Hemingway - Zoe Dawson Page 0,13
so clumsy. I’m not the best coordinated guy, but I don’t let that stop me.” He took the upper bunk above Hemingway.
“Hoo-yah.”
After his bunkmates had stowed their gear, they went to chow, then back to the barracks. As the lights went out, he, Prescott and Brown were getting to know each other better, but Wilson wasn’t interested and spent most of his time either with his head down or in a book. Hemingway had to wonder how this guy even got into the training when he was clearly not interested in bonding with anyone.
As far as Hemingway was concerned, he intended to crush all the evolutions to the best of his ability. Getting by wasn’t in his DNA and having a couple of SEAL teams full of guys who knew the score training him had made him understand how much more he wanted to become a part of that brotherhood. Especially after experiencing his time with Dodger.
As he was drifting, his thoughts involuntarily wandered to The Babe. He had to admit that even throughout the day, she was a soft presence in his mind, one he’d tried often to push out, but she refused to go.
He figured he would only find her in his dreams.
Shea curled into the couch with the instructions for the camera. She read it over for the fifth time to make sure she knew how to operate it, so she didn’t make a fool of herself. Tomorrow, she was supposed to report to the base to be introduced to the class, and it was game on. She had to be ready. Her cell phone rang, and she looked down to see it was her brother. She didn’t hear from him often since he was in the Marines.
“Jason. Hey, what’s up?”
“I’m getting deployed.”
“Where?”
“In Argentina near Laguna Blanca. There’s been an earthquake, and we’re going in to help. We should be there about two weeks to a month, depending how it goes.”
“I saw the news about the earthquake. There was a lot of damage.”
“Yeah. We’ll do the best we can. How are things with you?”
“I’m okay. I keep busy.”
“Yeah, you still seeing someone?”
“No. I stopped several months ago.”
Seeing a shrink hadn’t helped in the short-term. It wouldn’t help in the long term. Finding and ending the man who had murdered her sister in Thailand would be the only justice she needed.
“Because you feel better?”
“Sure,” she said, knowing that she didn’t, but to spare her brother the worry, she kept her pain to herself.
“I can tell you’re lying. Why can’t you let it go?” The three of them had been a united front against their Navy Admiral father who had expected so much from them. Her brother had joined the Marines, but he was appeased when her sister went for the Navy. Her father’s biggest disappointment was that Shea hadn’t joined the Navy. Serving as an undercover agent for NCIS didn’t count.
“You mean let someone else do my job?”
“Tracking down that dirtbag has nothing to do with your job and we both know it.” His voice grew rough. “She was my sister too.”
“Then you should understand why I have to do this.”
“Is the admiral on your back?”
“Dad dutifully calls me once a week for progress,” she bit out. He would have been much happier if Shea and her sister Madison had been sons. Shea believed he could have handled it if Madison had died a male hero, instead of by drowning after someone hit her on the back of the head.
When I get back, we’ll have lunch, okay?”
“Sure, that sounds great. Be safe and call me when you can.”
“I will. Bye, sis.”
She disconnected the call and turned on the television. The news about the Argentinian earthquake was all over the screen. Her gut clenched thinking her baby brother was going into such an unstable place. She rubbed at her temple, leaning over and grabbing the bottle of wine. Pouring herself a glass, she took a few sips.
Her brother had it so wrong. She wasn’t doing this for her father or for her family. She wasn’t doing it for NCIS or even for justice. At this point, that word had lost its meaning.
She was doing this for Maddy because her sister was the only one who mattered.
Mad Max opened his eyes and smiled softly, wincing a bit from moving his injured shoulder, the painkiller he’d been given wearing off. The warmth of Jugs lying against him gave him comfort. He heard the nurse, who was taking his vitals sigh heavily,