Chapter 13 War and Love

Chapter 13

War and Love

The echo of gunfire yanked me from the relative tranquility of the gazebo, and Anya and I leapt to our feet, each of us drawing our pistols. Taking cover behind the massive cannon in the center of the structure, I scanned the direction from which the gunfire had come until I saw the long red flag flying at the southern end of our training ground.

I holstered my Glock and relaxed. “It must be Shawn. Gator hooked him up with a new kit, so he’s probably zeroing.”

She slid her pistol back into concealment. “You should tell to me when this is going to happen. I was not prepared.”

I laughed. “You’re always prepared. Come on. Let’s see if you can still shoot.”

We made our way to the range, where Gator and Shawn were zeroing a pair of rifles and his new pistols.

“Mind if we join you?” I asked. It was more of an announcement of our presence than an actual request.

Shawn looked up. “Sure. The more the mightier. By the way, that’s some toy store you’ve got down there.”

“It’s not mine,” I said. “It’s ours. If you need a piece of gear and we don’t have it, just say the word. I’ll make sure it shows up ASAP.”

I motioned for Anya to follow me. “Let’s shoot the tree.”

“Why would we shoot tree?”

“It’s a challenge tree,” I said. “There are ten steel targets mounted on a vertical hinge. We’ll start with five on my side and five on yours. Every time you shoot one of yours, it’ll swing to my side and vice versa. The first one to shoot all of the targets onto the other side wins.”

She studied the tree, drew her pistol, and said, “This sounds like fun, but I must first tell to you secret.”

“A secret?”

She stepped beside me, placed her left hand on my shoulder, and pulled me toward her until her lips were only inches from my ear. “If I were your wife, we could play very different kind of game.”

In the instant that followed her “secret,” five rounds exploded from her muzzle, and I lost without ever firing a shot.

“That’s not fair.”

She stepped back and smiled up at me. “All is fair inside war and love, no?”

“And which one is this?”

Her only reply was that mischievous smile that left men melting in their boots all over the world.

When I recovered from her verbal attack, I asked, “Do you need any gear?”

She patted the grip of the pistol that was already tucked away out of sight. “I have already everything I need to beat you, so, no, I do not need anything else. Besides, I have full kit on ship, so I am ready for part that is not love.”

With Shawn’s weapons zeroed and operating like clockwork, we closed the training range, brought down the big red flag, and headed for dinner. A meal for our family was a bit like feeding time at the zoo. We weren’t poorly behaved, but we burned enough calories in our daily lives to devour most things that found their way onto our plates.

Our horde of hungry faces pulled into the Low Country Landing—St. Marys’ newest restaurant—and although it was my first time, I’d heard nothing but praise.

As we filed through the door like a never-ending centipede, the look on the hostess’s face turned from bright-eyed enthusiasm to terror in an instant.

I took her hand. “Don’t worry. It’s not as bad as it looks. We tip well, and we’re happy to sit outside.”

She mouthed “Thank you” as she led us through the dining room and onto the patio out back, where two rows of picnic tables waited just for us.

She said, “We’ve got the fans going, but if you don’t want them on, feel free to pull the chains. I’ll send Carolyn out to take care of you. She used to work in Charleston, so she’s really good with big groups.”

An unflappable-looking young lady danced her way onto the patio a moment later and showed no fear. “Hey, guys! Beer, Coke, water, lemonade, sweet tea. Those are your options. Who’s first?”

I took control. “How about a couple of pitchers of each, and we’ll have the low-country boil all around.”

“Too easy,” she said, and pointed to a hutch by the door. “Grab you some paper for the table, and we’ll dump out a couple of pots.”

Soon, our tables were covered with brown paper and piles of boiled shrimp, sausages, potatoes, corn, crab claws, and even a few crawfish. Gator gave a hands-on seminar on the proper method of devouring the mudbugs, and he even sucked a head for historical accuracy.

Anya sat beside Skipper, and the two laughed as if they were lifelong friends. It was nice seeing Skipper smile again. She’d been through far more than anyone deserved after Tony was murdered six months earlier. Part of me wondered if her smile would ever return.

Anya ignored me throughout the meal, with the exception of one glance to ask if I needed a refill of tea while she was pouring. After her little whispering game on the range, it was a relief to have her attention focused on anybody other than me.

We ate, drank, and laughed for almost two hours before everyone seemed to realize we’d eaten far too much and needed a place to crash. As promised, we tipped well and made our way back to Bonaventure, where we slowly separated and drifted to our houses and bedrooms.

Skipper took Anya’s hand. “You’re coming home with me. There’s no chance I’m letting you sleep in that house while Penny’s in California.”

The Russian gave me a wink. “This is good choice. For Chase, I am irresistible, but for me, he is only friend.”

Being relegated to the friend zone was, for me, the perfect arrangement.

* * *

When the sun sliced through my second-story bedroom window, I had been awake for almost an hour. My prosthetic was firmly attached to the metal post protruding from what remained of my leg, and my second cup of coffee was well on its way through my body.

One of the most fascinating characteristics of my team was our innate ability to know when to arrive. That morning’s gathering occurred on the back gallery at Bonaventure, and I gave the final status call.

“Gator. Go or no go?”

The youngest and least-experienced teammate gave a thumbs-up. “Good to go.”

“Shawn?”

The former SEAL and newest member of the family said, “Go!”

I continued down the list. “Disco?”

The chief pilot nodded slightly. “I’m a go.”

“Singer?”

The best sniper I’ve ever known and moral center of our team flashed the okay signal. “I’m a go.”

“Mongo?”

Our giant said, “I’m always ready to go.”

“Anya?”

Everybody’s favorite Russian rolled her eyes. “This is waste of time. Everyone is ready to go.”

Mongo moved with remarkable speed and scooped Anya from her feet, in spite of her physical and verbal resistance. “Just say the word, boss, and I’ll throw her in the river from right here.”

I raised both hands. “Be careful. She’s getting old and fragile.”

“Good point,” he said as he gently returned her to the gallery deck.

At the same instant her feet touched down, one of her fighting knives stuck into the decking between my boots. “I am not old, and I am definitely not fragile.”

I brushed the edge of my boot against the still-vibrating blade. “If you say so, but I remember a time when you could stick it a lot closer to the toes.”

Before she could retaliate, Shawn launched two blades of his own, sticking them within a centimeter of each of Anya’s boots. Every eye turned to the SEAL, and he said, “You’re not the only one with skills, comrade.”

She huffed and kicked both knives out of the decking, sending them clattering across the floor.

I made no effort to hide my amusement. “It looks like you’ve got some competition. Now, behave.” She reclaimed her knife, and I continued. “Skipper?”

“I’m a go, but I want to bring Celeste. Are you okay with that?”

I turned to our technical services officer, Dr. Celeste Mankiller. “Are you in?”

She said, “Always, and I’ve got a bagful of new toys for you guys.”

“That’s why you’re always invited to the party,” I said. “Are you ready to go?”

“I am.”

“Clark, are you coming?”

My handler shook his head. “You’re on your own for this one, College Boy. I’ll be available if you need me, but I’m keeping my feet dry this time.”

Operating without Clark would always make me feel as if a piece were missing from my puzzle, but his job description as handler for me and the team didn’t include deployment downrange.

I said, “That’s everybody. Anya, if you’re okay with it, I’d like for you to bring your Citation. The rest of us will take the Caravan.”

She said, “Of course. I will bring Skipper and Celeste. It will be girls’ plane. Oh, and Shawn, since you throw like girl, you can come also with us.”

Shawn waggled a finger. “The three of you can’t handle this much sexy in that little airplane, so I think it’s safer for everyone involved if I ride with the guys.”

We piled into the Suburbans and headed for the airport, where Don Maynard met us at the hangar.

“Morning, Don. Is everything all right?”

He grimaced. “I’m not sure. I was just about to call you. When I got here, the chain was off the sprockets on the drive-through gate, and the door to the office was unlocked.”

“That’s not good,” I said. “Did you forget to lock up when you went home yesterday?”

“Not a chance. I’ve been locking that door for over twenty years. It’s muscle memory at this point. There’s no way I would’ve left it open.”

“Was anything missing?”

He scratched his face through his white beard. “That’s the thing. Yes, the petty cash box was missing, but there was only about five hundred bucks in it. They didn’t take anything else.”

“What about the security cameras?”

“They were powered down.”

I furrowed my brow. “Powered down? How did that happen?”

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t know how to power them down if you offered me a thousand bucks to do it. I only noticed because of the little blue lights. They cast an interesting pattern on the ceiling every morning when I open up the office, and they weren’t flashing today.”

I turned to Gator and Singer. “Take Celeste, and make sure her lab hasn’t been disturbed.”

Without a word, they press-checked their pistols, hopped into a golf cart, and headed across the airport.

I asked, “How about the hangar? Did you see anything out of sorts when you opened the door?”

“No, but I’d do a thorough preflight before you fly anything. Just because it didn’t look like anyone had been inside doesn’t mean they weren’t.”

Disco headed for the Caravan with Mongo only steps behind.

Don said, “Should I call the cops?”

“Not yet. Let us poke around a little before we make it official.”

“That’s what I thought you’d say. Everything’s full of fuel, including Anya’s Citation. Is there anything else you need?”

I said, “We’ve got it from here, but next time, call me immediately when you notice anything out of the ordinary.”

“You got it,” he said. “I really was about to call you.”

“I know. Just keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll get a security team here later today, and I’ll have them report to you. Keep them hidden. I don’t want to prevent another break-in. I want to catch them in the act if they come back.”

Anya trotted to a spot beside me and held up her index finger. The tip of it was streaked with a gray substance.

“What’s that?” I asked.

She looked at Don. “Is graphite from lock on office door. Did you put graphite inside lock?”

“No, it’s never needed graphite. It’s always been smooth.”

Anya said, “This means someone picked lock.”

Gator, Singer, and Celeste pulled up in the golf cart, and our resident mad scientist said, “The lab appears untouched, and the security cameras and alarm are all showing normal.”

Disco and Mongo galloped up. “Everything’s clean in the hangar. No one’s been in there except us in the last twenty-four hours.”

I ran through the evidence in my skull. “That means whoever it was, they were looking for something in the office. The petty cash has to be a distraction. Nobody picks a lock to steal five hundred bucks. Hey, Shawn. Have you talked with your former team lately?”

“Not in the last month or so. Do you need me to give them a call?”

I pulled out my phone. “No, I’ll have Clark handle it.”

He answered quickly and said, “That didn’t take long. Miss me already?”

I briefed him on the overnight occurrence, and before I could recommend bringing in a security team, Clark said, “I’m on it. I’ll have some shooters on the ground before lunch.”

“Great. I told Don to keep them tucked away so they can make contact with anyone who penetrates the fence.”

“Good idea. And I’ll bring a stack for the petty cash box.”

I tucked my phone away. “Don, don’t call the cops. Let’s handle this one internally.”

He grinned. “I like your style, boss.”

We boarded the Caravan with Disco and Gator in the drivers’ seats. Anya could wait an hour to take off, and she’d still beat us to Houma, Louisiana, in her Citation.

I’ve never been a good passenger. I prefer a front seat, but Gator needed some time up front with Disco to hone his skill in the Caravan.

I took a seat beside the sniper and said, “Let’s hear it.”

“What do you want to hear? ‘The Old Rugged Cross’ or ‘Shall We Gather at the River?’”

“Both,” I said. “But first, let’s hear your thoughts on the break-in.”

Gator raised the nose after a flawless takeoff run, and we climbed into the bright blue sky.

Singer steepled his fingers. “They’re good enough to pick a relatively sophisticated lock, but not good enough to wipe off the graphite. After shutting down the camera feeds, they erased the video of their arrival, so that means they’re tech savvy. They took a fistful of cash but nothing else. All of that adds up to a semi-pro hitter who wants us to believe he’s a delinquent kid.”

“What do you think they were really looking for?”

Singer said, “They weren’t looking for anything. They were leaving something behind. When the security team sweeps the office this afternoon, I’d put money on them finding a bug or two.”

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

He pulled the lever to allow his seat to recline several inches. “Now, leave me alone. I’m overdue for a nap.”