Project Terminus Read Free Page A

days later they married. Nine months after they said “I do,” their daughter April—named for the month they met—was born. Randal often joked that Carol was the fool for marrying him. With a grin, she would always agree.
    That same evening, Chris called from Milwaukee. He was arriving on the 22 nd and wondered if it was okay to bring his best friend, Conner Macleod, and his wife, Jody. Wade knew the Macleod’s from his visits to Milwaukee and told him they were always welcome in his home.
    Chris Coltrane was not unlike his father, but he was quieter and much more serious. At six-foot-three, he was slender with dark brown hair and his mother’s soft brown eyes. With a master’s degree in Police Science, he was an outstanding police officer. Four years after he married his college sweetheart, Anne, a drunken driver took her from him. Since drunks killed both his wife and mother, those in the know understood why he made more DUI arrests than the rest of the police department combined. He eschewed a social life and devoted his free time to raising his daughter Becky.
    “There’s one other thing, Dad…Becky’s engaged.”
    Wade was incredulous. “Engaged? Jesus, Son, she’s barely out of diapers.”
    Chris laughed and said, “Dad, she’s twenty years old.”
    “Like I said, she’s barely out of diapers. Who’s the lucky guy?”
    “His name’s Sean Fox. He’s a botanist for the State of Wisconsin.”
    “Let me guess, you’d like to bring him too.”
    Chris laughed and replied, “Yeah, if it’s okay with you. You’ll like him; he’s a really good kid.”
    “I’m looking forward to grilling him. On second thought, maybe I’ll have Bill do it.”
    “Jesus, Dad, you’re not serious?”
    Wade laughed. “No, but you have to admit it would be interesting.”
    That evening after Adam was in bed, Wade was stealthily watching Maggie prepare a grocery list for the holidays, and as she shuffled back and forth between the pantry and freezer, he marveled at her grace and beauty. He loved her smile, which brightened any room she unleashed it in. He loved the sound of her voice. He loved the confidence she projected. In fact, he loved everything about her. She had a Shodan black belt in Aikido and was fluent in Japanese, French, and German. When they met, she was licensed as a nurse practitioner, and had since received her Doctorate in nursing. She was beautiful, smart, and tough. And she was his.
    Maggie caught him staring at her, and with a smile said, “Yes?”
    “I was just trying to figure out what I did to deserve you.”
    Maggie flowed to where he sat, put her arms around him, and said, “You were born. Plus, it was written in the coffee beans that we’d be together.”
    Wade laughed. “Best day of my entire life. We’ll have a house full over the holidays, Mags. What do you need me to do?”
    “I’ve got this, Wade. I want you to enjoy your family.”
    “They’re your family too, Mags.”
    “I know that. But you know what I mean. Now, go do something useful, like…make us a margarita. We have three bedrooms and a den and I have to figure out where everyone’s going to sleep.
    Two days before Christmas, Randal, Carol, and April drove down from Eglin. Carol and Maggie headed to the kitchen to make lunch. April and Adam cranked up HALO on the X-box and began annihilating hordes of attacking Covenant while Wade and Randal went to the lanai.
    After detailing his latest Afghan tour, Randal said, “Special Operations morale is low, Dad.”
    “How bad is it?”
    The grimace on his face spoke volumes. “Every shooter I know, and I know most of them, have zero respect for the CIC. They don’t trust him. He’s totally clueless when it comes to the military. Everyone’s convinced something wicked this way comes.”
    When the conversation ended, Wade said. “Chris gets here tomorrow. I think it’s time we had a family meeting about the future. Let’s go see how lunch is coming.”
    Chris, Becky,