Chapter Seven

Levi

Metz Winery, Namibia

Ever since Levi passed the video of Mojo around the conference table, the team had been forward-leaning. True to her promise, Hailey had them on the first flight out of Reagan. They’d landed in Windhoek, rented a vehicle, and driven north to the Metz Winery, where Hailey had arranged their stay.

There was no moss growing on an Iniquus timeline. They developed a strategy and moved on it.

That dynamic orientation was part and parcel of Levi’s time in the military. He’d be sleeping in a tent one minute, and the next, he’d be loading onto a helicopter, winging out on a do-or-die mission.

Levi liked that kind of life. Nothing stagnant. Enough downtime to get basic tasks accomplished and then shots of adrenaline that kept his system running in prime condition. He thought it was good for him both physically and mentally.

And ever since Tess, Levi never had the inclination to put down roots. He couldn’t see that in his future, either.

In the military, his call sign was “Tumbleweed.” But Levi had been glad to shed that moniker when he left the service. He’d been long enough away from his childhood on the ranch that it didn’t feel like a good fit anymore.

Reaper pulled their vehicle up to the front door at the Metz Winery. An older couple stood shoulder to shoulder, waiting for them.

“Looks like you found us just fine,” the woman said as they climbed out. “I’m Iris, and this is my husband, Craig. Welcome. Welcome.”

After introductions and handshakes, Craig moved around to the hatch. “It’s unusual to have availability in the dry season. Luckily, we had a group cancel at the last minute. Sorry, your rooms aren’t side by side. But I’m sure you’ll make out fine. It’s not a big place. Why don’t you start by unloading your bags and getting settled? After that, you can move your vehicle around back to park.”

Levi was last to reach for his duffle.

“Why don’t you two follow me,” Craig said to Goose and Reaper. “Iris, you want to take Levi around?”

Iris passed her husband two keys, then stood to the side, waiting for Levi to slam the hatch closed.

With his duffle slung over his shoulder, he turned to follow Iris.

“We’re so glad to have you. It was nice to hear from Hailey. It’s been a while since she visited, but we’ve kept in touch over the years. A friend of a friend is a friend of ours.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Levi shortened his stride and slowed his gait to match Iris’s pace.

“Of course, Hailey came to visit with my daughter Gwen. They worked together at WorldCares. You’ll get to meet Gwen tonight. She’s bringing another colleague sometime this morning.”

They walked along a tiled porch with a latticed roof.

“Does Gwen do logistics?” Levi asked politely.

“Gwen’s on a team that keeps an eye on both the weather and the resulting ground conditions. Her focus is on African weather systems and how they affect the continent, then up into Europe and over to the Southeastern United States. Her team hands their long-range predictions off to management. Once an area is deemed at risk, Hailey would get her marching orders and move the right kinds of field support into place. Tents, food, water purification, what have you.” She tipped her head back to catch Levi’s gaze, then dropped it again as they moved forward. “At the time, Hailey stayed in close communication with Gwen’s team so as to streamline getting needs met. You know, getting everything in place without wasting their resources. It’s a balancing act. And it’s all very imprecise. Weather and people are predictable in their unpredictability. But Hailey changed jobs to work with Iniquus after she got herself engaged to a mighty fine young man. From what Gwen says, Hailey’s is a second-chance romance, which makes for a nice story.”

“Yes, ma’am. WorldCares loss is Iniquus’s gain. Though the same work is going on. Both organizations are out trying to do good in the world, just from a different angle. WorldCares looks farther out, and Iniquus jumps in when there’s an emergency.”

While Levi’s job would run the gamut, Iniquus Command mounted Team Charlie to meet the increased demand, protecting Americans working outside of the United States for both institutional and corporate clients. Sometimes, that could be a kidnap case or a close protection stint. But Iniquus projections predicted there would be a lot more search and rescue missions following volatile weather. Where a rainstorm suddenly becomes a mudslide or flash flood, where hurricane-force winds leveled an area or swept it away in the storm surge, Iniquus would send the teams in to get their clients to safety.

That demand was pushing Team Alpha and Bravo hard. Already, Iniquus Command was taking the operators’ recommendations to develop a Team Delta.

They stopped at the corner, and Iris gestured toward a giraffe munching the leaves on a tree. “That’s Betty. We found her on the property here as a calf. She was in bad shape from some predator or other. After we nursed her back to health, she was free to move on. We don’t pen her or anything. But she seems content to stay. You’ll see that all around Namibia. Back in North Carolina, you might take in a stray kitten. Here, we take in animals like Betty.”

“She’s beautiful.” There was a sense of peace watching her. A grace.

After a moment, Iris asked. “You’ve been with Iniquus a long time, then, Levi?”

“I recently retired from the Navy, ma’am. I’m a new hire.”

“That’s why you’re seeing Enrico about a dog? Were you a SEAL K9 handler like he was? Is that how you know him? He said y’all are old friends.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You know, you don’t have to ma’am me. Where’re you from?”

“Oklahoma. And I’m afraid that after my upbringing and my time in the military, saying ma’am and sir is a reflex that I won’t overcome. I hope you won’t be offended.”

“Not at all. Coming from North Carolina, I know all about how that gets ingrained.”

They walked along the hallway. “You know, my dad was in the military. He handled a K9 in Vietnam by the name of Cheeseball. She was a decorated war hero, got a Medal of Bravery for charging the enemy in an ambush. Saved my dad’s life. When it was time to come home, Cheeseball was considered ‘equipment,’ and they ordered Dad to leave her behind. Of course, Dad wouldn’t entertain the notion. That’s not the kind of person my dad is. He and his men devised a plan and snuck her home to live with us.” Iris inserted a key into the lock. “Here we are.” She pushed the door wide and gestured for Levi to go in. “This is one of the rooms where we put dog people. Some folks have allergies, so we have designated dog areas.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Levi moved through the door and took in the rather romantic-looking room with a drape of mosquito netting. Levi could see a couple coming here on their honeymoon to make a lifetime of memories. But it wasn’t what he was used to. He went more for the utilitarian and easy to keep up.

“As long as your dog is under voice command, you can come and go without using a leash. Just don’t let the dog go into anyone’s room that doesn’t have a dog symbol on the door or in the communal areas on the rugs. You shouldn’t run into much trouble. It’s all mostly tile. Things get dusty around here. And in the wet season, there’s mud.” Iris walked farther into the room. “Look there,” she pointed at a picture on the wall. “That’s me as a young girl with Cheeseball. I put that photo in all the dog rooms. To this day, I miss that sweet girl.”

Levi set his bag down as Iris opened the door to the bathroom. “Lights are here on the wall. Kind of an odd spot.” She gestured Levi over. “It takes a minute to get the hot water flowing. We have these buckets out. If you wouldn’t mind trapping the cold water instead of letting it run down the drain, we’d appreciate it. The cleaners can empty it for you or just dump it on anything outside that’s still alive. We don’t waste a drop if we can help it. That’s certainly true during most dry seasons, particularly true this year.” She moved out of the way so Levi could go in and see the setup.

“From Enrico, I hear you're looking to buy Mojo.” She shook her head. “It’s going to be hard on that man seeing Mojo go. But you probably know all about that, freshly out of the Navy. It’s hard on the handlers to leave and pass off their dog to someone new.”

“Fortunately or not,” Levi rejoined her in the bedroom. “I didn’t have my own dog when I left. But that happened to a SEAL buddy of mine. He had a dog, and they were as close as can be. They went to train out in Arizona, and my buddy, Tripwire’s his name, came down with some kind of illness from the dirt in the air.”

“Dirt in the air? I’ve never heard of such a thing. We’ve got plenty of dirt in the air here. Especially this year. Namibia is usually dry as a bone in what is considered our winter months—which is summer in the United States. But this year? It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before.” She pulled the key from the door and handed it to Levi. “Come on, let me show you around. Your friend, is he okay now?”

Levi locked the door behind himself and pocketed the key. “He’s fine enough that he’s able to work on Iniquus with our search and rescue team. His lung capacity didn’t meet the requirements to do his job as a SEAL, so he left the service. His dog of the heart was assigned to a Delta Force unit.” He followed behind Iris as they retraced their steps.

“Can you imagine? He must be just heartbroken.”

“It helps that the new handler sends weekly photos and videos, and Tripwire can keep up.”

She laid her hand over her heart. “Now, isn’t that a kindness?”

“It is, yes, ma’am. And if Mojo and I are a good fit. I’ll make sure that Enrico stays part of Mojo’s life that same way.”

Iris patted Levi’s arm. “Here’s where we like to have breakfast. We tend to have our biggest meal in the mornings, a European-styled menu. It’s comfortable to be out here that time of day, and the landscape is pretty with the sun coming up. Just let the cook know in the evening what you want and what time you want it. Fill out this form with your room number and leave it in this box.” She moved toward a set of double doors. “You said you didn’t have a dog when you left? I didn’t know that was a thing.”

Levi reached forward to snag the handle to hold the door for Iris. “Like Enrico, I traded out dogs regularly. No time to bond.”

“Oh, now that’s not true, is it? I’ve seen it time and again when we’ve helped out on the puppy side of Enrico’s training.” Iris swept her hand to indicate the room. “Our lounge. Games and books on the shelves. Our bar is do-it-yourself and honor system.” She pointed at a box near the array of bottles. “Anyway, the soldiers from Etosha come in to get matched with their dog. Enrico watches to see their reactions to each other. He wants the two of them to look at each other and make an instant connection. That’s the way it was when I met my husband. He was just standing there in the library. He turned to me, and I thought, ‘Oh, there he is.’ Yup, he was mine. We were fated to be together.” She smiled at Craig as he led Goose and Reaper into the lounge.

Yeah, Levi had that same experience but a very different outcome. Tess. She had been on his mind so much these last few days. He’d been tempted to look her up and just see how her life was unfolding. But he knew that Tess in Abraham’s arms with smiling pictures of their anniversary would shoot a hole in his heart. Better to distract himself with finding his dog.

Iris turned to him. “You married, Levi?”

“No, ma’am.” He slid his hands into his pockets. “I haven’t had that privilege.”

“Hmm, well, who knows,” she popped her brows, “Gwen and you might catch eyes. I could see you getting along just fine.”

Levi didn’t offer a response. And Iris didn’t seem to need one.

“No smoking on the premises,” Craig said as they joined Iris and Levi. “It’s the dry season. We don’t need a bushfire.”