CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“What did that mean? Semper Fi?” asked Everest in the car.
“It’s the Marine Corps motto. Mr. Myers is a Marine, always. Somehow Med-Tech fucked up his VA benefits as well. We can’t let a brother live like that,” said Tanner.
“Are you both Marines?” she asked.
“We were both Navy SEALs,” said Tanner.
“But…”
“It doesn’t matter,” said Tanner. “SEAL, Marine, Ranger, Coast Guard, Air Force, regular service, you’re a brother always.”
“Mike said he was in the Army,” said Everest.
“Mike isn’t telling the whole story,” said AJ.
“He was assigned to a Ranger team, not something the average guy gets to do. He was assigned because he knows three languages, has a master’s in physics and mathematics, and he’s one of the most physically capable men ever.
We asked him right away to join our team but his father was a firefighter.
I think he thought it was what he was supposed to do. ”
“Wow,” she whispered. “I guess I need to get better at asking questions.”
“Don’t worry,” said Tanner with a grin, “we do that good enough for everyone.”
By the time they returned to Belle Fleur it was nearly dinner. Tanner, AJ, and Everest walked into the cafeteria but she didn’t see Mike.
“He’s on his way back,” said AJ. “He texted us to be sure you were okay.”
Everest laughed, shaking her head at the two men.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had anyone so concerned with my well-being,” said Everest.
“Not your ex?” frowned Tanner.
“No,” she said suddenly quiet. “Is that odd? Is it odd that I never noticed it before?”
“When you’ve never had something, you often don’t miss it. Safety should be a given for any relationship,” said Tanner. “Believe me, I had to do a lot of convincing with my wife to get her to understand I wasn’t smothering her, I was loving her.”
“So, you don’t tell your wives what they can and can’t do?” she asked.
“My wife would skin me alive if I attempted that,” chuckled AJ. “Skylar is part of our legal team, specializing in international law. I will never win an argument with that woman. But she knows if I ask her to do something, it’s for a good reason.”
“Same,” nodded Tanner. “Micaela and I Iove one another enough to trust what the other is asking for.”
“That makes sense,” she said softly.
“Did your ex not ever worry about you? Did he not worry about your commute to work or maybe working lots of long hours?” asked AJ.
“Never. I would always text him and tell him I was going to be late or I was stuck in traffic. His responses were pretty direct. ‘OK’. ‘Fine’.”
“What a dick,” scoffed AJ. “Sorry, Everest.”
“Don’t be. I guess I’m only just now seeing some of that.
I went to a therapist after my divorce. Like a lot of women, I thought it was my fault.
He said women are very good at brushing off a spouses imperfections, making excuses for them.
Because when women love someone, it’s all in, one-hundred percent.
“He said that men, when they’re selfish and narcissistic, can compartmentalize. This woman is my wife. This woman is my mistress. This golf game is my enjoyment. This gym time is my way of getting rid of frustration. They justify everything they do.
“For some reason, all of that is just sinking in with me. Thanks to the two of you,” she said smiling.
“Is that a good thing?” asked Tanner.
“It’s a very good thing, Tanner.” Everest looked up to see Mike and stood. She bent down, kissing AJ and Tanner’s cheeks. “Thank you for today. For letting me know I’m cared for.”
She raced off into Mike’s arms as he lifted her, kissing her soundly in front of everyone. It was normal at Belle Fleur. Natural even. When the three other men walked toward AJ and Tanner, they were frowning. Hiro tossed a slip drive on the table.
“We’ve got a lot to cover.”
“What did you find?” asked AJ.
“Everything. Everything and yet nothing. We can definitely implicate Samantha and Abigail but there are others involved, we just don’t know who they are yet. How was the guy in Pittsburgh?”
“Sad,” said Tanner, “but he was helpful. His doctors and the hospital have been so busy yelling at one another, none of them are looking at Med-Tech. I do get the feeling though that Everest might have seen, or might know something, that she just can’t put her finger on yet.”
“Keep picking her brain,” said Joseph. “Those two women are definitely guilty. The second guy that Everest talked about, Jordan, he was there. Dude was hurting in a bad way, rubbing up on them like he was a dog in heat. If he’s on those drugs, it’s not going to end well for him.”
“Okay,” nodded Parker. “Let’s get some food and rest. Tomorrow we’ll dig into that drive and see what we can find.”