SEALed Forever Page 9

  Chapter 12

  There wasn’t any amount of talking that could settle Brandy’s nerves. Dorie explained several times how she should just focus on how much Tucker loved her. Her friend insisted he was a changed man, that she’d never seen him so full of life and happy. Dorie recounted what little she knew of Shayla, especially how manipulating that woman could be. She said not to worry.

  Of course, she knew Dorie was telling her the truth. But Brandy still couldn’t put it away. She was still fighting back for all the injustices that had been done to her in the past.

  “Seriously, Brandy. You have nothing to worry about with Tucker. And, the more you let it get to you, the more she’ll get permanently lodged deep in your head. She’s not a nice person. That’s why I didn’t even want you two to be introduced.”

  “Logically, I know you’re right, Dorie. But this obsession with her has got me caught in a rut. You know how it is when you can’t get some damned song out of your head?”

  “Maybe look at your past as your training, giving you courage to love a man like Tucker. As you’ve seen, this isn’t an easy life, being married to a SEAL. Not everyone can do it. But it’s worth it.”

  Yes, she’d told herself these very things over and over again. Still, she couldn’t get the look of this woman out of her thoughts. The knowledge that someone had been private and intimate with her husband—yes, before he was her husband—was driving her crazy. She was so worried she would lose this wonderful relationship or that she could actually damage it just with her fears.

  Brandy found no comfort in stacking shelves and clerking at her father’s store since he was talking non-stop about all the plans he was making with Jillian. They were going to take a cruise. She was a wonderful cook. She loved to get dirty in the garden with him. All these things were now annoying to her, and it wasn’t fair to him to be hanging around.

  She asked for, and got, a few days off, so she took a watercolor class at the local community college. But drawing bowls of fruit and fruit labels only made her think about her father’s store, which in turn made her think about her father’s new romance. It did take her mind off not receiving another call from Tucker.

  She knew it was wrong not to be happy for her dad’s new relationship.

  Dorie told her that Cooper’s wife, Libby, had nearly completed her counseling degree, and her dad was the unofficial team head shrink, which Brandy knew. Dorie suggested Brandy call her.

  Libby called her right back. “Let’s get some lunch. I drop the kids off at school in the morning. Will doesn’t get out until three, and Stephanie’s out at two.”

  “Perfect. Where?”

  They agreed to meet at her favorite seafood place overlooking the harbor, where Tucker had taken her that last afternoon before he left for Africa.

  Libby glanced around the wood-paneled bistro, decorated with surfboards, aloha shirts, and posters. “God, I haven’t been here in years. We used to come here all the time. Coop had a motorhome he parked down at the beach a way south. The guys affectionally called it the Babemobile.”

  Brandy hadn’t heard that story and asked her to explain.

  “Cooper is very frugal. He stayed there for pennies, pocketing the Navy’s housing allowance. And he could watch the sunsets, run or swim in the surf, and, well, meet girls.”

  Libby’s blushing cheeks lit up her whole face.

  Libby continued, “They change. I mean, they’re the same person, but more settled with themselves. The first time I saw Coop I didn’t want to have anything to do with him.”

  “Really? Now see, my reaction with Tucker was exactly the opposite, but then, you’re like Dorie. Probably never had to worry about a date or about a guy not calling you back.”

  Libby took a sip of her iced tea and slowly looked up. “Brandy, that’s not something you should keep telling yourself. I totally understand that you do…However, contrary to what you might think, I’ve had some problems with learning to trust men myself. I experienced sexual assault in college with a professor.”

  “What did you do?”

  Libby returned an evil grin. “I got him fired.”

  “Good for you.” She wanted to choose her words carefully. “I know Tucker’s not interested in anyone else, and I also know he’s glad they split up—”

  “But? I know there’s a but in there somewhere,” Libby pried.

  “I think his ex-wife still likes him.”

  Libby cocked her head. “I’d only worry if he’s flattered by that. Does he give any indication it makes him feel good knowing she cares for him? Because a man like that can’t be trusted. I don’t get that about Tucker, and I barely remember his former wife.”

  “No, I think he wants to stay as far enough away as possible. I believe him about that.”

  “So it’s not him that you don’t trust. It’s her? Is that what you’re saying?”

  “Exactly.” As she thought about it further, she corrected herself. “No, it’s me I don’t trust, I guess. I worry I’ll make a complete fool of myself on one of those long-distance conference calls. He deserves better, especially now.”

  “I think you’re onto something there.” Libby leaned forward and put her hand on Brandy’s right hand. “But don’t feel like you have to sugar-coat those calls. We’re not all happy, happy, happy all the time, are we? Just be honest yet respectful of the pressures he’s under.”

  “So I should focus on trusting myself instead?”

  “Here’s what I’d tell you to do, and take this with a grain of salt, because I didn’t sit for my test nor do I see patients. Think about all the things about you Tucker loves. Remember those things. You are unique. He loves that about you. You speak your mind. He absolutely loves that about you, I can tell! He doesn’t want a doormat or someone he has to battle with all the time. He’s battling bad guys every day at his job. And he doesn’t care about what other women from his past think of him. He just cares about how you love him. That’s what you show him.”

  Brandy could tell she’d received very well-timed advice.

  Libby continued. “There’s a story I hear the guys talk about all the time. They say there are these two dogs. One is a mean dog and the other is a loyal and good dog. You feed the good dog, so he’s big and healthy. Don’t feed your fears, Brandy. Feed what’s good in your life.”

  Brandy was overwhelmed with Libby’s gift. She could hardly wait to talk to Tucker the next time and prayed it was soon.

  Chapter 13

  Kyle and Jean gave a team update at breakfast. Jean’s men had joined them.

  “Honest to God, gents, I’ve been asked three times already this morning about The Hand. Well, here it is.” He held up the bundle Tucker had wrapped in a tea towel. Tucker hoped it was still frozen.

  “You guys are sometimes are like a bunch of teen girls with your gossip. If you weren’t told about this, then don’t read anything into it. We’re doing a lot of stuff here. Nobody is being left out, okay?”

  Several of the men nodded. Tucker wondered who had talked about their excursion last night, because he didn’t say a word. By the way Wilson had hung his head, he guessed where the leak came from. Not that it was a leak.

  Kyle continued, “But just to set the record straight, we found this hand when we went upriver to go check on some intelligence about a group of possible smugglers set up nearby. We confirmed that they had indeed been there and recently.”

  Jean barged in. “Kyle was tasked with this larger group for a reason. Our efforts might go in several directions. As he has explained to you, it might even take more than one trip for your guys. We figured the more guys we expose to the mission, the better chance we have of long-term success. With that comes some inherent problems. Information that is ‘guessed’ about can be damaging and downright inaccurate. We want to be able to make split-second decisions based on good intel. We’re asking your help with this. That’s the reason for this meeting.”

  Tucker sensed that, by now, Wilson was
feeling pretty bad. He’d never served on a SEAL Team before, didn’t know how they operated and how easily feathers could get ruffled, especially when there was so much down time. He knew the men were trained, programmed to be ready to go. Boredom was one of their enemies. They were men of action.

  He decided to talk to the young boat guy and give some encouragement he might appreciate. For that, he didn’t need Kyle’s permission. It was just helping out a fellow team member.

  He glanced at Brawley, who sat next to Ollie Culbertson, his arms crossed on his chest and his gaze off to the side, which was worrisome.

  “Here’s the deal,” Kyle continued. “Today, Jean and I and several others are going to drive up to Abeokuta, which is the local provincial capitol here. It’s a fuckin’ huge city of some half mil, a hub for the trans-Nigeria railroad that connects neighboring Chad, Niger, Cameroon to the west coast, Benin, and beyond.”

  “May I add something, Chief?” Jean requested.

  Kyle stepped aside and motioned for him to take the floor again.

  “There are things that happen up north in the capitol of the country, which is Abuja. But there are also business interests that flourish and enjoy being outside the capitol, especially with access to good transportation, the Gulf, and the Atlantic. Growing up, we always knew the multicultural aspect of our society was greatest at the coast, naturally, due to old trade routes and alliances. And believe me, there are those who appreciate being farther away from the politicians and their cronies.” Jean turned and gave Kyle the floor. “Continue, Chief.”

  Tucker understood the dynamic they were talking about. If people wanted to conduct business without political interference, they’d do it as far away as possible, until their activities drew attention and brought them out of the shadows.

  A trade in human trafficking or smuggling might be one of those businesses.

  “We’re going to send this in for analysis.” Kyle held up the bundle and unwrapped the towel from the double bagged package, still frozen. “We believe this to be the hand of a young woman. And there is evidence part of a finger was removed, for some reason. It’s common in ransom cases as a verification. It also scares the pants off loved ones and increases the size of the payout. But we’re puzzled as to why the whole hand was removed and then discarded. And we’re not sure if a subject could survive such a procedure if done out here in the jungle. So we’re going to see what we can learn in town today.”

  “We’ll take two trucks and two men with the boat crew. The rest of you will hang out here, ready, should we need you. You can use this time to contact your families, sleep, do PT, or watch some movies. You are to stay indoors, and as of today, you can use your cell phones. Right Jean?”

  “It’s set up. Yes. I have the passcodes posted in the lounge upstairs. Again, do not make your calls outside this building. And always safest to use the equipment here, which is hooked up to our satellite link.”

  “Questions?”

  “How long will we be gone?” asked Ollie.

  “Ollie, you’re staying here. But the teams going north are the following: Cooper, Armando, Fredo, T.J., Rory, Jameson, Patrick, Danny, Jake, and Tucker. DeWayne, you and one of Jean’s guys will go with Wilson and Carson by boat. That leaves the six of you to yourselves, but you’ll also have two of Jean’s men guarding the perimeter.”

  “So how long, Chief?” Ollie asked again.

  “We’ll be back before dark. Anything else?”

  “We pack light?” asked Armando.

  “Leave your long guns here, Armani. Take your sidearms. You heard Jean yesterday. Never be without your sidearm.”

  The team was dismissed. Kyle shouted above the rumble of the crowd, “Leaving in thirty minutes.”

  Tucker waited for Brawley, but when he couldn’t find him, he sought out young Wilson, pulling him into the hallway.

  “What’s up, Tucker?” the young Dine warrior asked.

  “I just wanted you to know you’re doing a great job. I’m so fuckin’ impressed with you. You did good today. And if you wanted to crow a little bit about the adventure, well, everyone understands that’s a newbie mistake. Not anything serious.”

  “Yea, I only told Danny and one other guy—”

  “I get it. And Danny should have told you so, but keep your mouth shut until you’re asked. Just don’t offer. All new guys go through this. You want to make a good impression. Don’t worry about it, kid. In no time, someone else will be new, and you get to help them.”

  “Thanks, Tuck. I appreciate that.”

  “I still got the same things going on, Wilson, and I’m an old fart. But I’m still new to this rotation, because the Navy changes, the Teams change. We’re doing things way different than even ten years ago.”

  “Thanks, man.” He fist-bumped Tucker.

  “No problem. And remember, they look like big tough guys, but they’re really pussies at heart.”

  Wilson had a deep chuckle over that one.

  “Gotta split.”

  Tucker took the stairs two at a time to their second-floor room to gather his gear.

  He checked his medic kit and double-checked his clips. He slipped his Kevlar vest over his long-sleeved tee shirt. Like most of the other Team guys, he’d customized the Velcro pockets that held his smaller gear. He was applying a repellant towelette to his neck, face, feet, and lower arms when he heard Brawley walk in.

  He raised his head just in time to see Brawley head straight for him. When his buddy’s palms smacked flat against his upper torso, Brawley pushed Tucker into the adjacent wall.

  “What the fuck was that, Tucker?”

  If it wasn’t Brawley, Tucker would have immediately answered the assault and with lethal force, if necessary. But it was Brawley. The guy who’d been there for him his whole life. The guy who’d suffered and was not quite fully recovered. Tucker stuffed down his anger and responded in a cool, measured tone.

  “You fucking get your hands off me, Brawley. Get your shit together, and then we can talk.” He held his arms to the side, which he hoped Brawley would see as a submissive move. He made sure the eye contact was anything but.

  Brawley bunched up a couple of his vest flaps, curling his fingers, then pushed off Tucker, and swore under his breath.

  “You wanna tell me what’s going on?” he asked Brawley. He was hoping the choice would be made to keep their interaction from escalating. “Talk to me, Brawley,” he nudged further.

  Tucker could hear several other guys gathering downstairs. Someone was playing some rock-n-roll, mentally gearing up for the mission. He hoped Brawley got that he was trusting him to make the right choice. It was clearly up to him now.

  “You said something to Kyle,” Brawley barked through his teeth, not making eye contact.

  “And told him what? I’ve barely talked to Kyle since yesterday. What the hell do you mean?”

  “Is there a reason why I’m not going on the trip to the city?”

  “Fuck, Brawley, there are six of you not going! I don’t think anyone else feels that way. Your time will come.” It was obvious Brawley was short on the emotional reserves. In the old days, he’d have never thought of it this way.

  “How’d you get favored treatment, Tucker? You tattling to the chief?”

  “Is there something I should be telling him? You ask yourself that right now, Brawley, because you’re bordering on some psycho shit. Now get your head out of your ass and wake up. You can’t be prepared when you have all this garbage floating around in your head.”

  Brawley looked away, deep in thought.

  Tucker extended an olive branch. He touched his shoulder and squeezed. “Get some rest, man. Perfect time to get caught up. And stay off the booze. Next time I smell it on you, I will tell Kyle. Don’t make me do that.”

  Brawley nodded solemnly.

  “Remember, it’s not about you. It’s the other guy. He deserves you at one hundred percent. You owe that to the Team.”

  “You’re right,
you fuckin’ asshole.” After a tense couple of seconds, Brawley followed it up with a wide grin.

  “You forget your meds?”

  “Didn’t take the one last night. It was an oversight.”

  “Another reason to stay completely sober. Brawley, you gotta get turned around about all this. Talk to me tonight if you need to. We gotta handle this shit right now. I love you, man, and don’t want to see anything happen you’ll regret.”

  They embraced quickly, following it up with a pat on the back, then separated.

  “Hooyah,” Brawley whispered.

  As Tucker ran down the stairs to the waiting group in the reception area, he knew it was only a matter of time before he was going to have to make a major intervention. He’d give Brawley one last chance. And if it didn’t improve, he’d make sure he got declared medical and would get Kyle to ship him home. He was kicking himself at the decision made to allow Brawley back on the team.

  His best friend was still not whole. Tucker vowed Brawley’s condition wouldn’t cause anyone else on the team to suffer. This was on him, and it was up to him to make sure everyone else was safe. Tucker knew it was his responsibility to protect the Team.

  He knew he could fix it.

  Dewayne and the three others gingerly carried the raft to the water and took off. The rest of the team loaded their bags into the two vehicles and began their trip to the rendezvous point designated. Tucker’s last sight of their compound was through the rear window of the rover he was in, watching Brawley, Ollie, and others standing inside the compound gates with their hands in their pockets. Just before they disappeared from view, he watched Ollie give Brawley a backward kick to the butt, sending him to the ground.

  They wound through the dense foliage on the dirt trail, passing trading posts, clusters of huts, and one make-shift school which had not been repaired from a recent fire that had engulfed one of the classrooms on the end. There were several children playing in the yard, but the school appeared to be closed.