The 22nd Secret (74 page)

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Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
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I
w
a
s
a
n of
f
i
c
e
r in the
N
a
v
y
SEALS
, w
e
nt
i
nto K
u
w
a
it
b
e
fo
r
e
the inv
a
sion
a
nd h
e
lped the r
e
si
s
tan
c
e
move
m
e
nt.”


Did
y
ou ki
l
l a
n
y
o
n
e
?


I
w
a
s in comm
a
nd
o
f a v
e
r
y
spe
c
i
a
l
t
ea
m.
W
e
did wh
a
t we
h
a
d to.
W
e
h
e
l
p
e
d
e
nd the b
r
utal torture
of
a
n
e
nt
i
re
c
ount
r
y
.
I
t w
a
sn’t l
i
ke
w
h
a
t people
saw
on CN
N
.
I
t’s not somethi
n
g
y
o
u talk to a l
a
d
y
t
h
a
t’s in
y
our
b
a
th
t
ub
a
bout.”


I
’m so
r
r
y
,

P
a
m br
e
a
th
e
d d
ee
p
l
y
.

T
e
ll
me
a
bout
t
he
lod
g
e
.


W
e
l
l
,
a
n
y
w
a
y
Un
c
l
e Ch
a
rlie
pa
ssed
a
w
a
y
th
r
e
e
y
ea
rs
a
g
o
a
nd Aunt
J
u
d
y
w
a
nted to move to D
a
l
l
a
s to
l
ive
w
i
t
h h
e
r d
a
u
g
hte
r
.
S
he
c
ou
l
dn’t
r
un the pl
a
c
e
b
y
h
e
r
s
e
lf
a
n
y
w
a
y
.
I
h
a
d
a
c
h
a
n
c
e
to get out of the
N
a
v
y
so
I
bo
u
g
ht
t
he
pl
a
c
e
f
rom
h
e
r.”


J
i
m
,
ca
n
y
ou ple
a
s
e
g
e
t
me the b
a
throb
e
.

J
i
m he
a
rd Paula stand
u
p
a
s he l
e
ft the
r
oom.
H
e
r
e
turn
e
d b
a
c
king
i
n
to
t
he
room but
c
ould s
e
nse Paula
w
a
s out of t
h
e
tub.


You
ca
n look now
.

Pa
m w
a
s enj
o
y
i
n
g
t
e
a
si
n
g
Ji
m
. Th
e
y
both
l
a
u
g
h
e
d
o
ut
l
o
ud
a
t J
i
m’s
e
x
p
re
ss
i
on wh
e
n he
turn
e
d to s
e
e
P
a
ula standi
n
g
in f
r
ont of
him
w
ra
p
p
e
d in one of
the lo
d
g
e
’s hu
g
e
b
a
th
t
ow
e
ls.


I
’ve
h
a
d
e
no
u
g
h t
e
a
sing.”
J
im
dro
p
p
e
d the
r
obe
on the
f
loor
a
nd
w
r
a
pp
e
d
one
a
rm
a
round
h
er
.
He
pul
l
e
d h
e
r h
a
rd to him
a
nd kiss
e
d
h
e
r p
a
ss
i
on
a
te
l
y
.
W
hi
l
e
kis
s
ing
h
e
r,
h
e
used
his other
h
a
nd to
g
r
a
b o
n
e
of
h
e
r
f
irm butt ch
e
e
k
s
. He
sque
e
z
e
d it
then
ra
n his
a
rm up h
e
r ba
c
k
a
nd pul
l
e
d the tow
e
l off
of
he
r, thro
w
ing
it
a
c
ross the
r
oom.
W
i
t
hout
look
i
ng
down he
turn
e
d
a
nd w
a
lked out of
the
r
oom,
i
n
f
o
r
m
i
ng
P
a
ula,

I
’ll lo
o
k wh
e
n
e
v
e
r
I
w
a
n
t
. G
e
t
d
r
e
ssed,
I
’ll s
ta
rt b
rea
k
f
a
st.”

P
a
m s
t
ood n
a
k
e
d unt
i
l she h
ea
rd t
h
e
door
to her
r
o
om clos
e
.
T
a
k
e
me
wh
e
n
eve
r you
want,
I

m r
e
a
d
y
,
she tho
u
g
h
t
.

The
c
lo
t
h
e
s
J
im
pick
e
d out
w
e
re
too
l
a
r
ge, so she
d
ec
ided to put on
t
he
w
o
ol socks
a
nd w
ea
r the
t
e
r
r
y
c
lo
t
h
robe unt
i
l a
f
ter
bre
a
k
fa
st.
S
he
fold
e
d them up
a
nd
c
a
r
r
i
e
d them dow
n
stairs with he
r
.
De
s
c
e
ndi
n
g
the
stair
s
, she
w
ond
e
r
e
d w
h
a
t
i
t would be like to f
u
l
l
y
op
e
n up
h
e
r mind to
J
i
m.
S
he
didn’t know the
d
e
pth of his
p
s
y
c
hic p
o
w
e
rs. T
h
e
y
s
ee
med to be
on
l
y
ov
e
r
h
e
r
.
S
he would h
a
ve
sens
e
d it
if
h
e
h
a
d d
e
v
e
loped
a
n
y
le
v
e
l of p
h
y
sic ski
l
ls or if he
w
a
s a
w
a
re
o
f
w
h
a
t he w
a
s doing
to
h
e
r.
S
he
w
o
nd
e
r
e
d if
h
e
c
ould
a
lso
r
e
a
d h
e
r tho
u
g
hts or
if
it
w
a
s me
re
l
y
a
s
e
x
u
a
l
c
onn
ec
t
i
on.
W
h
a
tev
e
r it
w
a
s,
if she
c
ould
g
e
t h
i
m
t
o
fo
c
us
his
thou
g
hts d
ir
ec
t
l
y
a
t her
h
e
c
ould take
c
ontrol of
h
e
r bo
d
y
.
S
he
d
ec
ided to low
e
r
h
e
r
g
u
a
rd,
w
h
a
te
v
e
r
J
im
tho
ug
ht, her
b
o
d
y
would do without
h
e
r int
e
rv
e
nt
i
on. His d
e
sir
e
s would b
e
c
ome h
e
r
ac
t
i
ons, but only
f
o
r
ton
i
g
h
t
.
S
he
st
i
ll h
a
d to ke
e
p h
e
r true
iden
t
i
t
y
a
nd
r
ea
son f
o
r b
e
i
n
g
i
n Al
a
ska
h
idden.
T
his k
n
owl
e
dge
w
a
s s
t
i
l
l d
ea
d
l
y
.
J
im
would p
r
ob
a
b
l
y
n
e
v
e
r kn
o
w the
truth.
I
n
a
f
e
w d
a
y
s she
w
ould
be
out of his
l
if
e
.
W
h
e
ther
the
A
me
r
i
c
a
ns
or
the Chin
e
se
g
ot h
er
,
J
im
would b
e
l
i
e
ve
she
ha
d
just
used
hi
m
.
I
t would be
ea
si
e
r
f
or
him
t
h
a
n the t
r
uth. And wh
a
t
w
a
s the truth?
Fa
te h
a
d
b
rou
g
ht
t
h
e
m
t
o
g
e
th
e
r, th
e
y
w
e
re
m
ea
nt for
e
a
c
h
othe
r
, love
a
t first s
i
g
ht, a p
e
r
f
ec
t fit,
a
nd
f
a
te
w
o
uld sep
a
r
a
te t
h
e
m
i
n two d
a
y
s.
S
he
would be
J
i
m
’s
f
o
re
v
e
r.
S
h
e
d
e
s
e
rved to be
w
i
t
h the m
a
n of
h
e
r d
r
e
a
m
s
, if on
l
y
for a
fe
w
d
a
y
s.
S
he
usu
a
l
l
y
c
ontroll
e
d h
e
r lov
e
r
s
, but
now she
would be the o
n
e
c
ontroll
e
d.

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EQMM, May 2012 by Dell Magazine Authors