“He’s taking a nap all right,” Cooper said.
The owner’s pictures made one perfect row, lined up on the fireplace mantle. Old and yellowed, they revealed snapshots of a wife and children. Several other photos of graves and land without grapevines completed the display. As Alex looked around the living room, he didn’t see any evidence of a feminine article indicating a woman had ever lived here.
They continued searching the rooms and timidly looking into closets. Most were empty. The master bedroom was different. The bare mattress looked out of place. The closet revealed gray and brown sweater vests, jackets hanging next to light tan pants and several wool plaid work shirts. Alex noted the man’s boots were well worn, but clean, with two pair lined up next to one pair of polished black dress shoes.
“I see the shoes, but no suit to go with them,” said Zak.
The two SEALs looked at each other and said at the same time, “He was buried in it.”
Devon opened a dresser drawer. “Oh man, look at this.”
Alex stood behind her, peering over her shoulder. There were several rolls of socks, organized by color, all rolled in the same direction.
“Okay, let’s not open anything up until after the family has had a chance to inventory it,” Devon added.
Despite the warning, Alex pulled on a broom closet knob at the end of the kitchen counter. The small storage area was nearly filled with stacks of brown paper bags, all folded in the same half fold, all facing the same direction.
How do some people live this way? Although Alex could appreciate the order, he couldn’t understand the lack of anything entertaining or frivolous. An old black and white Mixmaster sat in one corner. The rolled Formica countertop was slightly spongy, containing swirls in turquoise, burgundy, yellow and black, and was edged in a one-inch metal strip tacked into place. He remarked how this could have been a June Cleaver kitchen just waiting for some cook from the 1950s to come home and prepare dinner for her family.
The TV in the living room looked like it was one of the first color models. No VCR or CD player of any kind. An unfamiliar electronics box on one of the open glass shelves was probably a record player.
“I’ll bet there are some stories here. It would be kinda neat, if I had the time, to go through all his things and try to figure out who he had been and what he did.”
All Alex got were blank stares and frowns from his Team buds. Devon’s brow wrinkled. She pulled her briefcase onto the kitchen table and sat. Opening up her screen, she tapped a few keys and read before she looked up. “We have a couple of reports, but not the ones I was hoping for.” She leaned back and cracked her back. “So, who’s in and for how much?”
They went around the room, each SEAL giving their answer. Ryan and Cory were not sure they would go forward. Luke had gotten approval from Julie to pledge support. They didn’t add Kyle, who had expressed interest. Several others might be added later.
“I got a signing bonus I’m due, but was going to use it for a house down payment,” Alex added.
“Save it for the down payment, but we’ll count you as in, without numbers,” Devon responded.
She added up numbers she’d copied down. Lucas had no money to contribute, since he was in the middle of a nasty divorce, but mentioned he was willing to participate with labor. Coop noted his father-in-law was interested. Dr. Brownlee was also invested in Nick and Devon’s winery as a minority partner. When it was all done, they had a commitment for nearly two hundred thousand dollars.
Alex whistled.
“That’s not going to be enough,” said Devon with a frown. “Not even 10 percent. On these deals, you will need 50 percent.”
“So ask them, Devon,” Nick insisted. “Tell them who we are. See if they’ll take paper. You think there’s any chance of that?”
“Not a snowball’s chance in hell, Nick. I think they want the money. Maybe as a lease option, but honestly why would they do that? It ties the property up and all they get to keep is the option money if it doesn’t work out. You’re just buying a chance to bid on it in the future.”
“At a set price, though,” added Coop. “At least we know what we have to raise. Maybe that will give us a couple of years to do it.”
“Couple of years?” Devon’s grimace and near shout out echoed throughout the house. “I won’t let you get into this with less than five to seven years as the option. Maybe some of you forget, you’re still Uncle Sam’s property. And you can’t exactly order fertilizer and pay the help from the sand pit with PayPal.”
“Yeah, the terrorists pretty much screwed up PayPal for overseas stuff,” muttered Mark.
Nick wouldn’t give up. “Just ask them, sweetheart. See what you can do.” He gave her a peck on the cheek. Everyone was smiling but their realtor.
“You guys are completely nuts,” she blurted out.
Most everyone nodded and made some effort to verbally agree.
“You have no idea what you’re getting yourselves into,” she added with emphasis.
“Been there, done that,” answered Jake.
“You forget, Devon, we all believed the bull our Naval recruiter told us when we signed up. So far, nothing has been anything like what he said.” Lucas looked to his teammates for agreement and got it 100 percent.
“We could start working on the property as soon as they sign the agreement,” said Alex.
“What agreement?”
“The one you’re gonna create,” he added.
She searched for a set of sympathetic eyes, turning from one man to another. At last she stood in front of her husband, Nick Dunn. “You can’t let them do this, Nick.”
“I’m not going to do it. You are. You just meet with the people. See where they’re at, and then we’ll see if we can put some cash together and help with the details.” He took Devon in his arms. “Devon, you’re good at what you do. This is a walk in the park. We’re the ones doing all the work.”
Devon collapsed into his chest, mumbling, “I never thought you meant it, Nick.”
“Come on, Devon,” Zak interjected. “The least they’d have is a place that would be better than when they started.”
Devon turned in Nick’s arms, facing them. “You’re not going to prune and cultivate some forty-six acres by yourselves, guys. You gotta hire that. And it costs money.”
“Yup.” Coop was nodding his head. “Gents, I think we’ve got some reading to catch up on. And Devon? Please get that consultant over here ASAP. I know he’ll not do it for free, but we can cover that.”
“Coop, it’s likely to be several thousand dollars for the preliminary study.” Her eyebrows were raised but Coop wasn’t paying attention. Alex could tell he’d made his mind up and so had the group.
“I think this would be a fun caper. Bunch of SEALs going into the wine business. I can see it all now.” His palm moved across the air slightly higher than his forehead, “Frog Piss Cellars.”
That got a “Hooyah!”
Coop’s cell rang. He stepped outside to take it in private. Everyone inside could hear him greeting their LPO, Kyle Lansdowne. That meant that he was either on his way up, or they were on their way out.
Chapter 14
‡
Sydney was about to sign the employment form. Her pen was poised above the document.
“You sure you don’t want to think about it first? Go back to San Diego, try on all these ideas and make sure you’re doing the right thing?” Carly was revealing her concern. Sydney noted how hard she was trying to hide it.
“I gotta do something, Carly. Timing’s right. Someone asked me what I do. Asked me what makes me tick. I told them,”—she pointed down at the form—“this. I said I wanted a good partner, and then I wanted to focus on making it to the AVP circuit. I wanted to be the best of the best. I intend to be.”
“Boy, you make your mind up fast.”
“Feed me some caffeine and chocolate, and you’ll see some rather swift mood changes too, my friend.”
“I’m all in, Sydney. I think you can do it. Right now, I have nothing else either. So, who knows? Maybe we do this. Maybe we start something really big. Maybe we have an epic fail. You figure?”
“Does it matter?” Sydney said after she’d signed the form.
“I say we go until we can’t any more. That’s all.” Carly’s eyes were sparkling. Her bright smile was infectious.
“Let’s find out where our limits are, Carly. Let’s just test ourselves, find out how far we can go. It’s not a win or fail thing. We just don’t give up, until we have to.” As soon as she said it, Sydney knew who she sounded like.
“I like that attitude.” Carly picked up the signed contract and put it in the general manager’s in basket. “Done!” she said as she swept her hands together.
The day was coming to a close. “You staying at the Vintage again tonight?”
Sydney’s internal smile warmed her belly with excitement. Memories. She would sleep soundly with the double session workout today. “Yes, ma’am. Are you starved, because I sure am?”
“I could eat a tire right now.”
“Why don’t you change and meet me at the Vintage? We can walk a couple of blocks to some restaurants. You know the area.” Sydney might have offered to eat something simple at the diner at the hotel, but didn’t want to be reminded of this morning’s breakfast with Alex.
Carly agreed. They fist-bumped and went their separate ways.
When she returned to the motel, Sydney greeted the front desk clerk and headed to her room. In the back of her mind was concern about whether or not to contact Alex. She had hoped her decision would be clearer by the end of the day.
The workout had been grueling. She’d eaten healthy, not skipped her lunch. That was usually all it took to get her head level. But when it came to Alex, something inside her was ringing off the wall. An unanswered phone at an abandoned phone booth.
Her room was clean, but she could still smell the pheromones and visualize the look of them on the bed, as if she were gazing at a mirror while their bodies blended, went on that fantasy ride, trying to get as close as possible, indulging in the intensity without holding back. These sexual workouts were like fuel to her soul. Instead of settling her thoughts, the encounters brought energy and life to her world.
So, it was a conscious choice. Do I look for that recharge of my batteries or go for logical forward planning? She wondered if Alex thought that way, and realized perhaps it worked in him the opposite. In a firefight, there certainly would be the emotions of just staying alive in a dangerous place, saving each other. But through the fog of war, he was trained to think. Trained to use what they’d taught him. She could see why SEALs would have trouble assimilating into the “real” world, whatever that was. He was addicted to being the best Alex he could be, the killer machine.
Sydney had heard it said many times a good coach could tell which team was going to win by the intensity of their warm-up or their training for the week. She knew it was impossible to hide a lack of training, especially playing against a good opponent who would exploit the weaknesses they discovered. If her opponent saw she had difficulty with one particular type of serve, guess what she would see over and over again? That’s if the opponent was talented and had the control to exploit it.
So too with Alex and the SEALs. It wasn’t the superior equipment or firepower. It was their training, and something else—their mindset. She’d seen those poor guys down at the beach getting wet and sandy. Some of them were focused, others were checking out the pretty girls and showing off when they thought they could get away with it. But the ones who were going to make it could have been surfing on an iceberg like a polar bear, soaking up what little solar heat came from the crystals of ice reflected. They took advantage of every chance they had.
She sat on the bed and searched the empty walls of the motel room. She had a lot to do. She had to go back and pack, say good-bye to some friends, deal with Jack, gather her things in a rental trailer, and get herself back up here in two or three days’ time, find a place to live, and start her new job. There wasn’t a lot of room for second guesses. Overwhelming.
So maybe the good-bye she needed to do with Alex needed to be done in person, up here.
And, unless she was crazy, Sydney picked up that he expected her to contact him before she left. Maybe he was already on his way home too.
Am I ready for this?
The answer was a resounding, yes!
Chapter 15
‡
Coop brought everyone together in a huddle. Devon walked outside with two of the heirs, both granddaughters of the late Mr. Santos.
“That was Kyle just now. Danny has gotten word Ali’s paperwork has been stalled. As most of you know, he’s been trying to bring the little guy here to the States.”
Alex remembered seeing pictures of the little brown-haired boy and his poor father, the former Iraqi captain, who had lost the rest of his family, but deserted to spend his last days trying to protect his four-year-old son.
“I thought he was already at the orphanage north of Bagdad,” Luke said. Alex and the others nodded in agreement.
“Perhaps you didn’t hear the news. Parts of the city have been taken over by ISIS and other renegade fighters. The UN workers have been ordered to leave,” Coop added.
“So what happens to the kids?” asked Alex.
“We don’t know. I’m afraid once the aid workers leave, they’ll be on their own.”
“Those assholes,” shouted Jake.
“Kyle says we’re to get our butts back down to San Diego tomorrow. Alex, you, Lucas, Jake, Mark, and I have been given the opportunity to volunteer for ‘Operation Ali Baba.’ Luke, Ryan, and Cory, you may be needed so we’re asking you to return home with the others too.” Coop walked over to Zak, placing his hands on the one-eyed SEAL’s shoulders. “Zak, you’ve been ordered to stand down for this pending further orders.”
“I’ll help in any capacity that’s given me,” croaked Zak. Alex could see he was emotional about not being selected to serve even in a support role.
“You’ll be staying in San Diego, Zak. But we’ll see if we can get something for you to do. Or you can stay here.”
“No, I want to go with the rest of my team.”
Nick stood next to him and placed an arm around his shoulder. “We need you to stay here, Zak. They can reach you by phone just as well from here as San Diego.”
Coop nodded. “You’re still cleared for time off up here. I say you stay and help Devon.” He examined the faces of the rest of the team. “If any of these guys want to start talking vineyards, soil analysis, escrow instructions, or financial statements, you’re our go-to guy. Got it?”
Zak accepted his fate and agreed to stay behind.
“Danny must be beside himself,” whispered Mark. “He’s going too, right?”
“Yes. On his way. He and Luci are building a house on the Res. He, T.J., Fredo, and Rory will meet us in San Diego tomorrow. We can catch a flight out of Schulz Airport early tomorrow morning, then fly out oh-one hundred Monday morning for the pit. Kyle and the staff are making all the arrangements.”
“Or we drive. Fuck, I’m leaving tonight,” said Mark. “I could use some company to take turns navigating so I can get some sleep. I don’t want to wait until tomorrow. I won’t have any time to say good-bye to Sophia.”
“If we fly out, how do we get the trucks back home? We gotta drive, Coop,” said Ryan.
“I need to run it by Kyle first, but if you want to, don’t have a problem with that. You’ll get home before we will. Who wants to go with him if it’s approved?”
Everyone raised their hands, except Zak and Alex.
Coop walked up to Nick. “Sorry, man. That work party’s going to have to be delayed some.”
“Hey, you guys, this is important, way more important than the winery deal. Devon will try to work her magic while you’re gone, and Zak and I will see what we got when you get back,” Nick sa
id.
Coop and the rest of the team focused on Alex. Coop asked, “So what’s up with you?”
“Coop, if it’s okay, may I fly back tomorrow morning? I can say my good-byes up here. I’ll leave my truck with Zak here, although you sonofabitch put a scratch on it with your one-eyed driving and I’ll personally come back and poke out your other eye.”
The light-hearted laughter was welcomed and eased some of the tension of the upcoming mission.
“Okay, lemme get Kyle back on the phone. And one of you guys has to ride with me. I’m not driving that whole distance without some shut-eye. Lord knows we won’t get much rest bouncing around in that box of rocks getting over there.”
Devon was shaking hands as the two daughters looked through the doorway at the group of SEALs in the kitchen. One of them smiled and waved, which was returned by several of the guys.
Devon burst through the ten-light door with a confident smile on her face. “I have great news!” When she saw a lack of excitement on the long faces of her husband and the rest of the team, she asked, “So who died?”
“We’ve had a change of plans, sweetheart.” Nick took her hand. “Everyone’s got to go back to San Diego.”
“What, now? How will we get a contract signed?”
Nick pulled Zak to him. “We’ve got the bossman here. He’s staying behind to help put together the deets, just in case we can.”
Devon was searching for some clue as to what had occurred while she was outside doing her sales pitch to the two girls. Nick gave a pleading glance at Coop, who decided it was okay to let her know a little bit about the mission.
“Little Ali, the boy Danny has been trying to get cleared to come here, is in trouble. We’re being called on to help rescue some aid workers and the kids who stayed behind. That’s all I can tell you and you can’t say anything, Devon.”
“No problem.”
“I would like your good news, though,” Alex asked.
“The heirs are several months away from making a decision on what to do with the money, working with accountants and attorneys and such. Since they know it will take time to do your proper research, and they’re not ready yet to part with the place, not to mention clean everything out, they will entertain an option to purchase, first right, for a nominal fee.”
Band of Bachelors: Alex, Book 2 Page 10
