That long dark stretch of road was lonely at this hour. I had only seen two or three sets of headlights coming toward me the whole way, all trucks. I was barely able to keep my eyes open. At the state I was in, I didn’t know if I was more tired or hungry. I needed both food and a place to sleep.
There were seven big rigs lined up in the lot when I pulled in. I thought that was a good sign, at least the food should be fresh and hot.
I walked in the double-glass door unnoticed. No one even gave me a glance. I sat at the counter on the end. There were two ball-capped drivers sitting midway. I sat far enough away so I couldn’t hear their conversation, and they wouldn’t strike one up with me.
A pleasant middle-aged woman, her name tag said Sally, put a cup down in front of me and said, “Looks like you need coffee, sweetie.”
“Fill ’er up,” I said, and she did.
“We got a fresh batch of biscuits right out of the oven, and our gravy is chuck full of bacon. Can I get you a plate?”
“Yep, that sounds about what I need.”
“Comin’ right up.”
I sipped my coffee. The flavor was lacking, but its strength was hard. I sat with my shoulders sagging with fatigue, staring into the dark brown liquid in my cup. I was finally settling down from the events from the night. I had to get some sleep soon. When I ate, I knew a full stomach would only make that sleepy feeling stronger.
Sally soon returned with a steaming plate. I dug in, and the food did not disappoint. When she returned to fill my coffee, I asked her if she knew a good place where I could get a few hours sleep.
She put both hands on the counter and asked, “You a vet?”
“I am,” I replied. “Army, three tours in Afghanistan.”
“Give me a minute,” she said and walked into the back to the kitchen. She came back several minutes later and said, “How fussy are you?”
“Just need a few hours of sleep. Simple and clean would be good.”
“My younger brother works here, dishwasher, was discharged four months ago, did tours over there too. He said you’re welcome to crash at his place. Here’s the address.” She had written it on a napkin. “Just down the street. Keys under the mat. Nothing worth stealing, so he leaves the key out. Says if you’re a brother, the couch is all yours. You okay with that?”
“Yeah, that would be great,” I said.
“And oh,” Sally said, “he didn’t ask, but if you could leave a little somethin’ on his counter, he could really use it.”
I looked at her. There were tears in her eyes.
“You okay?” I asked.
“Hey, it’s a long story. You served over there. You saw it like he did, so you know.”
“Yep.”
I reached across the counter and took her hand. “He’ll be okay,” I said. “Takes time. Be patient and encourage him to talk. There’s lots of vet organizations out there.”
“I hope. I can only hope,” she said back. “There are times I don’t even know who he is. Who came back to me?”
“Hold ’em, hug ’em, don’t let him push you away, and Sally, just the fact that he knows he has brothers like me out here and is willing to help me out, that’s important.”
“So what’s your name?” she asked.
“Jason Orr, Army special ops and ex secret service.”
“No kidding?”
“No kidding,” I said.
“Hope you get some rest, Jason.”
I finished my plate, put two twenties on the counter, and walked to the door. I glanced Sallie’s way. She was talking to a trucker down the counter.
She glanced up at me. I tipped my hat as I walked out.
I found the house of Sallie’s brother, small one-bedroom, well-kept. I slept for five hours, on his couch, clothes on, just kicked my boots.
When I woke up, I didn’t snoop around. I respected the man. I left a Benjamin under a mug on the kitchen counter.
The clean crisp morning air greeted me as I walked out the front door of a man I didn’t even know, not even his name. A man willing to share his home with a fellow soldier.
It felt right.
Chapter 5
The conference room on the third floor of the Bermuda Estate was standing room only. Extra chairs had been brought in and lined the walls. The seventeen division heads were seated at the table in no certain order. There was one empty chair at the head, reserved for Joseph Lehan.
Other attendees sat along the wall, several lawyers, Katzi Bar-Lev, Hava Fromer, a secretary to take notes and a technical person to record the meeting and to run the visual presentation. There was one empty chair along the wall also, reserved for Maria Simpson, Lehan’s right-hand person, who nowadays seemed to be glued to his side.
It was 0959 hours. Even though the room was crowded, there was no conversation going on. There were waters on the table, but no other beverages or food. At 1000 hours, Joseph Lehan entered the room, followed closely by Maria Simpson. Lehan walked directly to the head seat without greeting anyone or speaking and sat down.
Maria remained standing and announced, “The first Sarnev International division head meeting under the leadership of Joseph Lehan will come to order.”
She then sat down at Lehan’s right side.
Lehan spoke next, “I have called this meeting to formally announce the wishes of our founder, Andre Sarnev, according to the legal documents he had prepared in case of the current situation.”
All eyes were on Lehan as he spoke, he continued, “You have been given a file prepared by William George. It contains a copy of Andre’s, for lack of a better term, will. The file also contains a document for each one of you to sign and leave here at the estate. The document states that you acknowledge Andre’s wishes and will support them.
“As you are all aware, Andre has been missing since early July. We have kept this news out of the press, and it is only known internally. We will continue to do so. There is a document in your file for you to sign, indicating you agree not to disclose this information to anyone at any time until the corporation decides to make it public.
“Andre had a provision included in his will. It states that if he was incapacitated, physically or mentally unable to run the affairs of Sarnev International, I, Joseph Lehan, would be appointed its president and CEO until which time Andre regained the ability to function in that position. Under the current situation, William George, with all certainty concurs this provision to be valid and applicable to Andre’s current status.”
Everyone at the table opened the files set before them and started reading the paperwork they contained. Lehan sat patient as they all read.
Several minutes passed, and as they all finished reading, Lehan asked, “Any questions?”
No one replied.
“Then, after the meeting is concluded, Mr. George and his assistant will witness your signatures and notarize them in the outer lounge area.
“Next item of business is to announce Sarnev International will be developing its own global security company. We will start here at the estate and, as soon as possible, expand it to all our offices and facilities worldwide. This project will be headed up by Hava Fromer and Katzi Bar-Lev, formally from Israeli Intelligence and Armed Forces.
“Your current security structure will be phased out, and their protocols and systems will replace