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

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  “Jill has an announcement.”

  “I’m going to have a baby, so you five will have to toast without me,” Jill stated happily.

  “Oh my God,” Bull sputtered, smacking Peace on the back, as Becky and Holly hugged Jill.

  Dan shook Peace’s hand, with his other hand on his shoulder. “Jesus, Peace, you are full of surprises these days. Congratulations, Jill.”

  Bull put his arm around Holly with one arm, and gave Jill a hug with his free one. “I hope you don’t regret getting mixed up with this guy, Jill. If you have any trouble with him, let us know. We’ll give him an attitude adjustment he’ll never forget.”

  Jill laughed, hugging the big Seal back, before embracing Dan.

  “Thanks Bull, but I don’t foresee anything like that.”

  “Not yet,” Bull nodded sagely, “but you’ll see what an annoying”

  “Heyyyyyyyy…” Peace cut in, as the others laughed. “I’m standing right here, Bull. Now how about that toast.”

  Dan held up his glass. “To new life, and a safer world.”

  All but Jill sipped their drink. After they were all seated, Becky turned to Peace.

  “Well?”

  “Well what?” Peace asked.

  “When are you going to get married? I know you don’t plan on simply waiting for the baby to arrive. With the trouble you get into, we should have a shotgun wedding right here on the patio, right now,” Becky instructed, using her right index finger to drive her points home.

  Everyone laughed, but Peace held up his hands.

  “We will be getting married as soon as we can possibly arrange it,” Peace answered, looking over at Dan. “You know, I don’t think you held Becky upside down long enough. She still has that twang of authority in her voice.”

  “Yea,” Dan admitted, “but if I hold her upside down too long, the kids start crying.”

  “Do you need a small wedding party for your ceremony?” Becky asked Jill, ignoring the laughter Dan’s quip had elicited from Peace and Bull.

  “Boy, do I,” Jill sighed. “All my friends evaporated after my little jungle adventure, by mutual agreement. Would you and Holly like to be in it?”

  “Of course,” Becky said quickly. “Why did you think I put you on the spot? Since Dan has known Peace since he was Danny’s age, I assumed he would ask Dan to be his best man; unless of course, Peace has become enamored with Bull after those piggy back rides on the base.”

  Peace choked on the sip he had just taken, as Dan and Bull laughed.

  “You told… Becky… about the abuse… I’ve been…” Peace rasped.

  “I keep no secrets from Becky,” Dan cut in solemnly. When he saw a slow smile start to spread over Peace’s face, Dan held up a warning finger. “I know that look, Peacenik. I suggest you think twice before you let your mouth get your ass in trouble.”

  “Hoo-ya,” Peace answered reluctantly, knowing the damage would be done anyway. Becky quickly confirmed his supposition.

  “What’s he talking about, Daniel,” Becky asked, as the rest of the group, except for Dan, laughed.

  “He’s nuts, Honey,” Dan soothed. “I just figured he’d make something up.”

  “Hummmmmm…” Becky turned to Peace. “Were you joking?”

  “Of course, Becky,” Peace stated woodenly. “Dan would never keep secrets from you.”

  “See,” Dan pointed at Peace, “he’s doing it again. He’s manipulating you. Can’t…”

  “Oh, so now I’m so dumb I can’t tell when someone’s yanking my chain,” Becky retorted.

  Dan paused, realizing he was setup by Peace, with a deft helping hand from his disloyal wife, much to everyone else’s amusement. “Okay, you two got me. It’s the Bushmills. I couldn’t think clearly or quickly.”

  “You boys go get the meat barbequed,” Becky said, patting Dan’s hand. “Us womenfolk will go get the extras ready while we discuss this new development.”

  Dan stood up, pouring Bull, Peace, and himself one last shot. “We’ll be over firing up the grill. Bring the meat out in about ten minutes.”

  “Hoo-ya,” Becky barked back, as Jill and Holly laughed.

  “It appears,” Dan sighed, as he led the way to the barbeque grill, “your steaks were not the only meat barbequed today, Peace.”

  “Ah, but fun was had by all, Lieutenant,” Bull put in with satisfaction, between sips of his drink. “We found out Peace will be a new Daddy, and we won’t have to put him down like the mad dog he really is. Lastly, I managed to spend an hour with you guys without becoming the butt of Peacenik’s jokes.”

  “I was taking it easy on you in deference to your girlfriend,” Peace replied.

  “The hope I might forget about riding Hi Yo Peacenik up the hill tomorrow didn’t have anything to do with it, right?” Bull asked with a grin.

  “Never crossed my duly chastised mind, Chief,” Peace answered in his best groveling tone, as he and Bull watched Dan put coals in the Weber grill.

  “We may have to relent on his just due, Chief,” Dan said, lighting off the coals with his propane lighter. “He is a prospective Father.”

  Bull nodded in reluctant agreement. “Okay, but if 007 starts getting sassy, I’m getting out my riding crop.”

  “Of course,” Dan concluded solemnly. “That will also include anymore team ups with Becky at my expense.”

  “That goes without saying, Lieutenant Dan,” Peace added quickly, seeing he might get off easy at Monday’s training. “I’m sure my unborn child will be eternally grateful not to have been orphaned before seeing old Dad, face to face.”

  “On second thought, Chief, we might be doing the kid a favor if…”

  “Heyyyyyyy…” Peace cut him off, “no adlibs, Lieutenant Dan.”

  “Okay,” Dan agreed, holding up his shot glass. “Here’s to Papa Peacenik.”

  The three Seals clinked shot glasses and sipped in unison.

  “Hey guys,” Peace said suddenly. “I came up with a ballad for us Seals. You know, kind of to make up for my little fun filled use of the Green Beret song. Want to hear it?”

  Dan looked up from watching the glowing coals. “This ain’t another cheap dig, is it, Peace?”

  “No way.”

  “It better not be,” Bull added. “Go ahead.”

  Peace set his shot glass down on the redwood table near the grill. Emphasizing his word with his hands, Peace introduced his new Seal Ballad to his friends.

  “Okay, the music I envision with it will sound a little like this,” Peace began a low lilting melody, which repeated at his chorus points, and then started singing his ballad in a tenor rendition.

  Woe to enemies of American Nation,

  They’ll get justice in dark revelation.

  Grim young killers in black and gray,

  Will visit from air or water one day.

  In darkest night, watch for men from the Eagle’s crown.

  They will slice, dice, and blow your wicked house down.

  May God have mercy on your black Satanic souls.

  Navy Seals arrive, to teach for whom the bell tolls.

  Terrorists, your doom comes in the night,

  For Navy Seals will surely turn out your light.

  Terror gets no mercy on their cursed soil,

  No chance to return to their Demon toil.

  In darkest night, watch for men from the Eagle’s crown.

  They will slice, dice, and blow your wicked house down.

  May God have mercy on your black Satanic souls.

  Navy Seals arrive, to teach for whom the bell tolls.

  Navy Seals come when all the talkin’s done,

  So talk away in the light of daytime sun.

  When darkness falls on words and shaking fists,

  It will be as a plague on your land with targeted lists.

  In darkest night, watch for men from the Eagle’s crown.

  They will slice, dice, and blow your wicked house down.

  May God have mercy o
n your black Satanic souls.

  Navy Seals arrive, to teach for whom the bell tolls.

  Rising from the cold depths for over half a century,

  They move like ghosts, becoming one with desert or sea.

  When America needs death or destruction overnight,

  She sends her dread UDT Warriors to make things right.

  In darkest night, watch for men from the Eagle’s crown.

  They will slice, dice, and blow your wicked house down.

  May God have mercy on your black Satanic souls.

  Navy Seals arrive, to teach for whom the bell tolls.

  By the time Peace finished out his ballad, he had an audience of Dan’s kids, and all the women, who had slipped quietly back out to listen. When he finished with a flourish, his efforts were rewarded with applause from the women, and Hoo-ya’s from Dan and Bull. Bull clapped him on the shoulder.

  “Now that’s more like it. Man, that has real teeth to it.”

  “It made the hairs stand up on my neck, Peace,” Dan nodded enthusiastically. “You’ll have to do it for Jessup. He’ll come unglued. It reminds me a little of Sixteen Tons.”

  “Good,” Peace said, accepting a hug and kiss from Jill. “That was the ballad type I hoped for. As to Jessup, I think it might be a good idea to stay off his radar scope.”

  “You may have a point,” Dan allowed, taking a serving plate with the steaks from Becky. “I still want him to hear it sometime soon.” “Absolutely,” Peace replied.

  “Maybe you could sell it to a music company like Barry Sandler did his, Peace,” Holly suggested enthusiastically.

  “Peace won’t do that,” Bull said, shaking his head.

  “Bull’s right, Holly,” Peace smiled. “If it catches on, it will belong to the Navy Seals, period.”

  “You have a baby to think of now, Pauley,” Becky warned. “If you can make a fortune on it, all the better.”

  “I’ll make a fortune for the baby some other way,” Peace replied, as Jill wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close.

  “Might I suggest some life insurance,” Dan said, glancing up from his placing the steaks on the grill.

  “Daniel!” Becky exclaimed, causing Allie, and her brother to laugh, as they recognized when their Dad was being scolded.

  “I’ll take care of it right away on Monday,” Peace stated. “I’ll hook up with an agent on line tomorrow.”

  Dan turned Becky around and gave her a swat on the butt, propelling her toward the kitchen. “Get the rest of our meal ready, woman.”

  Holly, and Jill went along inside with Becky, all three promising retribution for the slight, jokingly. Dan put the lid on the grill, and retrieved the Bushmills. Peace and Bull accompanied Danny and his sister back to the sandbox to check out their grainy creations. Bull pointed out a few weaknesses in the castle defenses, and the two kids went right to work on the corrections. When the two men returned to the barbeque, Dan had already filled their glasses.

  “I thought Peace’s ballad definitely needed to be toasted,” Dan explained.

  “To our new US Navy Seal Ballad,” Bull held up his newly filled glass. The three friends clinked their glasses once more, and sipped.

  “It looks like Jill and Holly will be driving home tonight,” Peace observed.

  “Speak for yourself, lightweight,” Bull retorted.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Soul Searching

  Jill drove towards Polasky’s restaurant, a smile at the corners of her mouth. Peace relaxed on the passenger side seat, watching her. They had stayed until nearly five o’clock in the evening. After their small celebration by the grill, the three Seals had not imbibed anymore of the Bushmills.

  “Are you smiling because you had a good time?” Peace asked.

  Jill glanced over momentarily, nodding her head affirmatively. “I had a great time. Becky, Holly and me get along together almost like sisters. The guys really liked your ballad.”

  “Yea, they liked it even more than I thought they would. I’ll have to really work on writing down some notes for it. Have you felt sick or anything since you ate? I noticed you took some pretty small portions.”

  “I don’t want to be waddling around by the time I deliver. I still have a few months before I graduate, and my maneuverability on campus could become a problem.”

  “Will your folks go along with a small wedding within the next month?” Peace asked.

  “I don’t know, Hon,” Jill answered, biting her lip. “I don’t want to fight with them, but Becky was right. We do need to get married real soon.”

  “You’re not thinking about my imminent departure, are you?”

  Jill shrugged. “We both know you could get shipped out at any moment. I’d rather be married to you when I kiss you goodbye.”

  “I promise if I get word, we’ll drive into Nevada for a quickie. I would like to have your folks on board with this. They’ve done a lot for you.”

  “Are you going to tell your folks?” Jill asked, looking over to see if her question made him uncomfortable.

  “I don’t think so, but I will let them know when the baby is born. They deserve a chance at least to see their grandchild. If they pass it up, I already have my California parents. They like me a whole lot better than my real ones do anyway.”

  “I just know my Mom will come around once she realizes she’s going to be a Grandma.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up on that count,” Peace warned. “Some folks think of Grandparenting as one step from the grave.”

  “Maybe you’re right,” Jill said, pondering his words. “She would be a pretty young Grandma at forty-five.”

  “She was only a year older than you are when she had you, huh?”

  “Yes, but my Mom never lets things like facts from her life, get into the way of her displeasure with mine. She’ll be okay, and she didn’t like explode or anything when I told her.”

  “What did she say?”

  “You mean before she burst into tears?” Jill laughed.

  “Oh boy,” Peace sighed. “At least your Dad didn’t think it was the end of the world.”

  “If I would have had an abortion he would have thought of it as the end of the world. He can handle anything to do with life, but he would have flipped out if I ever mentioned an abortion.”

  “I like him even more,” Peace commented. “That’s how I feel about it. Say, I remember you telling me you didn’t care about using protection. Were you…”

  “Yes,” Jill smiled over at Peace. “I wanted to have your baby, and if you don’t like it, too bad.”

  Peace laughed appreciatively. “I like it just fine. How did it feel being pregnant, and not knowing I was going to be around?”

  “Bad,” Jill admitted. “I better get used to it if I want to be your wife though. You gave me a scare this weekend. Do you have anymore, what did the guys call it, ah… 007 stuff to do?”

  “That’s classified,” Peace deadpanned, imitating Dan’s quip to Becky.

  Jill laughed. “Okay, Dan Junior, I’ll accept that. Just remember your promise to marry me before you do anything else insanely dangerous.”

  “I think I resent that,” Peace replied.

  “Dan and Bull seemed to be getting along with you better after the talk on the patio.”

  “I explained some stuff to them, and we came to an understanding. Thanks to you making me a Father, Bull has decided to forego the usual penance he exacts from me in blood whenever I don’t do what he thinks I should.”

  “Are you going to play for me tonight a little?” Jill asked.

  “How about Having My Baby?”

  “Yuck,” Jill turned up her nose. “I hate that song.”

  “Okay then,” Peace grinned over at her, “what would you suggest?”

  “I want you to sing Someone To Watch Over Me, and Just Walk Away Renee. Do you know them?”

  “You bet,” Peace replied. “They’re two of my favorites.”

  “I lo
ve hearing you sing.”

  “Hopefully, you’ll get to hear a lot of me singing, my dear.”

  “It’s hard to believe something like my captivity in that jungle hellhole could have changed my whole life for the better,” Jill said, shaking her head. “As I explained, when you touched my hand… I… I just knew.”

  “When Dan and Bull found me in Iraq, it strengthened my belief, beyond a shadow of a doubt, hardship happens to people for a reason. It either makes them or breaks them. I don’t know of another woman, who could have handled the events in the last month like you have. By all rights, you should have dumped me.”

  “All the bad things since I found you had me worried I was bringing you bad luck,” Jill laughed. “I see now, there were extenuating circumstances in place before I even showed up.”

  “It won’t always be like that,” Peace reasoned.

  “You mean I won’t always have to be like a Mafia Don’s wife, where we don’t discuss anything to do with business?” Jill kidded him.

  “It probably does seem like that,” Peace agreed.

  “When I was kidding you about the True Lies movie, I didn’t know how close your real life was to it. You disappear for a couple of days, and the Northern tip of Mexico gets invaded.”

  Peace laughed; but as he considered her words, he realized his more secretive work was becoming a joke. “I will definitely have to be more low key in what I do, or I had better stop doing it.”

  Jill reached over, and enfolded Peace’s hand in hers, while keeping her eyes on the road. “I can deal with it, Peace, even if it means losing you. I love everything about you, and I don’t want you to quit any phase of your life for me.”

  “It’s not you, it’s me. I’m becoming a liability with all this. It won’t get any better for my mental outlook with Fatherhood. One thing will change for sure: the threads of what I do are going to stop intersecting and putting people I love in danger. The Batiste family was an aberration, I hope. A lot of innocent people were exposed due to what I do.”

  “It seems like a lot of people were spared from danger because of what you do,” Jill replied. “Like you told me: shit happens.”