggie? they’re going to be looking for all kinds of ways that you’re violating the rules, and they’re going to try to get even if you try anything. Don’t let them. I want you to be a perfect angel. Can you do that?”

  She smiled, showing a huge gap between her front u
pper teeth. Luke had lost his a year ago and they’d already grown back in, but Maggie’s teeth were considerably slower. “Yes ma’am. I sure can.” She looked at her brothers, angled her head, giving them a satisfied grimace.

  Christy slid by Kyle in the hallway, making full body contact with his chest. He tried to grab her, but missed. She picked up her bags and mumbled to herself all the way down the hallway, counting rooms on the left until they came to the end of the passageway. There was a corner door that led to a double compartment suite, which wasn’t their room, but they had the cabin next door which had an equally large balcony. She set the key in the slot and the door clicked open, the lights turning on immediately inside.

  The kids overran both of them, headed for the sliding glass door while Kyle and Christy laid their suitcases on the bed. The kids stood at the door, the boys trying to jiggle it open, until Brandon figured out that he had to remove a pin in order to pull the door back. They hopped out onto the balcony and leaned over the railing. Christy could hear their squeals and conversation, each of them pointing out things along the pier, as well as pointing to people above and below them hanging out over the balcony as well.

  Christy looked up into the eyes of her handsome husband. “I can’t believe I willingly walked into this.” She whispered, her voice husky and purposely inviting. She was tired from all the preparations, the anticipation and the worry she’d forgotten something or someone. It was ever a problem for the wife of a Team Leader, especially one as well respected by his men, as Kyle.

  “Babe, it had to be. And no one but you could have pulled this whole thing off, right from the moment you grabbed Gunny from the bowels of your bag.” Kyle chuckled as he drew her against him. “Look at it this way,” he said as he began to kiss her neck, feeling and squeezing her buttocks through her pants. “You might get breakfast in bed several times, and you never get that at home. The kids will be occupied a whole bunch, we can sleep in.”