SEALed At The Altar_Bone Frog Brotherhood Novel Read online

  He turned, kissed her tenderly and rubbed his thumbs over her cheekbones. Her face felt small, like a little child’s in his hands. She’d forgotten that.

  “I’m a big liar,” she whispered.

  “Oh really? What little lies are you telling me, then?” He followed this up with a kiss.

  “I’ve been telling you over the phone I’ve been doing fine. I haven’t. And now that I’m here, I don’t want to go back to San Diego.”

  He started to say something and she placed her fingers over his mouth.

  “I know, I have to.” She kissed him.

  “No, I was going to say stay. You could easily get a job out here. It’s just that it’s so expensive. I could try to get you a room—”

  “And know that you’re in a dorm with a bunch of Navy brats? Stay with a family I don’t know?”

  “We could find someone really nice. And then I could see you more often. Cheaper than getting a hotel on a short term. Than airfare.”

  “But there’s my dad. I can’t leave him without any notice.”

  “It will only be another month, Brandy. Then I get a few days off until.

  Indoc. And they’ll give me another few days before we start Phase I. But all that, Indoc, Hell Week and everything, will be done in San Diego.”

  A month seemed like an eternity, though she’d managed to wait three already. She pouted.

  “Do that again,” he whispered.

  “What?”

  “That thing you did when you sighed. That thing with your lips.”

  She sighed again, and pushed her lips out and immediately his mouth was on hers, his tongue making its way to play with hers. She pulled back and grinned. “You’re so funny.”

  His eyes danced in the reflection of the night-lights outside. He pulled her into him again, his enormous paw on her left breast, squeezing and kneading it into submission. He kissed and sucked her nipple, getting more serious by the minute.

  There was a vein in his forehead that pulsed when he was in deep concentration and right now her breasts were making him very, very focused.

  He turned his head and examined her from different angles. He explored with his fingers and tongue, and then let his hand wander down her midline, stopping before touching her nub.

  Tucker’s were the only fingers that had ever touched her there. And every time he did it, he made her feel like it was the first time all over again.

  “So sweet. So wonderful.” His forefinger found her.

  “All yours, Tucker.”

  “Yes.”

  He got to his knees, bringing a pillow underneath her hips, which was the perfect angle for him to go in deep. He pressed past her swollen lips and soothed her with his gentle back and forth movements, bringing his kisses between thrusts. His powerful hips ground into her, lifting her pelvis and slowly increasing speed.

  She let him do everything this time. Let him open her, set her on fire so she could watch the process as well as be the lead actor in it. She waited for that little phase when she lost complete control. Ravenous for him, she bit his neck and clutched his back. Still, she could not get enough. Sweat rolled down her chest and from her forehead into her hairline. With her hunger building, she found it difficult to get air, so inhaled deeply at last and finally felt the delicious rush of her orgasm when she exhaled. Her long sensual journey lasted minutes as he continued to help her fly, kept her afloat, and gently set her back down, thoroughly exhausted.

  He collapsed on top of her just as the sky was turning pink. She fought sleep, but the warmth of his body and the sweat of their lovemaking pulled her into a dream state where she fell on a cloud.

  Chapter 10

  They were awakened by Tucker’s cell phone ringing. He’d tried to ignore it, but a few minutes later the ringing started again.

  “I’ll turn it off.”

  He got up, wandering naked, checked the screen and swore.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s Kyle. I gotta call him. There’s something wrong with Brawley.”

  “Tucker! Yes, there is. Oh my gosh! I should have told you.”

  “Told me what?”

  “He’s disappeared. Yesterday—” She hit her forehead. “Yesterday Dorie got a call and he was listed as missing in Mexico.”

  “What? When was this?”

  “Yesterday, about noon? I think? No, earlier. Eleven. That’s when I went over, just before I had to go to work. She said she’d call me after they came over.”

  “Who?”

  “Someone from the Navy. Oh gosh, Tucker. Why didn’t I call you right away?”

  “I got a call from Brawley night before last. Very strange. He’s been talking to me off and on, but this was out of the blue. Said he was being followed. I called Kyle immediately, but couldn’t get through.”

  He redialed the number and Kyle picked it up on the first ring.

  “Hey Tuck, sorry I didn’t call you sooner. So you’ve heard about Brawley, then?”

  “Yea. Brandy’s here with me in Chicago for the weekend. Dorie got a call from the Navy yesterday about Brawley missing. Is that true?”

  “I’m afraid it is. Our op here got real fucked up. And we were watching Brawley like a hawk. Something wasn’t right.”

  “What do you figure happened, if you can talk about it?”

  “Well, this is a need to know. Right now, time is of the essence. We don’t exactly have good support here. Not quite sure if we should just focus on finding Brawley and forget the cover we’ve created. But I got the go-ahead to call you, at least.”

  “Glad you did.”

  “You start with your observations. Any clue, Tucker?”

  “Well, he’s pretty fixated on this Day of the Dead stuff. At least that’s what the call was about. Seeing faces. Skulls and stuff.”

  “You think he’s using something?”

  “I don’t think he takes anything. At least nothing I know of. I checked and there’s nothing on his record of any kind of mental illness. Did you notice anything growing up?”

  “Not a thing, Kyle. He did mention that kid you guys lost last year on that quickie in Africa. He took it pretty hard. Felt responsible. He told me about it right after you guys came back, and then everything got all fucked planning the wedding. I barely saw him after that until after their honeymoon. If there was a sign something was wrong, I totally missed it.”

  “Okay, well I’ll look into that.”

  “So is this missing of his own accord? Or, was he taken?”

  “We don’t know. That’s the ugly truth. But he’s been drinking. That we noticed big time.”

  “He told me he was scared.”

  “Yea. He mentioned it to Coop too. Coop thought it was a delayed PTSD.”

  “Sorry, can’t help you there. I know nothing about that. What about the kid last deployment?”

  “Brawley knew the family. Used to date his sister, of all things. This was a few years back. The kid idolized Brawley. But hell, wasn’t his fault. The two of them made a wrong turn and wound up facing some bad guys. Carlos was in front and got hit. Brawley got three of the four of them, but it was too late to save Carlos.”

  “That’s a shame. I never knew the story. Wish I had. Maybe something I could have done.”

  “So, if anyone contacts you, let me know immediately. We were working pretty deep, and I left my cell behind for a couple of days. Won’t happen again.”

  “Okay. I’ll keep my ears open.”

  Brandy touched his arm, and then took the cell from Tucker. She put the phone on speaker. “Kyle, this is Brandy. Have you called Dorie? She’s been going out of her mind.”

  “Nope. I knew Collins and the boys back home were doing that. Was going to call her tomorrow. She should have called Christy.”

  “She was hesitant to say anything to either of you. She was concerned about him, and she’s told me he’s not tried to contact her once since you’ve been over there. That’s not like him.”

  “
No, it isn’t. Okay, well we’ve got a couple of place we have to check out tonight. If either of you think of anything, call me.”

  “Definitely,” answered Brandy.

  “You guys have fun. Guess I don’t have to say that, do I?”

  Both he and Brandy answered in unison, “Nope.”

  Kyle managed to squeeze out a tiny chuckle. “Glad someone’s getting laid. Sorry Brandy, just how my brain works.”

  “No offense taken.”

  “Take care of my brothers,” Tucker added.

  “Always. Hey, when do you start Indoc?”

  “About four weeks.”

  “Well, hurry it up and get your butt back down here. We need you back on this team. Your boy did real good. Strong kid. You trained him well.”

  “Thanks, Kyle. I’ll be sure to tell him next time I see him.”

  “Okay. Better call Christy. You guys don’t be too good.”

  “Not a chance,” Tucker said, and hung up.

  Brandy was sitting on the edge of the bed, still naked. He could tell she was nearly in shock.

  “Poor Dorie,” she whispered.

  “You need to go back home?” He sat next to her and took her hand in his. He felt her begin to thaw. Then she returned his squeeze.

  “No, what I need is some breakfast, and then I think I need a nap. And that, Tucker,” she said as she punched his arm, “Is entirely your fault.”

  He grinned at the sight of the sun beginning to pierce the skyline and whiten the tall grey shadows of buildings.

  “Yes, indeed, I am totally to blame. And I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.”

  He decided he’d talk to her about all the things that could go wrong, but do it tomorrow. In the meantime, he noted she didn’t panic. And she didn’t run home to daddy.

  Yup. I think this is going to work.

  Chapter 11

  The weekend was over way too soon. Tucker wasn’t very familiar with Chicago, and neither was she, so after several times getting lost or waiting for a Taxi or Uber, they decided to just stay inside their room, ordering room service. Time was so precious, she didn’t want to waste a minute of it.

  Their parting and the long flight home were tearful. The heaviness in her heart reminded her that the love she felt for Tucker was real. This trip had cemented it. He’d even had that long discussion about all the terrible things that could happen, how dangerous it was being a SEAL.

  He used the situation with Dorie and Brawley to demonstrate how she needed to stay plugged into the community. Alone and on their own, the wives never did well. The guys had it drummed into them, he said. But the ladies had to embrace that so everyone could be protected. He explained how people would be helping Dorie with meals. Someone would come and do housework or shopping for her. She didn’t have to, and shouldn’t have to feel alone.

  So Brandy returned to San Diego with a new determination. She wanted to learn everything she could about being a wife of a SEAL. She called Christy Lansdowne and over the next week, got invited to a couple home parties and get-togethers. She found the women, as a whole, to be very resilient. They were used to juggling households without any help from their husbands, who were always gone. And when the men were home, they were allowed time to unplug and get back into the rhythm of life in California. Babies were born. Kids had lessons and recitals. Grandparents passed away. And yes, sometimes Team Guys didn’t come home.

  “When I was considering marrying Tyler, one of the wives told me I’d never feel as loved as I would married to him. She was completely right.”

  Others gave her pieces of advice. Everyone admired her for going into the job of marrying an elite warrior with her eyes wide open, and for doing her research up front. To be prepared. It still wasn’t a guarantee, just like every brave or strong man didn’t pass all the challenges of the BUD/S or SEAL Qualification Training. But it didn’t take anything away from their bravery or honor.

  Brandy’s dad, Steven Cook, was back to full speed. He was already selling the squash, lettuce and peas he was raising in his new garden. He was growing cabbage and broccoli, as well as carrots and beets. His patrons delighted in occasionally being able to go out back and pick their own produce, and they paid well for the opportunity.

  She took Dorie to her first doctor’s visit and they both got to hear the baby’s heartbeat. With Brandy’s encouragement, Dorie went back to work and found it helped her get her mind off the thoughts of having to raise a child without a father. Both of them knew Brawley would be found eventually. They talked about being able to accept whatever the eventual outcome was. Brandy even got offered her old job back, which she promptly turned down and felt great about it.

  It had now been ten days since Brawley went missing. There still was no ransom demand so the search team Kyle left in place in Mexico was convinced he’d just abandoned his post, voluntarily. He explained to Dorie that the team wanted to find him quickly, before the slow wheels of the Navy started in motion, stripping Brawley of his Trident and sending him home with a dishonorable discharge. Kyle explained that it still might happen that way. But he was confident Brawley was alive. His wallet had been found, emptied of cash. A convenience store clerk had seen him come in from the beach and ask for water. The clerk said he looked homeless.

  “I guess there are a lot of homeless vets out there,” Dorie said. “I had no idea.”

  “Well, that gives us hope, then, if he was seen.”

  “At this point, I just want him safe. We’ll sort everything else out later, if we can.”

  Brandy was proud of her best friend. She wasn’t sure she could endure the same.

  And then one day, the team found Brawley sleeping under a cardboard box at the shore. His skin was covered in insect bites, he had a distinctive red beard and his hair was full of twigs and debris. His bare feet were cut and beginning to show signs of serious infection. He’d also lost a lot of weight, using a rope to hold his pants up. The guys who found him said he didn’t recognize them at first, but as he ingested some decent food, things began to come back to him.

  Kyle flew down when he got the call. Brawley was escorted home, along with the rest of the guys who had not given up on him. What his life was going to look like was still unknown.

  But Brawley was alive!

  Tucker was pleased when Brandy gave him the news.

  “So what happened to him?” he asked.

  “No one knows yet. We’ve been doing some reading. There are a lot of homeless vets who just disappear—walk away from families and houses. All sorts of mental issues made worse by some of the conditions—well, you know quite a bit about that.”

  “Indeed I do. We’re all so young when we start out. It’s hard on a guy, and he probably had some things he was covering up, too. He didn’t want to get tossed from the Teams.”

  “And have to answer to his former SEAL father.”

  “Yup. Something like that. Wow. So glad he’s safe, for now. Going to be a long road getting him all the way back.”

  “Dorie’s looking for a place for him. Just started therapy at the VA hospital,” she answered. “She sees him tomorrow for the first time.”

  “He’s lucky. Life on the streets, even the beach, is very dangerous.”

  “Well, he’s even luckier than that, Tucker. Dorie’s pregnant.”

  Tucker chuckled. “Well, if anything can make a man jump to attention, that’ll do it. Good for them. I’m pulling for them.”

  “Me too.

  They made plans for another weekend when he finished his Corps School. But the Indoc, which sometimes was postponed by as much as a month or more, depending on the SEAL Team cycles, was all set to start the following week. If Brawley wanted to wait for the next class, he could do so, but it would postpone his eventual graduation. He explained that guys who got injured during training sometimes sat out a rotation and joined up with the next class. Tucker wasn’t injured, and didn’t want to wait.

  Brandy’s father continued to have ca
rtons of goods raided, but began viewing it as an involuntary contribution to the local population.

  “The way I see it, if someone’s that hungry, I say give it to them. No one should starve here. I’ve got plenty,” he said.

  “But you’ll report it, right?” Brandy asked him.

  “Oh yes. Riverton and I are now old friends. He logs everything in quite dutifully. He said if I was willing to spend the time to call him, he could do me the favor by keeping track.”

  “And that sheet could mean a deduction on your taxes too, dad.”

  “I never thought about that. You’re right.”

  She went home each night after work, walked around the cottage, touching things that Tucker loved, even slept on his side of the bed just to be a little closer to his familiar scent. She opened his drawers and smelled his tee shirts, even organized his socks. He’d be annoyed with that, she thought, but she didn’t care. His absence left a huge hole in her world that daily phone calls could not patch up.

  In just two more weeks he’d be home. He’d be here, preparing to do one of the hardest things he’d ever done in his life. Brandy was going to help him do it.

  Chapter 12

  Tucker was prepared for the P.T. the instructors at Indoc dished out, but he wasn’t prepared mentally for all the insults he had to endure. Kyle and others had said he was a welcome commodity, being a former SEAL. That the Navy encouraged re-enlistment with his skillset.

  Those lying sons of bitches.

  It wouldn’t have made any difference because he still would have gone through being the adult Boy Scout in Great Lakes. He was kind of looking forward to seeing some of the pimply-faced crowd getting a dose of reality, where every little infraction was noted, and the instructors didn’t let anyone get away with not getting humiliated on a regular basis.

  He knew what they were doing. They were trying to wash out the weak ones. Especially the officers who would not be able to lead a command on a SEAL Team. They could leave the program during this phase and not have a mark against them. But if they quit during one of the three phases, that was a whole different thing. They wouldn’t likely have a very distinguished career.