Moral Imperative by C. G. Cooper Read Free Book Online Page A

conversations of customers. That would change in a couple weeks when students returned, the buffalo wings and drink specials a popular draw. Pretty soon it would be standing room only.
    Cal glanced at his watch. 8pm . It was late for dinner, but he’d assumed correctly that Diane hadn’t had time for a proper meal. He’d only eaten a quick breakfast and the lunch at The Lodge. He was famished.
    The waiter was filling an order of wings. Cal’s mouth watered as he smelled it coming out of the kitchen. He was about to grab the first piece of chicken when Diane walked in.
    God she looks beautiful . She was wearing a flowing ivory tank top, and a pair of gray shorts, her legs accentuated by the cut of the shorts and the white wedge sandals. Diane had amazing calves.
    She waved to him with a smile and walked over. He got up from the table and got a hug for the effort. They kissed chastely, Cal still not sure what was appropriate.
    “I am so glad you ordered,” said Diane, grabbing a wing as she sat down, biting into it hungrily.
    Cal followed suit. They were halfway through their first order before either one spoke again.
    “You look tired,” said Diane.
    He felt tired.
    “It’s been a long couple days. How about you? Everything ready for the boots?”
    Diane nodded, grabbing another wing. “Did you meet our AMOI, Gunny Harrington?”
    “Yeah.”
    “He’s been drilling the hell out of us. I can’t wait to see what he does with the new mids.”
    Cal chuckled. “I remember sweating my ass off on the parade deck at Parris Island. Hours and hours practicing an about-face. I don’t miss that part of being in the Marine Corps.”
    “When did you enlist?”
    “2001. Right after 9/11.”
    He’d been a student at U.Va at the time, less than a year from graduation. On 9/11 Travis had called and told him about his parents. They were killed in the airplane that crashed into the Pentagon. He’d later found the voicemail his dad left right before the collision. He still kept a copy in a safety deposit box in Nashville.
    Not knowing where to turn, Cal first ran to the Naval ROTC building and begged to be sent to officer candidate school. The Marine Officer Instructor (MOI) informed him that he couldn’t. He had to graduate before getting commissioned and that was only after he was accepted by the Marine Corps’ highly selective officer program.
    That left Cal with one option, enlist. He’d left for Parris Island less than a week later and never looked back.
    Although he’d come to accept his decision, the loss of his parents still stung. He didn’t want to talk about it.
    “What about you? Why the Navy?” asked Cal.
    “I wanted intel and they gave it to me.”
    “And you loved it so much you wanted to do another stint as a butter bar?”
    Diane stuck her tongue out at him. “Very funny, smart ass. I know how enlisted guys feel about officers, remember? No, I knew my contribution in the ranks was limited where I was. There’s more that I want to do and being an officer can get me there.”
    “You’re not trying to be G.I. Jane, are you?”
    Diane laughed. “Are you kidding? I can probably give you a run for your money on the PT field, but I’m still a lady. I like to dress up. You boys can have your fun in the mud. It’s not for me.”
    That’s a relief , thought Cal. The last thing he wanted to discuss were the merits of women in combat. While he didn’t necessarily deny there were a small percentage of females who could cut it, he still felt like it was an uphill battle. The Israelis had figured it out with their conventional forces, but they were in a different spot, surrounded by enemies. Besides, even the Israelis had only a few high level female operators.
    The movies loved to glorify the hot chick assassin, tearing through terrorist ranks, a top model one second and a deadly killer the next. Cal hadn’t met one and he was at the top of the covert game. He wouldn’t tell Diane, but he was glad she