Zone of Action: A Career Soldier Military Romance

by Tawdra Kandle

  Zone of action

  Career Soldier, Book 4

  TAWDRA KANDLE

  Zone of Action: Career Soldier, Book 4

  Copyright © 2017 by Tawdra Kandle

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  Cover design by Meg Murrey

  Formatting by Champagne Formats

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Synopsis

  Glossary of Military Terms Used

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Damage Assessment Sneak Preview!

  Other Books

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Dedication

  To my family, with love.

  These are the men of the 94th ID. They fight with honor, they defend their nation and their brothers fiercely, and when they love, they do it with single-minded passion.

  Jake Robinson is the most easy-going soldier in his battalion. For the last few months, he’s been watching his friends find love, commitment and even babies . . . but he knows that path isn’t for him. Been there, done that and got the scars to prove it.

  Harper Drummond lives and breathes stress. A chef at an up-and-coming restaurant, she works long, demanding hours, and she doesn’t want or need a relationship. But every now and then, she likes to let off some steam under the covers with a willing partner.

  The night Jake and Harper hook up is only meant to be a one-time deal. But when they realize they have connections they hadn’t expected—not to mention a chemistry that is downright explosive—they decide that being friends with hot benefits makes perfect sense.

  After all, it’s only sex, right?

  Glossary of Military Terms Used

  BDU: Battle Dress Uniform, more commonly known as fatigues. This is the uniform worn by most soldiers on duty. These are made of a heavy camouflage cotton, either in dark green (jungle fatigues) or lighter sand colors (desert fatigues).

  BOQ: Bachelor Officer Quarters, where unmarried officers can live. Officers also have the option to live off-post, in their own rented or owned home. While on temporary duty, officers are assigned quarters in the BOQ at their temporary post.

  PT: Physical Training, which is a set of morning exercises required of all soldiers.

  TDY: Temporary Duty, wherein a soldier is temporarily assigned to a post other than his/her permanent assignment. Temporary duty might be assigned for a short course, for training, or for a limited-time duty of another sort.

  PCS: Permanent Change of Station, where a soldier and his/her family move from one permanent assignment to another. This usually takes places every 3-4 years, depending on the branch of service or other circumstances.

  Dress Blues: the uniform worn by Army officers and enlisted men on more formal occasions.

  Air Assault School: In Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the United States Army Air Assault School qualifies soldiers to conduct air mobile and air assault helicopter operations, to include aircraft orientation, sling-load operations, proper rappelling techniques and fast-rope techniques.

  MP: Military police

  Chapter One

  Jake

  “Man, you look like shit.” I dropped a hand onto my buddy Kade’s shoulder as I overtook him in the hall of the building where we worked. “Isn’t that kid sleeping yet?”

  Kade shot me a narrow-eyed glare. “Yeah, Jake. She’s been sleeping solid for two weeks, but you know, Leah and I just party so much that we’re still staying up all night.” Sarcasm dripped from his exhausted words. “No, asshole, she’s still getting up three times a night.”

  “Hey, hey.” I lifted my hands. “Don’t jump on me. I’m not the one who thought having a wife and baby would be a good idea.”

  “Jake, you know what? Sometimes you can be a real douche.” He shook his head. “I wouldn’t change one fucking thing. Leah and Emma are the best two things that ever happened to me. I might not have planned for either of them, but, God, I can’t imagine living without them. They are my life now.”

  A twinge of something uneasy slithered through my chest, but I ignored it. I was happy for Kade—even when I teased him, I knew he was on the level, and Leah and the baby really did make him deliriously content—but I also knew firsthand that shit like that could go bad fast, turning on a dime. I wasn’t going to share that with him, though. Between the sleep deprivation and his knee-jerk defensiveness about his new ready-made family, the dude just might drop me here and now.

  Instead, I smiled at him. “Glad to hear it. Not every guy who goes on TDY and comes back with a wife and kiddo on the way ends up like you.”

  “Don’t think I don’t know it,” he returned. “As a matter of fact, I was just getting ready to leave, so I can go home and relieve Leah. She needs a little break by this time of the afternoon.”

  “You’re a good daddy.” I glanced at my watch. “I was about to head out, too. And I don’t even have the excuse of helping out the wife.”

  “Yeah.” Kade smirked. “Friday night, huh? You and the guys hitting the bar? Or are you driving up to Richmond?”

  I shrugged. “I think we’re staying local. And as far as the guys, it’s just me and Owen, unless I can talk Mac into coming along, too. The rest of you losers all hooked up with girlfriends or wives, and now there’s just a few of us left standing.”

  Kade frowned. “I was just going to ask you about Derek. Shaw’s really worried about him.”

  Our friend and fellow company commander, Derek McTavis, had been critically injured in an accident at air assault school several months back. He was home again, but he hadn’t recovered completely yet.

  “I was planning to go check on him right now and see if I can persuade him to come out tonight. I’m not optimistic, though. He’s been a homebody ever since he got back here from Campbell, and he doesn’t even have the hot girlfriend excuse the rest of you do.”

  “Yeah. From what I hear, they won’t clear him to come back to work yet, but he’s not doing much to change that. I invited him to come over for dinner, and he refused. Shaw said he skipped some appointments and blew off his meeting with the therapist the Army is requiring him to see.” Kade sighed. “If he doesn’t pull his shit together, he’s going to fuck up his whole career.”

  “I’m not going to let that happen. None of us are.” I spoke with more assurance than I felt. “I’ll rattle his cage today, and then maybe we could all try to go over there this weekend and cheer him up. You know, we could watch the game, have some beers, just hang out.”

  “Sounds like a good idea. I’ll see if I can work it out. I might have to bring Emma with me, though. I don’t like to leave Leah alone with her on the weekends if I can help it, since she shoulders so much during the week.” />
  “Eh, the baby’s too young for us to corrupt her yet, so you’re probably safe to bring her along.” I winked at him. “Okay, family man, I’ll let you get home to the little women.”

  “Let me know how it goes with Derek.” He paused. “Have fun tonight, but not so much that I have to deal with anything on Monday, got it?”

  I grinned. “You know me. I’m the soul of sound decisions and good choices.”

  Kade rolled his eyes. “That’s what scares me.”

  * * *

  Among our group of captains who commanded companies in the 94th ID, about half of us lived in the barracks on post, and the others lived in homes off-post. I was in the first group; I didn’t have a need for my own space, and I liked the idea of banking the extra money the Army allotted us. Derek, though, had a townhouse about ten minutes from post in the city of Petersburg. I pulled up in front of his place a little while after I’d left Kade.

  I frowned as I jogged up the walk that led to his door. We all teased Derek—or Mac, as we sometimes called him—about his beautiful landscaping. Keeping his grass trimmed and green, his flower beds weed-free and his mulch devoid of leaves or pine needles was almost an obsession with the guy, and more than once, he’d won the title of Best Maintained Yard from the homeowners’ association.

  But today, the lawn was patchy, with brown spots creeping into the areas of overgrown grass. The bushes were overgrown, and the flowers’ heads were drooping and dead. Piles of crunchy leaves covered the beds and even scattered onto his small front porch. It was damn sad-looking, that was what it was.

  I leaned on the doorbell and then followed that up with a quick pounding of my fist. “Yo, McTavis! Get your ass out here.”

  For a solid three minutes, I didn’t hear a sound. I wondered if I’d somehow managed to stop during one of his appointments or if he’d actually left the house for another reason. And then there was a loud bang from within, followed by a dragging sound. I winced, picturing him pulling his leg across the hallway. Derek had been so active and vibrant not so long ago, and it killed me to see him defeated.

  The door swung open, and Derek stared out at me. His eyes were dull and bleary, and his hair was longer than I’d ever seen it. The shirt that was hanging on his shoulders had several stains on it, and there might have been a smell.

  “Dude.” I wagged my head. “Did you just get off a bender or what? You look like hell.”

  He scowled and turned his back on me, moving away down the hallway into the house. “Yeah, fuck you very much, Robinson. Did you just come here on a mission of mercy to cheer up the invalid, or do you have a real reason for stopping by?”

  I followed him and closed the door behind me. “I’m here because it’s Friday night, and we’re heading to the bar. Owen and I are, I mean. But I need my best wingman with me, so I’m really here to tell you to get your ass in gear and come with us.”

  Derek lowered himself into a chair on the edge of his living room. I leaned against the arched doorway, watching him. Pain etched his face, and his jaw clenched. His eyes flickered up to meet mine.

  “Some fucking wingman I’d be. I can’t even walk five steps to the door without needing a nap. Are you blind, Jake? Look at me.” He slumped, dropping his forehead into his hand. “I’m no good to anyone, and if you want to help me, just leave me the fuck alone.”

  I perched on the bench across from Derek. “Not going to happen, buddy. I know you’re feeling rough right now, but—”

  “Rough?” He sounded incredulous. “I’m not feeling rough. I’m in agony most of the time, and I can barely get around my house. I’m a soldier, and I can’t climb my own steps without someone around to make sure I don’t fall and break my neck—or my back again. So yeah, I’m feeling a little more than rough.”

  “I get it.” I leaned forward. “I mean, I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through. But Max and Shaw told Kade that you’re skipping therapy appointments. And if you don’t start to get with the program, you’ll end up getting drummed out of the Army. I know that’s not what you want.”

  He lifted one shoulder. “I don’t know what I want anymore. Maybe I’m not meant to be in the military after all. Maybe this is a sign that it’s time for me to leave. I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t know anything right now.”

  “Which is the perfect state of mind for you to be in when we go out and get hammered.” I smacked one hand on the seat of the bench for emphasis. “Come on. Get a shower, put on some clothes that have been through the washer recently, and let’s go. I’ll sit down here and channel surf while you’re getting ready.”

  Derek scowled at me and ran a hand through his hair. “Not going to happen, Jake. I’m not interested. If I want to get wasted, I can do it right here in the comfort of my own home without having to worry about making a fool of myself by falling on my face in a crowded bar.”

  I nodded. “Well, yeah, that you could do here on your own, but the chances of you picking up a hot piece of tail in your living room seem pretty damn slim. And I know that would cheer you up.”

  “I don’t need to be cheered up, dickhead.” He rolled his eyes. “I’m not interested in that, either. In the hot pieces of tail, I mean.”

  “Now I really am worried.” I leaned forward, resting my hands on my knees. “Since when is the Scottish stud not ready and willing to charm the ladies?” I paused as a new thought occurred to me. “Oh, fuck. Is it . . . are you having a systems failure down there, dude? Like, did the accident knock out something in central command?”

  “No!” If it was possible, Derek looked even more pissed off at me. “No. Everything is just fine with my dick, thank you very much for your concern, asshole.” He glanced away, shaking his head. “Systems failure. Geez, man.”

  “Okay, okay, sorry.” I held up my hands. I seemed to be making everyone annoyed with me today, and I really had no clue why. All my friends were way too sensitive. Like they were chicks or something. “I just don’t get why you don’t want to pick up girls. It’s a perfect way to boost your mood, any time of day or night.”

  “Jake, look at me.” He spread his arms. “I’m a fucking mess. I can barely move. What woman in her right mind is going to be interested in someone like me, especially when there’re guys like you and Owen standing next to me? Last thing I need is a pity fuck, thank you very much.”

  I was silent for a few minutes, digesting. “Okay. So don’t worry about the girls. Just come hang with us. I promise, Owen and I are a lot more entertaining that anything you’ve got in this house. It’ll be good for you. Take your mind off your troubles and all that shit.”

  “Jake, for the last fucking time, I’m not going. I want to be left alone. And if you could, be kind enough to pass that on to the rest of the crowd? I know you’ve all been taking turns checking on the pathetic guy, and it’s got to stop. I don’t need you. I just need—time. And space.”

  “Sorry, Mac, no can do.” I rose and fisted my hands on my hips. “You’re one of us. We don’t leave our own alone.” I stopped, hearing what I’d just said. “Hey, that’s like a motto or something. We don’t leave our own alone.”

  He shook his head, but I thought I saw his lip twitch. “Lame, Robinson. Fucking lame.”

  “Well, I think it’s kind of inspired, but whatever. Anyway, we’re coming over Sunday to watch the game. You have beer in the fridge, or should we bring our own?”

  “Don’t bring anything. Just stay away. For a while, at least.”

  “We’ll be here around one or so. Oh, and don’t freak, but Kade’s probably bringing the rug rat. He likes to give Leah a break on weekends. Still, as much as he complains about her keeping them up, she’s always sound asleep whenever I see her, so she probably won’t bother us.”

  “Jake—listen—”

  “Okay, well, if you’re sure you don’t want to join us tonight, I guess I better get going.” I was a past master at ignoring what I didn’t want to hear, and this wasn’t any different. “If you cha
nge your mind, text me, and I’ll swing around. I’m heading back to post to get changed, and then I guess Owen and I will grab a RideIt over to the bar. You know, that new place just opened right outside town. I’ve heard the music is decent, and the booze is plentiful. In case you decide to join us later.”

  “Not going to happen. And about Sunday—”

  “Hey, no worries. We’ll bring the beer and some munchies, too. You just have the TV fired up, and it’s all good.” I stepped quickly to the hallway as Derek braced his hands on the arms of his chair. “Don’t get up, dude. I’m cool, I’ll see myself out. Catch you later.”

  Before he could yell after me any threats about what might happen if we all turned up on Sunday, I bolted out the door and down the steps to my car, frowning all the way.

  Shaw had been right about our friend. He was in a bad way, spiraling even lower. We had to do something before things got totally beyond our ability to help.

  But that was something to think about on Sunday. Tonight was Friday, and the mission was all about the women and the alcohol.

  Probably in that order. But maybe not.

  * * *

  The new place was only a few miles outside the city limits of Petersburg. As the RideIt driver—who’d been a chatty older man, a retired NCO eager to talk shop with two guys still in the service—pulled away, I surveyed the outside of the bar. It was neat and clean, a white-painted building with a single neon sign over the door. I could hear the music even from the parking lot.

  Owen grinned at me. He was a little shorter than I was, with hair a few shades darker than my own, but over the ten years we’d been best friends, people had been confusing us for brothers on a regular basis. It had become a running joke between us, because neither of us saw the resemblance.