by Akart, Bobby
Delta waved at the resident and in Captain’s direction. “Well, he certainly is well trained, although slightly agitated.”
“All of us are a little on edge,” replied Alpha dryly. “I need your kids to exit the vehicle, too.”
Delta opened the back door and asked the kids to come out. Both of them protested due to the cold, and then they began to pepper their dad with questions.
Ethan was first. “Dad, what is this place?”
“Why are we here, Daddy?” asked Skylar.
Delta quickly wrapped his arms around both kids and led them away from the truck. “I’ll explain everything when we get to my cabin.”
“You have a cabin here? Why?” asked Ethan.
“In a moment, son. First things first.”
One of Alpha’s men led Captain around the truck. He was swiftly wagging his tail as he did his duty. After a couple of peeks inside, he came to the Hightowers and spent an inordinate amount of time sniffing Ethan. Then he stopped and barked several times at Ethan and Skylar.
Alpha stepped in and motioned for Captain’s handler to lead the dog away. “Delta, let’s step over here.” The two men walked away, leaving the kids standing alone, perplexed and confused.
“I think I can explain,” began Delta when they were out of earshot.
“I’m listening,” said Alpha with a gruff.
“As you know, I work security at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. I had a shift last night for a concert and took the kids with me. They wandered down to the field level, in front of the stage. There was a lot of marijuana floating around, and I’m sure their clothes still smell like it.”
“Did they smoke it?” asked Alpha. The use of drugs was strictly prohibited within the Haven, and only the Smarts’ home had alcohol. Drugs, drinking, and weapons don’t mix.
“No,” Delta lied. “You know how these concerts can be. After the chaos, we had a heckuva time getting out of there. Ethan hit his head, and Skylar was really shaken up. Both of them went straight to bed at my place without taking a shower. When I got Blair’s text, I loaded them up and hauled our cookies up here.”
Alpha glanced over Delta’s shoulder and studied Ethan. The boy didn’t leave the best impression on those who met him for the first time. Delta knew this, but there wasn’t anything he could do about at it this point. They lived in a world in which young people focused on their individuality rather than the impressions they made on others.
In a society that emphasized selfies on social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, it was hard to tell a teenage boy he needed to get a haircut and get rid of the earrings. They were more likely to flip you off and run away than comply with your suggestions.
Alpha nodded to the guards on duty and motioned for them to open the gates. “All right, Delta. Again, sorry for the inconvenience. Get your family settled and be at HB-1 for our morning briefing—oh eight hundred. We’ll bring you up to speed then.”
“Thanks, Alpha. By the way, am I the first to arrive?”
“Echo is here full-time, as you know. Charlie arrived an hour ago, and Bravo is en route.”
Delta turned and loaded the children back into the car. After he shut the door behind them, he returned to Alpha and spoke.
“It’s good to be home, brother.”
Chapter Seventeen
New Year’s Day
Delta’s Cabin
The Haven
“Dad, are you gonna tell us what’s going on?” asked Ethan, barely waiting for his father to pull away from the front gate. The icy snow crunched under the weight of the SUV as he drove up the hill, with Haven House in full view up ahead. Delta drove around the circle drive that surrounded the water fountain. He turned left toward a long row of cabins that stretched half a mile along the gravel driveway.
“Son, it’s a long, kind of complicated story. Here’s what I want us to do. Our place is up here on the left. Let’s get unloaded, get a fire going, and whip up some hot chocolate. I’ve got about an hour before I have to report to work.”
“Daddy, do you work here, too?” asked Skylar.
“Yes, baby girl. It’s an unusual job, but it’s very beneficial to all of us right now. You’ll see what I mean when I explain everything. Okay?”
“Okay, Daddy. I kinda like it here. It’s, um, woodsy.”
Delta admired his daughter in the rearview mirror. She was so innocent despite the turmoil his family had been put through. He wished he could insulate her from the madness. Maybe the Haven would give him that opportunity.
“Here we are,” he proudly announced as he pulled up to the front of a nondescript, saltbox-style cabin that looked like all the others on the road. This one differed in that it had an old tire swing tied to a massive oak tree’s low-hanging branch.
Back in early summer, Delta had come up to the Haven on two successive weekends to help the residents clear twenty acres to generate more pasture for the beef cattle Ryan had purchased at auction that spring. Everyone had pitched in to clear underbrush and cut down trees before sowing seed for the pasture.
Delta had brought a cord of wood to his cabin and stacked it inside a lean-to shed in the back. After eight months, the mixture of hickory and oak was well seasoned at this point. It was a valuable commodity to be used in the wood-burning stove that performed double duty as a cooktop and a source of heat. While Ethan fetched the wood, Delta unpacked and got the kids settled in the small bedroom.
On another trip to the Haven last summer, Delta had borrowed the Haven’s box truck and drove down to Charlotte, where he shopped at IKEA. Their furniture, and the low prices, fit Delta’s needs perfectly. When he’d outfitted the second bedroom with the bunk beds, he never imagined a scenario in which the kids would be with him. Now, with trepidation, he wondered if it would last.
“Okay, you guys, let’s grab a seat and I’ll explain,” began Delta after glancing at his watch. He had an hour before he left for the morning briefing.
“Dad, what’s happening?” Ethan started the conversation.
“Okay, first, let me tell you about the Haven. When I moved to Atlanta, I interviewed for several jobs. I put my résumé on websites, I networked on social media, and I put feelers out to people who knew about my track record in law enforcement. One of the opportunities that came my way was the Haven.”
“Do you have two jobs, Daddy?” asked Skylar.
“Sort of, baby girl, although now it’s most likely just one. This one.”
“Did you get fired because of us?” His daughter was genuinely concerned by the fact that her brother had disobeyed their father’s orders at the concert the night before.
“No, Sky. Nothing like that. It’s just that, well, um, things have changed in the world.”
“Is that why you wouldn’t let us turn on the radio, and made us pee outside?” Ethan was a smart kid and very observant.
Delta was apologetic. “Yes, and I’m sorry about that. I wanted the opportunity to explain what’s happening without a bunch of noise coming at you both from the news media.”
He paused and gathered his thoughts. There wasn’t a need to hit them with all of it, as they were both too young to understand. He continued. “Several things have taken place around the country that the police are still trying to sort out. New York City, Washington, Detroit, and, um, others have been subjected to, um …” Will paused as he tried to find the words.
“Daddy? Just spill it,” said Skylar with conviction, causing Delta to laugh. Kids don’t need to be coddled. They need to be exposed to the world gently, but truthfully.
“Okay, I will,” he replied. “The news reports indicate parts of the country are under attack. Some of it is serious; other events are more of a nuisance, we think. Either way, I needed to get you guys to a safe place where we won’t be exposed to the craziness.”
“Was the concert attacked last night?” asked Ethan.
“Yes, son, I believe it was. I have no idea why, but it was.”
; “So why do you have a job here?” he asked.
“Son, I’ve seen a lot of horrible things in my career with the police. I believe our society is very fragile, and that one mistake, or an intentional act, could cause people to get angry or even violent. I wanted a place to keep my family safe in the event things got out of hand.”
“You mean like these attacks?” asked Ethan.
Delta sighed and walked over to the wood-burning stove to add a couple of chunks of hickory. “Yes, that’s exactly what I had in mind. I couldn’t afford to purchase the place on my own because my priority has always been to provide for you two the best I could. So I made a deal with the owners, who hired me to work here in exchange for this cabin at the Haven.” Delta waved his arms around the cabin, which consisted of a single bath, two small bedrooms, and the open living space where they were talking.
“So is the whole place surrounded by fences and armed guards?” asked Ethan before adding, “It’s kinda like a prison.”
Delta grimaced, not sure how to take Ethan’s statement. “Well, fences and guards can have two purposes, depending on how you look at it. When you go to jail, they’re designed to keep the prisoners in. At the Haven, the security has been created to keep people out.”
“Why, Daddy?” asked Skylar.
Delta sat down next to his daughter and took her hands in his. “Well, baby girl, depending on how bad things get out there, some people will be hungry and desperate, and they’ll be looking everywhere for food, water, and shelter. At the Haven, we’ve taken steps to provide all of those things for the people who live here for a long time.”
“How long, Daddy?”
“As long as it takes.”
“As long as it takes to do what, Dad?” asked Ethan.
“Son, depending on what’s happening, it could take weeks or months or maybe even years for the country to become normal and safe again.”
The kids digested their father’s words while he prepared two mugs of Nestlé instant hot chocolate. He topped their drinks with marshmallows and whipped cream. Delta opted for instant coffee, fully caffeinated. It had been a long night.
After he returned with the drinks, he got hit with a question from Ethan that he’d hoped to avoid.
“Dad, about these attacks. Did they hit Philadelphia too?”
Crap. He didn’t want to lie, but he had a feeling where this was headed. “Maybe, son. They don’t know for sure yet.”
“What does that mean?” Ethan was skeptical of his father’s response.
“Well, there was a large power outage in the area that included Philadelphia, plus New Jersey and parts of Maryland.”
Skylar set her mug on the table and scooted to the front of the sofa. “Daddy, are you gonna get Mom? She should be safe, too.”
“Baby girl, your mother’s on a cruise ship and wasn’t due to get back into port until tomorrow morning. You guys know how I feel about Frankie, but he is a cop and perfectly capable of keeping your mom safe.”
Skylar vigorously shook her head in disagreement. “Not like you can, Daddy.”
“Dad, if it’s bad enough for the three of us to come here, it’s bad enough for Mom to come too.”
A chill came over Delta’s body at the thought of his ex-wife staying with him. And, most likely, she was a package deal with that treacherous wife-stealing ex-partner of his.
“Guys, your mom has a new life now, one that doesn’t include me. She’ll be just fine up north.”
“No, she won’t, Daddy,” protested Skylar.
Ethan agreed. “Come on, Dad. You can’t just leave her up there. You have to go get her.”
Delta took a deep breath and tried to keep his composure. “Son, honestly, your mother doesn’t like me very much. I can’t see how we could possibly live under the same roof.”
“You have to try, Dad. We can’t just leave her.”
“Son, you don’t understand,” Delta interrupted him. “It’s complicated.”
“No, it’s not. It’s simple. Either you go get her, or I will. Or take us home.”
Delta gulped down the last of his coffee and glanced down at his watch. He’d have to hurry to avoid being late.
“Okay, let me think about this and see what my options are. For now, you guys stay here. Keep the fire going, and when I get back, we’ll talk about it some more.”
Barely saying goodbye, Delta bolted out the door into the bright morning sun, with no clue as to how he was going to handle this.
Chapter Eighteen
Hyatt Centric Times Square
New York City
As a couple, Tom and Donna Shelton had experienced the ups and downs of life. Their marriage had always been on solid footing despite Tom’s devotion to the military and his country. This trip, intended to commemorate their fortieth wedding anniversary, had produced the greatest physical and emotional challenge of their lives together except for Donna’s cancer scare.
When Donna had been diagnosed as having breast cancer years ago, the family drew closer together, and the crisis forced Tom to reevaluate his life. He’d always put his duties as the commanding officer of the Naval Weapons Station at Joint Base Charleston above his family, and they understood because of the importance of his position. Donna’s breast cancer diagnosis changed everything.
Tom planned his retirement from the Navy, and Donna fought the cancer. Her doctor had spotted a peanut-sized shadow on her left breast and immediately performed a biopsy. The test confirmed their worst nightmare—the mass was cancer.
Donna was in shock. Consumed with the possibility of dying before she turned sixty, terror overcame her. Spending countless hours at the infusion center, followed by a lumpectomy and chemotherapy, Donna’s emotions ranged from sad, angry and worried to, at times, completely unpredictable. Then there were the side effects of the chemo. Hair loss, exhaustion, and nausea. But the couple persevered.
Tom’s retirement was a blessing to the family. Outwardly, he put on a good face to assuage any guilt Donna might have for causing him to exit the Navy before he’d planned to. Inwardly, Tom still felt a sense of duty, and as a result, he secretly maintained lines of communication with the military to keep him in the loop by receiving classified information and, based upon his years of experience, lending advice when called upon.
The family declared a miracle when Donna’s cancer was defeated after a year of chemo. She followed up with the doctor, and her scans had continued to read clean for the last four years. This anniversary celebration at Times Square for New Year’s Eve was the start of a countdown of another sort for Tom and Donna. For many cancer survivors, reaching five years without recurrence means a much higher probability of survival. In the coming year, without any hiccups, Donna could declare herself cancer-free and put the ordeal out of her mind.
For those who haven’t experienced a loved one with cancer, using the term journey to describe what the cancer patient goes through was not entirely accurate. The term journey implied a stress-free, almost zen-like experience. What cancer patients and their families actually experienced was fear and sheer exhaustion.
It was a level of stress that surpassed what Tom and Donna had just been through. When he and Donna made it back inside the hotel room, they breathed a collective sigh of relief. The chaos on the streets below their upper-level room in the Hyatt Centric Hotel in Times Square had begun to dissipate somewhat. The stampede of hundreds of thousands of New Year’s Eve revelers had evacuated Broadway and scampered through the streets of Midtown like mice fleeing a cat in a maze.
Then Tom’s phone had buzzed. The message was ominous, but it also evoked memories of a former life, one in which he’d performed admirably for his country and for those in power who didn’t wear the uniform or a U.S. flag on their lapel.
He glanced down again at the text he’d received. A communication from a part of his life he considered to be dead and buried. Yet, rising from the ashes like a phoenix, his secretive second job was regenerated and born again.<
br />
The real danger on the ocean, as well as the land, is people.
Fare thee well and Godspeed, Patriot!
MM
“Tom, is that from Willa?” Donna asked apprehensively. She’d found her way under the covers and had propped against the headboard as she flipped through the news channels with the volume turned down. Watching was one thing, hearing the details was another.
“Nah, wrong number,” Tom lied.
“Dear, wasn’t that a text message?”
“Yes, but it was still wrong,” replied Tom before shoving the phone in his pocket. He worked to change the subject. “I need to charge my phone. Let’s use yours to reach out to Willa, okay?”
Donna pointed to the chest of drawers, where her cell phone sat next to Tom’s wallet. He retrieved it for her and then made his way into the living area to locate his phone charger. When he was out of Donna’s sight, he deleted the text message.
He stood in the darkened living area for a moment before wandering into the kitchenette. He could use a stiff drink but opted for their celebratory bottle of champagne instead. Donna was chattering away with Willa, reassuring their youngest daughter that the old folks were okay.
The swelling of Donna’s ankle persisted, and Tom noticed his wife hid the injury from Willa, just as she had hidden her breast cancer diagnosis from him at first. After the truth came out, Tom wasn’t upset about the fact she’d withheld the truth. As he knew, being tight-lipped about certain subjects was a part of life, and among the secrets spouses keep from each other was the condition of their health.
For whatever reason, whether it was the fear of stigma, unwanted pity, or an attempt to not burden others, Donna, like so many women, had kept her husband in the dark about her cancer. It wasn’t until she was told she needed surgery that she opened up to Tom and their daughters about her illness.
Now Tom was wrestling with an old secret of his own, one that didn’t affect his marriage, but certainly weighed heavily on his soul. He mumbled to himself in the dark, with only the ambient light from the bedroom television dancing through the doorway.