“Well, I’m off to bed. We’ll make breakfast in the morning. Then we can discuss how long you want us to stay.”
“Thanks, Dad,” she said as she stood. They walked down the hallway to the bedrooms. Steven Cook kissed his granddaughter and then kissed his daughter.
“Love you, Brandy. Your mom would be so happy to see you and the baby. I’m glad you’re so happy.”
If he only knew.
Chapter 19
Lt. Commander Gibson shook Tucker awake. At first, he couldn’t remember where he was, but then Sven’s familiar snoring brought him right back.
“We got a problem. One of the boys got arrested,” Gibson said.
“Shit.” He was putting on his jeans and a shirt. “Who is it?”
“Lucas Shipley.”
“Stupid fuck. How did that happen?”
“Alex thinks it’s a shakedown. They’re staying down there at the police station until we can figure something out.”
“You call State?”
Gibson hesitated. “They want to see if we can get him out first. Try paying them off, and that’s what they think has to happen. But they’ll contact the folks in Madrid if that doesn’t work.”
“I’d like to take T.J. then unless—”
“I’m good with that. You know where the station is?”
“No, but I’ll find out. I need Alex’s cell. I’ll wanna talk to him on the way down.”
Gibson shared the contact. “I’ll go get T.J.”
“I understand my presence is requested,” he said, carrying all his clothes.
They checked in with Stuart Bonilla, who was fast asleep on a mattress in the corner of the communications room. One of his men sat at the console, removing his headset.
“Hola!”
“We’ve got to go get a man at the police station. Anything I should know about?”
Stuart jumped up off the mattress. “Sorry, I’ve been up for nearly twenty-four hours. I was seeing things.”
“We’re going back into Las Palmas to pick up Lucas, who’s gotten arrested. Anything big going on that you know of?”
“No. I got no clusters. Nothing’s moving. Right, Ray?” he asked the young agent at the desk.
“I got nothing. Lots of things I’m looking for in the morning, but all’s quiet now.”
“Tucker, check in so we know you got successfully home.”
“Will do. You want me to take the net?”
“Let’s leave that home, just in case you get searched. Say, Gibson,” Stuart addressed the Lt. Commander, “who had the device?”
“I gave it to Jake. I know it wasn’t Lucas.”
“Okay, good. Those fuckers are expensive.”
“Stuart,” said the young agent. “They turned it off over an hour ago. I got nothing on it, just the bartender’s signal and he wasn’t making calls.”
“Okay, we’re on our way.”
Tucker and T.J. started up the Jeep and used the glow from a nearly full moon to navigate the winding road down the hill.
He called Alex.
“We’re on our way. Can you tell me what happened?”
“It was just a crazy bar scene. A couple of locals found out we were Americans and started messing with us. The bartender tried to make them leave, but they started a fight.”
“How come they nabbed Lucas? How did that happen?”
The dead space on the other end of the line said volumes. “Lucas punched them back.”
“That was smart.”
“One of them has a brother who is a Civil Guard. Real mean dude. There wasn’t anything we could say. I don’t think they’re going to hurt him, just keep him there overnight.”
“And you think this how?”
“That’s what the bartender told us. He told us to go home and not to worry about him.”
“You think the bartender knows these guards?”
“I think everyone knows everyone. He just didn’t want to have trouble. He’d brought some ladies for us to dance with, you know. We weren’t going to do anything, just buy them some drinks and such. Then these guys got jealous. Had a chip on their shoulder about Americans.”
“How close to the Capri is the station?”
“About five, six blocks. I’ll drive to the Capri, and you can follow us over.”
“Good. See you in a few.”
They didn’t pass a single vehicle until they got to the bottom and hit the outskirts of the city. The harbor was fully lit up, and as they passed by, they saw forklifts stacking small containers while a crane was loading a shipping car into the large cargo opening on the cruise ship. A platform had been attached to the outside to facilitate the transfer of goods. Men with lighted hard hats guided the container until it was swallowed in the belly of the ship.
“They’re working late,” Tucker commented.
“I was just noticing that. Wonder what they’re loading.”
“I guess we’ll find out soon.”
The temporary buildings were well lit, but it appeared most everyone was asleep. Several fenced off areas were patrolled by Civil Guards with dogs.
The Capri was closed, but Tucker found Jake, Alex, and Ryan in the shadows, along the side that lead to the Tradewinds. Tucker noticed the car that Fredo had tagged was still there.
Tucker rolled down his window. “Anyone notice you?”
“We haven’t attracted anyone’s attention that we know of.”
“Where are the guys who picked a fight?”
“Gone. They were gone by the time the police showed up.”
“Okay, lead the way, then.”
He followed the dirty sedan with the rubbed-out paint, noticing that it also smoked like hell. They turned several times and then came to a small plaza with a fountain in the middle. The streets were paved in cobblestone, so the ride made Tucker’s teeth chatter. On one end of the plaza stood a two-story building with a flat, tiled roof, and small windows. Tucker knew it was the local jail.
Two blue and white compact patrol cars and one scooter were parked outside. He asked Alex and T.J to come with him, and the three of them mounted the steps, finding themselves inside a tiled foyer. A blue-uniformed Civil Guard stood and immediately approached them with a stick of some kind. Tucker thought he was going to be struck.
The official said something in Spanish, and Tucker put his hands out to the side. “Americans. We’re Americans. You have our friend inside,” He pointed to somewhere beyond the wall.
“I scan,” the guard said and waved a wand down Tucker’s front and back sides, repeating it with all three.
“No weapons. No problem,” T.J. said.
Tucker gave a scowl but then turned to discuss Lucas’ situation. “You speak English, senior?”
“Little.”
“We come to pay his fine,” Tucker said.
“Fine? What is fine?”
“Money. We are sorry, my friend. He’s my brother. He marry my sister. My sister be very angry if I don’t bring him home.”
“He marry your sister?”
“Yes, tomorrow. Ceremony tomorrow.”
“No, Senior. Not possible.”
“My sister, she loves this man. She will be very, very angry. She knows many rich people.”
Tucker wasn’t sure the guard was very interested in helping them. There was no way they should break Lucas out, although he knew they could pull it off. It was exactly the thing that they’d been told not to do. Then he had an idea.
“You can call my sister’s boss, Jens Vandershoot. Call him. He will vouch for my friend.”
The guard eliminated his slouch and practically stood to attention. “You know Jens Vandershoot?”
Tucker could see panic in the man’s face.
“Old family friend. Go ahead, call him. But it’s very early. Perhaps we pay the fine and take him home now, so he doesn’t miss the wedding, okay?”
Tucker reached into his jacket pocket and brought out a stack of one hundred U.S. dollar bills, with
its red sticker still attached. He held the stack up to the guard’s face. “Brand new. Virgin bills. For my friend.”
The guard indicated he’d be right back and left, without taking the money.
“Well, I’ve either fucked all of us up or made a dent in the problem.”
T.J. chuckled. “We should have brought DeWayne. He could have talked to this guy no problem.”
“Well, I was going for authenticity.”
“You were that, Tucker,” added Alex.
The door the guard exited into opened, and Lucas was pushed out in front of them. He had a swollen eye and dried blood from a cut lip. The guard unlocked his handcuffs and applied a damp towel to Lucas’ face.
“Tomorrow, he will be perfect, see?” He dabbed the blood and pressed lightly on Lucas’ eye. Lucas grabbed the towel and growled.
“Thank you, my friend,” Tucker said bowing, presenting the stack of bills. When the guard took it, Tucker added, “And I will be sure to tell Mr. Vandershoot how cooperative you were.”
The guard’s eyes got wide. He started to push the money back. “No, no. There is no problem. It is my pleasure.”
Lucas took the money back and started to stuff it back in his jacket but stopped. “Ah, hell, you earned it. Thank you, and I won’t say anything to Mr. Vandershoot.”
The guard held the bills with both hands, like they were a bouquet of flowers.
“You are most kind.”
As they were leaving the lobby, Lucas asked. “Where did you get the cash?”
“Gibson gave it to me. But, Lucas, why did you think it was a good idea to punch the guy?’
“He said the Cubs sucked.”
Chapter 20
Brandy’s dad insisted that either he or Jillian would spend the nights with Brandy until Tucker came home. She’d get more sleep, and they could help with the housework and the cooking. Jillian coordinated with some of the wives and tapered off the fried chicken and heavy foods. Each time, Kimberly was paraded out for all to see. Everyone offered support. Brandy saw that she’d not been taking full advantage of the help offered before, while she had it.
She also knew that this wouldn’t last forever.
Geri gave her updates over the next few days. Despite the questioning Lynn had undergone, the person who had stalked her and her cell phone had completely vanished. The pictures were turned over to the police, but it was determined that not much else could be done. No one was sure how this person had obtained Lynn’s phone number in the first place, but they suspected it was someone local when she’d ordered fast food or put her name down for a newsletter at a shop of some kind. The police continued to think it was a random occurrence and wasn’t likely to reoccur.
Lynn’s high school presented a program on human smuggling and sex trafficking for parents, as the result of what her family had gone through. But Lynn’s anonymity was kept intact, and, except for her family and the school staff, what she’d gone through wasn’t common knowledge. The social worker, police, and her counselor at school all told her how lucky she had been, and Lynn seemed to accept it and agree with them.
Steve enjoyed working in the garden, sometimes with Brandy, and kept the rows neatly tended. He helped Joe Benson and his two buddies work on the side gate and rear fence until it was completed. Sy had turned plans into the City to be approved for the addition, with Brandy’s dad paying the permit fees, which amounted to nearly a thousand dollars. They were given a two-month window for everything to be processed. Of course, nothing would start until Tucker came home to approve everything. But it was all ready to go, just in case.
Dorie stopped by with her three. The twins were nearly walking. Jessica was very curious of the baby, but once she saw the playhouse in back, she refused to come inside and stayed until dark. She spent the whole afternoon presenting the men with imaginary tea and sandwiches from her playhouse.
“I think Joe’s going to have a steady stream of orders for those,” said Dorie. “You think he’s ready for that?”
“Hope so. I’m so happy they’ve still got a home with all of us. It must be terrible to lose a son like he did.”
“Brawley said one of the instructors told him about a man they lost a few years ago, who left behind a wife and two kids. The team nearly came to fistfights over the widow.”
“No!”
“Oh, they’re serious about that, Brandy. I mean, I know Brawley would want another Team guy to raise our brood if something happened to him. That’s just how it’s done.”
“I know. Tucker tried to talk to me about that one time. I didn’t like hearing it then, and I don’t like it now.”
“We just live for today and trust that tomorrow will be there too. I always keep a part of me in check, though.”
“I’ve had the same thought, Dorie.” Brandy put her arm around her friend’s shoulder. “You guys seem happy now.”
“We are. I didn’t know I married such an asshole!”
Brandy laughed.
“He loves giving those BUD/S guys hell. I think it satisfies something inside him. Besides, he says, he’s making them stronger for what they have to endure coming up. Not all his instructors saw combat when he was training. Now, all these guys have seen it multiple times. We’re preparing a better team for the future.”
“I didn’t realize that would make a difference, but I can see it does.”
“I’ve heard some of the older SEALs, who never really saw combat, talk about it. They look up to the younger ones. Have a whole lot of respect for what they had to do over in the Middle East.”
“I never knew that.”
“So when do they come home?” Dorie asked.
“I’m not sure. This one is very different.”
“All of Kyle’s missions are. Man, have they had some unusual assignments. You know they had a cruise ship taken over by terrorists some years back? It was supposed to be a vacation!”
“That was before Tucker re-upped.”
“Yeah, Brawley missed it too. But it was something. Christy got a piece of luggage returned from that cruise a couple of weeks ago. That was, what, seven or more years ago? They finally found her luggage.”
They both laughed.
“With Kyle gone this time, I’ll bet Tucker is taking a leadership role.”
“Yes, I think so.” She sighed. “I’ll just be glad when they return. We’ll have to get together.”
“We need to do that. Just think, Kimberly and my twins will be so close in age. I can’t wait to plan those parties!”
Brandy was curious about something. “Dorie, I know I talked to you before about being a SEAL wife, but did it change once Jessica was born? I mean, you were engaged when he was going over, but after you had the baby, did you feel—”
“More alone?”
“Is that what I’m saying?” Brandy scratched her head. “Yeah, I guess that’s it.”
“You’re taking care of someone nearly 24/7, and there’s no end to the job. Plus, you worry all the time. My mom isn’t especially the motherly type, with all her social stuff and her boyfriends, and Brawley’s parents live way up on Oregon—well, I didn’t have them either. I had you, though, and that was a Godsend.”
She hugged Brandy.
“I am lucky with my dad and Joe and everyone. I really am.”
“I’m glad you appreciate it. Some couples just don’t have that support system. You have to create your own, when it’s not there. Not to bring up the past, but I think that’s what happened to Tucker’s ex. She was afraid of being alone. It wasn’t fair, because he was doing all he could. But she couldn’t handle it.”
Talk of Shayla still stuck like a thorn in her side.
Brandy shook her head. “Nope. I think she was just flawed. Man, she missed out on one of the best men in the whole world. You remember when we had that little encounter. I thanked her for releasing him.”
“Oh gosh, I forgot. That was so funny.”
Brandy unloaded the dishwasher while they c
ontinued.
“I don’t miss the not worrying, Brandy. I won’t lie to you. That was going to make me very old very quickly. Brawley had all that trouble; I just didn’t know who was going to be the man who came home to me. Do you understand?”
“I do.”
Dorie gazed out the window at the men who had started to pick up their tools. “It’s good for your dad too, Brandy. He needs friends. Lived all those years without your mom, now with a new wife. A man needs man friends. Just something about them wanting to put things together or solve problems or go do crazy stuff. They have to go out and be men. Brawley is so much happier working with those other instructors, being looked up to by the tadpoles.”
“And he’ll get his twenty.”
“Yes, ma’am. We’ve got a year to figure out what he does next. It’s going to be hard finding something that satisfies outside this group.”
Brandy could see Dorie was more worried about it than she let on.
What would Tucker do some day?
Chapter 21
The platoon waited an extra day to track and locate as many of their intended targets as they could find. So far, there had been no trace of Jens Vandershoot, but their intel picked up chatter that he was planning to deliver a large shipment of guns—running them down the western coast of Africa, probably to Nigeria. Vandershoot was known to have extensive ties to government entities there that provided cover for his operations. The Special Agents in charge were betting he’d be using the cruise ship. It was said he never liked to be far from his cargo, so, although they’d not located him electronically, they were certain he’d be on the ship.
They hired a deep-sea fishing charter and used it for staging the three-mile dive Coop, Trace, and Tyler would make. The charter’s size and weight put them in a class where they could operate at night without a pilot, which would have created too many questions and dashed the element of surprise.
SEALed Protection (Bone Frog Brotherhood Book 5) Page 12