Next to Die (35 page)

He had no time to ponder what that meant. Gabe Renault rounded the corner and said, “Mallory, stop talking his ear off and show him in.”

“See what I mean?” said the teen, stepping back to let Joe in.

Gabe’s wife, Helen, bustled over. “We’re so glad you could make it,” she said, accepting the bottle of sherry he gave her. “Oh, this’ll go great in the sangria I’m making.”

Joe couldn’t believe the bulge on her slim, athletic frame. “Wow, the baby’s grown a lot in the last three weeks,” he commented.

“You know, I noticed that,” she retorted wryly, taking the sherry to the kitchen.

“I’ll take your coat, sir,” said Gabe, who hung Joe’s coat in the closet. “I think you know almost everyone here,” he added, leading Joe into a great room with a soaring ceiling. The lit Christmas tree shed a cheery glow on many guests. Christmas music played softly in the background. “On second thought, I don’t think you’ve met our old master chief, Sebastian León. Sebastian, this is our new commander, Joe Montgomery.”

A lean, dark-complexioned gentleman leaped from an armchair to extend a hand. “It’s a pleasure, sir,” he said, his grip firm. “I’m almost sorry I retired,” he said in lyrically accented English. “From what I’ve heard, it would have been a pleasure to serve you.”

“I’ve heard good things about you,” Joe replied honestly. Sebastian León—the Sandman—was a legend in his own time.

“This is my wife, Leila,” Sebastian said, introducing the slim brunette on the couch, “and my daughter Esme.” The baby was all cheeks and sparkling black eyes. “Her twin brother, Kaspar, is with the senior chief.”

Joe spied Solomon McGuire sitting cross-legged on the floor, blowing raspberries on a squealing baby’s belly. The vignette of Mako’s gentle interaction with the baby overlaid all of Joe’s assumptions about him, changing his opinion in an instant. Who would have guessed the man had a soft spot?

“And you met Chief McCaffrey last night,” Gabe added, still playing host.

Joe sent a nod at the sniper whom he’d released from the team just last night so that he could spend his last four months of his enlistment with the woman he loved. “Sir,” said the ponytailed chief. He removed an arm from around his female companion and tugged her over to meet Joe. “This is Sara,” he said, saying her name with reverence and a western drawl. “She flew in with her son last night, makin’ it the best damn night of my life, sir.”

A slim woman with blond hair and blue-gray eyes sent him a shy smile. “Thank you so much,” she said, regarding him that same way Penny did—like she could see the real Joe. “You’ve made Chase so happy—and me, too, of course,” she added, blushing.

From what Joe had heard of her history, the woman deserved to be happy. “Don’t thank me,” he said, feeling undeserving of her gratitude. “Lieutenants Renault and Lindstrom were the ones pushing for his early release.”

“But you listened to them,” she insisted.

Her faith in him also made him think of Penny. God, he missed her!

The doorbell rang and the dog barked, and Gabe went to greet the newest arrivals. “There you are. I was starting to give up on you,” Joe heard him say.

“It’s my fault we’re late,” sang out a familiar voice. A moment later, Hannah Lindstrom breezed into the great room in a dark red pantsuit that offset her flame-red hair.

“You didn’t get a call from the office, did you?” Helen asked her as she carried in a tray of iced Christmas cookies.

“No, I had a bout of morning sickness,” Hannah announced, “at eight o’clock at night!” she added with disgust.

“Hey,” Luther chided. “You ruined my surprise. I was going to pass around my stocking present.” He handed Gabe an EPT stick.

“Damn, son,” Gabe exclaimed. “I thought you two just started trying.”

Luther shrugged his massive shoulders. “All I did was give it my best shot,” he said with a killer grin.

With an outraged gasp, Hannah punched him.

“Ow.”

“Stop taking all the credit. We’re the ones who have to do all the work, right, Helen?” Hannah snatched a cookie off the tray that Helen passed under her nose.

“That’s right,” Helen agreed. “It all comes down to female fortitude. You guys are just in it for the ride,” she said, extending the tray to Sebastian and then to Solomon McGuire.

“What ride?” Gabe grumbled under his breath. “I haven’t had a ride in weeks.”

Ah, now Joe knew why his XO was grumpy. He felt a grin coming on.

“Just wait till those sleepless nights hit you,” Leila warned from the couch. “Don’t even try to be heroic, ladies. That four A.M. wake-up has ‘Daddy’ written all over it. Sebastian enjoyed it, didn’t you dear?”

“I thought the twins would never sleep through the night,” the man replied without actually answering the question.

“Man, I can’t wait,” said Luther, grabbing his wife. “When are you going to look pregnant, huh?” he asked, rubbing her flat belly.

“It’s not a genie bottle, honey,” she said, removing his hand. “Oh, Helen, please don’t tell me you made sangria and I can’t drink it.”

“You’re not the only one, sweetie,” Helen replied.

“Yeah, but you’re almost out of the woods,” said Hannah, taking in Helen’s girth. “Good lord. When is this baby coming?”

“Yesterday. Can we not talk about the due date?”

“These cookies are fantastic,” said Hannah obligingly.

A thought harpooned Joe’s consciousness:
Penny should be here.
An image of her, her belly round with child, flashed in his mind. And with heart-stopping certainty, he realized he wanted that, too, more than anything. He expected the thought to terrify him; instead, it thrilled him like no other rush he’d ever experienced.

“So, Joe, are you able to communicate with Penny?”

Startled to hear Penny’s name on the heels of his epiphany, Joe met Hannah’s inquiring gaze. “We’ve sent a few e-mails back and forth,” he replied. And how many times had he wanted to write:
Did you say you loved me?
The terminal had been so noisy that day. What if he’d misheard her, hearing only what he’d wanted to hear? Her e-mails these last four weeks had been strictly factual, giving him no hope whatsoever that she harbored deep feelings for him.

“Well, next time you write, tell her that Admiral Jacobs pled guilty, so there’s no need for her to stand witness at his trial.”

“Excellent,” said Joe. “I know she wasn’t looking forward to that. But I don’t have to write her. She’s coming back tomorrow,” he added. “I’ll tell her in person.”

Saying it out loud made his heart beat faster and his palms sweat. Having wrapped himself up in his work to forget how much he missed her, he hadn’t grasped that their time apart was almost over.

What would it be like seeing her face-to-face after all these weeks? He sensed a monumental shift within himself—a reordering of priorities that was gaining momentum, approaching the most important moment of his life.

He couldn’t believe it: at last, despite all odds, he’d found a love as pure and strong as his parents’. He didn’t have to avoid their expectations any longer, seeking thrills and chills to take his mind off a lifetime of loneliness. No more running. Having Penny in his life was all he needed.

Solomon McGuire stood up off the floor. With the baby still clamped in one arm, he scooped a handful of nuts off the coffee table. “Sir, do you have a sniper in mind to take Chief McCaffrey’s position?” he asked Joe.

“Yes, I do,” Joe admitted. He’d given it some good hard thought. “His name is Sean Harlan, goes by Harley. Best chief I’ve ever had the privilege of working with.”

“Harley,” piped up Chief McCaffrey. “Yeah, I know ’im. Great guy. He really knows his shit—sorry,” he apologized to Sara, who elbowed him.

“He does,” Joe agreed. The question was would Harley ever want to work for him again? He’d sent him an unofficial inquiry and heard nothing back yet.

Solomon regarded Joe with his weird, unblinking eyes as he chomped on nuts. “I know Harley,” he volunteered.

Something in the man’s tone trapped the air in Joe’s lungs. He and Solomon exchanged a long look, and Joe realized with a tingle of alarm that the senior chief knew that Joe was the survivor, that he’d taken Harley’s place that awful, fateful night.

The man popped the rest of the nuts in his mouth and nodded as if to confirm Joe’s guess. “He’d be honored to work for you,” he added unexpectedly.

An invisible weight seemed to ease from Joe’s chest, making it easier to breathe. “You think?”

“A lot of commanders forget what it’s like to be out in the field,” Solomon added. “But you wouldn’t forget that, would you, sir?”

“No,” Joe agreed, thickly. The senior chief’s confidence summoned his gratitude. “Thank you,” he added, wondering if the other guys knew, as well. Looking around, he found them all regarding him steadily. Not one of them seemed to judge Joe the way he’d judged himself.

Penny was right. He, more than most leaders, knew how much he asked of his men.

Thinking of Penny again flooded him with a feeling similar to that of jumping from a plane, only better. He was going to throw caution to the wind tomorrow and risk everything, most especially his heart.

Epilogue

Lugging her carry-on bag behind her, Penny followed the soldiers filing out of the C-141 Starlifter. Over the decrescendo of the jet’s dying engines, she discerned the cheers of family and friends welcoming their servicemen andwomen to the Oceana Naval Air Station.

Penny’s heart beat faster, but she was quick to squash the hope that Joe was among those waiting. She wasn’t even supposed to be on this flight. At the last minute, she’d sought standby seating on the most direct flight home. As far as Joe was concerned, she was still arriving at Norfolk International this evening.

Stiff-limbed in the wake of a transatlantic flight, Penny was greeted by a sizable, cheering crowd withstanding a wintry morning as they waited for their loved ones to descend to the tarmac. About a hundred people stood behind the metal barricades, waving banners, screaming out names. With her heart in her throat, she watched as husbands rushed into the arms of their wives. Mothers wept. Young fathers snatched up their children and whirled them in the air.

At the back of the crowd, the words MARRY ME had been painted across a sheet that snapped in the breeze.

God in heaven, it was good to be home! Despite the bite of the winter air, the sky was impossibly blue, without a cloud in it. A fresh breeze, smelling of the ocean, buffeted Penny’s uniform trench coat, but the sun felt warm on her shoulders.

As she wended through the crowd on her way to the terminal, the joyful reunions taking place around her brought tears to her eyes. She would need to call a taxi to get home.

A hand settled warmly on her arm. “Can I help you with that bag, ma’am?”

“No thanks, I’ve got—” Snatching her gaze upward, she was astonished to find Joe standing there, a crooked smile on his face. He wore civilian clothing—boots and a denim jacket that made him look so virile and handsome that her head spun.

“Joe,” she cried. “What are you doing here?”

“Meeting someone,” he said, his green gaze cutting keenly into hers. “Someone special.”

“Oh.” She checked the impulse to throw herself into his arms. Had he found another woman already?

“I meant you, Penny,” he added with concern when she just stood there, stricken with doubt.

“Me?” The tarmac seemed to shift. “But I wasn’t supposed to be on this flight.”

He jammed his fingers into his pockets. “You weren’t trying to avoid me, were you?” he asked with an uncomfortable glance over her shoulder.

“No, of course not. How did you find me?” Shock gave way to the sensation that she was floating off the concrete.

“I woke up a lot of people last night,” he said, his smile reappearing.

“Really?” She looked down to see if her feet were still on the ground.

“You, uh, you didn’t read my sign yet, did you?” he inquired.

“Sign?” The question had her turning to follow his gaze. There were dozens of signs, posters, and pictures bobbing in the hands of those gathered. She read the ones that she could see:

WELCOME HOME, HARRY!

DADDY IS MY HERO.

WE LOVE OUR E-3.

Behind them all was that enormous banner painted on the sheet. Looking closer, she saw that it was strung between two poles, held aloft by two very buff, stone-faced men with baseball caps pulled down over their eyes. This time she read the sign in its entirety.

MARRY ME, PENNY?

The blood drained from Penny’s face. Elation welled up in its stead, leaving her light-headed. “Me?” She couldn’t believe it.

“I don’t know any other Penny,” said Joe, his smile growing forced, “or even anyone like you,” he added. “I think you said you loved me when you left?” he added self-consciously.

“Oh, Joe,” she breathed, putting her hands to her face. Out the corner of one eye, she realized some kid was taking her picture.

“You didn’t need to leave to make me realize that I love you, Penny,” Joe added gruffly. “I already knew that. What I didn’t know was that I wanted you in my life, every day of my life, for the rest of my life—which is why I made the sign,” he explained, nodding toward the sheet. “Plus, Gabe and Luther owed me a favor.”