Broken Battlefield, Mended Hearts (Breaking Protocol Series Book 2)

by Willow Brooke

  “I have no doubt you will find it if there is, Vince.” They all laughed, settling into a natural, fun conversation. Bella felt like she had known them all of her life. This was the beginning of a bright new friendship.

  ****

  In the other room, Jared and Joker were back to their normal bromance, laughing and carrying on like normal. The old football glory days were being relived, just like they did every single time the two got together. Out of all of their memories, these were the ones they forced everyone to listen to over and over and over again.

  Looking around, Dom was glad to see everyone relaxed and having a great time. The four newbies had always fit with the team well, and by the looks of things, had already settled in perfectly. Hulk and 2LT Gram were in deep discussion about new and improved explosive devices and methods. The two were both overly excited about their love for things that go boom. Vice and SGT Weiser were discussing Humvee transmissions, and the others had SFC Fredericks and SSG Shaver explaining their last extraction together. The team had assisted them by giving them backup but air support had been called in and they were evacuated. Weiser, Gram, Shaver, and Fredericks had stayed behind to rescue the POWs that had been taken. They didn’t get to a chance to see how things had gone down but from the sounds of it, they had all missed one hell of a show. With a satisfied nod, he turned to check on things in the kitchen. This was going to work out perfectly.

  ****

  Dinner was delicious. Between the team and her new friends, the night was a huge hit. Jared was overly excited about the new job, and even more about being back with Joker. Bella had laughed at the look the two gave her when she told Joker that Jared had to go home and couldn’t sleep over. Their scene had been similar to a bad episode of a teen drama show. It was nice having him back around, and now the kids would have someone to play with. He had already made plans on hanging out the next night, and promised a bucket of candy and the latest children’s movie release to them.

  It was well in the early morning hours when they made it home and carried the kids to bed. Instead of the wild and passionate night they had planned, Jared and Bella fell into bed and snuggled up, passing out before the sheets got warm.

  Chapter Three

  The next month and a half, when Jared was working with the team, Bella and the kids were with Alaina, Vince, Violet and Mrs. Sanders. The group had become her extended family, becoming a part of their everyday life. When the days ticked down to deployment time, she had a better sense of security knowing the group would be there for her while Jared was away working. Like always, she devoted every second to him during those few precious moments left, and cherished the time they had. Instead of her dropping him off at the butt crack of dawn and bawling the dreaded drive home, Brody and Leland had opted to pick him up. It made for an easier goodbye, and allowed her to keep from dragging the kids out of bed at 3 a.m. She knew it was only for a few months instead of the years they had spent apart before, but it still sunk her heart and strangled her with worry. It didn’t matter how many times he left, it never got easier. In a way, it got harder. Bella was prepared for what to expect, and with each one under their belt she learned more and more dangers could arise. The next few months, she would be a walking time bomb of nerves and anxiousness until his feet hit home soil and was back in her arms. It eased her mind some to know he was assigned to the best of the best units there was, and she had gotten to know and fall in love with the entire team. They were all one huge, dysfunctional family, but accepted her and the kids as one of their own. No one else in the army had ever done that.

  After she reluctantly let him go and twenty kisses later, he said, “Don’t worry, baby. I will be back before you know it. Play my song for you every day, okay?” The tune he was referring to was “Love Me When I’m Gone” by 3 Doors Down. He had played it for her before he left every time, and during the long tours had played it while on the phone or computer. It had become a sentimental tradition—one that touched her heart but made her cry at the same time. She nodded, wiping at the flood of tears that sprung forward.

  “I love you, Jared. Be safe and hurry home to me.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Keep the home fires burnin’, baby. I love you with all my soul.” He winked and shut the door of Brody’s bright yellow truck. As they pulled away, he stuck his hand out the window and waved the sign language signal for ‘I love you.’ She waved it back until the truck was nowhere in sight. With a deep shaky sigh, she walked back in the house and locked the door, leaning her back against it. “Lord, keep them safe. Bring him home to me.” After grabbing a glass of water, she headed back to bed, knowing good damn and well she wouldn’t sleep but wanting to just hide away for the few precious silent hours before the kids got up. It took a lot of energy shutting her emotions into a locked cabinet for the kids’ sake, and she needed time to compose herself.

  ****

  Somewhere in the middle of Afghanistan

  “Okay, ladies, get your tents up, your dicks down, and your rifles loaded. We are in the middle of hell. No one comes or goes without a battle buddy. I don’t care if it is in the middle of the night and you have to take a shit…either suck it back in or get your assigned buddy to hold your hand. This is it. We have a tiny window to find out where Senator Fucklick is bunkered down and intercept his terrorist tribe before they get their feet off the ground. This is what dictates everything from here on out. After, and only after, we sort these two obstacles out will we be able to work on the rest of the shit. We know some of his habits. We know he doesn’t come up for air but a couple times a week. That means, when he does, it is a game of pop a mole. Orders are capture alive. We need this son of a bitch conscious enough to answer questions. Now, that being said, if you have to disarm him or pop a few in his extremities, by all means go for it. Here is a list of known CoopaTroopa goons working for him.” Dom passed a stack of papers that had complex diagrams and text groupings.

  Jared could see a pattern in the known locations. Each group was formed in a circle around a void open land. There were no towns in the inner circle, leaving the most plausible location for a compound or underground bunker. There were mountains that ridged along two sides, making the caves a perfect doorway for any hidey-hole. Their main problem was, they had to get through each of those towns and wipe out the insurgents before they could move in and locate their main target.

  “Now, we are going to start with the towns first. Air support will be on standby at all times, and ready to move in should we get in a pinch. For the compounds that are in a remote area, our only job is to observe. We go in, do surveillance, get evidence, and send to our eyes in the sky. Our suicide bomber is either in this town here, or stashed in this eastern compound. Ground support has tracked him for the past few months and has spotted him coming and going from both. It is undetermined which he stays at, but with their help we can swoop in and blast the fucker before he gets his C-4 vest laced.” Dom pointed to two areas on the paper before continuing. “The first stop is Marwah in two days. This is a sweep. Go in, knock ‘em down, get out. If you come across any usable info, great. If not, oh well. Try to avoid casualties to the locals, but if the fuckers pull a gun, do a full Clint Eastwood on their ass. The group we are working against has civilians so scared they would rather side with evil than stand against it. Land mines, suicide bombs, and shooters are all on our major threat list. There are recruits of all ages. Everyone is a suspect. Any questions?”

  After a drawn out silence, he grinned. “Let’s go fuck some shit up.” The group let out a loud Xena Warrior Princess hooping war cry.

  “Hey, Dom, before we all get busy, we have one more issue to address. The newbies don’t have call signs yet.” Joker tossed an ornery glance around the room. Smiles slowly tugged at everyone’s features, signaling a round of initiation shenanigans that were sure to impress.

  “Aaah. Good thinking, Joker. Speaking of which, just a heads up—all names are subject to change. Joker can contest to this. He was once know
n as Dracula. Alaina seemed to think that it didn’t fit, even though his transparent complexion is enough to use as a reflector in case of emergencies. Because of his gift of verbal diarrhea, she dubbed him Joker. So, whatever we decide for you may or may not be replaced by something the women of the team seem fit. They are the bosses…we just follow orders, boys.” For Dom to hand over any type of leadership or power was a miracle all in itself. Alaina had definitely earned a spot in his heart as momma bear for him to relinquish any amount of control. “Okay, line up. It is time to mark you for the rest of your life, so put on your best smile and say a prayer.” The veteran team members cackled, adding to the growing apprehensive looks each new soldier held. The quarto stood and sulked to the front like unwilling circus animals. “First up, we have SSG Fredericks. Take a good look, and shout ‘em out, ladies.”

  SSG Paul Fredericks was an avionics and electronics specialist for most aircraft. If it flew, he could work on it. He was shorter than the others standing only around five foot ten, with a thin build and a youthfulness that hid the actual experience he had seen in his six years of service. At twenty-four, he was a handsome cutie the girls adored. Him and Romeo had tag teamed the bars conquering every eligible and qualified female in every town they went through. They were the horn dog trolls, and ladies couldn’t get enough. His hair was a dark blonde, setting off the ocean blue-green of his eyes. The unique color and cocky ass grin had been the means for many lays.

  SSG Fredericks stared at the group, mumbling a silent prayer that he wouldn’t be stuck with something terrible for the rest of his military career. Rumors had floated around with horror stories that all started at moments just like this. One guy had to answer to “Tamp” over all radio communication and live with the shortened word for tampon the entire eight years he served. It was a standing joke that if he would have been issued a better nickname he would have been a lifer. There was no way in hell he could or would ever answer to tampon, even to superiors. To his immediate dismay, the first name tossed to consideration was Boner. Fuck. Thankfully, others chimed in with random stupid words, easing his apprehension. Then, SFC Alex Strong, or Vice as she was called, stood. Her call sign had been given to her from the odd and remarkable ability to flip upside down and choke a man out with her legs wrapped around his throat in a full handstand. She had proven her talents on many occasions, keeping egos and chauvinism to a minimum. “Juliet! Romeo has to have a Juliet, and I think it goes without saying that these two work their way through every bed they can. Romance at its finest.”

  A few hoops and yells erupted, most likely sealing his fate of a chick name for years to come. Son of a bitch. I think I like tampon better. The corners of Dom’s mouth tugged upward, reaching the max height for the usually all seriousness man. The crowd broke out in a roar of talking, stopping to a halt at an ear-pitching whistle.

  “Okay, okay, settle down. As great as Juliet is, it might get a bit confusing considering Juliet is used to speak the letter J. I name you Juju, as in ‘bad juju’. You have to carry a lot of negative juju with all of the beds you have snuck out of before their husbands got home. It is a miracle you haven’t been shot yet. You might rethink wearing your Kevlar as a sexy ensemble next time.”

  “Yes, sir, LT.” He waited for Dom to nod and release him to go back and sit down. Whew. That could have went way worse. He relaxed back in his chair, sighing a cleansing breath of relief.

  Next up, SGT Robert Weiser, who could work on anything with a motor and make it work, was called to the spotlight. He was one of the best damn mechanics the Army had trained. From Humvees to five tons, the man was lethal with a wrench. It was a given he was to be called Bud, for the obvious Budweiser reference.

  2LT Mitchel Gram was victim number three in their name game. Out ranking most everyone there, only a few suggestions were given and those were lame as hell. Mitchel was seasoned in his years, showing salt and pepper speckled in the short military standards high fade haircut. He was a stickler to protocol when it came to appearance even though being in the Berets in a Special Ops unit meant he could grow his hair and facial hair out if he pleased. 2LT Gram was one that even after retired, he would still live by the same rules and standards, keeping a spotless ship and a compliant house. He was still built like a damn brick shit house, with broad shoulders and a massive physique. He had out lifted almost everyone in the unit, and probably would be able to until the day he died. The stone cold slate grey of his eyes were the only window into the danger that lay beneath his sunny disposition. Like Vice, he too, was a trained killer. Give the man any weapon and he could pop the head off of a Barbie doll a mile away. With an uncontrollable eye roll and a huff of irritation, SSG Jared Shaver stood. His tall frame got noticed immediately, shushing the soft whispers and corny kiss ass jokes they all spoke. “Poppa Smurf. LT has looked after all of us and wiped our asses at one time or another, and the man is magic with a gun.” He tried to keep a straight face at the owl-eyed reaction he received from 2LT Gram. The man never got thrown off balance, but Jared thought there might be a small waver in his stance from his suggestion. He couldn’t hold back. A snorting snicker bubbled out of his chest. The group all joined in, knowing that it was quite possible manual labor would be handed out but none cared. Dom even seemed to be somewhat amused. With a questioning quirk of an eyebrow, all was shocked and almost killed over dead when he grinned and nodded. “I can live with that. I think it might be entertaining hearing ‘Poppa Smurf, Poppa Smurf’, come in over the radios.” His words only encouraged them more. Everyone was soon being called Smurfette with a dirty joke attached, lightening up the meeting from business to personal.

  Soon it was down to Jared. Taking it like a man, he stood and strutted his way up front, doing a runway turn and slinging his top over his shoulder for good measure. He cocked his hip outward and pooched his lips in the best duck face he could manage. Whistles and obscenities were yelled, adding to the mounting entertainment of the day. Dom seemed to step right into cue, quieting them all before stating, “And next up, we have the very sexy SSG Jared Shaver. Jared is a loose girl who enjoys long romps in the bed and giving candle light blowjobs. Her curves say it all. What is the starting bid?”

  “One dollar!” Kodiak shouted.

  “I have one dollar—can I get two?” Dom shouted, mimicking an auctioneer.

  “Five dollars! Five dolla love him lon-n-n-ng time!” Joker piped up, standing to add a few hula-hoop hip thrusts. This brought on enough laughter a passer-by would have thought a comedy show was taking place. Even Dom doubled over.

  Wanting to keep true to the moment, Jared flashed his leg seductively, pointing his toe and pretending to shimmy up the BDU pant leg. His fate was decided by this one simple action.

  “Venus! Shaver is the smoothest razor a woman can buy!” SGM Zane Monroe, or Hulk as he was better known as, shouted.

  “Sold! For five dollas, we have Venus! Take a seat you hooker…it is time for a task delegation and sleeping arrangements.” Dom slapped him on the back, sending him back to the groping paws of the others that copped a feel of his ass and legs when he walked back to his cloth foldie chair.

  The rest of the chat was a short and sweet rundown of who did what. Considering the work load left to do, it ended far too soon in his book, but Jared dragged his ass up and stepped straight into the dreaded task of setting up their workstation. With the tables lined up and the equipment all arranged, he moved on to the next, allowing his mind to wander back to the true goddess of love in his life, Bella. They had just arrived only a short time before, and already he missed her so badly his heart ached. If there was time, he made a mental sticky note to send her an email before lights out.

  After chow, he set out to do just that. What hoped to be a private letter home was soon fizzled when he walked into the work tent to find Leland and Brody having the same idea he had. “Oh, sorry… I’ll come back.”

  “You are good man. We aren’t skype sexing yet...that comes after another week or
so.” Leland teased. “Then, college rules apply. If the sock is hanging on the door, don’t come in.”

  “Got it. So, how is Alaina doing adjusting to you guys being gone all the time?” He knew how hard it was for the women. Bella still struggled, but learned to put on a great poker face for his sake and the kids. There was no doubt about it, being a soldier made the wives tougher than nails. He didn’t think there was anything that could bring her down.

  “Eh…she just is. It is a lot better now that she has her friends and Mrs. Sanders for support. Bella and she seem to be getting close too, so that’s good. The girls need to stick together.”

  “Amen to that, brother.” Venus logged into the computer and signed on to his email, typing her address in the top. Once the curser was in the main body of the page, his mind went blank. He sat there for a few minutes, trying to decide what to say. It was easy to say I love you in person. He wanted to tell her how badly he missed her, but didn’t want her to get sad or think about it if she had distractions. Finally, he decided to keep it mushy. That always worked…

  Baby,

  I hope things are going okay there. We have everything set up and are ready to get busy getting shit done so we can come home. How is my little Indian and my drama queen? Give them a kiss and tell them Daddy loves them. I miss you, angel, so much already. Some day we will move off and never be apart again, I promise. You are the love of my life, and without you I am nothing.

  All my love,

  Jared

  He reread it again, snorting at the corny lines and childish run on paragraph. Oh well. Shit. It's the thought that counts. Before he changed his mind and deleted the whole thing, he clicked send, staring off into the monitor as if he could watch it arrive on her laptop and see her reading it. Each deployment seemed to get harder and harder. A lot of the vets all said it got easier, and their wives agreed. To Bella and him, it was the opposite. Maybe people got colder and more disconnected from each other with each separation, but his marriage didn’t. Granted, there had been many fights brought on by the long distance shit, but all in all it only glued them tighter together. He refused to harden his heart to make his job easier. If she felt it, he was going to feel it. Even during pregnancy he had sympathy pains, weight gain, and cravings. If she got a headache, he usually ended up with one. They were totally united and in tune with each other.