Page 11 of A SEAL's Protection
My leg twinges, and I rub it absentmindedly. A bullet caught the edge of a nerve, and it twinges occasionally, not that I’d ever admit that to anyone. Like all the injuries I sustained during service, they’re my personal battle scars. I got used to not telling the doctor about them, afraid they’d deem me too unfit to keep operating, which finally ended up being the case.
It’s easy to say something doesn’t hurt, but high blood pressure is harder to fake. It’s not unusual for guys to have elevated blood pressure after the shit we go through. That, combined with the bullet wounds and the shoulder injury, had me unfit for Teams. It’s a hard truth, but to be an elite operator, you have to be operating at your highest. I hate that I was honorably discharged, but I understand it.
There’s a missed call from my sister.
I glance over at Allegra, and she’s leaning on her pack with her eyes closed, not going anywhere anytime soon.
It will be 0600 hours in Kaitaia. But Keely’s a farmer. She’ll be up. I put in the call, and it rings for a long time before she answers.
“Hey bro, I thought you’d gone off grid again.”
“I’ve got a patch of signal. What’s up, sis?”
Allegra’s eyes snap open at the sound of my voice, then narrow when she sees me on my phone. I wiggle my fingers at her.
She scowls and closes her eyes again.
“Have you thought about my offer?” Keely asks.
I pinch the bridge of my nose. Keely wants me to come back to New Zealand and run the farm with her. It’s a good offer, a second career now that my SEAL days are over. My ribs grow tight when I think about the end of my SEAL days.
“Still thinking about it,” I tell her.
“I’d hate to have to sell this place,” she says quietly. “It’s our land.”
“I know, sis.” My hand clutches the pounamu, and I feel the weight of my father and his father who wore it before him. I’ve lived in the States since I was fourteen years old, but the pull of the ancestral land still tempts me.
“Don’t you think it’s time to come back to your roots?”
“Fuck, Keels, you sound like Grandpa.”
She laughs a throaty laugh. “I feel more like Grandpa every day. Farming isn’t for the weak. I’ve got aches and pains like I never had before. I could use a strong man about the place.”
“Can’t find one to marry you?”
Keely laughs. “Not in this town. There’s only one set of teeth between them.”
I chuckle, which elicits a frown from Allegra. She’s trying to ignore me, but I can tell by the tension in her neck that she’s listening.
“Look,” Keely says. “I know you loved being a SEAL, but have you thought about what you’ll do now that it’s over? Maybe it’s time to come back home, do something quiet.”
I lean my back against the boulder and stare up at the sky. Perhaps she’s right. It is time to do something new. And farming avocados is a lot less stressful than being a SEAL. It would bring my blood pressure down. Not that I’ve told Keely about my health issues.
“Maybe,” I say noncommittally. “Or maybe you should stop being so picky. Teeth are over-rated.”
She laughs and I join in, all the while keeping my gaze on Allegra sitting stiffly against her pack. Without looking at me, she stands up and shoulders her pack.
“I got to go. Don’t feel too bad that you can’t find a man. All the good ones leave.”
“Go fuck yourself.”
I grin. “Love you too.”
She hangs up, and I slide the phone into my pocket. I can joke with Keely because I have no doubt she’s perfectly capable of looking after herself. If she hasn’t settled down with anyone yet, it’s because she hasn’t found anyone who meets her high standards.
I’ll look into farmhands for her when I get back to civilization. I’m still in touch with the community, and I tightened the bonds when I was back for Dad’s tangi. Keely’s too proud to ask for help, but I’m not. I’ll see if there’s some grunt who can help her out while I decide what the fuck I’m doing with my life. Being a SEAL is all about your team. You should never have to do life on your own.
When I glance up, Allegra’s on the move. I pack up my gear and fall into step exactly ten feet behind.
