He paused.
Please recognize that the mission to kill Abu Mustafa Faraj al-Jihadi, while successful, did not take place. It does not exist in any recordkeeping, nor will it ever exist. The men who lost their lives as part of this mission died in a training accident during a sandstorm.
He looked at them, his eyes hard now.
Is that understood?
Yes sir, Luke said, without hesitation. The fact that they were disappearing this mission didnt surprise him in the least. He would disappear it too, if he could.
Specialist Murphy?
Murphy raised a hand and shrugged. Its your deal, man. I dont think Ive ever been on a mission that did exist.
CHAPTER FOUR
March 23
4:35 p.m.
United States Army Special Operations Command
Fort Bragg
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Can I bring you a cup of tea?
Luke nodded. Thank you.
Waynes wife, Katie, was a pretty blonde, small, quite a bit younger than Wayne. Luke thought she was maybe twenty-four. She was pregnant with their daughtereight monthsand she was huge.
She was living in base housing, half a mile from Luke and Becca. The house was a tiny, three-room bungalow in a neighborhood of exactly identical houses. Wayne was dead. She was there because she had nowhere else to go.
She brought Luke his tea in a small ornate cup, the adult version of the cups little girls use when they have imaginary tea parties. She sat down across from him. The living room was spare. The couch was a futon that could fold out into a double bed for guests.
Luke had met Katie twice before, both times for five minutes or less. He hadnt seen her since before she was pregnant.
You were Waynes good friend, she said.
Yes. I was.
She stared into her teacup, as if maybe Wayne was floating at the bottom.
And you were on the mission where he died. It wasnt a question.
Yes.
Did you see it? Did you see him die?
Already, Luke didnt like where these questions were headed. How to answer a question like that? Luke had missed the shots that killed Wayne, but he had seen him die, all right. He would give almost anything to unsee it.
Yes.
How did he die? she said.
He died like a man. Like a soldier.
She nodded, but said nothing. Maybe that wasnt the answer she was looking for. But Luke didnt want to go any further.
Was he in pain? she said.
Luke shook his head. No.
She looked into his eyes. Her eyes were red and rimmed with tears. There was a terrible sadness there. How can you know that?
I spoke to him. He told me to tell you that he loved you.
It was a lie, of course. Wayne hadnt managed to utter a complete sentence. But it was a white lie. Luke believed that Wayne would have said it, if he could have.
Is that why you came here, Sergeant Stone? she said. To tell me that?
Luke took a breath.
Before he died, Wayne asked me to be your daughters godfather, Luke said. I agreed, and Im here to honor that commitment. Your daughter will be born soon, and I want to help you through this situation in any way I can.
There was a long, silent pause between them. It stretched longer and longer.
Finally, Katie shook her head, just a tiny amount. She spoke softly.
I could never have a man like you be my daughters godfather. Wayne is dead because of men like you. My girl will never have a father because of men like you. Do you understand? Im here because I still have the healthcare, and so my baby will be born here. But after that? Im going to run as far away from the Army, and from people like you, as I can. Wayne was stupid to be involved in this, and I was stupid to go along with it. You dont have to worry, Sergeant Stone. You have no responsibility to me. Youre not my babys godfather.
Luke couldnt think of a single thing to say. He looked in his cup and saw that he had already finished his tea. He put the teacup down on the table. She picked it up and moved her bulk to the door of the tiny house. She opened the door and held it open.
Good day, Sergeant Stone.
He stared at her.
She began to cry. Her voice was as soft as ever.
Please. Get out of my house. Get out of my life.
* * *Dinner was dreary and sad.
They sat across the table from each other, not speaking. She had made stuffed chicken and asparagus, and it was good. She had opened a beer for him and poured it into a glass. She had done nice things.
They were eating quietly, almost as though things were normal.
But he couldnt bring himself to look at her.
There was a black matte Glock nine-millimeter on the table near his right hand. It was loaded.
Luke, are you okay?
He nodded. Yeah. Im fine. He took a sip of his beer.
Why is your gun on the table?
Finally, he looked up at her. She was beautiful, of course, and he loved her. She was pregnant with his child, and she wore a flower-print maternity blouse. He could almost cry at her beauty, and at the power of his love for her. He felt it intensely, like a wave crashing against the rocks.
Uh, its just there in case I need it, babe.
Why would you need it? Were just eating dinner. Were on the base. Were safe here. No one can
Does it bother you? he said.
She shrugged. She slid a small forkful of chicken into her mouth. Becca was a slow and careful eater. She ate little bites, and it often took her a long time to finish her dinner. She didnt strap the ol feedbag on like some people did. Luke loved that about her. It was one of their differences. He tended to inhale his food.
He watched her chew her food in slow motion. Her teeth were large. She had bunny teeth. It was cute. It was endearing.
Yeah, a little, she said. Youve never done that before. Are you afraid that
Luke shook his head. Im not afraid of anything. We have a child on the way, all right? Its important that we keep our child safe from harm. Its our responsibility. Its a dangerous world, Becca, in case you didnt know that.
Luke nodded at the truth of what he was saying. More and more, he was beginning to notice hazards all around them. There were sharp dinner knives in the kitchen drawer. There were carving knives and a big meat cleaver in a wooden block on the counter. There were scissors in the cabinet behind the bathroom mirror.
The car had brakes, and someone could easily cut the brake lines. If Luke knew how to do it, then a lot of people knew. And there were a lot of people out there who might want to settle a score with Luke Stone.
It almost seemed like
Becca was crying. She pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. Her face had turned crimson in the past ten seconds.
Babe? Whats wrong?
You, she said, the tears streaming down her face. Theres something wrong with you. Youve never come home like this before. Youve barely said hello to me. You havent touched me at all. I feel like Im invisible. You stay up all night. You dont seem like youve slept at all since you got here. Now youve got a gun on the dinner table. Im a little bit afraid, Luke. Im afraid theres something very, very wrong.
He stood, and she took a step back. Her eyes went wide.
That look. It was the look of a woman who was afraid of a man. And he was that man. It horrified him. It was if he had snapped suddenly awake. He never imagined she would ever look at him that way. He never wanted her to look that way again, not at him, not at anyone, not for any reason.