Adam nodded. “I’ll collect. A single-malt whiskey is always welcome.”
“Noted.”
Boom! Boom! Boom! The water reverberated with the explosions.
Leaper was on his feet in an instant, moving to the end of the boat. He expected to see the Coronado Bridge falling apart. Instead, he saw the EOD crews clearing the explosives and detonating them in bomb barrels.
Shipping traffic was halted an appropriate distance on either side of the bridge. Coast Guard ships had temporarily halted its progress.
The EOD folks brought their barrels back onto their boats and waved an all-clear flag. The Coast Guard instructed the boat traffic to resume with several horn blasts.
A small Coast Guard powerboat pulled alongside them as the Response Boat stayed in deeper waters, providing support. “Are you Lefton?” asked a Coastie crew member.
“Yes, these are my trainees: Watson, Coates, Tucker, Mesner, and Wallace. That guy is a Marine Mammal Trainer for sea lions, Adam Forrest, and the woman on the far boat is Dr. Kerry Hamilton,” Leaper said. “Hell of a day for a swim.”
“Aye, sir,” the Coastie acknowledged. “Do you mind if we take the extra boat and the invaders back to port? We can drop off your swimmers too. They look like they need medical.”
“They’re all yours.” Leaper looked at his guys. “Trainees, help with the transfer of the detainees and our brave combat swimmers to the Coast Guard, and then take Adam and his sea lion back to the Marine Mammal base. I’ll see you at San Diego Naval Port.” He pointed across the bay. “And give the digital chip for the cameras to the Coast Guard. It should be part of their evidence chain, as it will document the invaders’ malicious attempts to harm sailors, civil servants, and a marine mammal, and to breach the Naval Air Station North Island ship perimeters.”
“Aye, aye,” replied Watson.
Leaper dove into the water and swam to Kerry. He hauled himself on board.
She hugged him tightly for several seconds and then appeared to remember there was an audience. She cleared her throat and pointed at the water. “I could see the whole fight from here. It was a scene out of a thriller movie. When you got hit from behind, well, I almost dove in to help out. But I saw Adam and Topper, and it seemed like a better plan to hold the line with them.”
“Good call,” he said. “I got you wet.”
Kerry laughed. “No big deal. You should see what I’ve been covered in. Wait! That would probably ruin the romance. Let’s just say there are worse smells than rotting fish guts.”
Leaper sat down, his body aching. “Two groups of terrorists were captured and a weapon was fired, but didn’t find its target. If you hadn’t set up this demonstration today, or if we hadn’t noticed those anomalies…damn, the lives that could have been lost. This terrorism act would have impacted the Navy and the military and civilian populations of Coronado in a drastic and irreversible way.” His eyes held hers. “There’s a list of souls who should thank you, from the Navy and the Coast Guard to the Terrorism Task Force. And me.” He shook his head, sending a spray of salt water in all directions, and then he wiped his hands over his eyes. “You spotted Boscher. Kerry, I don’t know if you realize what you’ve done.”
She touched the side of his face. Using the edge of the bandana she’d tucked into her pocket, she tenderly wiped his eyes. Then she kissed his lips. “I understand. I do. We were in the right place at the right time. This is the way it was meant to happen. Besides, I can’t take all the credit. You and your trainees kicked some serious butt.” She couldn’t resist adding, “The sea lion wanted to help more. Aren’t marine mammals the coolest?”
“Yeah, I witnessed that ‘helping,’ especially when I saw the chunks of missing flesh from the invaders. Sea lions really are biters. I’ve got that highlighted in my mind.” Leaper picked up her hand and kissed her palm. “You guided the Coast Guard in too, didn’t you?”
“Yes.” She nodded. “Knowing when and how to help a situation is important.”
“Any time you want to guard my six, I’d be honored.” He swallowed a knot of emotion. “I’ve never said that to anyone outside of the Teams before. I’ve offered to guard someone’s back plenty of times, but never the reverse.”
Kerry leaned into his arms. “I’m honored.”
From his sitting position, he hugged her tight, his head landing just under her breasts. “This is nice.”
She wiggled. “Audience. I keep forgetting. We should shove off.”
“Agreed.” Leaper released her and stood. “Would you like to drive, or should I?”
“Take the helm. I’ve had it for today. I’m ready for a break.”
“Hooyah to that.” Leaper lowered the prop and turned the engine on. He selected the gear, and the boat moved slowly out of the vicinity of Naval Air Station North Island. He wove through the traffic on the bay as the wind ruffled his hair and took some of the moisture out of his clothes.
The trip across the bay was short and uneventful as Leaper headed to a dock at the San Diego Naval Port. “What a morning,” he said, checking his watch. “It’s not even time for an early lunch. We’re still in the breakfast phase.” He smiled sardonically.
“What? Food? How can you be hungry after that?” asked Kerry. “I want a cup of chamomile tea and a cold compress. Yet you look calm and, dare I say it, pleased.”
“Yeah. I am. I’m proud of my trainees. They acted quickly and decisively. They worked as a unit, a Team, and there were no casualties. That’s a serious win in my book.” It had been a while since Leaper was on the Coast Guard base. He hoped there wouldn’t be too much paperwork. Thinking of breakfast—pancakes, sausage, eggs, oatmeal, and fresh fruit—made his mouth water. His eyes scanned over the large floats marking out a perimeter around a ship and he smiled.
“I can practically see the wheels spinning in your brain.” Kerry touched his arm. “What gives? Spill it.”
“Besides food? Okay. Do you know those giant inflatable flotations that mark a perimeter around the carriers? That concept came from a think-tank group discussion where an operational SEAL mentioned that the greatest chance of harm was a small vessel driving into the hull and exploding. The SEAL even wrote an article about this concept. Thus, when in port, these inflatables are standard precautionary measures, along with additional safety features including well-prepared snipers who watch everything that comes and goes. But the ground-to-air missiles…no one had ever contemplated such a thing. Boscher is a madman, for sure, but he also might have saved some lives by pointing out a weakness in our security.”
“You have an idea on how to fix it, don’t you?”
Leaper nodded. “I’d need to speak with a few of my retired and former brethren and see if their companies can handle the amount of materials needed to construct what I want, and then I’d approach the brass. Having a plan, along with a timeline for production and a cost analysis, will make an enormous difference.”
Kerry smiled. “You and I are spending too much time together. I think I just read your mind. You’re going to research and propose a giant net coming up from the inflatables and attaching to the top of the air tower on a carrier or the stacks on a refueling ship.”
He laughed. “Damn, I’m glad I’m not a cheater. You are reading my mind. Let’s see if you can answer this. What would this net do?”
“I’m guessing that it would nullify the charge in some way or splatter the charge across a larger mass to dissipate it.” Kerry giggled. “I’m right, aren’t I?”
“Nailed it. There’s this company in Connecticut, entrepreneurs who developed armor clothing. This is light, wearable, flexible antiflak-type material that can repel gunfire, so let’s crank this up to missile-repelling strength, and you have a new defense system that can sit tucked away at the top of ship. With the push of a button it deploys, and with another push it rolls itself back up.” Leaper pulled
the boat alongside the dock. He cut the engine and tossed the bowline at the waiting Coastie. “I can see it in my mind.”
“Impressive,” said Kerry as she stood at the ready in the stern and handed up the aft line.
“Got it,” said the Coastie as he caught and tied off the line.
“Let’s go up,” said Leaper. When the boat was secure, Leaper gave Kerry a boost up and onto the dock, and then he joined her.
Boscher was being escorted by armed guards. His face was swollen, and his mouth was bleeding.
“Wait,” said Kerry. “Please, I have to know. Boscher, you did Special Funding for the Marine Mammal Program. Did you believe in it, or was it all for the money?”
“You are so naive, Dr. Hamilton. I like that about you. It made you such an easy target to hide behind. I wish I could have stayed longer. I would have earned so much more.” Spittle gathered around the edges of Boscher’s mouth as he spoke.
“I don’t believe that. I think you wanted acknowledgment more than you wanted any of that money.” Kerry stepped closer.
Leaper caught her arm, holding her from getting too close. “It’s not safe to get too close to him,” he whispered.
She nodded and stepped back until her back was touching Leaper’s chest.
Boscher spit on the dock, and there was blood in his sputum. “Perhaps, Dr. Hamilton, I wanted both recognition and the accolades and funds…at one moment in time. But I was misguided then, for there was a part of me that believed the government could change and the world could be different. But the DOD stripped me of my dream and didn’t let me participate as I wanted to. Those activists were so convenient for me, as were my associates in the boats. What rejects me, I reject. It’s as simple as that, really.” His smile was pure evil, and his eyes were dead, pools of endless nothing.
“Then why did you help me?” Kerry shook her head. “You wouldn’t have gone above and beyond to fight for my tank funding or offer to help with my projects without a deeper reason. That was a lot of work.”
“Convenience, my dear. Nothing more.” Boscher straightened his shoulders as much as he could in cuffs. He took several steps away and then turned and looked over his shoulder at her. “Good luck, Dr. Hamilton. I don’t think you’ve heard the last of me.”
Leaper cut in. “I do. That man is not getting out. He’ll serve at least two lifetime sentences. The Navy, the FBI, Homeland Security, you name it, looks down on an individual or group committing acts of terrorism. Between the activists invading the Marine Mammal base and Boscher’s admitted part in that, combined with the bombs strapped to the bridge and the missiles he was going to use on the naval ships, that man is never seeing daylight.”
Boscher grew smaller and smaller as he neared the ramp off the dock. He never looked back as he walked up the metaphorical gangplank and disappeared inside the large double doors into Naval Headquarters.
Kerry turned to Leaper. “Am I blind? How could I not see that?”
“You have a good heart, Kerry. There’s nothing wrong with that, or optimism, and believing that people are doing things for the right reasons. Cynicism creeps in too fast with bad people and hard experiences. I should know. I’ve wrestled with evil for my entire career. It’s real.” He held her shoulders and looked deeply into her eyes. “Please don’t give up that joy inside, even if a rotten apple tries to poison you. Spit out the poison and find your joy again, okay?”
Her lips thinned but eventually she nodded.
He hugged her tightly and felt her shiver. “Give it time, Kerry. There’s no sense or reason to an individual’s delusions. Don’t look for it. Rather, I suggest you give this wound of betrayal…time to heal.”
Leaper kissed the top of her head.
They stayed in their embrace and watched the activity on the dock as they waited for Leaper’s crew, who were dropping off Adam and the sea lion at the Marine Mammal base before they docked at the San Diego Naval Port. Most likely, Adam would stop by later today and give a statement, or the Coast Guard would make a stopover there on their next patrol and talk to them. The Coast Guard was very good at doing its job, and they knew how to put together a significant and unbreakable paper trail that should frighten any criminal going to trial.
Kerry shifted her position. In Leaper’s opinion, she must have felt somewhat better as she pulled out of his embrace after twenty minutes. She wound her hair into a knot at the back of her neck. She plucked at her sweat-soaked shirt. Even in disarray, she was still the most intriguing and beautiful woman Leaper had ever met. How many individuals could have handled a high-speed chase, gunfire, and multiple enemies? She was made of some powerful, strong stuff. He respected her for that and for so much more.
“You’re staring at me,” she whispered.
“It’s…been such a crazy time. So much has happened, and yet here I am, still pinching myself that you’re in my life. Sometimes, I can hardly believe how lucky I am.” He kissed the top of her head, the sweet scent of her hair mingled with his shampoo. He loved how she smelled, those scents that were so uniquely hers and such an aphrodisiac that he had to remind himself that he was standing on a busy port dock.
She hugged his arm. “Ditto.”
He rolled his eyes. “Now I get the ‘ditto’ comment.”
Laughing, she whispered, “I can hardly wait to get out of these clothes.”
“I can hardly wait to watch you,” he teased.
Kerry lightly punched his arm. “Leaper,” she chided, though the mirth in her eyes was a dead giveaway.
His trainees pulled into port and followed the docking procedures perfectly. Leaper nodded his approval.
Watson led them, and Leaper knew he was going to be a good sailor. The jackasses of the world might label his men fuckups, but Leaper knew the truth. These Navy men performed in the clinch, and he’d be proud to work beside any of them.
Leaper shook their hands. At Watson’s side, he paused and stared into the man’s eyes. “Bravo Zulu.”
“Thank you, Instructor,” Watson said, beaming.
Very few souls would be willing to dive into the unknown and handle whatever they found there. Leaper had seen men go into battle with a gung ho spirit, only to be compromised because they couldn’t handle the pressure or surprise of the unknown. His men—the last five from his original group and his one addition—were all going to make it over the finish line.
In his heart, Leaper knew he would see these men at graduation someday. He’d bet on it. One or two of them might be struggling with physical strains and fractures. And if their bodies couldn’t hold the standard, there was an option to roll for medical reasons. Then those trainees would be in the next class so they could finish the training and graduate.
Who knew what the next step would be for his guys, but whatever it was…they would work hard. These trainees were becoming warriors who kept fighting, willing their bodies to survive the physical conditioning and the mental games. All of them were learning that survivors persevere.
“I’m proud of you,” he said to the trainees, looking each one in the eye and acknowledging his ability to stick with the fight and come out victorious. One glance inside the boat showed that everything was shipshape. There wasn’t so much as a water bottle out of place. He was pleased. “Let’s chat with Coastie Command, and then breakfast is on me. Move out.”
The serious moment turned into levity quickly.
“Aye, aye,” they replied in unison, looking relieved. He knew they must be starved. They could consume about 4,000 calories per meal and still be hungry.
Leaper’s stomach rumbled as he took Kerry’s hand in his. She leaned into him with a grin and pointed to his gut. “I bet you can’t give that orders.”
“Just watch and see. I’d bet breakfast on it, but I’m treating the trainees, and I don’t want to lay that burden on you. I know how much they can eat.” Leaper led the w
ay down the dock to the Command Center.
“I have savings. I’ll take that bet. And if you lose, then I get to choose the soundtrack for our next water adventure.” Her eyes sparkled with joy. He could stare into them for hours.
He kissed the back of her hand. “Agreed.”
Leaper looked over his shoulder to see the trainees following. He knew there would be a long road ahead of these men before they reached the finish line, but for now, time was in their favor. Training was a time to learn, hone, and master—to push yourself to the limits of capability, and then even farther. But the best part was that every day was a step closer to achieving those goals.
Leaper scanned his ID, and the door buzzed open. He held the door for Kerry and stepped inside. Cool air enveloped him as the subdued lighting eased his eyes. He blinked several times, adjusting to the dimness. There were several more doors until they reached their ultimate destination.
She squeezed his hand.
Leaper had to admit he had an incredible woman walking beside him and a confident and strong entourage behind. What more could a blessed man ask for?
Chapter 11
Large crowds always made Leaper’s palms itch. Standing within one made him feel even taller and more separate. This was only one of the reasons Leaper preferred one-on-one time to organized group chaos.
Several months had passed since the Boscher attack. On a bright, sunny morning at the submarine base on Point Loma, next to the Navy Lodge, a ceremony with over a thousand attendees was being held in an annex area. Like a beehive, it was alive with noise and activity.
Leaper wore his dress whites, and he’d recently buzzed his hair. It was less muss in the water, but it made his cover, or hat, slide oddly around his head. He had to stand very still so it didn’t slip off to one side.
He was so proud of his lady, and to be here watching the ceremony where Kerry was recognized for her work in Special Programs was pretty cool. If only the crowds didn’t have to be so big. SEALs were rarely into crowds…too many people to watch at once.
The Power of a SEAL Page 27