Megan went sullen in an instant, turning her head away and lowering her arms.
“Meg?”
“He isn’t hiding. Dad doesn’t hide, he just…self-medicates and sleeps. Some days more than others.”
Dave’s chest expanded. “Probably best to let him be, then. He’ll come around when he’s up to it.”
“Yeah, I guess. If he’s up to it.”
Dave tilted, slashing the volume of his voice. “How often?”
“Every day. It wasn’t a big deal at first, but he’s gotten worse, especially since…” She trailed off, glancing at her mother.
Kim locked eyes with Megan and sent a searing look while discreetly shaking her head in the negative, putting her on notice.
“I-I just worry about him,” Megan finished.
“You’re a good kid, Meg, very devoted,” said Dave. “Your old man’s a warrior. Now and again, warriors need time and space to work their shit out—pardon my French. It’s best to give them that time and space.” He squeezed her shoulder and sent her an encouraging smile. “Damn, you’ve grown into a head-turner. I bet the boys around here won’t leave you alone.”
Meg turned a shade of red and rolled her eyes. “What boys? No one around here cares.”
“I highly doubt that.” Dave bade her return to her seat and followed up by walking her there.
Upon his return, Woo Tang signaled ahead to the table at the far end. “Allow me to usher you to your pulpit. Your parishioner flock awaits.”
“That’s cute, Tang. A hair sacrilegious, but cute.”
“Forgive me. Word has it my sense of humor is in need of some calibration.”
“I’d wager it’s well within benchmark. It’s the timing that’s a little off.”
Woo Tang displayed a rare look of uncertainty for a second, then forged on, escorting Dave and Tim to where two individuals leaned against the faux-wood paneled wall at the room’s edge. “Allow me to introduce Jade Hensley and Ken Winters, both of whom have charitably dedicated their time and expertise to aiding the sorting out of matters post-incident. Jade, Ken, to you I present Dave Graham, unit commanding officer. The behemoth towering above us is Sergeant Tim Reese, our number two.”
The group moved forward and about, exchanging handshakes and nods.
With a firm smile, Dave sent a fairer look the woman’s way as he relinquished his hand, a little astonished at her grip strength. “It’s a pleasure.” He smirked at the sunglasses she was wearing, indoors, no less. “Kim keeps it awful bright in here, doesn’t she?”
Jade grinned shyly and nodded, suffering the aftermath of her early morning spell of intemperance.
“Might we have met somewhere before?”
She shrugged. “It’s possible. You’ll excuse me if I don’t recall, no disrespect intended.”
“Perfectly fine. I’ve been known to be wrong on rare occasion, but you do look strikingly familiar,” Dave said. “Emphasis on the striking element.”
Jade tried not taking the praise as a cheesy come-on. She could tell it hadn’t been meant that way. “I’m flattered, thank you. And it’s hard to say, I’ve been all over for all sorts of reasons.”
“Then we definitely have something in common. Glad to have you both with us.” Dave moved behind the table and turned to face the room, waiting a moment for the murmurs and whispers to fall below threshold. “Ladies and gentlemen, venerated colleagues and friends, good evening. I want to thank you all for coming on short notice and making the trip under the circumstances. I realize times have been tough, and for many of you, tougher than they’ve ever been. Reinforcements have arrived, and we’re going to do our best to alleviate some of that. I realize you’ve probably heard this style of rhetoric before, but the words I speak are set in stone and bear zero guile. And my unit’s actions speak for themselves.”
Dave cleared his throat. “A few in attendance tonight know me, while many of you don’t. As such, I mean to address all of you formally and this situation proper, until a suitable comfort level is attained. My name is David Graham, I’m the commanding officer of the unit of fighting men and women who’ve descended upon this valley and your community. I am a retired first sergeant of the United States Army Special Forces, and Kim Mason’s older brother, to help complete the tie-in. The much taller, similarly dressed gentlemen standing beside me is Sergeant Tim Reese, my second-in-command. Tim is also prior SF and an absolute brilliant strategist. After learning what happened here, I brought him along as a windfall, figuring it couldn’t hurt.
“A few months back I sent a convoy into this valley with food rations, medical supplies, and three personnel squads consisting of nineteen highly trained, well-disciplined, well-armed men. Last week, I lost eight of them. And as I orate, one of my finest is fighting for his life. I’m not bringing that up for recognition, sympathy, or to prove any points to anyone, only to level the playing field. I need everyone to know that we are just as invested in what’s happened here as any of you. I have been apprised of the situation and am truly sorry for the losses each of you have sustained. And I’m even more sorry for how long it took us to get here. But we’re here now, presently in the mode of deployment and response preparation.”
Dave took a drink from a bottle of water placed on the table within reach. “Several hours ago, I entered this valley with approximately one hundred and fifty troops, all of whom have orders to serve the cause, whatever we, as a whole, deem that to be. But before we dig into that, I’d like to set a few ground rules. Rule one, please, try your best to ignore the uniforms. As of today, there will be a lot more folks in fatigues moving about on two legs, toting rifles. A cluster of vehicles and equipment is present here that wasn’t before. Our base camp right down the road is a grouping of olive drab general-purpose tents with camouflage netting draped above. In a word, the
