Chapter 17
Marcia leaned against the doorjamb to the bedroom she shared with Lloyd and watched him as he packed.
As she studied his face, she saw a tightness around his eyes she hadn’t seen, or noticed before.
At least not since arriving at The Broken Wheel, still hurting from his injuries.
She walked in and sat on her side of the bed, and continued to watch him pack for the trip out to California with the others to make sure Ilsa, and Jason stayed safe as they gathered the warrants they needed to take out several bad people in the FBI.
“Before you leave,” Marcia started, and watched as Lloyd’s hands froze as he put clothes in his pack, but she didn’t stop.
“I need to talk to you.” If she hadn’t been watching him so intently, she never would have seen his look of fear, but it quickly disappeared.
“I want to apologize to you for being a clueless twit.”
“Excuse me?” This time, Lloyd tossed what he held in the pack and fully looked at her. He sat down on his side of the bed and stared at her.
“It has been brought to my attention that I’ve been on my phone a lot lately.”
“I can’t argue with that.” Lloyd’s expression was utter sadness.
“I’ve been texting with Jacobs. He’s finally been released from the military and was wondering if there is a job for him here.
Erin knows this, and said she would only entertain the idea of interviewing him if you are okay with him being here.
And I don’t mean here, at Broken, she said if Jacobs comes to work for her, then he would be over at New Double, and would stay in one of those cabins, or a bunktel. ”
“Why?”
“Because everyone thinks there’s something going on between Jacobs and me, and that’s just a hard no. I’ve included you in our text thread, and I would like you to read our exchanges on your drive to California.”
“Why? Why did you include me in your private conversation with another guy?”
“One, because it’s not private. Two, I have nothing to hide. Three, he’s my older younger brother, and anything sexual with him is just eew.”
Lloyd felt a weight lift from his chest, and stared at her with a smirk. “Explain to me again how he is your older younger brother. I don’t quite remember, and I don’t know if I understand.”
“First, you know about the brotherhood of people that serve together. You have it with the men, and I had it with Jacobs. We only served together one weekend a month, and one month a summer, or if the National Guard was called in, but you get it, right?”
“I do.”
Marcia nodded and settled further onto the bed, looking at him. “Jacobs is older than me, chronically in years. I believe it’s three years. He went to college right out of high school, and never joined the National Guard until after he finished college.”
“Ah, okay, I can understand that. You joined right out of high school, then went to college, while still serving in the military.”
“Correct. It wasn’t much, but I was able to use the GI Bill in order to pay for my tuition.
That’s why I joined the military before college.
Anyway, fast forward about four years into my career.
That’s when Jacobs joined the unit, fresh out of boot camp.
He made it up through the ranks fast, and the more he was promoted, the more we became friends.
I was always his commanding officer until he reached Sergeant.
Then we became equals, and would pal around on base.
I think I can count on one hand how many times we were at each other’s place before the accident that ruined our careers.
He never came to my place, I went to his to check on him.
Because of the extent of his injuries, he had turned his living room into a hospital room, and had home health aides, and physical therapists come to his home as he recovered. ”
“He was never at your home?”
“No, I ended up staying in the hospital for almost two years because of my injuries. So, to answer your first question, Sergeant Anthony Jacobs is my older brother chronically by three years. But he’s my younger brother by the same amount of time, three years.”
“How so?”
“He became a Sergeant three years after I did.”
“Ah, so in age, he’s older, but in rank, he’s younger.”
“Correct.” Marcia reached out her hand and sighed in relief when he moved to sit beside her and took it.
“Again, I can’t stress this enough, I never, ever felt anything sexual toward him.
Even from the first day I met him, he seemed like someone I could call a friend, nothing heavier than that.
You’ll read it in the text threads I sent you, but he’s also been keeping me updated on some of the people we served with, and on what’s happening with Burrows’ family. ”
“He’s the guy they kicked out, and he messed with your parachutes, causing you and Jacobs to hit that mountain.”
“Correct. You went to court with me a couple of years ago, Senior was there and arrested when he showed up drunk and started throwing threats my way. He went to jail, and his wife divorced him, or she divorced him after Caleb was killed, I can’t remember the time line in it all.
” She shrugged, then looked him directly in the eye.
“Their lives had nothing to do with me, so I didn’t keep track of them.
I only wanted to know if any threats had been made against me. ”
“Have there been?”
“Not according to Jacobs,” Marcia said with a shake of her head.
“We’ve been mainly talking about his PT, and his final surgery, what Commander Hall told him and about how he was finally released from the National Guard with an honorable discharge.
Now, he’s reached out to me to see if Erin was hiring. ”
They were both quiet for a long time, then Lloyd gripped the hand he still held, and sighed heavily.
“You know, you didn’t have to link me into the text thread, but I’m glad, and I will read them all.
However, I was getting extremely upset because you seemed to lock me out of your conversations.
Not the direct conversations, but whenever I would ask who you were talking to, your answer was a short, clipped, and I quote, ‘A Friend’ end quote.
It made me paranoid that you were more interested in them. ”
“Why would you think that?” Marcia asked in horror, and when she reached up to touch the side of his neck where his burn scars were, she covered them with her hand, then reached in and kissed them.
“These do not bother me, Lloyd Berry. Getting them sucked, but if that hadn’t happened, then you never would have come looking for Reid, and I never would have met you.
I love you, and I don’t want to lose what we have. ”
Lloyd let out the breath he had been holding and gathered her in his arms. They sat there for several minutes, then he leaned back and looked down at her with a grin.
“Help me finish packing, then we can spend the rest of the night naked?”
“Absolutely,” she said on a laugh, kissed him hard, then jumped to her feet.
The next morning, Lloyd kissed Marcia hard, and with his arms wrapped around her, he stared into her eyes.
“I want you to know that we’re good. I was upset, but after talking last night, and really listening to your explanation, I’m not mad.
Or rather, I don’t think you’re cheating on me. I don’t have to read the texts.”
“Please do. I want you to be absolutely sure that I’m not cheating on you.
Feel free to join in them, that’s why I added you to the thread.
” She kissed his chin, then looked at him with a smirk.
“It’ll give you something to do on the drive out to California.
” They shared a laugh, and then it was time for Lloyd to pick up his bag and leave. At the door, he turned back to her.
“I have no clue when I’ll be back.”
“I know, if you can, will you shoot me a text or call me?”
“I should be able to, but I’ll play it by ear when we get there.”
“Be careful.” She ran to him and gave him another hug, then practically shoved him out the door.
As soon as he climbed into his truck, she shut the door, and hurried back to their room so she could get dressed and head to the barn.
It was an hour early, but she knew she would have to keep busy if she was going to survive his leaving on this mission.
For the life of her, she didn’t understand why it bothered her so much that he was going to help Jason.
She chalked it up to her not being around when he went on missions for his SEAL team, but now that they were a couple, she started to know what other women felt like when their men were leaving on a dangerous mission.
By the time the sun started to come up, she was at the barn, letting the horses out, and nodded when the other women started arriving and no one said a word as they went about their work on the ranch.
When the caravan of men stopped for lunch at the Nevada California border, Lloyd had read all the texts Marcia had mentioned and felt that last rock lift from his chest. There was nothing sexual or romantic between her and Anthony Jacobs.
It was like reading a conversation between siblings.
At a couple of points, he chuckled, or outright laughed.
The men he rode with gave him several frowns, but he ignored them.
“Hey guys,” Lloyd called as they headed to the restaurant.
“Got a minute?” He saw Jason, Kevin, and Ilsa pause, but he waved them away.
“It’s all good, just something I have to discuss with the men.
” They nodded and said they’d go get them a table, and when they were entering the building he turned back to the men.