Peace - A Navy SEALS Novel (DeLeo's Action Thriller Singles Book 3)

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  “They’ll love you, just as I’m beginning to,” Jill said softly.

  Peace stroked the side of her face gently. “You shouldn’t talk like that, you really don’t know me well enough.”

  “The more I know you, the more I want to know you.”

  “I guess I just don’t understand your picking me out. Heck, I wasn’t even one of the guys who busted in to save you,” Peace pointed out.

  “I heard about you though,” Jill replied. “When your team herded us out of our makeshift prison, Bull looked around, and then cursed, saying, ‘Damn, Peace got three more, that sniping prick.’ Everyone else laughed, and when Dan called you over to carry me, by name, I knew you were the one Bull had been talking about.”

  “Bull must have been fired up,” Peace mused. “He jokes around, but he very seldom says a word during a mission. I bet he was as happy to see all of you alive as the rest of us. Bull tries to keep detached, expecting the worst. Dan’s just the opposite. He expects a mission to work perfectly. I try to think like Dan, but I’m a lot closer to Bull with the pessimism part.”

  “When… when you held my hand… I…” Jill paused, not knowing quite how to go on.

  “I know you believe it to be more than relief and gratitude, but I just don’t want you to be hurt. Promise me when you suddenly come to your senses, you’ll come right out and tell me.”

  Jill softly brushed Peace’s lips with hers. “I will. I promise.”

  “We can always stay friends, no matter what happens. You are one special lady, someone I’d like to be close to all my life. I don’t believe too many women could know what I do, and still want to be around me.”

  “I found out the world is not the LaLa land I had been told it was,” Jill whispered. “It’s a wild, dangerous place; and without men like your Seal Team, we Useful Idiots would not be able to prance around, pretending we live in a separate reality.”

  Peace nodded knowingly. “Maybe we are connected by our similar experiences.”

  “I didn’t feel bad when I saw our captors all lying dead around us,” Jill stated fiercely, “that I can tell you for sure.”

  “You haven’t talked much about the time they held you.”

  A dark cloud passed over Jill’s face again at the mention of her Chili experience. “It was the most humiliating, frightening thing I could ever even have dreamed of. I probably feel like you, I just want to go on. I don’t want to be psycho analyzed, or go through traumatic stress syndrome treatment. I just want to put it behind me.”

  “Yep, we definitely share some deep rooted feelings,” Peace agreed.

  “Would your parents like me?”

  “Maybe, if they were talking to me,” Peace laughed.

  “You don’t see your parents,” Jill asked, surprised. “They must have been going insane when you were imprisoned in Iraq.”

  “You don’t know my folks,” Peace sighed. “When I went home after my release from the Naval hospital, they treated me like a hero, because of the Human Shield thing. They had gathered all of their left wing friends together for a hero’s welcome. I took the opportunity to tell them the truth. I told them America was the greatest place on the face of the Earth, and I would never, ever, bad mouth my country again. There was dead silence. It was a most embarrassing time for them.”

  “But they had you back, safe and sound,” Jill said, incredulously. “Didn’t that mean anything to them?”

  “Maybe,” Peace replied, “but I got the distinct impression they would have been happier if I had been killed being a Human Shield.”

  “Wow, I… I don’t know what to say, Peace. That’s…”

  “Hey,” Peace interrupted, running his hand over her face, “you should have been there when I told them I intended to become a Navy Seal. You’d have thought I had told them I wanted to become a serial killer. That was when my Mom confirmed my feeling they would have been happier if I had died as a left wing martyr to the cause.”

  “But… but didn’t anyone change their minds after all the good our winning in Iraq accomplished?”

  “I don’t know. They kicked me out when I gave an interview to our local paper, and reiterated my position. I did get over to spend time with Dan’s parents. They lived right next door to us. They were worried as hell about Dan, because he was still overseas. Dan’s wife Becky, and his oldest son, Danny, who was just a newborn, lived with Dan’s parents. I told them all about their son, from what he had done for me all my life, right up to when he pulled my stupid ass out of that Iraqi prison. They never knew about all the times he looked out for me.”

  “Dan’s Mom, Carrie, and Becky, cried a little in relief. No one had heard any real news about the Special Forces. Dan’s Father, Dan senior, was so proud, he couldn’t say anything. He shook my hand, and just thanked me, as if I had done something. They made me stay with them until I caught a flight back out to San Diego.”

  “Haven’t your parents tried to get in touch with you at all since then?”

  “I sent them Ed’s address after I managed to convince him and Dan to help me become a Seal. They wrote a couple of times, trying to convince me to take a job with the numerous companies interested in me. They kept sending me the inquiries I received at my home address from some of the big outfits, who recruited from the Cal Berkeley graduate list. When I wrote back, explaining what I was doing, they demanded payment for all they sacrificed to put me through school.”

  “Jesus,” Jill whispered. “That’s cold.”

  “Hey, I was spitting on everything they believed in. Anyway, I had obtained most of the money in scholarships. I sent the last check two months ago. I sent them everything I received for salary in the Navy, and everything Ed paid me. They cashed the checks. I sent them an invitation to the ceremony when I became a Seal, to let them know I had made it. They wrote back and told me never to contact them again; but they still cashed the checks I sent them.”

  “So the Navy really is your family now.”

  “Dan’s parents flew out for the ceremony, and Ed and Nancy both came. I have a lot of people who care about me. We don’t always please everyone in life. Ed and Nancy never had kids, and they treat me like a son. Dan and Becky are like my brother and sister-in-law. Little Danny, and their two year old daughter, Allie, call me Uncle Pauley, so I do have family.”

  Jill put her arms around Peace’s neck, and drew him into an easy embrace. She rested her head on his shoulder. “I guess you do at that.”

  Chapter Eight

  Dan and Becky

  “We better head back. I’ll get a quick shower, and then we’ll go over to Dan’s. I can’t wait to introduce you to Becky. She graduated with Dan and I. Becky couldn’t stand to be around Dan, or me, for that matter. She was a majorette in the band. They marched at the high school football games, and I would go see Dan play every chance I could. Whenever we walked by her at school, she would watch Dan until he looked over at her, and then she pretended she wasn’t looking. Dan would smile at her anyway, and say hi, but she’d just ignore him.”

  “Dan was popular,” Peace continued. “He earned respect, and there wasn’t a guy in school who would mess with him. Dan could have dated anyone in school, and did go out with a few, but as is usually the case, he…”

  “Wanted Becky,” Jill finished for him. “So, how did it happen?”

  “Well, he dated Cassie, the lead Cheerleader during the first part of our senior year. I lived sort of through Dan, because of my weenie status,” Peace chuckled. “I paid attention to everything he did. I could never understand why he stayed best friends with me. Anyhow, if I used to see, or even be walking with Dan and Cassie in the hallway at school, and they would walk by Becky. She…”

  “Didn’t like it one bit,” Jill finished, really getting into the high school drama as Peace related it.

  “Do you want to tell this story?” Peace laughed, pulling Jill to her feet, and handing her the cane lying nearby.

  “I’m sorry,” Jill said, tak
ing Peace’s arm as they walked back toward the base buildings. “I love this kind of story. It always amazes me how little human interaction between the sexes never changes. One day, a girl will be saying, I hate that guy. The next, she’s dating him. Go on with your story. I promise not to interrupt.”

  “Cassie hated the sight of me, and wanted Dan to shun me, because it was bad for their popularity quotient,” Peace smiled over at Jill. “I could tell she didn’t like me around, so I began staying away from Dan. He was my hero, and Cassie was a knockout. I just liked seeing them together. I stopped going over to his house, and following him around like a lost dog at school.”

  “One day, he was walking with Cassie, and he spotted me by my locker. He came over to say hi, and ask me what the problem was. Cassie went ballistic right in the hallway. She told him to quit slumming with the retard, and come along, or something pretty close to it. Dan’s whole body tensed, as kids within hearing had started laughing. He turned towards her, and all he said was, ‘Cassie, I think you had better go’. That was it for them. Man, I felt like dirt. I wanted Dan to go out with Cassie.”

  “Anyway, Becky saw the whole thing. She knew me from orchestra, at least my name. Becky walked right over after Cassie huffed off down the hall, while Dan was talking to me, and said ‘Hi Pauley’. That was the first time she’d ever spoken to me in greeting. I stuttered out a hello, and Becky looked right up at Dan, and says ‘Hi Dan’. You did not want to be in the way of the power surge, which erupted between those two. The invisible arc, snapping back and forth from Dan and Becky, would have fried any human being unfortunate enough to stumble between them.”

  “Oh Peace,” Jill sighed, hugging his arm. “That’s a great story.”

  “It was tough on them when Dan went off to the Naval Academy. I was at Cal Berkeley, learning how to be a good communist, so I only heard about their trials and tribulations when we all caught up on things after I became part of the family.”

  “It must still be pure torture for her when you guys have to deploy somewhere,” Jill said, shaking her head.

  “She’s learned a lot from Ed’s wife, Nancy. Becky’s tough, and she knows she has two kids who depend on her for stability when Dan’s away. Well, wait for me here, Jill, I’ll be right back,” Peace said, patting her hand, and heading inside the building, housing the locker room. “Better hurry,” Jill called out after him. “I may get picked up by one of these unattached sailors.”

  Peace glanced back, laughing. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  __

  Dan opened the door before Peace and Jill had even reached the steps of his front porch. A little boy, who looked like he had been stamped out of the same mold as Dan, scurried around Dan’s legs, clutching a baseball mitt in both hands.

  “Uncle Pauley,” the boy screamed happily, running at Peace, who caught him as the boy leaped right off the porch into his arms. Peace laughed in delight, flinging the boy into the air.

  “Danny boy,” Peace said, catching him and putting him on his feet again. “I want you to meet my friend, Jill. Jill, this young man is Danny.”

  “Pleased to meet you, Danny,” Jill said, holding her hand out, which Danny shook strongly.

  “Wow, she’s a babe, Uncle Pauley,” Danny said seriously, looking up at Peace.

  “Danny!” His Father exclaimed, as Jill and Peace laughed appreciatively.

  Danny looked up at his Father’s frowning face, and clapped a hand comically over his mouth, which caused Jill and Peace to laugh even harder. “Sorry, Dad, I…”

  “Never mind,” Dan sighed, as a beautiful auburn haired woman walked out on the porch next to him with a little girl in her arms.

  The woman wore blue shorts, and a white top, which highlighted her hair and figure. She wore tennis shoes, and her head came up to just above Dan’s shoulder. She was already laughing, having heard what her son had said; and the little girl, whose lighter toned hair was tied back in a ponytail, giggled because her Mom was laughing. Dan took the little girl, dressed in an aqua sun suit and sandals, from his wife. Peace guided Jill up the steps with Danny following, looking uneasily at his Father.

  “Jill, this is my wife, Becky,” Dan said, shaking her hand when the trio were standing on the porch. “Becky, I’d like you to meet Pauley’s friend, Jill.”

  Becky shook hands with Jill enthusiastically, as the little girl held her hands out to Peace, wanting to go into his arms. “I’m so happy to meet you, Jill.”

  Peace took the little girl from Dan, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. “How’s my girl? Jill, this little beauty is Allie. Say hi to Jill, Allie.”

  The little girl turned toward Jill with a big smile on her face, and waved. “Hi.”

  “Hi Allie,” Jill replied, stroking a hand through the little girl’s hair.

  “Glad to meet you.”

  The little girl pointed at Jill’s cast. “Hurt?”

  “No, Allie,” Jill answered with a grin. “Almost all better now.”

  “Can I sign it?” Danny asked, putting a hand on Jill’s cast, which caused another bout of laughter.

  “Sure, Danny, I’d be honored if you and your sister want to sign my cast,” Jill agreed.

  Danny ran straight into the house, as Dan motioned everyone to the table and chairs set up on the porch. “Have a seat. What can I get you, beer, soda, juice?”

  “A soda sounds good,” Jill replied, settling into a lawn chair. “Any kind you have.”

  “Diet Pepsi, okay?”

  “Perfect,” Jill replied.

  “Same for me, Dan,” Peace said, moving a chair next to Jill, and setting down, with Allie contentedly on his lap.

  Becky sat down across from her guests, and held up three fingers. “Me too, Hon.”

  Danny ran out of the house, narrowly avoiding a collision with his Father. He had a black felt marking pen in his hand. He ducked under the table, as Jill laughingly turned sideways with her cast to allow Danny to write his name. The boy looked at his work speculatively, before glancing up at Jill.

  “Would you like me to draw a house too?” Danny offered.

  “Uh… no…” Jill laughed. “I think the signature will be sufficient.”

  “Oh… okay,” Danny said doubtfully, as his Mother signaled for him to get out from under the table.

  Allie signaled her brother for the black marker, and when he handed it to her, she leaned over, and drew a smiley face on the upper part of Jill’s cast. She then handed the marker to Becky, with an explanation for Jill.

  “Not allowed to have marker,” Allie pronounced solemnly.

  Jill patted her hand. “You did real fine, Honey.”

  Dan came out with a tray of diet Pepsis, and juice for Allie and Danny. Danny took his with him into the front yard, along with his ball and glove.

  “Peace told me about how you both got together,” Jill said.

  Becky laughed. “It was Peace, who finally broke the ice between

  Dan and me, right Honey?”

  The couple exchanged a long smiling look before Dan replied.

  “Yea, Peace busted up my romance with a Foxy Cheerleader, and Becky here caught me on the rebound. She practically threw herself at me, right Peace?”

  Peace burst into laughter, and Becky gasped, before reaching over to push on the side of Dan’s head.

  “You brat,” Becky stated, shaking a finger at her grinning husband. “I rescued you from a life of misery with that floozy, and this is the thanks I get?”

  This pronouncement made Peace laugh even harder, with Allie giggling and clapping her hands too. Dan lost his composure next, with Jill chuckling appreciatively. Becky looked at Jill with a knowing look.

  “You see what we go through, Jill?” Becky asked smiling. “We spend our lives subordinating ourselves to these chauvinist pigs, saving them from their baser instincts, and do we even get a modicum of recognition for it? I think not.”

  Jill reached over and ran her hand up Peace’s
bare arm, before looking back at Becky to answer. “I’m looking forward to saving Peace from a few of his baser instincts in the future too.”

  Dan watched Peace and Jill exchange a look of longing, which surprised him. He grinned over at Becky, his eyebrows lifted questioningly at his wife. Becky shook her head minutely, warning him to hold his tongue in a way no one else on earth could do to Dan. Dan nodded appreciatively.

  “We hope you can curb this wild man too, Jill,” Dan said, looking authoritatively at Peace, who had not looked away from Jill’s eyes. “Lord knows we’ve tried to help him avoid his sinful ways, but he’s simply out of control.”

  Becky had begun laughing halfway through Dan’s statement, as Peace finally tore his gaze away from Jill long enough to grin and nod his agreement.

  “Yes, Jill,” Peace added. “Please rescue me from my life of debauchery.”

  The four adults laughed together, as Allie bounced up and down happily, looking from one adult to the other. Dan took another gulp of his soda, and stood up, motioning for Peace to follow him.

  “Come along Bacchus, we need to do some ball playing before my son starts lobbing rocks up at us.”

  Peace chuckled, and gave Allie a hug before handing her off to Jill, who scooped the little girl into her arms enthusiastically.

  “You stay with us wiser womenfolk, Allie,” Jill said enticingly.

  “Am I a wom… womenfolk?” Allie asked seriously.

  “Oh yes,” Jill answered as the men retreated with a final laugh.

  Becky stood up with her Pepsi in hand. “Come on in the house, Jill, and we’ll rustle up the vittles.”

  Jill laughed, using her cane to boost herself up. She allowed Allie to slide down. “Give me your hand Allie, and I’ll gimp on in with you.” “Gimp?” Allie laughed in delight at the word.

  Becky sighed. “You’ll soon see you must be careful about anything you say around our two, or you’ll be answering questions for the rest of the night.”

  As Allie led Jill toward the door, Jill looked back at Becky. “That will suit me just fine.”