BooksBarbecue
Back The Preserve
Chapters (56)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Half-Title Page
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. AUTHOR’S NOTE
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. 9.
  15. 10.
  16. 11.
  17. 12.
  18. 13.
  19. 14.
  20. 15.
  21. 16.
  22. 17.
  23. 18.
  24. 19.
  25. 20.
  26. 21.
  27. 22.
  28. 23.
  29. 24.
  30. 25.
  31. 26.
  32. 27.
  33. 28.
  34. 29.
  35. 30.
  36. 31.
  37. 32.
  38. 33.
  39. 34.
  40. 35.
  41. 36.
  42. 37.
  43. 38.
  44. 39.
  45. 40.
  46. 41.
  47. 42.
  48. 43.
  49. 44.
  50. 45.
  51. 46.
  52. 47.
  53. 48.
  54. EPILOGUE
  55. AFTERWORD
  56. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Part of Lett wanted a blackout now, but one wouldn’t come. “I’m not reenlisting,” he said. “Not a chance. Not as a regular Joe.”

Selfer smiled. “Come now. Do you think that’s what this is? We are far above a regular post. This is a duty, surely, but it’s not serving those same old forces who put you in a hole in Northern Europe.”

“I don’t know what that means. I don’t know what any of this means.”

“You will. And you’ll know soon.”

They sat there a long while. Lett wasn’t sure how long. What he experienced wasn’t a blackout. It was more like a meditation. They were two monastics. The next thing Lett knew, Selfer was walking him to the door with one arm around him, his fingers splayed across his back to cradle his ribs. Selfer opened the door all the way with the other hand, and the light streamed in, and more breeze along with it, drying any tracks of his tears left. This helped Lett take a long, deep breath to compose himself. He was glad that Kanani didn’t have to see him like this. They stepped out onto the porch.

“How would you like to get a letter to your wife?” Selfer said.

Lett whipped around. “You can do that?”

“Sure. And no one else needs to know.” Selfer patted his shoulder. “Just me and you.”

“Okay. All right. Thank you.”

Selfer rocked on his heels like a family man in gray flannel waiting for his train home to the suburbs. Lett strode to the other end of the porch, stepped down onto the barren clearing and looked both ways, then peered into the greenery surrounding them. He spotted a trail leading off into the forest. He looked back up to the porch.

Selfer was looking down on him, sizing him up in a way that Lett had never seen before. Lett almost thought he saw worry in Selfer’s softening eyes.

“Why don’t you go and take a stroll into camp?” Selfer said. “Take that trail there.”

“Really?” Lett tried to make it sound casual, but his eyes had widened and his joints firmed up again. “I . . . I haven’t been anywhere near a real military post in a very long time—except as a prisoner, that is.”

“It’s all right. Besides, this is more of an intelligence operation, less military. You can’t stray. There’s a perimeter fence, and the sentries. The trail is clearly marked. Look for the sign reading Quarters. Take your time. Someone will find you, check you in, get you to your billet.”

“If you say so.”

“I do indeed. Consider it your first test. I’ll come find you when you’re done—on the other side, as it were.”

5.