by Cliff Happy
“The other day, Danny was late to the morning meeting….”
Penny patted Kristen’s arm and shook her head. “Jason told me about what happened, and that’s nothing, honey,” she confided. “Trust me, I’ve seen Sean mad and what you saw was nothing.”
Out on the yard the two boys had pinned Brodie to the ground while Jasmine, cackling hysterically, tickled him.
“It’s a little hard to believe,” Kristen admitted.
Once more Penny hesitated. They’d been talking for nearly two hours and had grown comfortable with one another. Penny glanced toward the living room where, judging by the roar, Navy had just scored another touchdown. Certain no one else was listening, Penny scooted her chair closer to Kristen.
“We were all stationed in Norfolk a few years back. Sean was the XO of a boat, and Jason was the chief engineer. Anyway, Jason was gone on a two-week training program with General Electric for something to do with the reactor and left me and the kids home alone,” Penny explained softly. She paused and looked back toward the living room to make certain no one had appeared behind them and might overhear. “One day my car wouldn’t start, so I called up Sean who came over about an hour later with his bag of tools and went to work on it. We lived in a good neighborhood, but even nice neighborhoods have their share of jerks. Anyway, this real piece of work liked to race down the street in his hotrod. Jason had talked to him a few times and explained that with so many kids playing in the neighborhood he should slow down but….” Penny paused and looked out the window at her children.
“He didn’t listen, did he?” Kristen asked, seeing the kind of fear on Penny’s face only a mother could ever have.
Penny shook her head. “No, not until he came tearing down the road and clipped Mark as he was riding on this little bicycle Sean had given him the previous Christmas.”
Kristen could see, even years later, Penny was still terrified of the memory and what might have happened. “He was all right, wasn’t he?” Kristen asked, looking out the window at the boy who looked perfectly healthy as he wrestled with Brodie.
Penny nodded and wiped at a few tears welling up in her eyes. “Yeah, he was wearing a helmet, and the bastard just clipped the rear of his bicycle. Other than some crying and a few bruises, Mark was fine,” Penny explained. “But then this jerk got out of his car and started yelling about how I should keep my ‘effing brats’ off the street and how I’m an idiot for not watching them better. Then he threw in a few choice expletives about what he thought of me and my race….”
“I’m really sorry, Penny,” Kristen offered, seeing how even years later the memory was still hard for her.
Penny nodded, wiped her eyes clear, and then took a deep breath to calm herself. “I was a wreck. Mark was crying and this big ape was cursing and calling me a nigger. Then, out of nowhere, Sean appeared. With the jerk screaming at me and Mark crying, I’d forgotten Sean was in the garage.” Penny shook her head as she recalled the story. “I never saw anything like it.”
“Did the captain strike him?” Kristen asked and glanced out the window. Brodie was still wrestling gently with the three children who were doing their best to tackle him. He certainly didn’t appear violent; just the opposite in fact.
“Oh, yeah,” Penny replied with an expression that made it clear Kristen couldn’t possibly understand. “I mean he hit that guy like a tornado. Before I knew it, Sean threw the guy onto the hood of his sleek little hotrod and just started beating the fire out of him.” Penny paused for a moment, remembering the event years earlier. “I mean he went berserk. It took both neighbors as well as COB who lived up the street to pull Sean off the guy.”
Kristen sat quietly, thinking about the revealing story. She glanced out at Brodie once more. Jasmine hung onto his arm and dragged him to the ground as if she might be strong enough to manage the feat. Kristen hadn’t noticed how big Brodie was. But she now saw his broad shoulders and the thick wrists. He was powerfully built, and if angered….
“Wow,” Kristen managed. “Who would have thought?”
“Not me,” Penny agreed. “Once he finally calmed down, he mumbled something about not liking bad manners or drunken bigots and then never said another word about it.” Penny then added, “And I haven’t asked him about it either.”
“It’s hard to imagine,” Kristen pointed out as she nodded her head to where the three children had once more pinned him to the ground, “when you see him like that.”
Penny nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I know what you mean. He’s never once given me a reason to think he might be prone to violence, and he’s an absolute saint with the kids. But I don’t ever want to see him like that again.”
Kristen now recalled the various warnings she’d been given about her captain and understood. They changed the subject, shifting to more pleasant topics. They were discussing the billeting arrangements for Kristen on board when she noticed the woman who’d been hanging all over Terry appear out on the lawn.
“What’s she doing there?” Kristen asked.
“She probably wants a ride,” Penny replied.
Kristen watched for a moment as the woman talked to Brodie. For a reason she didn’t understand, she became angry. “She came here with Terry,” Kristen offered.
“Well,” Penny whispered with a friendly smile, “Terry isn’t exactly a choir boy, my dear.”
They watched for a few moments as the brazen woman talked to Brodie. Kristen felt herself growing more uncomfortable with each second. She glanced back into the living room, afraid Terry might observe what his date was doing and grow angry. The last thing the crew of Seawolf needed was trouble between two officers.
“My God, she’s hitting on him,” Penny said incredulously at the woman’s audacity. “Do you believe this girl?” After another minute of discussion, apparently the woman got what she wanted as Brodie climbed aboard and she slid on the back behind him.
“You don’t think they’re going to….” Kristen asked uncomfortably.
Penny shook her head. “Not if I know Sean,” she assured Kristen. “The only thing that girl’ll be riding of Sean’s is his motorcycle.”
Kristen felt the discomfort fade as Penny’s comment caused her to chuckle, and then laugh out loud. Something she couldn’t remember having done in a long time. It felt good, she decided. And as Penny had predicted, after less than two minutes, Brodie returned. The woman tried to reengage him in more conversation, but Brodie seemed more interested in the children and was soon giving them more turns on the back of his hog.
The game ended an hour later, and Kristen knew it was time to head back to the Seawolf. COB would soon be finished with her makeshift quarters, and Kristen was anxious to move on board permanently. “I guess I’d better be going,” she said to Penny as they walked back into the living room where the other guests were preparing to leave. “It was really nice meeting you, Penny,” Kristen told her new friend sincerely. “And you have a wonderful family.”
Penny gave Kristen a reassuring hug. “You hang in there, honey,” Penny advised her. “All us girls are counting on you to keep these men out of trouble.”
“I’ll do my best,” Kristen replied and pulled her smartphone from her pocket to call a taxi. Kristen might have been able to hitch a ride with one of her fellow officers, but she wasn’t about to ask any of them and put them on the spot with their wives.
“Who’re you calling?” Penny asked.
“Uh,” she paused her dialing, “I don’t have a car, so I came here in a taxi,” she admitted softly.
“Well you’re not going back in a taxi,” Penny said definitively and turned to look for her husband. “Jason?” she called loudly to be heard over the television and the crowd.
“It’s all right,” Kristen assured her, not wanting to cause any trouble. “Really, it’s no big deal.”
But the XO had already heard his wife and came over. “What is it, Babe?”
Kristen stood uncomfortably as Penny explained her dilemma.
&
nbsp; “No problemo,” Graves assured them easily. “I’ll get my keys.”
But Penny put a firm hand on her husband’s chest. He was a good foot and a half taller than she, and he probably outweighed her by a hundred pounds. But the way she stopped him left no doubt who ruled the Graves’ residence. “Uh-uh,” Penny said firmly. “Not so fast. How many beers have you had?”
“Just a couple,” he replied with a meek smile. “I’m fine.”
“Oh, no you’re not, Jason Abner Graves,” Penny told him emphatically, making it clear he was going nowhere. “And don’t make me call Sean over here,” she threatened.
“Call Sean about what?” Brodie asked as he appeared unexpectedly, having just come in from playing with the kids.
Kristen hadn’t noticed him enter and, like he had a nasty habit of doing on the submarine, he had appeared as if out of nowhere. Kristen stiffened slightly, almost coming to attention as her captain joined the conversation. Then, much to Kristen’s dismay, Penny explained the situation to Brodie, adding that none of the officers were likely to offer her a ride considering the way their wives were acting.
Brodie understood without a lengthy explanation. “I’m heading back to the base,” he said simply and jerked a thumb over his shoulder toward his bike parked out front. “You can ride with me.”
“Sir?” Kristen responded with alarm to the unexpected invitation.
“Thanks, Sean,” Penny said, settling the matter and giving Brodie a kiss goodbye.
“No sweat,” Brodie returned her kiss. He then glanced at the television and the final score. “Looks like we licked’em again,” he commented.
“No thanks to you,” Graves chided his friend as he walked with Brodie to the front door. “You didn’t watch a single play.”
Kristen, not entirely certain she wanted to be alone with her captain—or anyone for that matter—on the back of a motorcycle followed, suppressing her panic.
“How many times do I have to remind you,” Brodie teased his XO. “Football is a game for fat men and wimps. Now, if you want to play a real sport, meet me on the rugby pitch sometime.”
“Rugby?” Graves mocked dismissively as they walked out the front door. The day was unseasonably warm, with the temperature in the low fifties. “Isn’t that a game guys wearing skirts play back in England?”
Brodie just smiled, paused and turned back to look at Kristen who was still rooted to the floor just inside the house. She’d never been on a motorcycle before and considered this a condition she would like to maintain.
“Coming, Lieutenant?”
Oh, shit.
Chapter Seventeen
Bremerton, Washington
“Sir,” his newest lieutenant said nervously, “I’ve never driven a motorcycle before.”
Brodie chuckled as he straddled the bike. “If it’s all the same to you, Lieutenant,” he replied, “I’ll handle the driving part. All you have to do is hold on, relax, and enjoy the ride.”
She finished pulling on a pair of gloves Penny had lent her along with a scarf so she wouldn’t get too cold during the brief ride back to the base. Cautiously, she slipped onto the bike behind him, and Brodie could almost sense her nervousness. He’d taken quite a few people for their first motorcycle ride before, and he’d expected her apprehension. He then felt her gingerly grasp his waist.
“You might want to grip a little tighter, Lieutenant. I wouldn’t want you slipping off the back,” he advised. Most first time passengers had no idea what to expect or just how hard to hold on. But he assumed she would relax once they were on the road, and she realized he wasn’t going to be hot-dogging it.
Graves gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder, and Brodie shook his friend’s offered hand. “I’ll see you in the morning, Sean.”
Brodie just nodded his head in reply and then started up the big 1250 cc Revolution engine of his V-Rod. The bike was his only excess. He owned no car, no house, nothing but the bike, and a couple of bags of clothing. It’d been all he’d ever needed since his divorce.
He gave Jason, Penny, and the kids a slight wave. Then, checking to make certain his newest officer was ready, he accelerated away easily, taking it slow and giving her a chance to get comfortable before they reached the highway. With the Seawolf all but ready for sea, Brodie had hoped to take the V-Rod out for a lengthy ride, and the unexpectedly warm day provided the perfect opportunity. The detour back to the base to drop Kristen off would be only a minor inconvenience. But he didn’t mind. The feel of the powerful engine responding to his touch and the throaty roar of the engine helped him relieve tension.
And if he’d ever needed a stress reliever, now was the time.
The National Command Authority wanted the Seawolf at sea, not tied up pier side. The Chief of Naval Operations himself was demanding daily updates on the progress. So, Brodie had not only been attending daily briefings from members of the CIA, the NSA, DIA, and Naval Intelligence, but he’d been forced to fight daily with his squadron commander to expedite the repairs. All this combined with what was shaping up to be a real nightmare of a deployment, had pushed his nerves to the very edge.
But he’d always liked the edge. It was where he felt most alive.
He slowed down and came to a stop at a traffic light and glanced back. “You okay, Lieutenant?”
“Yes, sir,” she answered, but he could hear the anxiety in her voice.
“Just try to relax,” he reminded her. “Scoot forward a little more. That’ll help you keep your balance, and don’t be afraid to hold on a little tighter. I won’t break.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied, tentatively adjusting her position closer to him.
“Also, when we come to a turn, just lean into it with me, got it?”
She nodded her head under the helmet and gave him a forced smile which caused him to chuckle to himself. She’d gone through literal hell to make it to the Seawolf, fighting everyone from the Secretary of the Navy to her peers for the right to serve her nation. Yet riding a bike was making her nervous!
He came to another traffic light a few minutes later and again glanced back. “You doin’ okay?”
“Yes, sir,” she responded, with a little more confidence this time.
“Think you’re ready for the highway?” he asked, knowing the highway would take them right next to the main gate.
“Yes, sir,” she answered, forcing excitement into her voice. He’d been watching her closely since she’d come on board, as he did all his officers. The hellcat he’d briefly seen in his cabin during their first meeting had yet to reveal itself again, and she was playing her cards close to the vest. Which he figured he understood. She was a minority, and minorities tended to try to fly under the radar. However, just like Jason, who—despite his bad knee—was the best friend and executive officer Sean could have ever hoped for—and Gibbs, Brodie had always cottoned to those who didn’t walk the straight and narrow corridors of convention.
He accelerated toward the on ramp, picking up speed smoothly as he shifted gears. Brodie had been riding since he was a kid, and it was—besides being on a submarine—his greatest pleasure. He accelerated into traffic but kept his speed down so as not to cause her to get too uncomfortable. Once cruising at a satisfying sixty miles per hour, he glanced back. “How ya doin’ back there?”
“Good,” she answered sounding a little more relaxed. The death grip she’d had on his waist when they first accelerated up the on ramp had subsided, and he could feel the tension in her arms lessen somewhat.
Brodie felt his own body relaxing as he let the concerns and responsibilities that were part of a captain’s life fade away while they cruised comfortably back to the base. It took only a few minutes before they approached the off ramp. He decelerated and pulled off the highway, turning in toward the main gate. “How was it?” he asked her as he stopped at the gate to flash his identification.
“That was awesome,” she replied with apparent glee.
He looked back at her with a
curious eye, not having expected such a positive reaction. Her persona was so reserved, so completely in control at all times, he hadn’t expected her to relax so quickly. Then he considered just how much pressure she’d been under for the last few years. No friends, no one to commiserate with, no one to trust… If anyone needed some time to unwind it was her. They pulled through the gate, and he cruised slowly down the main road. “Where to, Lieutenant?” he asked, not certain where her barracks was.
“Are you kidding?” she asked. “If I had my choice, we would still be on the highway, sir!”
Brodie chuckled, knowing exactly what she meant. “Are you sure you weren’t too cold?”
“No, not at all!” she insisted.
Brodie could feel her warmth now against his back, which made the ride just that much more enjoyable considering the cool temperature in the air. He’d been planning a short road trip ever since the previous evening when the last major repair was completed and it became clear they would have the Seawolf ready on time. Mount Olympus National Park was close by, and Brodie had always enjoyed the ride around the park, especially the Pacific view in the late afternoon when the sun set. He glanced at her in the mirror. Her eyes were smiling though her visor. She’d clearly loosened up.
On a whim, he tapped the brakes and decelerated, pulling into an opening in the median. “Back to the highway it is,” he replied, making up his mind. He half expected her to argue, but instead he saw her eyes open a little wider with excitement.
Thirty minutes later, Brodie was as relaxed as he could remember. Thoughts of Russian sub sorties, North Korean saber rattling, and the mission ahead had faded to the back of his mind. He had one hand on the throttle and the other on his thigh, cruising along Highway 101 with Puget Sound and Canada off to his right and Mount Olympus on his left. He could hardly have been happier.
Kristen had been anxious at first, but after thirty minutes, she was now ignoring her usual caution and just enjoying the ride as Brodie had advised. Initially, she’d been extremely uncomfortable with the close physical proximity between them. But a combination of the throaty rumble of the bike, his clear expertise, and the wonderful view had allowed her to unwind more than she could remember.