by Robert Boren
He smiled and let her go, walking out of the kitchen with a lightness to his step.
Chapter 23 – Debrief at Zapata
“I don’t see Lieutenant Frazier’s boat, dude,” Juan Carlos said as he pulled up to the dock. “I don’t see any of the boats that went with them to Arroyo Coyotes.”
“Me neither,” Chauncey said. “This isn’t good.”
“Want to help me with the bow lines, Chauncey?” asked Brendan as he got up.
“Sure, man,” he said. They got up front as Juan Carlos drove the boat into the slip, jumping onto the dock with lines in their hands.
“Who’s gonna be in this debrief?” Brendan asked. “We rarely get to go.”
“Captain Jefferson, probably,” Chauncey said. “Maybe some other lieutenants like me.”
They left the dock, walking into the headquarters building.
“There’s Captain Jefferson,” Chauncey said, pointing. Jefferson was a tall, thin man with pale skin and black hair. He had a British look to him.
“Lieutenant Chauncey!” he shouted, motioning them over.
“Hello, sir,” Chauncey said as he walked up. “Hear anything from Arroyo Coyotes yet?”
“No, and it worries me,” he said. “Smith and Gonzales, thanks for coming. We won’t take too much of your time.”
Captain Jefferson led the men down a hallway, turning right into the conference room. Juan Carlos and Brendan’s eyes got big when they saw who was there. The head of the Department of Public Safety sat at one end of the table. At the other end were two Generals in full uniform.
“Men, welcome,” said a large black man with a dashing look and a warm smile. “I’m DPS Director Wallis.”
“It’s an honor, sir,” Chauncey said.
“Gonzales and Smith, correct?” Director Wallis asked. “Good to meet you. I’ve heard positive things about both of you.”
“Thank you, sir,” Juan Carlos said.
“Yes, thanks,” Brendan said. They sat down across the table from the Director. Captain Jefferson sat next to him.
“The men at the other end of the table are the heads of the Texas National Guard,” Director Wallis said. “On the right is Major General Landry of the Air National Guard. Next to him is Major General Gallagher of the Army National Guard.
“Good to meet you, men,” Landry said. He was in his fifties and built like an athlete, full of vigor, clean shaven with a military haircut and eyes like a hawk.
“Yes, glad you’re here,” Gallagher said. He looked like an old soldier, with hair a little too shaggy, two days’ worth of stubble on his face, and a tough, business-like look.
“Before we get started, let’s all agree that what we discuss here will not leave the room,” Director Wallis said. He looked around the table as everybody nodded.
“Any word on Arroyo Coyotes yet?” Captain Jefferson asked.
“No, sorry,” Director Wallis said. “We’re very concerned.”
“If they don’t show up by dawn, we’ll send search and rescue,” Major General Landry said.
“Yes,” Director Wallis said. “We have some things to discuss. Let’s get started.”
“Yeah, we can’t be here too long,” Major General Gallagher said. “We’re being watched.”
Juan Carlos and Brendan shot each other a glance.
“Okay,” Director Wallis said. “I know you men were expecting air support tonight. The US Air Force shut us down after the mission started.”
“Why?” Captain Jefferson said.
“We aren’t entirely sure about that,” Major General Landry said.
“I know why,” Major General Gallagher said.
The director shot him a look, and he stopped talking. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Harry.”
“Understood. Sorry.”
“I’ll cut to the chase, so our friends can get out of here,” the Director said. “We’ve been investigating the rapid influx of refugees over our southern border. The problem is much bigger than we’ve been led to believe. We don’t know the exact size of the problem, but we’ve caught ICE and the Administration in several key lies about what’s been going on. They’ve been giving us intelligence that leads us away from where the traffic has been.”
“So that’s why it’s been so dead lately,” Juan Carlos said.
“Yes. We know for a fact that there’s close to a thousand refugees poised to enter the country through Falcon Lake within the next several days. It was our plan tonight to take out several hundred enemy fighters, using the combined forces of DPS, Texas Air National Guard, and the US Armed forces. Your boat was the only one who accomplished the mission, as far as we can tell, and now we can’t raise the four boats we sent to Arroyo Coyotes.”
“Shit,” Chauncey said.
“My sentiments exactly,” Major General Gallagher frowned.
“So, here’s what we plan to do. We want to hit them again. Tomorrow night and the night after. For a third night if we can get away with it before the Feds force us to stop.”
“You want us to be spotters for you, don’t you?” Chauncey asked.
“Yes we do, but we won’t order you. It’s dangerous, and there could be legal ramifications for all of us except Gonzales and Smith. We’d like you to volunteer.”
There was commotion outside the conference room.
“What the hell’s going on out there?” Captain Jefferson asked. “I’ll go tell them to quiet down.” He got up and was heading to the door when it flew open. A man with tears streaming down his face rushed in with his cell phone.
“Lieutenant Jenkins, what’s going on?” Captain Jefferson asked.
“They killed them all,” he said, blank look on his face. “They posted it on YouTube.” He held up his phone, the screen showing the DPS Patrol Boat crews lined up.
“Oh, God,” Director Wallis said. “They’re beheading them.”
“Dammit,” Chauncey said, breaking down. The other men were frozen in time, too shocked to speak.
“Take Lieutenant Jenkins out of here, Captain Jefferson,” Director Wallis said softly.
Captain Jefferson led the man out, coming back to the room after a few minutes of silence.
“Let’s finish up here,” Director Wallis said. “You all know what we’re suggesting. Does anybody object?”
“I don’t,” Chauncey said, still crying. “Lieutenant Frazier was my best friend. This won’t stand.”
“I’m with you,” Juan Carlos said, grim resignation on his face.
“Me too,” Brendan said.
“Thank you,” Director Wallis said.
“When do we go out?” Chauncey asked.
“Tomorrow night,” he said. “Go get some shuteye.”
Chauncey walked out with Juan Carlos and Brendan.
“You okay?” Juan Carlos asked Chauncey.
“No, I’m pretty far from okay,” he said. “I got to go call Frazier’s folks. See you tomorrow afternoon.” He hurried away. Juan Carlos and Brendan leaned against the wall of the headquarters, staring out into the inky blackness of Falcon Lake, minds racing.
Chapter 24 – Boondocking in Biloxi
“We need to stop for the night,” Kim said, watching Eric grip the wheel of the class C, blasting down the westbound I-10 in the darkness. “You’ve been driving for over seven hours.”
He looked at her and nodded. “I know. What are we close to?”
She pulled out her phone and held it to her face, the glow of the screen lighting her freckled face. “There’s a junction coming up. Maybe there’s something around close to that. I-110.”
Eric got a grin on his face. “Biloxi.”
“Oh, I’ve been there before,” she said. “Spring break, years ago. There somewhere we can stay?”
“We can probably overnight in one of the Casino parking lots,” he said. “This is perfect. Liable to be foggy down there though. Almost always is this time of year.”
“Better get ready to take the ramp if you’re
going that way,” she said. “It’s coming up fast.”
Eric nodded and moved the rig to the right lane.
“You look so determined behind the wheel of this thing,” she said. “I like it.”
“Oh, please,” he said, glancing over and smiling at her. He took the ramp onto I-110. The fog appeared quickly, getting denser as they approached the gulf coast.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding,” Kim said.
“Told you,” he said. “Wait until we get onto Beach Blvd.”
“It’ll get denser than this?” she asked. “Scary.”
“We’ll slow way down, and there won’t be much traffic this late. It’ll be fine.”
“How much further?”
“We have to go over the big bridge,” Eric said. “The freeway ends shortly after that, and then we’re on surface streets. Maybe fifteen minutes.”
“Good,” she said. They climbed the bridge. “This is a huge.”
“Yep,” Eric said.
Paco came over and sat by Kim’s seat, staring at her.
“Oh, okay,” she said, patting her lap. He jumped up and watched out the windshield.
“He’s in love,” Eric said. “Here’s the end of the freeway.” Eric slowed down, Paco getting excited, whining with anticipation.
“He needs to go out,” Kim said.
“He always gets this way when he feels me slowing,” Eric said. “Smart little sucker. He knows he’ll get to stretch his legs pretty soon.”
They pulled up to a stop light, the fog so thick that it just looked like a red blob.
“Beach Blvd,” he said, putting his left turn signal on.
“You can really drive in this?” Kim asked.
“Sure, you just go slow,” he said. The light changed and he made the left turn, settling into a fifteen mile per hour cruise.
“It looked so different when I was here for Spring Break,” Kim said. “You could see way out into the gulf then. The boats with their lights looked so beautiful at night.”
“Yeah, we’d already be able to see the casino signs if it was that time of year,” Eric said.
“How cold is it out there?”
“I don’t know,” Eric said. “No outside temp readout in this old coach. Check the weather app on your phone.”
She put the phone up to her face again, the glow lighting her face. Eric looked over, his heart beating a little faster. She caught him.
“Watch the road,” she said.
“I can’t,” he said. “You’re so gorgeous.”
“Oh, brother,” she said, shutting down her display.
“Well, how cold is it?”
“Not bad,” she said.
The fog lit up more and more as they got near the big lights of the casino, making it even harder to see.
“Geez, this is horrible,” Kim said, clutching the seat. Paco got down and went to his bed.
“Refraction,” Eric said. “Don’t worry, I know where we’re going. Here’s our turn.” He got into the left turn lane and drove slowly onto the large overflow parking lot.
“Across the street from the casino, eh?” Kim asked.
“Yeah, that’s the only place they’ll let us park these rigs,” he said. “Hell, during the high season, you can’t even park here. You have to pay for an RV Park.”
He drove to the back of the parking lot and made a wide turn, heading the rig towards the driveway. There were two other motor homes in the parking lot, but no cars. Eric turned off the engine and stretched. “My back. Ouch.”
“Yeah, mine’s sore and I didn’t even drive,” Kim said. “We gonna take Paco out?”
“Yeah. Can you reach the leash?”
“Yep,” Kim said, grabbing it from behind her. “Paco!”
He scampered over and she put the leash on. They got out through the cab doors, meeting in front of the coach.
“The air is a little moist,” she said.
Eric laughed. “That’s an understatement.” They walked Paco around for a while, then headed back to the coach, going in the side door. Paco jumped up on the couch as Eric filled his food and water dishes. He set them down just inside the cab, and pulled the front curtains shut. Paco attacked his food, tail wagging.
“Hungry?” Kim asked.
“A little,” he said. “I’d be okay with a Clif bar and a glass of milk.”
“Sounds good to me,” she said. Eric got the Clif bars while Kim got the milk out of the fridge and two glasses out of the cupboard. They sat across from each other in the dinette.
“What a feast,” Eric said. Kim smiled and nodded.
“How far can we get tomorrow?” Kim asked.
“Good question. Why don’t you plug Fredericksburg into your map app? See how many hours it is.”
Kim did that as Eric put the milk away.
“Too far,” she said. “Almost nine hours.”
“How about Houston?”
She changed the town on her app and watched the screen. “That’s doable. Just under seven hours.”
“Perfect.”
“Never been to Houston,” Kim said.
“It’s pretty, but the air can be a little bad. All those refineries.”
“Where we sleeping?” Kim asked.
“You can take the corner bed,” he said. “Just pull the curtains shut. I’ll take the bunk over the cab.”
She thought about for a minute. “No, you take the corner bed,” she said. “That’s your normal bed.”
“Okay,” he said. “Just wanted to spare you the climb.”
“I just thought of something. The only thing I have to wear is what I have on.”
“That’s right, we didn’t stop at your place,” Eric said.
“How much do you have in the way of clothes?”
“All of them,” he said. “I was living in this, remember?”
“Oh.” She flashed him an embarrassed smile. “Duh.”
“We’ll get you some clothes tomorrow,” Eric said. “You can wear one of my big T-shirts tonight.”
“I don’t wear anything to bed,” she said.
“Me neither,” Eric said. He yawned.
“You go to bed,” Kim said. “I’m gonna look at a few things on my phone. See you in the morning.”
Eric nodded and got up, stumbling to his bed, pulling the curtains back. He stripped off his clothes and climbed under the covers, drifting off in seconds.
A little later he awoke with a start, feeling Kim’s naked body slide next to him.
“Whaa?” he mumbled, groggy. Her face got in front of his and she kissed him. Suddenly he was awake and aroused.
“We’re going to be living together,” Kim said. “We might as well get used to this now.” She ran hands over his body under the covers.
“You sure about this?” he asked.
“Why do you think I came with you?” she asked as she moved over him. “I came to be with you, and not as a friend.” They made love tenderly and drifted off to sleep in each other’s arms.
Eric awoke to Paco’s growling. He opened his eyes, dull light coming in through the window by the bed. He looked out. Still foggy. There was an old woman walking a dog outside.
“Paco, it’s just another dog. Cool it.”
“Good morning,” Kim said, moving against him. “I surprise you last night?”
“Yeah,” he said as she moved closer to him, her leg going over his torso. She sought out his mouth and kissed him.
“My breath is probably bad,” he said.
“So’s mine,” she said. “As if I care. I think we need a little more, don’t you?”
Eric groaned as she kissed him again, his passion building. Kim was on fire for him. Last night had been tender, but now they were both consumed, trembling and crying out as they came together. Afterwards they laid on their backs looking at the low ceiling.
“I’m glad we’re past that,” Kim said, catching her breath, sweat beaded on her forehead.
“What do you mean by that?�
� Eric asked, turning his head towards her. She smiled.
“That didn’t come out right,” she said. “When I find a guy I really like, I’m always nervous until I find out if we’re compatible this way.”
“Oh. Are we?”
She giggled. “How many times did you just take me over the edge? What about you?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” he said, looking back at the ceiling. She socked him in the shoulder and he laughed. “Are you kidding me? Yes, it was good. As good as I’ve ever had.”
“I’m glad,” she said. “Better get used to it. We’ll be doing a lot of this.”
“You hungry?” Eric asked. “Maybe we should go to the buffet at the Casino.”
“That sounds heavenly,” she said. “I could eat a horse, and I need some clothes. I’ll bet I can buy some stuff there.”
“It’ll be expensive,” Eric said, sitting up.
“I’ll only buy a few things,” she said. “Enough to get me by until we can hit somewhere cheaper. She sat up, her naked breasts coming into view. Eric stopped to look. “Again?” she asked.
“Later,” he said. “Let’s walk Paco and then go eat.”
“Okay.”
Paco enjoyed his walk through the fog. Eric fed him when they got back, and then he and Kim walked across the street.
“This gonna burn off today?” Kim asked.
“Probably, a couple hours before it comes back.”
“Charming,” she said. Eric held the door open as she walked into the hurley burley of the casino floor. They made their way to the buffet and had a large breakfast.
“Let’s go find you some clothes,” Eric said. They left the dining room and went upstairs to the shops.
They shopped for half an hour, Kim picking up enough clothes to last a few days. They went back to the coach and drove away, heading north on I-110, then west on I-10.
Chapter 25 – On the Lawn
Kip Hendrix sat at his desk, eating a cheese danish.
“Coffee, Mr. Hendrix?” asked his secretary from just outside his office door.
“Yes, Maria,” he said. She walked in, wearing a business suit that didn’t quite hide her hourglass figure. Her dark hair was lovely with its waves, every hair in place. She put the coffee cup down on his desk. Hendrix took a sip. “Excellent. Thank you.”
