The Grey Man- Partners

by JL Curtis

  Aaron sighed, “Just trying to find my footing… Hell, trying to figure out what I’m good for!”

  Billy shook his head, “Aaron, it’s not going to happen overnight. You’ve spent what, almost sixteen years in the Corps, and now you’ve been retired, what, two weeks?”

  “Pretty much, sir.”

  “Retirement at any age is hard. Forced retirement is even worse. You’re still trying to come to grips with what happened to you, aren’t you?”

  Aaron stopped for the light and turned to glare at Billy, “I’m not good for a damn thing out here. I can’t rope, I can’t ride, and about all I’m good for is shooting the damn prairie dogs!” Banging his hand on the wheel, he accelerated through the intersection, “I feel about as useless as tits on a boar. I don’t have any skills other than killing people and breaking things.”

  Aaron continued softly, “And there isn’t much call for that out here. At least that I know of.”

  Billy replied, “Have you ever thought about law enforcement? Or security services? That’s a natural fit for you.”

  Aaron cocked his head, “Thought about it? Sure. But I’m a cripple now. I don’t know that any department would take me. I just need to find something productive…”

  Billy interrupted, “You need to go talk to the sheriff. I’m betting he’ll hire you if you get through the training. And I’m pretty sure if you’re fit enough to pass a Marine physical and get back on active duty with a prosthetic, you can make it through a piddly little police training school.”

  “I guess I could look at that,” Aaron mumbled.

  “What about if you had the chance to go take out real bad guys? Overseas or out of the country?”

  Aaron glanced over, “Who for?”

  Billy cocked his head, “Say, for a multinational. Against ragheads coming to America to do bad things?”

  Aaron sighed, “Like that would even be possible, but at least that I know how to do. And I’m pretty damn good at it, or was.”

  ***

  The old man and Billy reined up at the cemetery, and got down. Looping the reins over the fence, they walked slowly up to the graves and stopped in front of Francisco and Juanita’s graves. The old man took his hat off, idly spinning it between his hands as he said a quick prayer, then turned to face Billy.

  Billy looked up, “I’ve got you some folks. We can move money to them through Phoenix Security. There are six ready to go tomorrow. Bob and Duck are the only two you know, but the others come with good references.”

  The old man nodded, “That should do it. I’ll call my CI tonight and see if I can get an updated status.”

  Billy tugged at his ponytail, “Uh, have you thought about taking Aaron?”

  “Aaron? No. Jesse’d have a shit fit. ‘Sides, I really don’t want to get him in trouble with the law if this goes sideways.”

  “He’s going stir crazy John, he’s lost out here. He doesn’t have anything to focus on, or any idea what to do with his life,” Billy said.

  “Why should I take him,” the old man asked.

  Billy shuffled his boots, “Well, who is going to spot for you? With only six men, you’re going to be short if you run into a crew. I’ve done some checking with a few folks, and the crews down there tend to run around a dozen per crew. I know you’re good John, but you ain’t that good.”

  The old man countered, “I’ve never shot with him. Shooter, spotter teams take a long time to gel. And I’d never forgive myself if something happened to him.”

  “Bullshit, John. A good spotter is worth his weight in gold. And we know Aaron is a damn good one! If you won’t take him, I’ll try to go back and get some more guys. But I’ll tell you this; I think you’re making a mistake, and a big one, by not at least considering taking him. Hell, it just might give him the confidence in himself to step up and do something down here!”

  “Okay, okay, I’ll think about it. Now these six, can we get them into Cozumel or Playa del Carmen without any issues? And can you get some off books weapons?”

  Billy thought for a second, “Yeah, I’ve got a way to get them and probably some guns into Playa del Carmen without any fanfare if somebody smoothed their way on that end. What kind of weapons are you looking for?”

  “Maybe some of those new three-hundred blackouts. With suppressors, that would give us a big advantage as far as stealth,” the old man replied.

  “What kind of pistols? Suppressed too?”

  The old man shook his head, “Nah, some clean 1911s. If it comes down to pistols, I want knockdown power. At that point, we’re probably trying to shoot our way out of whatever we got ourselves into. And I don’t think noise will be at issue then…”

  “Okay… John, do you really want to do this? I gotta ask,” Billy stared at the old man intently.

  “Billy, if I don’t and Clay died from a MANPAD, I’d never forgive myself. Hell, the cartels are taking over the border and making incursions into Texas, Arizona, and California every damn day. And they’re better armed now than the CBP folks trying to stop them. Look at the reports from Arizona! Lookouts posted overlooking the trails, heavily armed with full autos, and not afraid to shoot.” The old man threw up his hands in frustration, “We’re stopping maybe ten percent of the trafficking, much less the cross border smuggling of OTMs and others that just disappear into the underbelly of society.”

  Billy replied, “I understand. Kinda like the whole MS-thirteen gang. Let in as kids, supposedly, but they were already KGMs before they ever crossed the border.”

  The old man snorted, “Gang tats ignored, known gang affiliations ignored because they were children. Children my ass, twelve, thirteen, fourteen and already cold blooded killers is more like it.”

  ***

  The old man pocketed the burner phone and slipped out the back door to the barn. Checking to make sure Ricky was not in the barn; he dialed Montoya’s number and waited. When Montoya finally answered, he asked for an update and Montoya told him the ship carrying the fighters and the MANPADS would dock in ten days to two weeks in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. Montoya’s insider had also indicated the turnover would take place somewhere inside the state of Chiapas.

  Hanging up, the old man bounced the phone in his hand, thinking about what Billy had said about taking Aaron along. On one hand, it made sense, but Jesse… What if something happened to Aaron? Would Jesse ever forgive him? Shaking his head, the old man slipped the phone into his shirt pocket and walked slowly back to the house. Whatever he did, he needed to make a decision soon.

  As he came back in the kitchen, he burst out laughing. Jace was sitting between Yogi and Boo Boo, feeding them their dog food. Both dogs were wagging their tails and gently taking the kibble when Jace offered it to them one at a time.

  Orders

  Matt walked slowly up the sidewalk to the apartment. Looking around for Aaron’s truck and Jesse’s car didn’t make things any easier. They’d been gone two weeks now, back to Texas and a new life for Aaron anyway.

  Relieved that Felicia wasn’t home yet, Matt eased the door open, then remembered there wasn’t going to be Boo Boo on the other side of the door. Not anymore. He dropped the paperwork on the table and went into the kitchen debating, booze or coffee. Opening the cabinet, he saw the bottle of scotch sitting there and reached for it. Oh Lord, I don’t need to go down this path again. Not with Felicia and a baby on the way. And making a decision while I’m drinking isn’t going to end well. Nope, leave it. He pulled his hand away and grabbed the coffee, slamming the cabinet door closed.

  His thoughts in a whirl, Calm down, dammit. Granted you never expected anything like this, but now you’ve got to deal with it, he made coffee automatically, and headed to the bedroom for a quick shower and change of clothes.

  When Felicia got home, she found Matt sitting at the table staring at the papers in his hand, and the dregs of a cup of coffee at his elbow. He didn’t even look up. “Matt? Is everything… Is something wrong?”

  Matt’s h
ead jerked up, “Oh, I didn’t hear you come in.” Getting up, he cradled her in his arms, rubbing her stomach softly, “Hard day at the office?”

  Felicia kissed him softly, then slumped down at the table, “It was a day. Too many hours on my feet, and the baby is kicking up a storm. Can I have a half cup of coffee, with cream and sugar? I shouldn’t have any, but I need it, hon.”

  Matt jumped up and poured her coffee, adding cream and sugar to the quarter cup of coffee he’d poured. Taking it back to the table, he sat it in front of Felicia, as she pointed to the papers on the table, “Orders? Are these orders Matt? Where are we going?”

  Sitting back down and pawing through the stack, Matt pulled one sheet from the stack and set it in front of her. Pointing at it he said, “I’m…We’re on orders to two/nine at Lejeune.”

  Felicia interrupted, “Two? Nine?”

  Matt scrubbed the top of his head, “Second battalion, ninth Marines. Looks like we’ll get there just about the time they deploy to Marjah, in Helmand Province. That’s Afghanistan.”

  “When?”

  “Two months. Maybe it would be better if you went back to Texas and stayed there until we get back off deployment.”

  Felicia cradled her stomach and looked at Matt as tears rolled down her face, “Why? Don’t you want me…”

  Matt leaned over and enfolded Felicia in a fierce yet gentle hug, “No, no, no. It’s not that I don’t want you there, it’s that the baby is due in three months, and I don’t want you subjected to the crap of trying to get everything moved, getting settled in housing, and then watching me walk out the door with you not knowing a friggin’ soul there.”

  Felicia hugged him back, “But I want to be with you…”

  “I know, and I want you there, but I’m thinking about you and the baby. Texas would be a lot better, and you’ll have family to take care of you.”

  Felicia leaned back, “We’ll talk about this later. What will you be doing?”

  Matt pointed to another line on the orders, “It looks like I’ll be taking over the scout/sniper component. Kinda like being the first sergeant. Like what Mike Brill does.”

  “Oh, okay. So more paperwork than anything else, right?”

  Matt nodded, “Yeah. You ready for some dinner?”

  Felicia said playfully, “Dinner, no. Supper, yes. Gotta get you into the southern way of talking.”

  Matt laughed and headed for the kitchen as Felicia tried to puzzle out the various pieces of paper, finally giving up and stacking them back in the middle of the table.

  ***

  Matt sat at his desk, idly toying with a stack of paperwork as he started printing out the forms he needed to fill out for the upcoming move. Toad slipped silently through the office door and poured a cup of coffee before he leaned on his desk, “So, you’re on orders and gonna desert my ass eh?”

  Matt looked up, “How the hell… Ah never mind. Yeah, on orders to two/nine at Lejeune. Reporting in sixty days.”

  Toad nodded, “Mack McDonald is your armorer there, I’ll give him a heads up on how you like your stuff set up. You want to take anything from here?”

  Matt shook his head, “Nah, the way the orders are written, I’m basically going in as first sergeant for scout/snipers, so I’ll have to see what their setup is, and figure out what, if anything, I get to carry.”

  Toad scuffed a boot, “Any idea who’s replacing you?”

  “Not yet. Damn, Toad, the orders just showed up yesterday afternoon, what’s got you spun up?”

  Toad shrugged, “Well, I hear Burton is in line for your slot. If that happens, I’m punching out in December.”

  Matt looked up sharply, “What… What is bringing this on?”

  “Burton doesn’t like me. Never has, after I so called embarrassed him that time at Quantico.”

  “So you’re going to throw what, twelve years away?”

  Toad spun around and sat behind his desk, staring at Matt he said, “It’s not about throwing it away, it’s about me, Toad Moretti having a life. I owe you for my career Matt. I know that. You kept me sober and you and Aaron introduced me to a whole different world of folks. Cindy and I are talking about getting married.”

  Matt sat back stunned, “Married?”

  “Yep, married. You didn’t think old Toad had it in him did ya?”

  “No…Err, I’m just… Surprised is all. I mean Cindy is…”

  Toad grinned, “A nice girl? Yes she is, and a smart one too! She’s got two more years of law school, and I’ve got my GI bill. I could finish a Ph.D. by the time she graduates, and I could either go work in industry, or teach. Hell, I can even stay in the reserves!”

  “But you’ve hardly spent any time…”

  Toad held up his hand, “Physical time maybe, but we talk two, three times a week, and we’ve been emailing since last Christmas. Cindy’s already talked to her mother, and she doesn’t have a problem with us getting married. I’d just need to ask officially.” Toad jumped up, “Gotta go get the line ready.” With that, he was out the door.

  Matt leaned back, Damn, what is next? And how the hell did Toad find out about my orders, or Burton possibly being the replacement? I don’t remember our sergeant’s network being that effective. Somehow I’ve gotta convince Felicia to go to Texas. Much as I hate it, it’s the right thing. Having a wife sure does complicate things… Matt turned back to the forms with a growl as he tried to get one more done before he had to RO the next group of shooters on the line.

  ***

  Felicia was wishing she’d gotten a cup of coffee as she nibbled on a breakfast cookie and took a sip of milk, grimacing at the taste. She knew having a baby would screw with her hormones and body, but she really hated what it did to her taste buds. Finishing the snack and deciding it was going to stay down this time, she reached for her cell phone. Jesse answered on the third ring, and she could hear Jace laughing and giggling in the background as the two of them hashed out plans. They concluded that Felicia should come back to Texas, and let Matt do the move and deployment before Felicia joined him. Jesse reminded her that Matt would get leave before he deployed, so he could come to Texas and see her. She also reminded Felicia that the men tended to push family stuff to the side as deployments got closer, and Felicia didn’t need to go through that right now either.

  Felicia’s next call was to Angelina, and Angelina told her the same thing, so Felicia bowed to the pressure and agreed to come back to Texas when Matt’s official move took place. That set Felicia to crying, as she realized Matt wouldn’t be there for the birth of their baby, and she lapsed into tears for a few minutes, then gathered her composure and headed for the bathroom to get ready for work.

  ***

  Matt dropped by to see First Sergeant Brill, mainly to catch up, but also to have him look over the package of documents Matt had in hand, before he submitted them for the move. Sticking his head in the door, he was relieved that Brill was alone, “Hey Mike, got a minute?”

  Brill looked up from a stack of paperwork, “Yeah, come on in. What’s up?” Glancing at the paperwork in Matt’s hand he asked, “Move orders? Want me to look them over?”

  Abashed Matt said, “As a matter of fact, yes. I hate the damn paperwork drills.”

  Brill stuck out his hand, “Give ‘em here. I’ll do a quick scan. While I’m doing that, you need to read this.” Picking a classified document out of the safe, he slid it across the desk to Matt, “New ROE for Afghanistan. It ain’t pretty.”

  Matt took the document gingerly, and slumped back in the chair as Brill started going rapidly through his package. About halfway through the ROE, Matt sat bolt upright and started mumbling to himself, finally saying out loud, “Oh for Christ’s sakes. You have got to be kidding me!”

  Brill glanced over, “Got to the part about dropped weapons, and immunity didn’t ya?”

  Matt nodded distractedly as he continued to read, “Yeah. Wait one.” Rapidly scanning the rest of the document, he started reading back and forth
, cross-referencing pages, going back and forth in the document. Finally, he leaned back and slapped the ROE on the desk in frustration. “You mean to tell me, this is what we’re going to have to fight with?”

  Brill took the document and shoved it back in the safe, “Not pretty is it? Gotta love the way they’ve tortured words into new and different meanings. The administration has pretty much made it impossible for us to actually fight the enemy now. It’s almost like they want us to fail, and are lining anybody up that disobeys this cluster fuck for a court martial.”

  “Man oh man. If we’d had this ROE when we went up to Baghdad, we’d never have made it across the border, much less all the way up. I still can’t believe they put a statement in there that if the shooter dropped their weapon, we couldn’t continue to fire at them. That is just beyond…”

  “Stupid?” Brill asked, “It’s stupid, no question. But their overarching goal, God are those big enough words or what, is to minimize collateral damage. You minimize collateral damage by killing the people trying to kill you. That way they don’t get a second chance!”

  Matt replied, “Our job as Marines is to kill people and break things so they stop. That piece of garbage won’t let us do that. And I’m supposed to go lead scout/snipers with this crap? Hell, I’d have to sit on every team in the field to make sure nobody violated ROE! It’s just not…”

  Brill looked at Matt, “Second thoughts? When I first read the ROE, I’ll be honest Matt, I was glad I won’t have to lead troops in the field anymore. I couldn’t do it!”

  Matt hunched his shoulders, “That’s official, right? It’s the official Marine policy for Afghanistan going forward?”

  Brill sat up, “Yes, it was on distro last Friday for immediate action and command briefing. That’s what the troops in theater are going to be dealing with starting immediately.”

  Matt just nodded, lost in thought. Brill picked up Matt’s move order package and handed it back, “These are good to go. I didn’t see anything that was wrong anywhere in there Matt. Looks like you’re getting to do another cross-country move. Oh joy, oh joy.”