Page 157 of The Texas Sterling Collection
“Excellent, sir. I’m looking forward to our meeting.”
“Until Monday, Major. Goodbye.” The general disconnected, and Wyl hung up. He went and sat next to Rod, reaching out to take his hands. Rod’s eyes met his. “Babe, we’re flying to Washington, DC, on Sunday.”
“We? I heard you mention my name,” Rod said. “This must be important.”
“Yes. General Steinburg specifically mentionedyou and Dr. Bonner, so both of us. I’m not sure why or how you are connected. But he mentioned Dr. Bonner without any prompting from me. He obviously knows we are a married couple.”
“I was never in the service,” Rod said. “Why would he know about me?”
“You mentioned teaching in the state prison system, didn’t you?”
Rod nodded. “That means my information is in a national database, including fingerprints. But how did that connect me to you?”
“We’re married. Our marriage is a public record. It wouldn’t take much research to connect the two of us. Besides, remember that little video we did that went viral?”
“Oh, yeah,thatlittle video.” The words came out through a chuckle. “I guess you’re right.”
Wyl laced their fingers. “What puzzles me is why he included you and why I got a call from a man who reports to the President. If I’m recalled to active duty, the military notifies me and orders me to report to a designated location for assignment. No wives, or in my case, husbands, included.”
Rod sat forward and faced Wyl. “Are they drafting me, too?”
Wyl shrugged. “I don’t know, babe. Whether or not you are ultimately involved, the meeting with the general will be much easier for me if you’re there.”
“Easier for me too, babe.” Rod leaned for a quick kiss.
Wyl wondered what lay ahead. Everything about the call and the summons to Washington, D.C., tied his stomach in knots. And including Rod made it worse. This wasn’t an ordinary summons.
CHAPTER TWO
Monday morning : Beacon Hotel : Washington D.C.
Wyl’s gut churned uneasily. The mysterious Pentagon visit loomed. He dreaded the possibilities. Coming from the top general in the U.S., none seemed promising.
“Did you bring your Marine uniform?” Rod handed Wyl his white dress shirt before taking his own from the closet.
Wyl laid the shirt on the bed, buttoned the sleeve buttons, then slid it on. “No uniform. I expect this to be something beyond uniforms.”
Rod slid on his shirt.
“Besides,” Wyl reached for his suit pants. “Given the general’s rank over all the armed services, this is probably not a Marine event.” He put one socked foot into a pants leg. “This is something bigger.” He put the other foot in and tugged his pants up to his waist.
“Bigger?” Rod paused with his own pants. “That makes me more curious about my involvement.” He tugged on his suit pants. “I don’t have any skills that might be useful to the military.”
“You were thoroughly vetted.” Wyl buttoned the pants and zipped them up. “The general wouldn’t ask you to be here if your participation wasn’t part of the overall plan.” He reached for his belt. “We don’t yet know how this will play out.”
Rod shook his head, fastened his pants, and reached for his belt. “I don’t know whether to be worried, frightened, or both.”
Wyl came over and wrapped Rod in his arms. “Both, but we’re in this together, so we’ll be fine.” He kissed Rod’s ear.
Rod tightened his grip on his husband. “Thanks for that,” he whispered. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Now let’s go to breakfast. We’ll need nutrition to get us through the morning.”
They finished dressing and went down to breakfast.
Wyl ordered an omelet, and Rod ordered French toast. Both had coffee and juice. The drinks arrived.
“What about meeting the general?” Rod asked. “I know nothing about military protocol.”
