Joe Jackson

Joe had become quite fond of Angie and Jason, but he was under no illusion that this was any more than a temporary arrangement. He knew he would be gone before Chris returned from Afghanistan. He would miss Angie, though; and he had become attached to little Jason. Jason was almost 3, and called him Uncle Joe. He wondered how Angie would explain to Chris about Jason's Uncle Joe.

SSGT Beau Fontenot met Chris at the Kansas City airport on Tuesday morning. Chris had been in the air for nearly two days, but greeted his old buddy warmly. Chris and Beau had each saved the other's life in Iraq. They could tell stories that only they knew, but never would. Days of combat, death and deprivation were the bonds that kept them together.

Chris had not been in the house for 7 months, but still he sensed that something was not right. He knew Angela would be at an NCOWC meeting, and Jason would be next door. He walked through the living room, noticing some of Jason's toys on the floor. From there, he went into the kitchen. The breakfast dishes were in the sink, 2 coffee cups on the counter. Perhaps Nancy had come over for coffee before taking Jason to her house.

Chris walked down the hallway, and into the master bedroom. The first thing he saw was a pair of boots under his wife's bed. He had to go into the bathroom to throw up. That is where he saw the Gillette shaving cream and razor, extra toothbrush, and Old Spice deodorant stick. Checking the closet, he found 2 uniforms hanging there as well as men's civilian clothing. The name on the uniform was SSGT Jackson.

Beau drove his friend to the NCO Transit Quarters on post. He needed to get some rest; tomorrow would be a busy, stressful day.

Angela got home from her meeting at about 4 o'clock. Nancy met her at her door before she had her key out. Nancy knew all about Angela's "loaner husband", had even met Joe a few times.

"Chris is home. I saw him this afternoon."

"Oh, shit." Angela didn't swear often, but this was overwhelming.

"He was here with another sergeant; he went in, looked around for a few minutes, and then left."

Angela quickly went into the house to see what Chris might have found. As soon as she walked into the bedroom, she saw the boots.

"Oh, shit."

She saw the closet door left standing open with uniforms hanging there.

"Oh, my god."

She saw Joe's shaving items in the bathroom.

"Oh, Lord no!"

She prayed he hadn't opened the drawer in her nightstand and seen the package of condoms and KY jelly she kept there.

Angela took out her cell phone and sent a text to Joe.

"Chris is back. He knows."

By 5 o'clock, Joe had retrieved his belongings from Angie's house. He kissed her goodbye, patted Jason on the head, and left. He expected he would never see Angie again.

Wednesday morning, SSGT Chris Taylor began the day by requesting an immediate appointment with the Judge Advocate General office. The JAG office is staffed by Army Reserve officers who are also local attorneys. They can refer soldiers to local attorneys to handle their legal requirements. By noon Chris had seen a local attorney to begin divorce proceedings.

Within the next 30 days, Angela had been served divorce papers, and signed them. There really were no assets to be divided, and she kept custody of her son. She and Jason moved back to Fort Dodge to live with her parents. She started working as a secretary in the car dealership belonging to her father, while her mother kept Jason.. Chris was ordered to pay Angela $500 a month for child support for Jason, but he had an allotment from his pay send $750 a month instead.

Seven months later, Angela gave birth to Emily Annabelle Jackson.

Chris began his duties with the NCO Academy. Within a year, he was promoted to Sergeant First Class. He did not want to live in the house where Angela had lived, so he stayed in the NCO quarters on post. He never met, or tried to meet SSGT Joe Jackson.

Joe requested an immediate transfer. Within a week he was in the air, assigned to an Engineer Battalion in Afghanistan.

*****

Joe

Six months later, I was the leader of an 8 man EOD squad in Afghanistan. We were posted to a 145 man outpost that was responsible for security of our section of the main military highway to the north of the country. Taliban activity in this sector was sporadic, but the primary threat was improvised explosive devices (IED) buried in the roadway.

My team was responsible for locating and clearing IED's from the route before convoys used the road. This meant the same section of road would have to be checked and cleared multiple times each week. This could be monotonously repetitive, but not without danger. My squad usually found and disarmed, or destroyed, one or two IEDs each week.

The safest way to dispose of an IED was to blow it in place. This was my specialty. We would carefully expose the IED, prime and place a block of C4 military explosive on it and run the wire back a safe distance to connect to a detonator. After making sure there was no one within the blast zone, I would give the order to detonate the charge, exploding the IED with it. Obviously, this procedure would not be done within a built up area, where there might be civilian casualties.

When I had left FLW, I knew I would never see or speak to Angie again. I had betrayed one of my fellow soldiers, my brother in arms, by cheating with his wife. When I left, I knew Angie was pregnant with my child, a child I would never know. At night, in my bunk, I missed holding Angie, her scent, her warmth. I missed playing games with Jason. I missed watching Jason sleep in my arms.

*****

There was to be a convoy routed through our area of operations (AO) later today. Early in the morning, my squad was out on the road with metal detectors looking for evidence that the Taliban may have set IEDs during the night. Drones overhead looked for evidence of any disturbance in or alongside the road.

My squad of Engineers, accompanied by a platoon of Infantry for security, had cleared the first 10 clicks (KM) of the highway, when we were informed over the radio that the drone had spotted some suspicious activity in a village 500 meters down the road. The Infantry platoon leader deployed his men to surround and secure the village. As they swept through the village, they detained 3 suspicious looking men of military age. They also found 2 AK-47 rifles and a Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) launcher with 3 warheads.

I cautiously moved my squad up to the suspected IED, while looking for other secondary charges. SP4 Ralph Ashworth, called "Ash", and SP4 John Tremont, called "JT", carefully searched around the IED for tripwires and detonator wires. JT carefully cut a pair of wires leading to the fuse well in the large caliber artillery shell buried in the middle of the road. It was meant to be detonated by a terrorist hidden in the village alongside the road. Markings on the shell showed it was left over from the Russian occupation.

It was now up to me to decide how to best dispose of the bomb. The choices are to disarm the bomb in place, dig it up and remove it to a safe location to detonate, or to place charges and detonate the bomb in place where it is. Detonation in place will result in major damage to the village around it. Moving the bomb risks a premature detonation if there is a motion activated secondary charge under the artillery shell.

The decision is further complicated by the impending convoy scheduled to pass through here. My squad is needed to continue to clear the route through our segment of the road. Consultation with higher command authorities confirmed the decision to detonate the device in place. The convoy is carrying artillery as well as small arms ammunition to support critical operations in the north of the country. If the convoy is delayed, and has to stop along the road, it would be susceptible to attack by enemy forces. The road must be cleared at all cost.

LT Freemont's Infantry platoon has cleared all civilians from the village to a location 100 meters away. I took a block of C4 explosive and inserted a blasting cap. Ash has run 100 meters of field wire from the detonator site to the IED where I was prepared to place the charge on top of the artillery round. JT is holding the detonator; he will attach the wires only after I determine the area is clear and give him the go ahead.

I signal for 3 blasts of the horn from the Humvee, and JT attaches the wires. JT and I squat behind a wall of sandbags that has been erected as a temporary shelter. I nod at JT, JT yells "Fire in the hole", and twists the handle on the detonator.

A split second before the explosion, I sense more than see a movement within the blast zone. Rising up to see over the shelter wall, I see two young boys, about 10 years old, chasing a soccer ball into the road. How could they have been missed by the security sweep? Perhaps they were hiding? As I stood to scream, the detonation goes off. That was all I remember.

*****

The soldiers, as they rise from cover, are stunned to see the broken bodies of the two young boys lying in the road. It is a sight frozen in their minds, one they will never forget. A sight added to their nightmares that will later be diagnosed as PTSD. JT is crumpled on the ground, crying, with the detonator still in his hand. SSGT Jackson was caught by the blast and thrown 20 feet backwards, landing against the side of the Humvee.

LT Freemont got right on the radio to request immediate deployment of the Quick Reaction Force to secure the area. He also requested a MedEvac helicopter to transport SSG Jackson and 2 others of his squad that had been injured by the blast. Within 15 minutes SSG Jackson was on his way to an Army field hospital in Kabul.

SSG Jackson's injuries included a broken right leg below the knee, a broken knee cap, a broken collar bone and dislocated right shoulder. He had a concussion, and possible skull fracture. His injuries were mostly sustained as a result from being slammed into the side of the Humvee with the force of the explosion.

As soon as SSGT Jackson's condition was stabilized, he was on a flight to the Army hospital in Landstuhl, Germany. His next stop was Brooke Army Hospital in San Antonio, TX. After 6 months of recuperation and physical rehabilitation, SSGT Joseph Jackson was given a medical discharge from the Army. He would walk with a permanent limp on the right side, had some nerve damage in his right arm, and would require extensive psychological therapy for PTSD.

Chapter Two

Jack and Susan

The flight from Nassau landed on time and taxied to the gate. Even though the flight attendant had instructed all passengers to remain seated until the seat belt sign went off, several had already stood in the aisle and started to remove their belongings from the overhead bin in their haste to be among the first to exit the plane. As a result, no one was getting off the plane. First class passengers were first, as always.

Even though he was seated in first class, Bill Kelley was one who was compelled to be the first off the plane. Bill was a competitor, and was driven to win. A Harvard educated attorney, Bill played football in college until an injury ended all thoughts of playing for the NFL. Now his competitive nature was shifted from sports to business. Bill had become an uber-rich attorney and investment banker. He was also a compulsive gambler, but he was good at it. He always won more than he lost, and he won big.

Bill was married to Audrey McClain, the only daughter of John McClain, senior partner of McClain, Winthrop, and Fulbright. Bill and Audrey had dated through college, if you can describe their torrid affair as dating. Audrey moved in with Bill while he was in law school, and they were married as soon as he graduated. Now 46, Bill and Audrey have 3 children in college and graduate school. Bill is a junior partner in the family law firm.

Audrey knows that Bill always has one or more beautiful women on his arm, whenever he is away from home. Their marital arrangement is more of the "don't ask, don't tell" sort. She is OK with his philandering, as long as it doesn't interfere with her own extramarital activities.

Susan Martin, seated next to Bill Kelley, waited patiently for the seat belt light to go off before she began to gather her belongings. She waited for Bill to move out of her way before rising and retrieving her carryon bag from the overhead bin.

Susan and Bill walked together to the baggage claim area to retrieve their luggage. As they walked through the concourse, Susan would hold Bill's arm, or occasionally hold his hand. They chatted amicably. In the baggage claim area, they stood together while waiting for their luggage, with their arms around each other. Anyone observing them would mistake them for a married couple, as they were both wearing wedding rings.

Susan was in fact married to Jack Martin. Jack was the president, and owner of Martin Industries, a small manufacturing company with 15 employees. Jack, an electronics engineer by training, had patents on improvements to micro switches used in spacecraft and certain military applications. Martin Industries manufactured prototypes of Jack's inventions which were then licensed to manufacturers around the world. Jack was doing quite well.

Jack and Susan were married while they were both in college. Jack was getting his masters in engineering, and Susan was in law school. Money was tight, and Susan went to work as a para-legal while Jack was working as a junior engineer for an aerospace company. At night, he was developing his ideas for the improved switch.

Susan worked for McClain, Winthrop, and Fulbright, the most prestigious law firm in the state. Susan was soon recognized for her intelligence and hard work. Promotions and raises were given in recognition for her efforts. It didn't escape Bill Kelley's attention that Susan was also a very attractive young woman. Susan was offered the position of Bill Kelley's personal assistant.

Susan knew what Bill Kelley expected from his personal assistant, and it was very personal indeed. His last PA had left very suddenly, and the office gossip said she became pregnant and John McClain paid her very well to disappear. Susan would be expected to travel with Bill, and Bill traveled frequently. It means she was expected to become, in effect, Bill Kelley's company whore. A very well paid whore.

Before she could accept this position, Susan had to consider her relationship with her husband, Jack. Would Jack accept this as important for her career advancement, or would this be the end of their marriage? Being so closely associated with the powerful and influential attorney would really advance her career. She thought after a year as Bill's PA, she would be able to go back to finish law school.

Jack

I got home about six o'clock. Susan was there waiting for me as I came in from the garage. She was dressed in a pair of designer jeans, tight enough to show off her long shapely legs. She was wearing a tee shirt that hugged her 36C bosom. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a pony tail, and she was wearing sandals that showed off her bright red nails.

As I went upstairs to change into something more casual, Susan was putting our dinner on the table in the dining room. We usually eat on the kitchen table, so I knew she had something special in mind. After a pleasant dinner with a light salad, Swiss steak, roasted potatoes and green beans, we finished with a lime sorbet. We then adjourned to the living room with a new bottle of wine and 2 clean glasses. I knew there was something up, and I waited for her to let me have it.

She poured the wine, and I took a sip. It was a very nice wine, probably expensive. She swallowed half her glass in one gulp.

"Jack, I've been given a promotion at work, and it is a very big opportunity for me. I'm going to be the Personal Assistant to a Junior Partner. After a year, I'll be given time off and full tuition to go back to law school to finish my degree. Then I will be guaranteed a job at the firm as an attorney."

"That sounds great, honey. Who is the partner you will be working for?"

Susan took another large sip of her wine, and without looking directly at me, said, "Bill Kelley."

I knew about Bill Kelley. I had heard all the stories, the gossip, the rumors. Bill was a player. He highly regarded himself as irresistible to women. I had always trusted Susan to be faithful in our marriage, but now I wondered if she could resist close contact with Bill Kelley for a year.

I set my glass down on the coffee table and Susan's glass as well. I took both of her hands in mine, and had her look into my eyes.

"Susan," I started. "I know you have been given a great opportunity. I'm proud that you have worked hard and earned this promotion based on your ability. I do have to say however, that I have some concern of you having to work closely with a man like Bill Kelley. We both know his reputation with the women he works with. I know I can always trust you implicitly, but I know you will be under a lot of pressure.

"Will you be expected to travel with him as well? We have never had to spend a lot of time apart."

Susan looked at Jack. "Yes, Bill travels quite a bit, and as his personal assistant I would be expected to accompany him on his trips.

"Yes, Jack. I know all of the stories about Bill Kelley. I know the reputation he has with the ladies. I have never been unfaithful to you, and I certainly have no plans to start with Bill Kelley. If you don't think I am strong enough to resist the temptation, I'll quit my job right now. I'll never do anything to hurt you."

Jack embraced Susan. "I know I can trust you. You do what you think is right." But he thought, "I don't know how far to trust Bill Kelley."

Then we went upstairs and spent the rest of the night passionately making love.

Susan

It's been one month since my promotion. I have my own office next to Bill's. I have my own secretary, Janice, and Bill has a private secretary, Cheryl. Cheryl has worked for Bill since he started with the firm, twelve years ago. Cheryl is 15 years older than anyone else in the firm, and she is our mother hen.

I attended meetings with Bill, keeping notes and attending to all the paperwork. Cheryl managed Bill's calendar and reminded us of meetings and appointments. She also coordinated with Janice to make sure I knew what was going on at all times. I was informed that next week would be the first trip I was going to be making with Bill.

Fairchild Hospitality Group had made a bid to buy out the Golden West hotel chain, owners of several properties in Nevada. All of their hotels involved casino gambling. Fairchild Hospitality has been a client of McClain, Winthrop, and Fulbright for more than twenty years. Jack Fairchild and John McClain have been golfing buddies for that long as well. Bobby Fairchild and Bill Kelsey were roommates at Harvard. Bill would be representing Fairchild in the negotiations scheduled to last a week in Las Vegas. Of course, I would be there with him as well.

Cheryl took care of making the travel arrangements. I would be flying to Las Vegas with Jack Fairchild, John McClain, Bobby Fairchild and Bill on the Fairchild corporate jet. They would be staying in the penthouse suite in the Fairchild Palace Hotel, but I would have my own private executive suite.

As soon as I learned of the upcoming trip, I knew I had to tell Jack. I know how concerned he was about me travelling with Bill Kelley. I called him that afternoon and arranged to meet him for dinner at O'Brian's Steakhouse. It was our favorite place to meet, and we would frequently get together for dinner there when our schedules kept us working late. I was dressed in my usual office attire, business skirt, white blouse, and jacket. I left my jacket in the office, fixed my hair and makeup, and unbuttoned the top two buttons on my blouse. I really wanted Jack in a good mood when I told him about this trip.