Page 61 of The Archer Brothers

The thought of using Cara like that hadn’t crossed my mind. From what I remember, they were in love but I don’t even know if she’s still around.

“It’s not that, River. Clearly something happened between them since he’s engaged to Ryley, but I’m hoping she can help. Honestly, I don’t even know where to find her, it’ll be a shot in the dark.”

River nods and looks like he’s contemplating what I’m saying. I could be grasping at straws where Cara is concerned. I don’t know why she and my brother are no longer together. It could be a number of things, one being Ryley got in the way.

“Like I said, it’s a long shot, but it’s better than not doing anything.” I sigh, exasperated. I want the answers to all my questions put down on a piece of paper and handed to me on a silver platter.

“I’m going to get going,” I say, needing to clear my head.

“Where?”

I shrug. “I don’t know, for a drive. I just need to think.”

“What should I tell Ryley when she calls?”

Looking up and down the road I’d love to think that Ryley is at home wondering where I am, but I have a feeling she’s not. My return interrupted her life and now that Nate’s home, her life is probably going back to normal.

“She won’t,” I say as I step off the curb and head to my car. It’s a stab to my heart thinking the way I do, but the alternative isn’t much better. For all I know, they’re happy and plan to get married whether I approve or not.

Walking into Magoo’s feels like old times. I’ve only visited my favorite establishment once since I’ve been back and I hadn’t realized how much I missed hanging out here. We’d stop here at least once or twice a week after work, just to be normal. This is where McCoy met his wife. She was here looking for trouble and found it in the name of Tucker McCoy. Many consider Magoo’s a meat market. Women flock here in hopes of picking up a SEAL or higher-ranking sailor.

The walls are covered with photos of military members who have long since left us. Our images were up, but as I look around I see a new memorial for them. The four of us hang together with a flag draped around us and in chicken scratch writing, the note says:Home and Never Forgotten. If I weren’t so fond of the owner and bartender, Slick Rick, I’d tell him to take this shit down.

We may be home, but we were definitely forgotten.

Taking a seat at the bar, a frosty mug with some amber liquid is placed before me. Rick is only the third owner of this bar, a bar that has held a lot of homecomings for sailors and a few Marines. He took over from his grandfather when he was barely able to drink himself. This place is old and in need of some major renovations, but that’s what gives it character. In the corner is an old jukebox that plays songs from the seventies and eighties, and is the only thing that provides us music.

“You seem to be missing your crew.” Rick wipes down the section of bar I’m sitting at and sets down a fresh bowl of nuts. I pick a few up, tossing them in my mouth. If Ryley were here, she’d frown and remind me that the other guy who put his hands in there probably didn’t wash them after using the restroom. Right now, my response would be: If I could survive in the jungle for six years, nothing is going to kill me.

“We’re all trying to find a way to deal.”

“Makes sense.”

I glance at Rick, who busies himself with restocking glasses. He’s lingering near me, maybe wanting to talk. The thought never occurred to me that he hears things working here. He may have information on what happened with my crew.

“Things been good?” I ask, breaking the stillness. Rick looks around, his head moving from side to side. I try to follow his gaze, looking at the patrons in the bar, but don’t recognize anyone. More often than not, people come and go. Duties change, deployments happen, or you get transferred to another base. Being a SEAL, my base options are limited. It’s one of the things I love about my job.

“Business is always good, better now that you guys are back.”

“Oh yeah, why’s that?” His words pique my curiosity.

Rick sets his hands on the bar and leans in. “People are asking a lot of questions. There’s been a news reporter hanging around. She comes in every other night or so, lurking. You know how I feel about reporters, but she keeps to herself. She’s waiting for one of you to come in is what I’m guessing.”

Thisis exactly what River and I were discussing earlier. Where is all the media hoopla with us returning? Four men do not return from the dead, alive and well, without the media circus. Where’s the hero’s welcome? The parade? The banners? Why aren’t the television crews camped outside our houses waiting to tell our stories?

“She here now?”

Rick shakes his head subtly alerting me that someone is here that he’s not too fond of. I look around, but don’t see anyone I recognize, which isn’t saying much since I’ve only seen a few faces since my miraculous return home.

“Who has you bothered, Rick?”

He nods, and I look over my shoulder. “That’s Senator Lawson.”

“Never heard of him,” I say, turning my gaze back to Rick.

“You wouldn’t. He’s not from here. He’s a representative of Florida. The first time I saw him was about a month or two before you guys left. He was in the corner with O’Keefe. I hadn’t seen him again until you guys came home.”

My mouth feels like its dropping open and my eyes are bugging out, much like you’d see on Saturday morning cartoons. I don’t care if there’s a connection or not, what Rick just said seems very out of the ordinary. Why would this guy suddenly be back in Magoo’s now that we’ve returned?

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