Vaughn Heppner: Invasion: China

She snuffled and began shaking her head.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Paul… I-I can’t take it anymore. I’m so lonely all the time. Every time I turn on the TV or go on the computer I’m sure I’m going to see footage of you dead on a battlefield.”

“Hey, they can’t kill me.”

“No. Don’t say that. You’ll jinx it.”

“Cheri,” he said, and he rubbed her skin.

She raised her head, brushing aside strands of hair.

Paul gazed down into her eyes. She was beautiful, and his hunger for her grew. It was as if he was seventeen again.

“You’ve changed,” she said. Her pupils darted back and forth as she studied him.

He grinned, and he rolled her onto her back. He loved the soft feel of her skin. Bending down, he kissed her, letting his lips press and linger against hers.

“You’re the best kisser ever,” she murmured.

“No, you are,” he said. “Now what’s wrong? Tell me.”

She turned away and stared at a wall, at a photograph of them in their twenties on jet skis. He had bigger muscles then and her white bikini against her tanned skin showed—wow!

“I used to go to the Wives’ Club in the evenings,” Cheri said softly. “The other women there, the wives… Too many of them are cheaters.”

Paul frowned. He didn’t want to hear that. The Marines fought, risking life and limb, and in their absence, their wives screwed other men? What was wrong with people?

“Most of the women are lonely,” Cheri whispered. “They’re frightened, and their kids are growing up without their dads.”

Paul understood then she was talking about herself and Mikey, not the cheating on him part, but about being lonely and kids needing dads.

“I can’t very well quit the Marines in the middle of a war,” he told her.

“Honey, you’ve done your part, more than your part.” She turned to him. “How many missions have they sent you on anyway?”

“One or two,” he said.

“Paul!”

“Hey, sweetness, no Chinese soldier is going to kill me. Maybe the Germans had a shot, but not them.”

She stared into his eyes, and she threw herself at him, clutching him fiercely. “Promise me,” she whispered.

“What do you want me to say?”

“Promise me you’ll come home in one piece.”

“I do promise,” he said.

“Swear it,” she said, with great urgency.

He did swear, and he figured that would be the end of it.

No. She began to weep again and shake her head. “I know you think I’m weak,” she said.

“You love me, and you want me with you. I understand and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“Then stay here!” she shouted. “Don’t go back.”

Something in her voice alerted Paul. It put a trickle of doubt in his gut. He hated the feeling. He pried her arms off him and stared into her puffy eyes. “Is someone hitting on you?” he asked. “Are you having trouble?”

She laughed forlornly. “Are you kidding me? Slugs hit on me all the time. It never ends.”

“You’re tempted?” he asked, with a growing tightness in his gut.

“No,” she said.

He thought about the way she said that, and he realized she was having problems. She’d always been faithful to him. Loyalty was big with Paul Kavanagh. It was one of the pillars of his life. He also knew that Cheri had a hard time standing up against persistent alpha types who knew how to play on her insecurities.

“Who is it?” he asked. “Who’s putting on the pressure? Let me pay him a visit.”

She hesitated and finally said. “Do you know the bank we use?”

“First National where I send my checks?” he asked.

She nodded miserably, and said, “The loan manager there is also in charge of food rationing.”

“You’re a Marine’s wife!”

“I know,” Cheri said. “But things got pretty rough last summer. This year they changed the law. According to the announcements, Homeland Security says everyone is making sacrifices, not just the military. To make it fair, every civilian is in the same pot.”

Paul grunted with understanding. Homeland Security had been making many changes this last year. Too many of their people acted like thugs.

“What else?” he asked. “Tell me everything.”

“The man’s a creep,” Cheri said. “He likes pushing people around, military wives in particular. You can see it in his eyes that he’s enjoying himself. And they’ve given him assistants, bodyguards. He’s grabbed me several times. I told him to back off each time. I said that my husband would get mad if he found out how he’d been treating me.”

Paul was mad now. He wished she’d told him about this earlier. “And?” he said.

She twisted her fingers together. “I’d handle it myself if it was only about me, but… he threatened me with Mikey,” Cheri whispered.

The anger in Paul began to boil. He felt heat in his chest. “Threatened how?” he asked in a soft voice.

Her eyes widened with fear. “I shouldn’t have told you. Paul, you can’t do anything about this. You know that, right?”

“Sure,” he said. “Now what about Mikey? How did this bastard threaten my boy?”

Cheri seemed to think about it. Finally, she said, “Homeland Security wants all boys Mikey’s age in the Patriotic Youth Organization, helping to train them to become future Militiamen.”

“The Patriotic Youth?” Paul asked. “They’re a bunch of fascists.”

“Paul! You can’t say things like that. Besides, it’s just a side issue. I miss you, honey. I can’t keep living like this. Your son needs you at home. I need you here.”

“We can’t let the Chinese win.”

“I know. I understand. But you’ve done your part. Let someone else do his for once.”

Paul heard the urgency in her voice, the pleading. Being alone year after year had worn her down. The squalor of this apartment, the poor food and his absence… she needed him at home. He wanted to be here. Cheri had hit upon a truth earlier. He had changed. Endless combat had worn him down, emptying him inside. This damn war with its million-man casualty lists and the frigid weather— “I can’t get discharged yet,” he said. “But I’m going to work on it.”

“Words,” she said in a small voice.

“No,” he said. “I want out of the Marines, out of the commandos. First, we have to drive the Chinese out of America, drive them and their allies out.”

“How long will that take?” Cheri asked in a hopeless voice.

Paul scowled. It was a good question. “You look tired, babe. Close your eyes; get some rest.”

“What are you going to do? You seem pretty hopped up.”

“I’m going down to the bank.”

“Paul, no, you can’t.”

“Yeah I can.”

“No,” she said. “Promise me you won’t do anything rash. Please. I have to live with these people when you’re gone. Templeton has connections with the Militia. If you try to push him too hard, he’ll find ways to push back. He’s poison. You can just see it in him.”

Paul had already slid his legs off the mattress. Her fear hit him hard, and it confirmed his decision. It was time to visit this Templeton. If corrupt people like this guy were allowed to prosper, everyone would suffer, not just Cheri and Mikey. It was his duty.

He turned to his wife and chucked her under the chin. A quick calculation caused him to see that if he promised and broke it right away, she wouldn’t believe his other promise of coming home in one piece.

“Cheri, baby,” he said. “I promise I’m going to kick the crap out of this bank manager. Believe me. He’s not going to be in any condition to mess with you again. I didn’t give a damn about his connections. With enough broken bones—”