by Zoe Dawson
Dan clapped Jordan on the shoulder. “I can drop him back to the clinic,” Dan said, smiling and exchanging looks with his brother. They said their goodbyes and left the room.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said, coming even closer. Her heart gave a painful little twist when she saw his face contort. His shoulders sagged with a bone-deep weariness. He looked unusually tired and preoccupied as he shifted to face her.
“I’m not exactly okay,” he said.
She was shocked that Tank would admit that to her, but it was clear to her that he’d been through some intense trauma. It would lower anyone’s guard.
“We fucking need to find Blue and laying here is driving me crazy.”
That wasn’t a surprise to her. Tank was a man of action, and with his teammate missing, all of them must be frantic. “I’m so sorry about him missing. Do you know what happened?”
Alyssa stared at him, experiencing feelings she had no business feeling. He looked so solitary—so isolated and alone in his thoughts—and so damned exhausted. She would have given anything to have the right to comfort him, to draw his head against her breast and just hold him—to ease the awful pain she saw in his eyes.
“Without going into mission details, one minute he was right next to me when the explosion went off. I got knocked out and when I came to…Echo’s cries distracted me. I needed to neutralize the insurgent first and help Echo before he did more damage to himself.”
“That must have been awful,” she said, her voice uneven. Shaken by her thoughts and the need they aroused, she ached to touch him.
He jerked his head up, his gaze riveting on her, and Alyssa realized that his frustration had jumped their bounds. “You can stop with the platitudes, Doc. I don’t need them.”
She met his gaze head on.
“I see shit every day over there. I need to find out about Echo. Usually a handler goes with their working dog, but I couldn’t breathe, and they had to give me medical attention. He took off and I can’t seem to get any information about him.” He stared at her for an instant, then looked down and finished in a softer, gruffer voice. “I was hoping you could find out for me since you’re an Army Vet.”
Feeling as if she was caving in, she tried to get a breath past the thickness in her chest. The thought of that beautiful dog injured was more than she could bear. She took a fortifying breath, trying with all her might not to give her tears free rein. Crying in front of him would only make it worst. “Of course. I can contact Lackland. They would know where he is in the system.” She couldn’t help but grimace. The person she could call would be Stephen. He would know what was going on with Echo.
It must have shown on her face. “Is that a problem?”
“No. It’s just that my contact there is…my ex-husband.” Immediately, she felt inadequate. But that was just because Stephen would often blame her for the problems in their marriage. He had said she was too ambitious and too competitive, especially when she would often advance before he did. He claimed that he hadn’t left her, but that she had driven him away, that she had crushed their young marriage with the weight of her competitiveness. That was probably true. Alyssa didn’t try to deny it. She had attributed it more to the distance between them that serving in the Army dictated, but she had to admit, she had been the one to refuse to leave her post and follow Stephen.
Tank’s eyes narrowed, his voice dropping an octave. “You were married?”
She watched him, the wild flutter expanding, her breath suddenly jammed up in her chest. “Yes, for three years. It didn’t really end well.”
“You’d call your idiot of an ex-husband to help me out?”
“Idiot?”
Tank was true to form. His bluntness almost made her smile.
Exhaling heavily, he stared at her. He finally shook his head, his voice flat, “He must have been to let you go.”
“He…left me,” The words still stung a bit, but it made her more angry than sad now.
“Stupid fucker,” he growled. He held her gaze for a long, charged moment, then looked away, his face taut with strain. Alyssa saw him swallow, and when he spoke, his voice was so gravelly that she could barely hear him. “I would be so grateful if you could do this for me. I know it’s asking a lot. I love that dog,” he whispered.
Biting her lip against the increasing fullness in her throat, Alyssa nodded. “I know you do. I’ll do everything I can for him. I promise.”
She pulled out her cell phone and walked away from the bed. Dialing the number for the facility, it was picked up after one ring. “Lieutenant Colonel St. James for Major Wilcox.”
“Yes, ma’am. One moment.”
“Alyssa?”
“Yes, hello, Stephen. I’m calling on a business matter.”
“All right. What is this business matter?”
“I need to know the status of a military working dog, Echo.” She gave him the number that was tattooed inside his ear.
“Just a moment.”
She waited, glancing at Tank who was watching her and listening to every word.
“He’s in critical condition. His wound is debilitating. We’re trying to stabilize him for surgery. He’s not cooperating. Euthanasia was discussed.”
She stiffened and said fiercely, “What? You’re not even giving him a chance?”
“I said it was discussed, Alyssa,” he snapped. “You get much too emotional about these animals.”
Stunned by his uncaring tone, the first flicker of anger pumped through her. There was no way she wasn’t going to do everything in her power to save Echo. He’d gone to war, fought bravely. He had a right to every shred of care. He deserved it and she wasn’t going to stand by and let this happen. “Don’t you do a damn thing until I get there.”
“What? You’re coming here? We can handle this dog. I’m not incompetent!”
Fortified with a deep energizing rage, she straightened, curling her hand into a fist, holding her phone in a death grip. “I don’t give a damn, Stephen,” she said, her tone quiet and precise. “If Echo is put down, I will hold you personally responsible.”
“Yes, ma’am.” There was a trace of bitterness in his voice.
She didn’t even bother to hang up, but disconnected the call. Her throat suddenly aching, she looked up at the ceiling, willing away the sudden sting of tears. This was going to be more than trying to protect Echo. San Antonio was her home. Going back there would bring back the memories of not only her childhood, but her brother’s death and what it had done to her family. He was only fifteen when he’d collapsed at a basketball game. The doctor said his heart had a defect. Her dad had never been the same. She was planning on going to San Antonio for Thanksgiving. But now, she couldn’t seem to face a prolonged visit. While she was there, she’d call her dad and cancel. Her heart wasn’t in it. She wanted to be here for both Tank and Jordan.
Regaining control, she turned around. Tank was moving to the edge of the bed, reaching for his IV like he was going to yank it out. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she asked.
“I’m going with you.”
5
“Tank, you haven’t been discharged.”
He was already sliding his feet over the side of the bed. He wasn’t going to stay here and let them euthanize Echo. No fucking way. With anger eating away at him, he swore savagely, so damned mad he could barely see straight. He didn’t want to acknowledge the fear and how he had spent his life trying to be careful, but Echo had gotten in. The guilt about Blue rode him hard, too. He couldn’t do anything for his teammate, but he could do something for his valuable partner who was fighting for his life. If he wasn’t careful, this woman would also slip beneath his armor. Then there was the pain, the downright agony of losing Echo forever without seeing him again. It almost broke him in half after that dog had saved their lives. “I don’t give a damn. I’m not letting this happen.”
“Tank! Please!” She rushed over to the bed and pushed down on his shoulder,
grabbing his wrist when he reached for the IV. Her grip was strong as hell. “Wait, don’t you dare do that.” Her face went white and part of him liked that she cared about him, but the other part was determined to get out of the hospital and on a flight to Texas.
He got in her face, urgency running through him. “Don’t tell me what to do, Doc. I’m going,” he said, his tone deadly quiet. He stared at her, his eyes narrowed.
She never backed down one inch, her gaze as unwavering as his. She grabbed his wrist and wrestled with him.
Tank closed his eyes, a knot of raw emotion climbing up his throat. He waited for the aching contraction to ease, then growled, “He saved us. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here. None of us would. We were ambushed!” His voice broke and he swallowed.
She went stock-still against him, then looked at him, her eyes wide, her expression transfixed by a host of emotions. Her expression was strained as he held her gaze.
“I have to see him. I’m fine. You can’t stop me. I have ninja moves you won’t see coming.”
Alyssa stared at him for an instant; then her eyes filled with tears and she hugged him like there was no tomorrow. His throat closed up completely, and he shut his eyes and turned his face against hers, hugging her back.
Trying his damnedest to get rid of the big lump in his throat, he ran his hand up her spine.
She leaned back, tight compression lines around her mouth. She released a long breath and tightened her hand on his wrist. “I didn’t say you couldn’t go. Just…for the love of God. Listen to me for once in your stubborn life.”
He froze and locked on to those hot, tough, intense green eyes. “Talk fast, woman.”
“Let me get the nurse and have her remove the IV, get you your clothes, and get you discharged. I don’t need MPs chasing us down the hall and all the way to the airport. Besides, you’ll want to get dressed so that gorgeous backside isn’t flapping in the breeze for everyone to see.”
His mouth twitched with a flicker of humor. It wasn’t lost on him that she thought his butt was gorgeous, but his need to get to San Antonio and Echo superseded everything, even this inconvenient attraction to Alyssa St. James. “You can bounce a quarter off my ass, lady. It won’t be flapping anywhere.”
A sparkle of amusement appeared in her eyes, and she tipped her head to one side. “I can’t argue with that.”
His mouth twitched; then he sobered. Tears appeared, and she looked at him, her heart in her eyes. “I’m not going to stand by when a hero is in jeopardy.” With tears glistening in her long lashes, she caressed his face, infinite gentleness in her eyes, then leaned forward and whispered, “I promise that to you, Tank.”
He closed his eyes and nodded.
She let go of him and backed away. “I’m the one who can help you now.” She gazed at him, silently imploring him as she took the steps to the door. “Give me a few minutes.
Fuck. With those few words she turned his apple cart upside down. He’d only ever needed his brothers; his parents had let him down, but he had always been able to trust not only his biological brothers, but his brothers in arms. They had never let him down and would always have his back. But this beautiful, desirable woman was muscling her way in. He had to admit that he needed her. No one else had not only the guts but the connections to get him to see and save Echo.
He was expected to just simply give her his trust?
Women hadn’t exactly been the most reliable parts of his life.
What made him think Alyssa would stick to her word?
All he wanted here was the status quo. He had to stick to the way it had always been, that was familiar, or he was going to have to deal with the consequences. It was much more than getting his ass in a sling with a violation of the UCMJ and the Navy.
He didn’t have to wait long. Before he knew it, a nurse came into the room, followed closely by the attending physician.
“I understand you want to be discharged.”
“Yes, sir,” Tank said, his words coming out more belligerent than respectful. “I know you only have me here for observation. I need to be in San Antonio. My MWD—”
He held up his hand. “Your friend has already explained the situation to me, Petty Officer.” He looked at Tank’s chart. “My sympathies.” Then he looked back up. “I’m willing to discharge you as long as I have your word you will rest.”
“I’ll make sure he does,” Alyssa said, and her words should have made him want to chew glass, but her support only stabbed him right in the heart. Damn her.
“Make sure you watch him constantly.” The doctor pursed his lips and was deep in thought. “I’m not crazy about you flying out of the state, but I understand the urgency. If you have any breathing issues or feel faint, I want to hear from you. Is that understood, sailor?” He pulled out a card and handed it to Alyssa as if she was his keeper. Tank bristled. No one kept him. He took care of himself and his brothers.
“Copy that, sir,” he said, working at staying calm. Agitation wasn’t going to get him to Echo, and that’s all he cared about right now.
“The nurse will remove your IV and we’ll get your discharge from the hospital started. Good luck with saving Echo.”
He breathed a sigh of relief and allowed a begrudging gratitude toward Alyssa. “Thank you, sir.”
He had to wait patiently for the nurse to remove his IV. When she was done with that, she got his clothes for him, then she and Alyssa left.
His chest still hurt from the blast. He suspected it was soft tissue damage from the impact. He was lucky he was wearing body armor and that shell had landed far enough away from them not to liquefy their organs.
He paused for a moment, remembering the way Echo had streaked across the compound, unearthed the man waiting for them, attacked, and valiantly risked his life for them. If that RPG had been fired straight at them. All of them would be dead.
Then there was Blue. The guilt ran through him again. He was supposed to have his back, and something had happened to him. He was sure Ruckus wouldn’t rest until he was found and was even now making sure the search for him was thorough and a priority. The SEALs would pull out all the stops to bring him home. Tank felt as if he’d let Blue down.
Shaking himself out of his memories, he powered through getting his underwear on, then his jeans. Leaving them unzipped and unbuttoned, he shrugged into his shirt.
“They almost have your discharge papers ready. You just need to si—” Alyssa stopped and just stared.
“I’m moving a little slow.”
She eyed him, then folded her arms over her chest. “Is that your roundabout way of asking me for help?”
“No, I don’t need—”
She crossed the room and reached for his jeans, and that shut him up completely. He tried to ignore the heat settling in his groin while she zipped him up. A blush settled in her cheeks. This tough as nails woman blushed from a zipper and a bare chest? Maybe she wasn’t as…sexually active as he’d been. That made him want to take her shoulders and turn her toward the bed and fall on her. The thought of getting her naked and pushing into her was not the most cooling thought right now, especially with her hands on him.
He knew how to make a woman scream, and getting down and dirty with a willing partner was as heady as combat. Until this moment, he’d considered it the best part about women. But Alyssa was the exception to the rule. She’d blown his rules to smithereens. As effective as lobbing a grenade at him and saying, take that, sucker.
She buttoned him up, then did up his belt, still focused on his chest, her hands brushing against the exposed skin of his waist. And it was a laser focus, as if she’d never seen a man’s pectoral muscles before. Or was it that she had never seen him? He knew how he was built, and he was big everywhere. He understood his attraction to Becca. She was temporary and they both knew it. But his attraction to Alyssa was confusing. He’d always steered clear of the kind of woman that was looking for and demanded commitment. There was nothing that felt t
emporary about her. Not a damn thing. He’d known violence his whole life and she hadn’t. Probably grew up in a nice neighborhood in with all that she needed.
He was wild, destructive, lethally dangerous when it came to his everyday life. It served him well as a SEAL, but as a potential significant other it felt negative when he thought about being with Alyssa. Would she think of his survival skills and his training negatives in a relationship? Why was he even thinking about this?
But the way she was looking at him said she wasn’t that innocent. He had to wonder about her inhibitions and what would happen if she let go of them. Their eyes clashed suddenly.
It was a wild woman looking at a wild man.
And he felt wild.
He wanted his mouth on her, everywhere on her, but especially where the heat of her would be the most scorching. He wanted to make her come, then take her and make her his.
He was damn near electrified with the closeness of her body, all those sensuous, silky curves pressed up against him, all that blushing innocence that he sensed in her flush against him with no daylight or breath between them.
He needed something—a freaking clue, her mouth on his, restraint, a drench of cold water to douse this heat, this need for this beautiful, sexy woman.
He was doomed.
“Alyssa,” he spoke her name softly, like that could possibly save him from what he was feeling. His hand came up to cup her cheek. Yeah, he was on a freaking roll, and it was all rock bottom from there. “Pretty butterfly.”
“Thorn,” she said so softly, it was like butterfly wings against his skin. She’d crossed the line by calling him by his first name. An officer never used a rank and file’s given name; it was considered familiar and could build the kind of bonds that would compromise her authority and show favorites. Not done in the military.
But she was so take-his-breath-away beautiful, looking up at him with that wild tumble of dark hair framing her face, her skin so soft, her gaze full of longing and locked onto his like she was drowning, he couldn’t give a flying fuck.
