Page 1 of Pursuit of Honor

Chapter 1

“First, we drink. Then we find a room.”

Jonathan Lawrence was going to have to set his buddies straight. Biting back a sigh, he flatly addressed Martinez, “No. That’s ass backwards. We need to figure out where the hell we’re spending the night.”

They were all heading down a well-lit street, standing out like sore thumbs. Mostly because they were still in their uniforms. But also because there was no way in hell “Law,” as he was referred to, or his buddies were ever going to blend in with civilians or locals. Especially not in a mid-sized town in California. Martinez was scrolling through the map app on his phone like a tourist, Freeman was reading the neon signs out loud like a demented drill instructor, while Hendricks swaggered through the crowd of people, not bothering to cede ground as he just marched through like he was the sole pedestrian on the sidewalk. Not that Law had any room to judge them too harshly. Every ten seconds, he’d glance at his diver’s watch, keeping one eye on the time while he assessed his surroundings for danger or exits.

This was their first shore leave in months. Brief as it was though—they were only getting the weekend—Law was kind of grateful to be back on land after months at sea. While he loved the rigid routine and discipline of Navy life, he had to admit, just walking around among civilians and stretching his legs was a good change of pace. As long as he didn’t spend too much time away from the ship, Law would allow himself a chance to enjoy the break. Besides, out of the whole unit, Law got along with these guys the best. They were more like his brothers than anything else, and as the only one in the group with common sense, it was his duty to look out for them.

Martinez snorted and elbowed Law in the ribs. “Get a load of this Boy Scout.”

“You can’t hold your liquor, Martinez,” Law fired back. “I’d like to see you try getting a room last minute while you’re drunk as a skunk.”

“Law has a point,” Freeman agreed. “Two drinks and you’re under the table, Carlos.”

“I can outdrink any of you lightweights, including everybody back on the ship,” Martinez said, full of his usual bravado.

“Bullshit,” Law said, shaking his head vigorously. “I’ve seen you get drunk off rum cake.”

Hendricks, the least chatty among them, let out a bark of laughter. “How about we find a room, order Martinez a slice of rum cake and a glass of milk, then tuck him in for the night?”

Everybody chuckled except Martinez. Hendricks wasn’t the funniest guy in the world, but since he spoke infrequently, the others typically humored him whenever he had something to say.

“Screw you guys,” Martinez grumbled. “I’ve wanted a tequila for months and I’m not waiting. Go waste your precious time looking for a room. What’s the point of shore leave if we’re just going to turn in early?”

Despite wanting to find a place to lay his head for the night, Law could see that Martinez had a point. They could sleep anywhere. That wasn’t an exaggeration either. As part of a Navy search and rescue unit, they’d all learned to sleep in everything from broom closets to helicopters. Hell, Law could sleep at sea if he had a life vest to keep him afloat. He’d been able to sleep through hurricanes and bombs raining from the sky. There had been that one time during a training exercise when he’d dozed off in a shark cage surrounded by hungry sharks. Not to mention that mission during a volcanic eruption when he’d found a way to get some shut-eye while there was an ocean of lava mere feet away from his ship. Honest to goodness, he could sleep on a cold sidewalk. But Law would rather sleep in a warm bed if he had a choice. Especially on leave. Civilian comfort was the whole point of a break.

Suddenly, Martinez stopped in his tracks in front of an establishment at the corner of the street. “Hey, here’s a place. The map gives it four stars.”

The giant neon sign above the barroom door read Liquid Courage in bright blue letters. Patrons were walking in and stumbling out. Through the glass window, Law saw that the place was pretty packed. Crowds weren’t his idea of a good time, but it looked warmer in there than it did out here. Mid-February could be pretty cold, even in California. And truthfully, he’d been to worse-looking dive bars.

“I could have a beer,” Law said with a resigned shrug.

The rest of them took that as a go ahead. Although most of the unit was the same rank, Law knew his shipmates looked up to him. For some reason, they’d made him the de facto leader. Maybe it was because of the two-dozen member team, he was the most level-headed of the bunch. Calm under pressure.

Hauling their Navy-issued duffel bags with them, they stepped inside. A slight hush fell over the barroom crowd as patrons and staff turned to look in their direction. The town probably didn’t get a lot of sailors. It wasn’t big enough for extended leaves or close enough to any naval bases. This was really just a stop on the way to routine repairs in the shipyard.

There was no way to blend in, but Law didn’t like attention in unfamiliar surroundings. It put a target on their backs. Made him stay alert even when he wanted to unwind. Things would have been much easier if they’d just gone to find themselves some rooms.

Well, there was no backing out of here now. Not without drawing even more attention, so Law led his buddies to the bar counter. Some of the civilians started to get out of the way.

“Hey, thanks for your service, fellas,” a grizzled older man with long gray hair said, thumping Law’s shoulder.

“Yeah, no charge,” the bartender up front said as she quickly wiped down a glass. “Drinks are on the house for service members.”

Law grimaced. Much as he appreciated their gratitude, he didn’t like being treated any differently. Though his work differed from the norm, he was just doing his job, the same as everybody else. Hell, in his mind, people like doctors, nurses, teachers, firefighters, and street cleaners were the actual heroes. There wasn’t a town or city that could run without those jobs.

After all, his father had been a firefighter and his mother had been a nurse. Memories of his parents always made his chest go painfully tight. Law would rarely dwell on the past and shore leave wasn’t the time for that. He’d have to push through and accept the drinks. Getting into an argument about it would just reveal the emotion in his voice and he couldn’t deal with that right now.

Pushing his memories aside he said, “Thanks. What do you guys want? Tequila for Martinez...”

The guys made their orders, with Law choosing his beer. While they waited, they grabbed some seats at the bar counter, Law sandwiched between Martinez and Freeman.

Martinez drummed his fingers on the counter impatiently, then gestured over to the sign behind the busy bartender. “Valentine’s Day wine tasting huh? When’s Valentine’s Day again?”

Groaning in frustration, Freeman smacked his forehead. “Martinez, you idiot, it’s the fourteenth. Monday. The day we get back on the ship. That’s why I spent all week setting up Tamara’s gift delivery.”

Tamara was Freeman’s fiancée, and boy was he crazy about her. Law never said because he didn’t want to look like a sap, but he envied the guy. Having something that stable. A woman to fight for. Love worth coming home to. Again, his chest tightened.