The Fey (34 page)

Alex smiled. “I miss him too.”

“
For the rest of our
lives,” Mrs. Harris said looking at the families. “We will miss
them for the rest of our lives.”

There was a lot of excited talking near the
door, and Alex turned to see who had arrived. Mrs. Harris put her
hand on Alex’s arm.

“
You’re going to find the
people who did this,” she said. “I know it.”

Alex nodded and Mrs. Harris hugged her
again. John came over to the women.

“
I’m sorry to interrupt
but Paul’s girlfriend, Greta, is here. She brought her baby. She
wants to speak to you.”

“
Go on dear,” Mrs. Harris
said.

Maria touched Alex’s arm as she moved to
speak with Mrs. Harris. John led Alex to Greta. The young woman was
standing with her back to Alex talking to Max and Rebecca held a
child in her arms. When the baby turned to look at her, Alex
gasped. The little girl smiled, her dark eyes sparkling with
laughter, and she reached toward Alex. She was the spitting image
of Paul.

“
She likes you Alex,”
Rebecca said.

Alex touched the child’s hand. She wrapped
her fingers around Alex’s index finger.

“
Mrs. Hargreaves, would
you mind watching Mindy?” Greta asked. She gave her diaper bag to
Max.

“
I’d love to! She is
absolutely precious,” Rebecca said. “How old is she?”

“
She’ll be fifteen months
tomorrow.”

“
Greta!” Joseph’s wife
Nancy hugged the young woman. “I’m so glad you made it. Is this
yours? Oh my God, Greta, she looks just like Paul.”

Greta blushed, pushing a piece of light
brown hair behind her ear, and nodded.

“
Rebecca, you cannot hog
her to yourself,” Nancy said. She reach out to take Mindy from
Rebecca.

“
Come on.” Alex led Greta
away from the women. “You’ll be lucky if you get her back from
those two.”

Alex found a quiet corner of the room where
they sat down in two high backed chairs.

“
She is
beautiful.”

Greta blushed again. “Like Paul. She’s
beautiful like Paul was.”

They sat together in silence for a moment
taking in the conversation and movement of the room.

“
I’m sorry I wouldn’t talk
to you this week,” Greta said. “I… It’s been very difficult for
me.”

Alex nodded.

“
Can you tell me about
this?” Greta said.

She held her left hand where a three carat
radiant cut diamond on a simple yellow gold band fit perfectly on
her ring finger. Standing on Greta’s mother’s doorstep, Alex had
pressed the ring box into Greta’s hand saying, ‘When you want to
talk to me about this, I’m here for you.’

“
We did a job for some
diamond people and they gave us diamonds as a ‘thank
you.’”

“
That’s not what I meant,”
Greta said. “They found him in his boxer shorts. He
was…”

“
Dancing,” Alex said. “We
were all together in the vault in Paris. Did he tell you about the
vault?”

“
He said that you had a
storage place in Paris but that’s all.”

“
That’s where the assault
took place. Not in Afghanistan.”

“
I knew that he didn’t die
in Afghanistan. I knew it. I thought… Is this a secret?”

“
For now.”

Greta nodded.

“
Paul took dancing lessons
so that he could dance with you on your wedding night. He planned
to ask you when the divorce was final then drag you off to Las
Vegas. He wanted everything to be perfect. He was changing when
Dean asked him about his dance moves. Paul was demonstrating. You
remember how Dean and Nathan egged Paul on.”

Greta’s lips were pressed together in a
tight line.

“
He wasn’t with a woman? I
thought…”

“
Never,” Alex said. “He
had been separated for six or seven years. He saw women in that
time but once he met you… I could tell you about your first date,
your second date, when you moved in together, everything.” Alex
chuckled. “I even know what you look like when you first open your
eyes in the morning. Paul talked about you non-stop.”

Greta began to weep. Alex put her hand on
the girl’s arm.

“
His mother…”

“
She’s the only person on
the planet who is fond of his Paul’s ex-wife. You know that he
didn’t file for the divorce only because that woman is so
unpleasant. Paul just didn’t want to deal with the conflict. Greta
you have to know that.”

Greta nodded, wiping her eyes.

“
We were together before
you left. He… I met him in Colorado Springs. He left base for two
hours and met me at the La Quinta. He wanted a baby so bad that he
didn’t want to miss a chance.” Greta blushed. “You must think I’m a
complete slut. They weren’t even officially divorced.”

“
Trust me. If we could
have snuck away for even a half hour, we would have,” Alex said. “I
gave Paul the pass. He took Jesse’s Jeep.”

“
Then he died and… I was
pregnant. His family won’t have anything to do with Mindy or me.
I’ve been living with my mother.”

Alex nodded. “They are here. Paul’s parents.
I bet my mother will work this out. It’s the kind of thing she’s
good at. She’ll probably tell them they are being petty and
childish.” Alex smiled to herself.

“
Did Paul…” Greta’s eyes
searched Alex’s face. “Did Paul love me?”

“
Yes Greta, Paul loved
you.”

“
Thanks,” Greta
said.

“
I know the others will
want to see you and meet Mindy. Do you feel up to it?”

Greta nodded. “If Paul loved me, I can do
anything.”

“
He did.” Alex stood to
hug Greta.

“
Greta! I didn’t know you
were here!” Dean’s wife Jennifer exclaimed. “Alex, have you been
hiding Greta?”

“
Greta has been hiding
something.” Alex nodded her head toward the door.

Jennifer gasped when she saw baby Mindy.
“It’s Paul. Oh Greta, you poor thing.”

Alex moved away from the women as they
hugged. Moving across the room, she walked right into a big
redheaded US Army Sergeant.

“
Sir,” Mike’s oldest son
saluted her.

“
Hi Michael. Oh, uh, at
ease soldier,” she said. She hugged the boy. “Thanks for bringing
your brother and sister. It’s great to see them.”

Mike’s bright redheaded children were mixing
with the other families.

“
Yes sir,” he said.
“Sir…”

“
What’s up?” Alex
asked.

“
I am currently in Special
Forces training.”

“
Good for you. Isn’t it
fun?”

“
Fun?” Michael asked. Was
the Major making fun of him? He looked into Alex’s smiling face
trying to determine how he should respond. Taking a breath for
courage, he continued, “I’m applying to a specialty and I wondered
if you might give me a recommendation. I’ve heard that soldiers who
have parents who were not held in high regard have a harder time
moving forward.”

“
Speak freely, Michael.
What are you saying?”

“
My understanding is that
my father will be an impediment to my career.”

Alex burst out laughing. “Are you
serious?”

“
Sir.”

“
Your father was a
decorated soldier, one of the best in his class. They asked him,
more than once, to teach at Fort Bragg. He liked being with us, our
team, in the field. Don’t you have his medals?”

“
No sir. I am not aware of
my father ever receiving any medals.”

“
I’ll see if I can find a
list,” Alex said. “Do you know who that guy is?”

“
Your father, sir. General
Patrick Hargreaves.”

“
Go tell him that you are
Mike’s son and listen to what he has to say about Mike. You should
be very proud of your father. He was a wonderful person, a dear
friend and a great soldier.”

Michael’s eyes glistened. He looked away
from Alex in an effort to control his emotions.

“
Sir, the
recommendation?”

“
Of course,” Alex said.
“Anyone would be lucky to have you on their team.”

Alex took him by the arm and led him over to
her father.

“
Dad, this is Mike’s son
Michael.”

“
You’re Mike’s son? I
could have guessed that.” Patrick eyes brightened. “What a guy. He
went through training just before we left Fort Bragg. I could tell
you stories…”

Alex put her hand on her father’s arm.

“
Michael’s been told that
his father will be an impediment to his career.”

Patrick laughed and put his arm around the
young man’s shoulders.

“
Let me tell you about
your father…”

Alex smiled leaving them to talk. Moving
toward the center of the room, she found herself watching people
talk and laugh. Last year, the loss was too fresh and the pain too
extreme. This year, they were ready to connect, to remember. She
saw the diamond earrings sparkle in Nathan’s son’s ears as he
lifted his baby in the air, the dancing light along Maria’s chin
from the pear shaped diamond pendant that hung around her neck and
the flash from Jennifer’s tennis bracelet as she reached around
Andi to hug her.

This year they could reflect the light.

FFF

One hour later

October 8 – 11:00 A.M.

Downtown Denver, Colorado

Alex looked up to see a short small man
jamming his index finger into Trece’s chest. As she approached, she
could hear the man screaming. Short man in a cheap suit. He must be
a part of the President’s event planning team. For all his good
natured charm, and experience dealing with the public, the huge
Trece was about to pounce on the man when Alex said, “Can I help
you?”

“
Where are the children?”
the man turned to glower at Alex.

“
What children?” Alex
asked.

Under the nose’s of the President’s event
team, they slipped the team’s children to Patrick and Rebecca’s
home. Alex would be damned before pictures of her friend’s weeping
children were splashed all over the media. That was not going to
happen.

“
The families were
specifically instructed to bring their children to the event. The
President has a few special words to say to the children of the Fey
Special Forces Team. Who the fuck are you anyway?”

Trece moved his shoulder an inch, knocking
the man onto his behind.

“
That is assault. I will
not hesitate to report you to your superiors, “ the little man
screamed jumping to his feet.

“
That would be me. Report
duly noted,” Alex said. “I’m Major Drayson.”

“
This Neanderthal
assaulted me,” the little man screamed. “Where the fuck are the
children?”

Trece moved forward, but Alex put a hand on
his chest.

“
Captain Ramirez? Will you
collect your team? The families are ready.”

“
Yes sir,” Trece said. He
loomed over the little man and he stepped back. Trece stalked
off.

“
You do not seem to
understand what I am saying to you,” the little man started in on
Alex. “Do you even know what the Fey was? What this team
accomplished in their ten years together?”

“
I have some idea,
sir.”

“
Then you understand the
importance of celebrating their accomplishments.”

“
Yes sir,” Alex
said.

“
If you were half the
soldier that this Special Forces team was…” The man scanned Alex.
Seeing that he gained some purchase, he continued, “you would
handle this ceremony with greater delicacy and much less
incompetence.”

“
You’re absolutely right.
If you will excuse me, I need to attend to the security
detail.”

Alex turned her back on the little man and
began to walk off. Unable to leave it alone, the man put his hand
on her shoulder to turn her back to him. The next thing he knew, he
was laying on his back, his breath knocked out of him and Alex’s
foot on his chest. She kept her foot on his chest while the
parents, wives and families, dressed in body armor and sporting
armored hats that read ‘In Memoriam of the Fey Special Forces
Team,’ left with the security team. Every time he tried to get up,
she pushed him back down with her foot.

“
Who is that?” Colonel
Gordon asked.

“
Event team, sir. I
detained him to keep him from harm’s way.”

“
Harm’s way?”

“
I was going to kill him,
sir,” Alex said.

“
Ah. Let him up and I’ll
take care of him,” Colonel Gordon said. “You’re needed
upstairs.”

“
Thank you sir,” she
said.

She removed her foot from the little man’s
chest. Leaving the room, she heard the man start in on his diatribe
with Colonel Gordon. In the elevator, Alex took long slow breaths
to calm down.

Max held a side entrance to his
international law office suite open for her. The twins pressed they
foreheads together in silent greeting.

“
Nice throw. Trece said
that guy was from the President’s event team,” Matthew said. He and
Troy were standing in the hall waiting for Alex.