“You’re kidding,” Michelle said with revived energy, then looked to her husband for counsel.
“Go,” Alan hinted. “Go, be with her. I’ll stay and figure this out.”
Michelle nodded, rose and kissed him. “Don’t go anywhere.” She then ran to the door and started off behind Jean, but as she pulled the door closed, nearly ran head-on into a trio of successive visitors.
Woo Tang entered first through the open door along with Will Sharp. Jade brought up the rear, her guarded stare falling immediately on Alan.
Dave Graham alerted straightaway, both to the unanticipated company and the looks on their faces. “Tang, Will? Everything hunky-dory?”
“In a word, LT,” Woo Tang began, “no.”
“Dammit.” Dave sighed, staring at his empty mug. “Looks like that refill of jitter juice might become a requirement after all.”
Alan slid his mug across the table. “You can have mine. For some reason, I’m not feeling it anymore.”
“Very generous of you.” Dave took possession with a nod. “It won’t go to waste.” He took several long gulps before setting it down and wiping his lips. “All right, I’m primed. Spin that record.”
“Aye, aye,” said Woo Tang. “It appears that some…items have come up missing.”
Dave only stared at him.
“Some random gear and about a week’s worth of rations, primarily,” Will filled in, looking at Jade sideways for a split second. “Then there’s the tactical variety stuff, ammunition mostly. And a few firearms we’ve recently learned about.”
Dave raised a brow. “You’re certain of this? Said items weren’t misplaced or miscounted?”
“No way, LT. I personally keep inventory. I might miss a few rounds here and there, but cases? No way.”
Jade stepped forward, her regard to Dave Graham first, then to Alan. “I learned this morning that two duffels were taken from my APC, and I know that inventory like the back of my hand. An H&K416, a dozen full mags, and close to five hundred rounds of 5.56 is gone. A Vanquish Arms bolt-action sniper rifle was in one of those duffels. It’s gone too, together with two hundred rounds of match grade ammo. A set of NVDs and a FLIR thermal monocular have also vanished, let alone my plate carrier.”
Alan clued in on Jade’s analysis, recalling those items she’d retained for as far back as he could recollect, alongside those provided courtesy of Butch.
She bit her lip, watching his demeanor take a nosedive. “No one here is dishonest enough to just help themselves to that brand of hardware. And no one, aside from Alan, Ken, and me, had knowledge of it being there, until recently.”
“Until recently, the lady professes,” Dave remarked. “That more or less foretells the supreme likelihood of an inbound punch line.”
The room went soundless as a look of marked concern washed over Alan. “It’s Lauren, isn’t it?”
Jade halfheartedly nodded.
“Jesus,” Alan expelled, “what is she doing?”
“There is only one way of knowing for certain,” said Woo Tang. “But pilfering of the aforesaid leads to a single surmisable conclusion.”
Will brought the thought to an end. “Retaliation.”
Woo Tang bobbed his head. “Indeed.”
Alan sent the young man an indignant look, then sent something of the same to the shorter, stockier former frogman. “What? No way—that doesn’t make any sense. How? Why would she do that? She doesn’t know what she’s up against.”
“I’m not disagreeing nor denying any of that, sir. But I don’t think it matters to her,” Will said. “I saw the look on her face after the attack, and saw it again after she…well…saw what she saw or, rather, who. It changed her.”
Alan stood, exhaled, and trembled a moment, taking into account everything he’d heard this morning before streaking towards the door. “Damn this. I can’t sit here. I have to go. I have to find her and stop her before she gets herself killed.”
“Hey, slow down,” said Jade, moving to stand in his way, doing her best to reassure him. “We’ll put something together solid and find her, okay?”
“Sure, Jade. But when? How long will that take?” Alan strong-armed past her and bolted through the exit. “And what if it’s not good enough?”
Everyone departed the cabin and filed out behind him, even Dave Graham, who seldom tagged along, followed, or pursued anyone.
With eyes fixed dead ahead of him, Alan bumped into Ken on his way off the porch, inadvertently shoulder-checking and knocking the Marine into the cabin’s outer wall.
“Well, excuse the shit out of me, Mr. Russell, sir,” Ken griped. “Next time I’ll watch where the hell I’m going.” He sent a questioning look to Jade over the incident. “What’s up his ass?”
“Not now, Ken,” Jade said, speeding past him. “Not now.”
Ken threw up his hands. “Okay, what’s up your ass?”
Alan trotted in a circular pattern beginning at the porch’s edge, past an idle JLTV, around the driveway, and back again.
“What are you looking for?” Jade queried him.
“I don’t know—a car, truck, a bicycle…something drivable I can take to look for her.” He came to a halt when the Marauder came into view. “Are the keys in that thing?”
“Yes,” Jade said, catching up to him. “But you don’t know where she went or where she is now. You don’t even know where to begin.”
“Making me no different than any one of us,” Alan shot back, “except I’m doing something about it now.”
Alan and Jade bickered like two siblings for a stint as their audience increased in numbers. Ken, who had originally planned on going inside, remained on the porch to listen in with Will Sharp, who wasn’t sure where best to go at this point. Before long, the commotion roused Lee, who vacated his room and eventually took a seat on the porch swing.
Woo Tang and Dave Graham lingered in tight formation to observe from a distance. Each man detected the pull of his duty, both having taken on responsibility for Lauren in some form or fashion during Alan’s absence,
