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“That’s why you paybucks”

The bartender poured her another shot of bourbon and the two of us clinked glasses and proceeded to get drunk

The next day, I spent the ht with Casey I took a steam bath, then ate a heavy breakfast with Brandon Finally, I sat in my office and reviewed the article on the death of Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Daniel Lewis

It was almost a year since the accident and his death I fully intended to courier the letters to Topsail Beach and wanted to write so to explain how the letters ca a letter that I hoped would express ratitude for Lewis’s service, his sacrifice for his country without revealing anything classified about the operation ere on when the accident happened

I felt incredible guilt as I read over the letters from Mira to her late husband onceback and getting revenge for the deaths of the Marines who lost their lives trying to rescue us Instead, I hoped to s better for Marines who had to risk their lives for the rest of us

I picked up a letter and read it over In it, Miranda wrote about her work at the restaurant and how she enjoyed bartending to a different crowd than she was used to She usually worked at her grandfather’s pub in Queens while she put herself through John Jay College of Crihters, and she was used to hearing their talk about their work She said it randfather to work at the bar, for she had a better understanding of the men who risked their lives each day for our safety

She wanted to do so with law enforcement as well, but didn’t see herself as a cop Instead, she wanted to work in forensic psychology, to understand whather et into the police force, notwas out of the question She had to be a civilianto follow in her father’s footsteps

I ad to join the FBI, her husband a bona fide war hero, giving up his own life to save others A member of a hyper-specialized special operations team

She was the kind of woman I would want to date Casey would approve of her – of that there was no doubt I struggled to write a letter to her, trying to put in words a few thoughts about her loss but it all felt inadequate Here was a young wo her life with her husband and he was taken froe I was responsible He died because ere testing our prototype The prototype was meant to save lives, not take them, but that is exactly what it did

Ella, my admin assistant, poked her head in my office at about noon “John’s on the line He wants to let you know he’s co to the retreat”

I pulled my mind away from the Lewis family and considered a location for the retreat I had planned for ton, but now I reconsidered The retreat was hastily organized and intended to booststaff’s morale after Graham’s death Before Graham’s death, I had pro session for the next year We’d have to transition out of war tourisone so there was no better tiht of Topsail Beach and wondered whether it had adequate facilities for my dozen staff

A convention of Wall Street investors in the defense industries was being held in Wilreets, so holdingthat weekend would kill two birds with one stone

“Check out Topsail Beach and see if there are any appropriate accommodations for the retreat The Yacht Club’s pretty nice,” I said, thinking I could invite so session “It’s pretty close to Wilton, and a defense contract convention with some investors I know”

“Will do”

If I tiht, we could run the retreat and I could finally meet Lewis’s parents and hand over the letters to them at the saot the letters and let her take it fro her who I was the first ti I wouldn’t ain