Sea of Crises
Page 30
Matt shrugged. “I guess he was briefed. He knew all about me.” Then he added, “So did his boss.”
Surprised, Nate asked, “Was he at the meeting?”
Matt nodded.
Nate contemplated his own feet as they strolled along the weathered blacktop. After a moment, he asked, “So, what was the purpose of this meeting?”
With a grim smile, Matt said, “Apparently, the unexpected departure of Krantz left The Organization in a bit of turmoil. At first, it didn’t matter, because they were planning to shut it down. Until they started looking into it. That’s when they realized they had something a little too valuable to just get rid of.”
Matt gave him a frank look. “It really is a powerful weapon. Provided,” he amended, “it’s used right.”
“And where do you fit in?”
“They need someone to come in and clean it up,” Matt said.
Nate stopped. After a couple more steps, Matt did likewise and turned to face him.
“Don’t tell me,” Nate said. “You’re not thinking about going back to work for those guys, are you?”
“No,” Matt said immediately. “They’re going to work for me. I’m going to report directly to the President.”
“But,” Nate said, trying to process the information, “after all you went through?”
Matt looked out at the bay for a long moment, then returned his attention to Nate. “Yes. Especially after all that.” He gave Nate a level gaze. “I owe this to a lot of people, including myself. You’re the one who said it. Every journey begins with a first step. This is mine.”
Nate rubbed a hand over his chin. Buster, who had apparently tired of exploring the scrub next to the roadway, pawed at Nate’s leg. Nate reached down and picked up the little dog, who gave him an affectionate lick on his neck and settled comfortably in the crook of his arm. Nate glanced back at the house, then returned his attention to Matt.
“You’re sure about this?”
Matt nodded.
Nate could see the resolve on Matt’s face. And the purpose to his look. Finally, Nate took a deep breath. “Ok.”
Matt gave him a grin. “Ok,” he repeated.
Then the two brothers laughed. After a long moment, they turned and, shoulder to shoulder under the brilliant blue of the summer day, slowly made their way back to the house.
A Note from the Author
Ok, bear with me. Instead of making things up, I’m going to be honest for a moment.
For years, I dreamed of writing a novel, one that I would feel comfortable putting “out there.” But I didn’t. Instead, I hemmed. I hawed. And I let an embarrassingly long amount of time go by. Then, one day, I asked myself, What am I waiting for?
It was a damn good question.
And, as is the case with a lot of damn good questions, it answered itself.
So, I finally did it. And, it feels good.
However, I’d be less than honest if I suggested that this book could possibly have happened without help. A lot of help.
Where do I start?
Well, first of all, with my wife, Martha. I’ve dedicated this book to her. But that’s completely inadequate, and I know it. Truth be told, I wrote this story for her. As with just about everything I do in my life, I wanted to impress her. Once I finished each chapter and massaged it until I thought it was just right, I printed it and gave it to her for the initial read. Then I waited anxiously for her judgment. And, God bless her, she loved each one. (For that, and for so much more, I love her.)
But I knew I needed more objective feedback. So, I turned to my beta readers: Damon Jespersen, Cathryn Cormier, Geri Hunter, Lisa Siegel, Hal Light, Brad Neel and Paul Lusby. Each read a fairly raw version of the manuscript, and, through feedback, contributed greatly to the final version of the story. To all of them, I extend my profound thanks.
I would be remiss not to acknowledge the assistance of two industry professionals for their advice and editorial assistance: Kathryn Johnson and Hillel Black. Their guidance was invaluable, and this novel is so much more than it would have been without their help.
Finally, my thanks to Ben Lizardi, who designed a fabulous book cover and who, more importantly, has been a terrific friend for many years.
It’s humbling looking back and realizing just how important others have been in one’s “personal” endeavors. But it’s also uplifting.
Of course, all of the foregoing being said, the final product is mine. And all criticisms of this book, good and - yikes - bad, fall on me. That’s as it should be. I hope you enjoy it. If you do, tell others. If you don’t, purge it from your memory.
After all, life is about the good stuff.
Table of Contents
PART ONE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
PART TWO
8
9
10
11
12
PART THREE
13
14
15
16
17
A Note from the Author