about to have a coronary because things aren’t perfect yet. Bad kid day.”
“Right. No problem.”
I gave the girls a thumbs up. “You’re the best. See you soon.”
We hung up and the three of us got busy while the kids played quietly and Delilah showered. By the time she joined us in fresh clothes and clean hair, she looked like a whole new person. I handed her a soda. “It’s all good. We have twenty more minutes.”
“How did you manage that?” She popped a chip in her mouth. I was glad to see her relaxed again.
“I asked a little birdie to divert for a few minutes. No big deal.”
“Perfect. Thanks so much.” She plucked up a now crying Declan. “That gives me time to feed my son before my boobs explode.”
“We wouldn’t want that to happen,” Rachel said with a giggle.
We got back to work and had everything perfect just as Delilah and Declan reappeared and the rumble of an engine hit the driveway.
Micah
N o sooner had I hung up with Jewel, then my cell rang again with an unknown number. I mumbled excuses to the guys that I needed to grab something from my apartment then answered the phone and diverted in the opposite direction.
“Hello?”
“Corporal?”
The gritty voice had me sitting taller as grating memories rushed my brain, stealing my breath. I’d know that voice anywhere. “Sarg?”
“That’s Gunnery Sergeant Dempsey to you, Corporal.” There was a smile in his voice, but even I knew it was tempered by the nightmare we shared. “How the hell are ya?”
“I’m fine. You?” As nice as it was to hear from my old sergeant, it left my skin tingling, my senses on heightened alert. Just like the last time I’d seen him.
“Good. Thanks.”
I stopped at a red light and glanced at Blake. He was busy texting away. Probably telling his wife we were on our way so he could shower. Little did he know our ‘boys night out’ was about to become his own birthday party.
“What can I do for you?”
“I’m heading down to your neck of the woods to go deep sea fishing with my dad. I was hoping to stop by and see you. Got something I want to talk to you about if you have time.”
“Of course I have time. When?” I didn’t really have any friends besides Blake, Jesse, and Trace. It was simply too painful to keep up with anyone from my military days other than Sarg and Asher Creed, an Army guy I met at basecamp who shared my love of martial arts. Soldiers and Marines don’t usually mix well, but he was pretty fucking cool. He and Dempsey were the only two I made exceptions for in my non-military life.
“Tomorrow?”
I shook my head with a half-smile. Last minute on everything . . . that was so like Sarg. “I’ll be around.”
“Awesome.”
“I’ll shoot you a text with my address.”
“Okay.” His silence felt deliberate. “How are you, Micah? Seriously.”
I blinked hard and turned into my apartment parking lot. “I’m fine.”
“Yeah. You and me both. See ya tomorrow.”
We hung up as I parked and I killed the engine and let my head drop.
“Everything okay, man?” Jesse asked from the backseat.
“Yeah. It’s all good.” I met his concerned face in the rearview mirror. “Just an old friend. Be right back.” I loped from the Jeep before they could question me further and made motions of doing something in my apartment to kill time.
I hadn’t seen Gunnery Sergeant Wyatt Dempsey since Afghanistan. All I could conjure now was the image of his face, torn up with anguish like I’d never seen, smeared with blood that wasn’t his own, as he knelt over a mangled pile of meat. It took a moment, but I’d realized numbly that it was not an animal. It was Johnny Franks. Missing an arm, his face shredded with shrapnel, I’d never seen a body so desecrated. Even by the enemy. His flesh was so scorched, the young private was unrecognizable, his tattered nametag the only thing giving him away. He was clearly dead, and with those injuries, it was probably a
“Right. No problem.”
I gave the girls a thumbs up. “You’re the best. See you soon.”
We hung up and the three of us got busy while the kids played quietly and Delilah showered. By the time she joined us in fresh clothes and clean hair, she looked like a whole new person. I handed her a soda. “It’s all good. We have twenty more minutes.”
“How did you manage that?” She popped a chip in her mouth. I was glad to see her relaxed again.
“I asked a little birdie to divert for a few minutes. No big deal.”
“Perfect. Thanks so much.” She plucked up a now crying Declan. “That gives me time to feed my son before my boobs explode.”
“We wouldn’t want that to happen,” Rachel said with a giggle.
We got back to work and had everything perfect just as Delilah and Declan reappeared and the rumble of an engine hit the driveway.
Micah
N o sooner had I hung up with Jewel, then my cell rang again with an unknown number. I mumbled excuses to the guys that I needed to grab something from my apartment then answered the phone and diverted in the opposite direction.
“Hello?”
“Corporal?”
The gritty voice had me sitting taller as grating memories rushed my brain, stealing my breath. I’d know that voice anywhere. “Sarg?”
“That’s Gunnery Sergeant Dempsey to you, Corporal.” There was a smile in his voice, but even I knew it was tempered by the nightmare we shared. “How the hell are ya?”
“I’m fine. You?” As nice as it was to hear from my old sergeant, it left my skin tingling, my senses on heightened alert. Just like the last time I’d seen him.
“Good. Thanks.”
I stopped at a red light and glanced at Blake. He was busy texting away. Probably telling his wife we were on our way so he could shower. Little did he know our ‘boys night out’ was about to become his own birthday party.
“What can I do for you?”
“I’m heading down to your neck of the woods to go deep sea fishing with my dad. I was hoping to stop by and see you. Got something I want to talk to you about if you have time.”
“Of course I have time. When?” I didn’t really have any friends besides Blake, Jesse, and Trace. It was simply too painful to keep up with anyone from my military days other than Sarg and Asher Creed, an Army guy I met at basecamp who shared my love of martial arts. Soldiers and Marines don’t usually mix well, but he was pretty fucking cool. He and Dempsey were the only two I made exceptions for in my non-military life.
“Tomorrow?”
I shook my head with a half-smile. Last minute on everything . . . that was so like Sarg. “I’ll be around.”
“Awesome.”
“I’ll shoot you a text with my address.”
“Okay.” His silence felt deliberate. “How are you, Micah? Seriously.”
I blinked hard and turned into my apartment parking lot. “I’m fine.”
“Yeah. You and me both. See ya tomorrow.”
We hung up as I parked and I killed the engine and let my head drop.
“Everything okay, man?” Jesse asked from the backseat.
“Yeah. It’s all good.” I met his concerned face in the rearview mirror. “Just an old friend. Be right back.” I loped from the Jeep before they could question me further and made motions of doing something in my apartment to kill time.
I hadn’t seen Gunnery Sergeant Wyatt Dempsey since Afghanistan. All I could conjure now was the image of his face, torn up with anguish like I’d never seen, smeared with blood that wasn’t his own, as he knelt over a mangled pile of meat. It took a moment, but I’d realized numbly that it was not an animal. It was Johnny Franks. Missing an arm, his face shredded with shrapnel, I’d never seen a body so desecrated. Even by the enemy. His flesh was so scorched, the young private was unrecognizable, his tattered nametag the only thing giving him away. He was clearly dead, and with those injuries, it was probably a
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