Layne wished Edie would stay in Keeneston, but she understood the feeling of safety that returning home provided. During their cake eating marathon, Gavin had called from Shadows Landing with Tinsley. They were ecstatic to hear about the engagement and even happier to have Edie coming back to town. Tinsley told them it was all the small town was talking about.
As Layne parked in her garage, she picked up her phone that’d buzzed. It was an email from Gavin listing all the addresses of the Faulkner cousins. Walker and Layne had already decided to invite them all to the wedding. Layne’s grandmother was excited to meet the family she thought she had lost and was pushing for a quick wedding. But before they could have a wedding, the groom needed to be declared alive. And her groom was very much alive.
Layne smiled up to Walker as he leaned against the garage door with FP held like a football in his left hand. It was crazy how right love felt. “I’ve missed you,” Walker said in his slow and deep southern drawl before lowering his lips to hers as she stepped in front of him. She’d missed the warmth of his skin and the masculine feel of his body pressed against hers.
FP was running on air to get to Layne, but the second Walker’s lips met hers the world around her vanished and her heart overflowed. “I missed you, too. I still can’t believe you went on a guys’ trip with my family and came back alive.” Walker chuckled as he stepped back so she could walk into the kitchen. “Oh, dinner smells delicious.”
“Thanks. Four-cheese risotto and fresh fish.”
Layne set down her purse and snagged a bite of risotto. She moaned with pleasure as the taste exploded on her tongue. “This is out of this world.”
“So is this.” Walker laughed, holding up the massive wedding binder she’d left on the kitchen bar.
“Who knew we’d be thrown into wedding planning so quickly,” Layne said with a sigh as she snagged another bite of the risotto.
“Getting cold feet?”
“No!” Layne instantly denied. And she wasn’t. It just didn’t seem right to be planning a wedding without the groom. “I just want a groom to help plan the wedding.”
“I guess it’s a good thing I’m here then. And a good thing we head to DC tomorrow to get me declared alive. Let’s eat and go over the plans. I got a voicemail from Grandma Marcy, informing me she wasn’t getting any younger and she couldn’t die happy without holding her great-grandchild. And in order to do that, we needed to get married right away.” Layne felt her eyes go round in horror, but Walker seemed amused.
“You’re okay getting voicemails like that?”
Walker laughed as he made up Layne’s plate. “That was nothing compared to the one I got from Grandpa Jake.”
The fork Layne picked up fell to the counter. “My grandpa called you?”
Walker nodded. “I hope we’re like them after decades of marriage. He told me to rush you to the altar. Something about knocking you up if it would hurry it along.”
“No way he would say that!” Layne said in disbelief.
“Oh, yeah. And he ended it with a bit of marriage advice about keeping your wife happy, getting apple pie, and never giving an iron as a gift. I got the happy wife part, but he lost me on the iron.” Layne was still staring as Walker shrugged and opened the binder. “Oh, I like the idea of getting married at your grandparents’. After all, that’s where I became part of the family. We could have shooting competitions for who gets the first piece of wedding cake. That oak tree with your grandparents’ initials on it has to be three hundred years old.”
“I am so in love with you right now,” Layne said as she wrapped her arms around him.
“So, wedding planning turns you on?” Walker asked seductively. “Then what do you think about the script invitations along with the local country band?”
Layne’s lips quirked up before splitting into a smile. “I think all this wedding planning is making it hard to keep my clothes on.” She slowly untied the drawstring on her scrubs and winked at Walker.
“Really?” Walker asked, his voice dropping to a low rumble as he leaned forward and kissed her. “Then how are the colors navy blue and gold for the theme? They are the Navy’s colors after all,” he whispered in her ear.
“That’s so hot my pants just fell off. Talk food choices to me,” Layne said as she kicked off her pants and teasingly began to lift her shirt.
“Southern cooking all the way. How about barbeque and chicken and waffles?” Walker suggested before lifting Layne’s shirt the rest of the way off for her. “With an Amaretto cream wedding cake and a chocolate peanut butter groom’s cake.”
Layne’s bra dropped to the floor along with her top. Dinner was forgotten as Walker hooked a finger in the waistband of her lilac satin panties and slowly began pulling her toward the bedroom.
“You’ll be beautiful in white, and I’ll wear my dress uniform,” Walker murmured against her lips as Layne began to unbutton his shirt.
“And early the next morning, we’ll board a plane and spend our honeymoon on a private beach somewhere,” Layne said, attacking the button of his jeans.
“Nash already told me about where he and Sophie went. It sounds perfect. A week with no clothes, no one out to kill us, and no chance of anyone interrupting us.” Walker kicked off his pants and fell back onto the bed, pulling Layne with him.
Layne let out a squeak of surprise as she landed on top of Walker’s hard body. “Did you happen to call that resort to see if they have any openings in say, two weeks?”
Walker grinned up at her as he slid his hands under her panties. “Not even married yet, and we know each other so well.”
“I’ll show you just how well we know each other.” Layne pulled her panties off and tossed them on the floor as she reached for the giant box of condoms Aniyah gave them. It was so large it didn’t fit in the nightstand drawer.
“I look forward to a lifetime of it,” Walker said a moment before he flipped Layne onto her back and showed her exactly what she had to look forward to.
31
Washington DC
* * *
“I don’t believe it,” Lieutenant Commander Stephens said in shock as he took in a very alive Walker and a roomful of people who had come to the Pentagon with him. “You’re a dead man.”
“Not so dead after all. But not for lack of trying,” Walker said to his commander as Stephens wrapped him a tight hug before stepping back and thumping Walker’s back for good measure.
Stephens, along with Admiral Thomas Rudy, had been called to Washington for a secret meeting. With Miles, his brothers, Bridget, and a royal family, they had a top-secret meeting scheduled with the top brass along with members of the president’s cabinet and a federal judge. In return, Ryan and Matt were in a holding room deep within the Pentagon with Jud and his crew, ready to hand them over to the federal authorities.
Stephens’s brow knit in confusion and worry. “Are you the reason I was summoned to DC? What’s going on, Walker? Who are all these people?”
“My family,” Walker grinned as he held out his hand to Layne. She stepped forward and placed her hand in his. “This is my fiancée, Layne Davies. And you know my sister, Edie.”
“Ma’am,” Stephens said, shaking Layne’s hand and turning sadly to Edie. “I’m so sorry that Shane didn’t come back.”
Edie smiled sadly as she gripped Walker’s arm. “At least I have my brother back, and I have answers.”
“Would you like to explain now, Walker?” Stephens asked.
Walker gave his commander the succinct timeline of events as if he were debriefing him on a mission. “Layne’s father, Miles Davies,” Walker said, nodding to where Miles stood, “and his brothers, Cade, Marshall, and Cy Davies all helped. We also had help from Ahmed Mueez and Nash Dagher on behalf of the Rahmi royal family.”
“Royal family?” Stephens stuttered with wide eyes. “Not the Ahmed and Nash?”
“So, you have heard of my men,” Mo said proudly. “I am Prince Mohtadi Ali Rahman, and this i
s my wife, Princess Danielle, and my son, Prince Zain.”
Walker fought the smile as Stephens looked around the room. “Are you to thank for this meeting?” he asked Mo.
“No, she is,” Mo grinned as Bridget stepped forward.
“This is Bridget Mueez. She’s Ahmed’s wife. You probably know of her father, General Richard Ward.” Walker introduced her as Bridget shook his hand.
“The former commander of Special Ops and then Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Richard Ward? Where did you find all these people?” Stephens asked dumbfounded.
“Keeneston,” they all answered as one.
There was a knock on the door and an aide came in. “We’re ready for you all now. If you’ll follow me to the hearing room.”
Walker never let go of Layne’s hand as the large group walked down the halls of the Pentagon to the room set up like a congressional hearing. Inside was a long table sitting on a platform. Behind it was the chief of naval operations along with the rest of the joint chiefs of staff, the secretary of defense, the attorney general, and someone Walker guessed was a judge.
“Where the hell is Keeneston?” Stephens whispered behind him.
“Chief Petty Officer Greene, please take a seat with your attorney,” the chief of naval operations ordered, sending everyone to their seats. Layne squeezed his hand once before letting go and sitting in the row of chairs between her parents.
Walker pulled the seat back and stood next to Addison Rooney, the young prosecutor from Keeneston who had been helping him get everything in order to declare himself alive.
“We are here today to determine if the man standing before us, is in fact, Chief Petty Officer Walker Greene, who was declared dead after the Nigerian Waters Operation. Ms. Rooney, does your client have an opening statement before you call your first witness?”
“He does,” Addison responded, nodding to Walker. Walker stood and delivered his statement of facts. He told about his history in the SEALs before joining DEVGRU. Then he told of the night in question and the night he “died.” The panel whispered among themselves as he talked. Then they peppered him with questions. He saw it dawning on them that the man they’d all held as a national hero was, in fact, anything but.
“Call your first witness,” the chief ordered once Walker was permitted to sit.
Edie was called to the stand first. She described being notified about her husband and brother’s deaths and how she was pressured to declare Walker dead, even when she refused.
“Who pressured you?” the Secretary of Defense asked her.
“Jud Melville and Admiral Thomas Rudy, who I only later discovered was, in fact, Jud Melville’s father.”
“Is that true?” the attorney general asked as the chief of naval operations silently affirmed it with a nod of his head.
Edie then proceeded to tell of her kidnapping at Jud’s hands and Layne’s rescue. She ended with swearing that the man standing in front of the panel today was her brother, Walker Greene. Next, Layne was called to the stand and Walker watched as his brave fiancée told of killing Darrel Snyder, receiving threats from Jud Melville, and then going along with her kidnapping in order to rescue Edie.
“Where did you learn skills like that?” the commandant of the Marine Corps asked in disbelief.
Layne smirked and Walker almost laughed as Layne looked at her father. “From my father, retired Lieutenant Colonel Miles Davies of the U.S. Army.”
“Miles Davies?” the chief of staff of the Army asked. “As in the Davies who worked under General Ward?”
“Yes, sir,” Miles confirmed, standing up. “General Ward’s daughter, Bridget, is who notified you of this meeting.”
There was a lot of whispering now and Walker wondered which one of them knew that Miles and the row of his brothers seated next to him were not retired.
“Thank you, Miss Davies. Miss Rooney, any other witnesses?” the chief of naval operations asked a minute later.
“One last witness, sir. Keeneston’s Deputy Sheriff Cody Gray.”
Walker watched as Cody stepped forward and was sworn in as Addison handed a thumb drive to an aide.
“Mr. Gray, can you tell us about the video we are about to see?” Addison asked.
“Chief Petty Officer Walker Greene, upon arriving in Keeneston, was in possession of a damaged body cam. I was able to recover the video.” He held up the camera for everyone to see. “This is the camera I am happy to hand over as evidence.”
Addison took the body cam and passed it to the panel who agreed before pressing play. On the screen, Walker saw his team as they rode in the RIB. He heard Edie’s gasping cry as Shane laughed on the screen. All too soon, the happy pictures of a band of brothers turned into a nightmare as Walker plunged into the ocean.
The room was completely quiet for several long minutes.
“Thank you, Mr. Gray. You may be excused. I also have this to present into evidence.” Addison hooked up the television and a picture of Keeneston came into view. Jud’s capture played out as the panel quietly whispered among themselves. “My client is willing to perform a government-ordered DNA test if the one we provided from Davies Laboratory is insufficient. But at this time, I request that my client, Chief Petty Officer Walker Greene, be declared alive and all his paychecks, retirement, and standing within the Navy be retroactively brought to current and reinstated. Thank you.”
Walker held his breath as Addison took her seat next to him. The panel gathered close and the microphones were muted as they talked. Finally, they turned to Walker.
“I’m Judge Joyce Monk, and I hereby rule that upon the evidence presented, Walker Greene is alive. All back pay, social security, government benefits, and identifications will be immediately effective retroactively from the date of death.” There was a rap of a gavel as his friends behind him whispered their congratulations.
“Where is Jud Melville now?” the attorney general asked.
“Here in a holding cell. He is in the custody of the Keeneston sheriff and the Lexington office of the FBI. Providing the government is ready to press charges, the town of Keeneston is prepared to waive their right to prosecute Mr. Melville and hand him over to you right now.”
“I believe we will be glad to take him off your hands, and we thank the town of Keeneston for their help in catching such an evil perpetrator,” the attorney general said as the others nodded. “Bring in Mr. Melville and Admiral Rudy,” she ordered the aide.
“We are sorry for what you went through, Chief Petty Officer. Thank you for your heroism. I will be personally recommending you for the Medal of Honor,” the chief of naval operations informed Walker.
“Thank you, sir.”
The chief of staff of the Army smiled. “Then Lieutenant Commander Davies won’t be the only Medal of Honor recipient in Keeneston. Bridget, tell your father I said hello. I’m also hearing a rumor of a private military training facility in Keeneston. Are the rumors true?”
Miles and his brothers stood. “Yes, sir. We hope to be up and running in six months.”
“You’re putting together a training facility?” the chief of staff of the Air Force asked. “Who will be your instructors?”
“We are in the process of hiring. So far it will be my brothers, retired FBI agent Cole Parker, Ahmed Mueez of the Rahmi Special Forces, his wife, Bridget, who is a renowned K-9 handler that supplies Special Ops with their dogs, and myself. Hopefully, even a DEVGRU man.” Miles winked at Walker.
Walker felt his chest puff with pride. Miles wanted to work with him.
“Hooyah,” Walker answered with a smile. He would be a trainer in Keeneston. He would be able to do what he loved and be with the woman he loved without long and dangerous deployments.
“Oh, come on, Froggy,” Cade groaned under his breath.
Morgan leaned behind Miles and looked at her brother-in-law. “Uh-oh. Someone else has a badass son-in-law now,” Walker heard Morgan whisper before standing upright again with a sweet smile on her face.
“When are you accepting trainees?” the chief of staff of the Army asked. “I have a group of Special Ops guys to send to you as soon as you’re open.”
“I’ll call you to schedule them,” Miles said as the aide came back into the room with Jud. Another aide came in from the opposite door with Admiral Rudy. The father and son looked surprised to see each other.
“Thank you for your service, Chief Petty Officer Greene. We’ll take it from here,” the attorney general said, interrupting the talk of a training facility. With a nod to the panel, Walker turned and held out his hand for Layne. He walked out with the woman he loved by his side and never turned back. There was too much to look forward to for him to ever look back again.
Epilogue
Marcy Davies stood nervously in front of her bedroom mirror and checked her hair for the fourth time in five minutes. Her family would be here any moment. Well, the family she never thought she’d meet. Her sons, daughter, their spouses, and all their children were already here for the sunset wedding of her granddaughter and Walker.
“How are you doing, darling?” Jake asked as he came up behind her and looked at her in the mirror.
“I’m so nervous, Jake. What if they don’t like me? What if it wasn’t Mom who kept them away from me?” Marcy fiddled with her pearl necklace as she felt the familiar pain of being a disappointment to her family assault her. At least she’d thought that was the reason for their separation. However, her grandnephew Gavin had told her otherwise.
“Oh, Marcy. You’ve always been the only family I need. I’ve lived a long life. If they hurt you, then I’m pretty sure Matt won’t arrest his grandfather-in-law for hurting them back.” Jake placed a kiss on her cheek and slipped his hand into hers. The decades had gone by. The once young and invincible man had gone through war, poverty, loss, love, fatherhood, and now to the patriarch of a family with more love for each other than he knew possible. He looked out the window as his family was gathering below and smiled.
Forever Devoted Page 22
