Field of Blackbirds - Clayton Jeppsen & Lindsey Jeppsen (me reader txt) 📗

they’re stirring here. It’s like spending too much time at a murder scene when you know where the killer is going to strike next.” Reed exhaled impatiently. “These people are alive. They’re breathing the very same air we’re breathing. The struggle to win this fight is addicting.” Reed raised the binoculars that were hanging around his neck. “With these I can see refined character out there. It’s where new definitions are written for the hero and for the villain and the moment they clash. We can always go back, and maybe that’s the best idea. But let’s not forget a very important lesson; nothing moves a jury like the testimony of an eye witness. Facts and remnants are persuasive, but the emotions of testimony are compelling. Sometimes it’s all we can do; be the perfect witness. And if it’s enough for the UN to call down the wrath of God on this mess, then it’s all worth it.”
Otto felt he needed to clarify. “By ‘the wrath of God’, Reed means F-16s and cluster bombs.”
“Thanks for the interpretation Otto,” said Reed. Otto just nodded his head.
Reed wasn’t sure if his monologue was inspiring or not. He did realize however, that he was walking a fine line. He wanted to get his team back in one piece. But he also knew the value this would have to the mission.
Marcielli listened to Reed, tried to hear everything he was saying. He watched as Reed moved his arms around as he spoke. In Italy, the more people subconsciously moved their arms while they spoke, the more truthful their story was. It was the involuntary passion to persuade.
The notions reminded him of Marianna; how she looked when something was important to her. She tucked her hair behind her ears. She moved her hands a lot and she would involuntarily take his hand in hers and look him in the eyes. When she did that, he was sure of her sincerity. It was something he missed. He pictured that look when he read her letter. He imagined her telling him he would be a father. He imagined it over and over.
Marcielli glanced back at Reed. He had lost track of what he was saying and wasn’t even hearing him now. He only paid attention to the look on his face; in his eyes; the glow that surrounded him as he paced back and forth, moving his arms. If the team was a wheel, Reed was the axle. Marcielli would gladly revolve around him, absorbing the bumps until they reached the end.
Marcielli noticed that Reed stopped talking and was staring out the window. He Reed’s expression in the glass. He thought this young man must have been raised in an exceptional family under exceptional leadership. That was something Marcielli always wanted.
Marcielli walked over to Reed and leaned against the pane. “Listen Reed, you’re going to have to wrap yourself in a blanket and rub dirt on your face to cover the California surfer look. Let me do all the talking. I speak Serbo-Croat. I’ll walk the camp with you in the morning.”

************

Marcielli reminded Reed so much of his little brother, Reddin. They were both so quick to show their loyalty, even though they hadn’t fully examined the consequences, or just refused to be distracted by them. Reed was thankful for the alliance; thankful for the assurance.
Reed took a moment to welcome the arrival of thoughts from home. He enjoyed an inner chuckle as he pictured Reddin in mismatched colors of red from head to toe. It didn’t matter what he wore, as long as it was red. Anna did her best, but ‘Big Red’ always insisted on dressing himself. Anna always said he had a “Big Red Heart”.
Gracie was doomed from the beginning, growing up on a farm with two older brothers. Somehow, with Anna’s help, she beat the odds. She was as girly as a girl could be. Reed would never forget the time when he came home from school and saw one of their young calves wearing Anna’s brand-new, pink summer dress. Anna was trying to carefully remove it without damaging it. Gracie was sitting Indian-style on the ground, pouting that she couldn’t put on the rest of the apparel she’d selected for the calf. And now, a hemisphere away, Reed stood, proud of the man Reddin had become and nearly petrified of Gracie’s new beauty. Mom and Dad had done well, he thought. He wished he could tell them that.
In another month, Reed would take Lindsey in his arms. He would ask for a leave extension, he would go to the beach and some of their favorite places. If the time was right, maybe he would even ask her to marry him. They would discuss their plans for the future. Reed might even ask her what she thought about the Los Angeles Police Department. He’d been thinking about it a lot lately. A lot of the guys in the Corp became police officers when they returned.
Samuel Clay once referred to his men as, Sheepdogs, protecting the sheep from the wolves. He said the Corp protects them abroad and the Police protect them at home. Sam was a veteran cop with twenty years in Arizona. He was activated in 1991 for Desert Storm and then reassigned in 1992 to NATO. Sam told him he would make a great cop. Beside his infatuation with cop movies, Reed never really gave it much thought before. He was curious what Lindsey would say about it. Nothing was set in stone though. When he was with her, she made him feel like a million bucks, at the threshold of a million open doors. Maybe he wanted to be a brain surgeon or a rocket scientist or even President of the United States. She knew he could do it. One thing was for certain though, Reed wanted to spend the rest of his life with Lindsey and raise children with her. He wanted come home to her every evening and tour the country together as elderly folks and block traffic in an RV. But a small hurdle stood in front of him. He must get through this mission. He stared back out the window, through the swaying evergreens and into the sputtering glow of the camp. He kept reminding himself, “Evil only exists where good men do nothing.”

Marcielli sat back down at the table. Ideas and thoughts ran through his head. The feeling among the men was strange. He knew Angelo and Florentine didn’t want to be there. Otto was just eating up the adrenaline. It was what kept him alive and it was all he had ever known. Marcielli hoped Reed’s nobility and passion didn’t get them killed. Marcielli had grown to love the cause they were serving. But it wasn’t greater than the love he felt for Marianna and his unborn child and the excitement of their future together.
Marcielli glanced around the room. Angelo laid out a blanket and removed a book from his bag. It was the Serbian Bible he’d taken from the church in Kumanovo. He began practicing the language.
Florentine stole Otto’s spot on the tilted sofa and was snoring louder than what Marcielli thought was healthy. Otto was using broken two-by-fours to prop up the weaker areas of the ceiling. He had already boarded up many of the broken windows. And Reed had just torn open an MRE and began eating, appearing to be in deep thought, staring at nothing as he chewed.
Marcielli found a blank piece of paper in the OP orders. He knew he wouldn’t be able to mail it anytime soon, but he began writing anyway;


Marianna, Belize de Milano,

It’s great news! I will try to be the best father I can be. I can’t wait to see you and hold you. I just hope I get there before our baby does. It would be so wonderful to see you as a mother. I hope you are taking care of yourself. I hope you are resting and eating well enough for two. You can crush the grapes, but stay away from your uncle’s wine. It’s not good for the baby. I hope our troubles at home are over. I pray for you every day and it pains me that I’m not there to protect you. If anything arises, promise me you’ll call Antigo. I’m happy that you’ve had nothing to report. I don’t like being away from you. Remember, this whole thing was your idea. I don’t know how much longer we’ll be here, maybe only a couple more weeks. It would be so good to see you. I’m tired of waking up to Flo and Angelo and the guys. They’re not nearly as pretty as you are in the morning and they don’t smell as nice. Tell the baby that Daddy’s coming home soon and give him my love. Be strong Mi Amore, for the three of us. There are wonderful times ahead. I love you, Marianna.

- Your Marcielli

P.S. When I see you again, I want you to wear something red. You look beautiful in red.


Otto heard, what sounded, like a twig snapping just outside the window by the front door. He walked over to the edge of the window and waited quietly; listening.
“What is it?” asked Reed.
Otto didn’t respond. He just placed his finger over his lips, motioning them all to remain quiet.


Chapter 32 – America


‘Snap!’
Radenko quickly glanced over his shoulder; saw Lazar frozen in his tracks, standing on a broken twig. Remorse for the blunder nearly struck him in the form of a lightning bolt. Radenko let uneasiness sift through his confidence as he inserted his index finger into the ring. Standing at the embankment of murky waters, a perilous plunge awaited him; the metal, cold in his hand. The slightest pressure against his fingertip brought him one step closer to uncertainty. It wasn’t that he was untried in conflict; he just felt his halfhearted mind-set could get the better of him. One thing was for sure, it was happening now and there was no backing down. An obscure awareness took Radenko by surprise; a sudden softness attempting to tame his irregular heartbeat . . . . Mom, he felt her there; could almost see her face. She was with him, just as Petrovich had promised. Radenko selfishly stole an extra second; granted it to Sasia. He then pulled the pin on one grenade, then another and carefully set them both at the threshold.