Page 5 of Broken SEAL

Ernie, the comms expert in the SEAL team, and his wife appeared with arms laden with platters of food and a cooler. Ali directed them into the kitchen as Mike kept an eye on the boys.

Ernie reappeared moments later with two beers in hand. “Bro, you’re going to be eating bean salad for weeks.” He passed a cold Corona to Mike.

“I told you we had the food sorted.”

“Tell that to Maria. She packs meals for a business class flight.”

“And they’d be damn good burritos,” added Mike.

The men laughed as two SUVs came up the drive and parked alongside Ernie’s minivan.

Mike glanced at his watch. “Right on time.”

“You can always count on sailors to be punctual.”

Their team leader, TJ, the broad-shouldered, craggy-faced veteran, and Rick, the muscle-bound African American operator, joined the men on the deck, beers in hand. Their wives, Deb and Jenny, stepped into the kitchen to join Maria and Ali.

“Bro, the place looks great,” said Rick. He and the rest of the team had helped Mike and the family move from their previous rental, but they hadn’t seen it since.

“You guys have turned it into a home,” added TJ. “Looks like Axe is still loving retirement.”

The four men watched as Junior and the boys played on a tire that hung from a California Redwood. Axe had the rope firmly in his teeth, pulling the tire up the hill, then releasing it.

Mike shook his head. “That dog’s going in for dental work tomorrow. The last thing I need is for him to rip all his teeth out.”

“It’ll take more than three kids and a length of rope to stop Axe,” said TJ. “Which reminds me.” He turned to Rick as he sipped from his beer. “When are you and Jenny going to make this a full team?”

The muscled operator shrugged. “All in good time. I mean, we ‘just’ got married.”

Ernie snorted into his beer. “Amigo, your anniversary is next week. You’ve been married a year.”

“Nah, man, it hasn’t been that long.” He took his phone from his shorts and checked the calendar. “Damn! You’re right. I’m going to have to get Jenny something. Mike, what did you get Ali for your first anniversary?”

Mike shrugged. “Dude, that was years ago.”

“Deb got you a seat at the top restaurant in town,” said TJ. “Then you took Ali out to live theatre.”

“Ah, yeah. I remember now. The first anniversary is paper.”

“How is live theatre paper?” asked Ernie.

“The tickets are paper,” replied Mike.

“Oh, that’s smooth. I like that a lot. I’m going to check what’s showing,” said Rick.

“Did you need Deb to hook you up with a table at Juniper and Ivy?” asked TJ.

“That would be great. So, Deb’s still doing the food critique thing?” asked Rick. “I mean, she’s a big boss in the CIA now, right?”

TJ nodded. “It started as her cover story. Now she’s out of the field and running Ops, it’s more of a hobby.”

“Speaking of Ops,” said Mike. “This week marks a year since the demise of Barbarossa.”

“That’s an anniversary worth toasting,” added Ernie as the porch doors slid open and Ali appeared with a pitcher and glasses on a tray.

“What are we toasting?” she asked.

“The successful transformation of a house into a home,” said TJ, not missing a beat as Deb, Jenny, and Maria followed, the latter carrying a cheeseboard that she placed on the porch’s outdoor setting. “The place looks fantastic.”