A Sense of Duty: A Former Navy SEAL Falls in Love and Begins a New Journey with his Private Consulting Company: Dark Horse Guardians (40 page)

Lara was thrilled to be Ben's wife. Living with him day-to-day, she was beginning to know him on a deeper level. She was learning that Ben was an open book in many ways, but when it came to Dark Horse, he was careful with sharing details. He had the unique capability to compartmentalize his life and Lara knew this came from the way he had always lived. This would not change. Lara concentrated on integrating her life with his in a way that made both of them comfortable.

Lara and Monique drove to the new renovation job on the West End of Portland. The home was an historical beauty and Lara had the plans ready to show the owner. As Lara pulled up to the stately brick mansion, Monique said, "Wow, this is amazing." Lara asked Monique to come along as it would be a learning experience for her as a new intern. The homeowner, Diana Farrington, met them at the door. "It's so nice to deal with people who are on time." she remarked as she ushered them into the enormous parlor of the 1800's John Calvin Stevens colonial revival home. Lara, Monique and the homeowner went over every design detail. The meeting took about ninety minutes.

Lara was only now learning about Ben's SEAL brothers, Javier Mendoza and Sam Clark, who never made it back from their last mission in Afghanistan. Always wondering why Ben drove the ten year old Dodge Ram truck full of dents and scratches, Lara never asked the question. Although Ben lovingly took care of the truck mechanically, he never repaired the scratches and dents on the outside. Ben told her it was the perfect vehicle for the harsh Maine climate. Lara frequently rode in Ben's 2004 Dodge truck. As she observed small things about the truck, she recognized the vehicle was not originally Ben's. He owned it and it was registered to him, but she noticed small details that made her think differently. One day as she waited for him to come out of the bank, she fingered a pair of black dog tags in the console. She had always assumed they belonged to Ben. Upon closer inspection, when she turned them over in her hand she noticed the name "Javier Mendoza" on them. Another time when she was folding his laundry, she came across a brown shirt with the name "Mendoza" on the back. She later found out it was Javier's BUD/S graduation shirt. It had been given to Ben and he wore it from time to time. Lara found Sam Clark's boots, the exact same size as Ben's, and Sam's SEAL harness in Ben's closet. Ben never spoke about Sam or Javier with her and she knew better than to ask.

~Ben~

The Holy Grail for Ben was to find out the name of the Taliban bastard that took out Javier two years ago. And through many months of careful intel, he finally had a name and photograph of the Afghani drug lord who attacked them on that fateful day. Not only did Ben have the name of the drug lord, he had the name and photograph of the henchman, Muhammad Akhtar, who actually put the bullet into Javier's head. It was amazing how these guys turned on one another for the right type of bait and a slice of revenge. Akhtar was now trying to muscle out the drug lord above him. Thus, he wanted to intercept the next load of munitions for his own little army of killers. It was frequent for these animals to brag about killing an American soldier. Akhtar's chest-beating and bragging served Ben well. The next step would be to set up the careful execution of him. There was no room for error.

Ben was working every day obsessed with surveillance reports on the ground in Afghanistan. He received intel that Muhammad Akhtar was planning a trip to Pakistan. He was waiting for more information. The meet had to be carefully structured so he could trap the insect in his web for the execution. He contacted his Pakistani cohorts and through several sources got the time, date, and place of the meet. It was to take place with a tribal leader, an arms dealer. He now made arrangements through Moshe to formulate the details of the meet.

~Lara~

It was Memorial Day weekend and Lara was hoping to spend time with Ben and some of his military friends. She suggested a cookout. But today was Sunday, never a day of rest for Ben. She felt him tossing and turning last night in bed and sensed something was going on in that beautiful head of his. He would only tell her things when he was ready. On this morning he was awake earlier than usual and showered. While he was in the bathroom, Lara made coffee and breakfast in the kitchen. He was startled at the sight of her sitting in the kitchen with eggs and toast for him. He smiled and his eyes met hers, "I'm sorry I woke you, love. I hoped you'd sleep in. It's Sunday, your day of rest." He kissed her and smiled, but his blue eyes looked tired. Lara whispered, "When you're ready I know you'll tell me." Ben pretended to be casual, "Don't worry. It's just a routine thing. I have something going on in Pakistan. Need to get on the horn with a buddy of mine. But, I'll be back shortly. If not, I'll text you. Or, you can stop by if you'd like." He ate quickly and was out walking Einstein toward his campus office. Lara noticed the satellite phone on him and sensed he was expecting information. She knew this could be a long day.

She spent a few hours doing laundry and decided to visit Ben in his campus office. She knew something was up when she walked through the doorway. When she slipped into his office, Ben was on the satellite phone with Moshe speaking Hebrew. They were going back and forth with details, coordinates, times, descriptions. Lara knew that meant serious business. She hoped that Ben would not fly to Pakistan; it was a particularly dangerous place. Once he hung up the phone, Lara spoke. "I suppose you will not clue me in on any of the details…" Surprising her, Ben spoke freely, "Yes, I will tell you. I'm going to have a guy executed who took out my best friend, Javier Mendoza. It has taken me two years to find out who the son-of-a-bitch is, but I'm going to have a bullet put through his skull. And, don't try to stop me, Lara, because this is personal." Lara had never seen his blue eyes flash so intensely and she took a deep breath momentarily taking in what he just said. She knew better than to try to stop him. Lara walked home with Einstein and waited, busying herself with household chores and waiting for Ben to send her a text. He was always very thoughtful about that. He would let her know if he was coming home for dinner, or not.

~Ben~

Ben was watching a satellite feed on his computer screen giving him real-time movement in Pakistan on the ground. He had a front row seat. Moshe's men were there and the meet was set up. Arrangements had been made for a cache of weapons to be at their disposal upon arrival. There were operatives in the area that Ben and Moshe trusted and he was confident the plan would be executed flawlessly. He wouldn't be participating in the mission if he didn't trust the details from those on the ground. Arriving in Pakistan, Moshe and his men were picked up by two Suzuki Cultus, mid-sized SUV's fitted with armor plating and bullet-proof glass making them drive like tanks and one
up-armored Chevy Suburban. The eighteen men made their first stop at an operative's bunker, an underground living quarters, to hide and rest, then get armed properly for the coming high risk meet.

For the first two hours in the hidden bunker they were almost comfortable, but Moshe and his men did not rest until every detail of the meeting had been scrutinized many times. Where would the target enter? How many people would be in the vicinity? Everything was discussed right down to swapping out security guards, the weather report, jamming cell phones and disabling security cameras.
There could be no mistakes
. Finally, after eating a chicken salad sandwich and fruit, Moshe and his men slept. Ben worked in his office but left the screen up for viewing. He set his cell phone to alert him and he fell asleep for several hours at his desk. He sent a text to Lara, "Sorry, working late tonight. I won't be home for dinner."

Ben's alarm woke him at the appointed time. Lara came into his office with a sandwich and milk. She knew he was engrossed in the computer. She left sensing he wanted to be alone to focus on the mission being carried out. Ben was back in touch with Moshe. It was pitch dark in the remote region of Pakistan. Communication systems were checked. Weapons checked and double checked. The Suzuki and Suburban brought them to the location for the high risk meet and Moshe's team entered the building surrounded by razor wire and guards. No one questioned their presence at the meeting. Prior to their arrival, the guards were quietly captured and killed. Different guards dressed exactly like them took their places. There was no time to waste. As Akhtar entered the room, Moshe stepped from behind the door. Akhtar spun around and for a split second looked Moshe directly in the eye. The suppressed 26mm Glock was trained on Akhtar's head with a laser. Moshe whispered, "This is for Javier." He pulled the trigger quickly putting one bullet in Akhtar's head and one in his chest for good measure. "Enjoy your virgins, you bastard." He stepped over the body as he and his crew calmly exited the building. The Suzuki and Suburban swept Moshe and his men to the airport and they journeyed back to their secret location, exhausted but satisfied with their mission. It was flawless and Ben observed the satellite feed as it happened, but he couldn't see inside the building. He waited to hear from Moshe. Ben received the confirmation on the satellite phone a few minutes after midnight in his office. It was Moshe's voice, "The target was successfully eliminated." Ben smiled when he heard the mission was successful. Javier's service was honored. It was Memorial Day.

~Lara~

It was after midnight. Lara was sitting by the parlor window reading as she watched Ben stroll into the driveway. His stride and cadence told Lara his mission was accomplished. She heard his footsteps as he came up the back stairs and Einstein whined with excitement. She ran to the door to embrace
Ben. He looked tired but he was satisfied. That was all that mattered. He kissed her passionately. She whispered in his ear, "It's Memorial Day, and I want to thank you for your service, my handsome Navy SEAL Lieutenant…" Ben pulled her into his chest. "And, just how do you plan to thank me?" he was teasing now with his Irish brogue. Lara's eyes met his, "In a very personal way…"

~END~

Book 2:
"Loving Lara -- Dark Horse Guardians – "Encountering Evil"
is next in this series. Read about Ben and Lara's life together in Maine. Follow Ben's black-op missions as he tackles some of the most frightening terrorist elements imaginable lurking in sleepy New England towns. Meet the other former SEAL operatives, Dark Horse Guardians, in Ben's New England unit. As Lara starts her own design firm, Dark Horse Renovation, she gradually begins to enter Ben's black-op world as a counterintelligence operative. It is a thrilling, nerve-wracking double life, but the team is driven by a sense of duty.