Chapters (39)
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Acknowledgements
- Epigraph
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
"Hey, over here," called Mitchell, rising from one of the benches in the waiting area.
"What's up, Captain?" said Tanner, offering his hand.
They shook firmly. "Thanks for coming."
"You sure I'll survive?" Tanner eyed all the army personnel clustered around the bar.
"Well, we've only had a handful of SEALs drop in over the years, but like I tell the young pups, we all belong to the same brotherhood of stars and stripes. We senior guys get it. Takes them a little longer to learn."
Tanner chuckled. "Roger that."
Mitchell tipped his head over to the circular bar constructed of oak and adorned with sandbags, like a massive machine gunner's nest. His Ghosts stood with beers, and as they drew closer, Mitchell recoiled over a night-marish site: Bo Jenkins stood there, shirtless, wearing a bra whose black straps dug deeply into his shoulders.
"All right, pipe down, he's here!" cried Mitchell, gaining their attention. "But before I make my little speech, Bo, I have to ask . . ."
Jenkins blushed. "Uh, sir, I've been trying to find something to enhance my full-figured beauty."
With that, the entire group burst out laughing, and money immediately changed hands. Jenkins had obviously lost a bet, and others had bet upon whether he would go through with the prank.
"All right, give it back," hollered Diaz. "And don't get the wrong idea! It's just a loaner."
"Makes you wish you hadn't saved us, huh?" Mitchell said in Tanner's ear.
At the same time, Smith shoved a tall glass of draft beer into the SEAL chief 's hand and another into Mitchell's.
"Okay, quiet down, you dirty apes. I'm making a toast." Mitchell raised his glass, and the group suddenly fell silent.
In fact, a hush fell over the rest of the bar, and one of the waitresses cut off the sound from the TVs.
Mitchell went on, "So we all know the army-navy rivalry will live on in infamy, especially on the gridiron. But that doesn't mean we can't give credit where credit is due. Tonight we raise our glasses to all those SEALs who serve and all who gave their lives to protect our great country, especially SEAL Chief Phillips. And we're honored to say thank you to SEAL Chief Tanner, who's with us today." Mitchell beamed at the man. "Welcome to our bar. It's your party, Chief. Do you have any orders?"
"As a matter of fact I do, Captain," said Tanner, lifting his voice and his glass. "Bottoms up!"
MCDANIEL HOME
NEAR FORT BRAGG, NORTH CAROLINA
MAY 2012
The morning after Tanner's party, Mitchell drove to Rutang's place to find out why his friend hadn't come.
Mandy answered the door, and her face looked more drawn than usual, her long black hair wired with new strands of gray. She gave Mitchell a hug, then said, "He's in the office."