by A. Gorman
A. Gorman • Carmen Jenner • C.J. Pinard
Danielle Jamie • Delisa Lynn • Elizabeth Miller
Katherine Rhodes • Michelle Graves
Niquel • Renea Porter
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover Photography: Lindee Robinson Photography
Cover Model: Travis Bendall
Cover Design: Perfect Pear Cover Designs, Sommer Stein
Formatting: Down Write Nuts Book Services
A Gentle Touch
Copyright 2016 © A Gorman
Toward the Sound of Chaos
Copyright 2016 © Carmen Jenner
Above Protection
Copyright 2016 © C.J. Pinard
Rising From the Ashes
Copyright 2016 © Danielle Jamie
Talon
Copyright 2016 © Delisa Lynn
Lawless
Copyright © 2016 Elizabeth Miller
Hurricane Sky
Copyright 2016 © Katherine Rhodes
A Leak in the Life Raft
Copyright 2016 © Michelle Graves
A Love Unknown
Copyright 2016 © Niquel
Marred Beauty
Copyright 2016 © Renea Porter
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.
Contents
A. Gorman—A Gentle Touch
Evie Gervais wanted to serve her country until she could retire, but an IED explosion changed everything she had planned for her future. Uncertain about living since she was the lone survivor, Evie can’t decide to live or end it all.
Carmen Jenner—Toward the Sound of Chaos
Jake Tucker is broken. Wounded, chewed up and spat out by war, Jake has only his dog, Nuke, PTSD, and survivor’s guilt to keep him company. Until a good southern woman and her autistic son come careening into his life, forcing him to see that sometimes love is like fighting behind enemy lines.
C.J. Pinard—Above Protection
He's bearded, angry, highly trained, and has a job to do. She's the damsel in distress who's smarter than she looks, and doesn't want anyone's help. Could it be they both need something neither will admit to? Fate fueled by the laws of attraction may just decide for them.
Danielle Jamie—Rising From the Ashes
The day Taylor Wade enlisted in the Army he had his entire future planned out. Work hard, make rank and one day become a General. All those plans and dreams turned to ashes in the blink of eye. Emberlyn Renner had the perfect life. Married to her high school sweetheart, has an amazing son, and a dream job. But when tragedy strikes unexpectedly, Emberlyn finds herself lost in grief and fighting to find herself after having her entire world turned upside down. Can two lost souls fighting their demon’s and running from their pasts, somehow come into each other’s lives when they least expect it, and force one another to stop just existing, and finally start living again?
Delisa Lynn—Talon
Talon Livingston’s life wasn’t easy growing up…until he met her. He joined the Army to better their lives…only to lose her before they could build their future together. Talon thought life in the Army was all he was destined for…then he fell for her.
Elizabeth Miller—Lawless
Caden Lawless, an injured Navy SEAL, comes home bound by his best friend’s desperate plea to care for his fiancée and to love the son he’d never know. Piper Stevens, pregnant and mourning the only man she ever loved, isn’t keen on visitors—especially one threatening to never leave.
Katherine Rhodes—Hurricane Sky
A parking lot war is an odd way to begin a relationship. But, Gavin had been pining for months and this was his chance. With a bit of help from his coworkers, he wins a chance to show Bernadette his honest intentions. She, however, is far more complicated than she appears, and as the hurricane approaches, Gavin will do what he has to to save her from the rising waters--and herself.
Michelle Graves—The Leak in the Life Raft
Determined to gain control over his past and the demons that haunt him, renowned war photo-journalist and terrorist hostage survivor, John Cormick, reluctantly followed his therapist's advice to join a support group for veterans suffering from PTSD. An idea that went from bad to epically disastrous in a matter of minutes.
Niquel—A Love Unknown
What happens when you lose the love of your life the night before your deployment? You get drunk, find the hottest, nameless piece of ass, ad try to forget the pain for one night. But what happens when that night takes more out of you than you intended?
Renea Porter—Marred Beauty
After the war, I had changed. I was marred. My face, once flawless, now had scars. My body once lured men. Now, I could never show it. I just needed a place where I could go unnoticed. But Drake Harmon noticed me.
These men and women may fight in the forces which guard our country, but they’re about to declare war on your heart. In this emotional and sexy anthology, ten popular authors deliver stories of sacrifice, hope and redemption, all to bring awareness to the struggle our home-grown heroes continue to battle. Don’t miss this irresistible limited edition set.
All digital proceeds from this anthology will aid The Mission Continues. This non-profit organization empowers veterans to find purpose through community impact. With the help of the Mission Continues, veterans build new skills and networks that assist their reintegration into life after the military. For more information on this foundation visit: www.missioncontinues.org.
Dedications:
Dedicated to those who serve –
with love and sincere gratitude
Chapter One
The relentless heat wore on me, no matter what time of day. Back home, the summer heat was humid and in the low nineties, but here, it’s nothing for it to be one hundred degrees and dry. I placed my pack on my back, picked up my standard issue gun, and made my way to the awaiting convoy of Humvees that will take us on our mission.
“I’ve got shotgun. I need to take pictures for the commander’s report,” Sargent Amelia Natti called out.
“Seat whore.” I smirked.
“Fuck off, Gervais. Your pretty face is riding in the back. Wouldn’t want to mess up your hair or anything.” She knocked on my helmet and gave me a wink then went back to her paperwork.
“Ass kisser,” I said as I puckered up my lips to her as I stepped by her.
Amelia Natti had been through it all with me, boot camp, sexual harassment, being one of the guys…you name it. We had each other’s backs, especially when we went out on missions, because some of these guys—unit, insurgents, and civilians—didn’t want us here. Gone were the days of having privacy and self-pride. Being a female in the military wasn’t easy, but I wouldn’t change what I do for anything. I loved serving my country and working with the civilians that did want us here.
“Are you getting in the vehicle today, princess, or are you wait
ing for your knight in shining armor?” Nattie smirked as looks at me
“There are no knights around here. Just wannabes,” I quipped.
“You got that right.” Natti grinned at me.
“Natti, what would you know? You haven’t had a hot dog since the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile made a stop in your hometown when you were sixteen,” the third member of our little group, Jeremy Barret, teased as he walks up to the truck.
“You’re just jealous I won’t touch your mini hot dog, Barret.” Natti shook her head as she continued her paperwork.
“Mini my ass. Ask Gervais about my hot dog. It’s all she—”
“Hey, leave me out of this. That was a one-time, in the heat of the moment deal.” Ass.
“That’s not what you said when I was fu—”
“Ladies, are we ready?” Staff Sargent Sanchez hollered to us, stopping Garret from rehashing our night of drunken sex.
“Yes, sir,” we answered in unison, and Sanchez walked away from us, shaking his head.
Opening the door to jump in the vehicle, the scalding hot air from the inside greeted me even though it’s early in the morning. I grabbed my notebook out of my breast pocket and scribbled down a few notes so I could include them into my correspondence tomorrow when I complete my duties of being the unit correspondent and administrative sergeant.
Garret hopped in the Humvee and cranked over the engine to the hunk of metal that’s older than I am. The vehicle roared to life and the thirteen-vehicle convoy trekked outside of the base to our single day mission in a city that’s an hour away.
Our mission was to reach out to the people of the community to get Intel if insurgents were making their way back into the area. People talk when they are offered things in return for their information, especially food. The bumpy road to the city soothed my nerves and I allowed myself to relax, and I closed my eyes as we headed to the city.
Gunfire jolted me awake and my finger instantly rested on the trigger of my gun. Excitement filled the locals as the fired their guns. They were happy to see our convoy enter their city, because they knew that it meant water, food, cigarettes, and more.
I relaxed back into my seat and pulled my backpack into my lap, pulling out a headscarf from the side pocket. Even though it wasn’t mandatory, I wore the scarf out of respect. I placed it over my helmet and covered my neck and bottom part of my face, and I wished that the earlier enthusiasm was all we had to deal with on this mission.
As the Humvees stopped outside of the city’s gathering place, swarms of people of crowed around us. We could feel the energy of the people all around. Children ran around, laughing and screaming because they knew the soldiers would give them extra attention.
Their innocence reminded me why I did my job, why I killed the evil in their country. I often hoped that one day that the children of the world wouldn’t have to live with the pain of war or hunger. One day, it would happen.
***
I looked out the window as the convoy drove down the crater riddled road we were on no more than twelve hours ago, and worry set in my stomach as the truck stopped bouncing over the holes. The road was smooth, lacking holes, and looks freshly leveled.
“Hey, stop… Don’t go any farther—”
The air in my lungs vanished with the exuberant exhale that escaped my mouth as our Humvee went flying in the air. Burning pain radiated throughout my body, especially my legs; blood and equipment toss all around me as parts of the Humvee sliced into my skin.
I’m unable to speak as the deafening explosion filled the interior of the truck. A scream strangled to come out of my throat as we began to roll and roll and roll…
My body came to an abrupt stop as I hit the ground, my head sinking into the sand. I opened my eyes and looked over to see the truck that I was in on fire, in pieces along the road. Sand and dust flew around me long with mortar shells and pieces of metal. Small arms’ firing reverberated everywhere and I couldn’t tell who was shooting what or where. I tried to move to a trench that I knew was on the side of the road but I couldn’t move.
My body felt weightless then I felt nothingness, and I looked down, seeing my mangled body as a third person voyeur. Willing my hand to touch my face and only a ghostly haze passed in front of my eyes.
I couldn’t feel my heart beat.
Everything around me went black… I was dead.
I awaken with a jolt, but my eyes wouldn’t open.
Sweat clung to my skin.
I was suffocating.
Pain radiated from my hips all the way down to my toes. I tried to move my foot, but it wouldn’t respond to my commands. Forcing me to remember where I was and relive the hellish nightmare all over again.
I wasn’t dead, but I wished I were.
Chapter Two
“Evie, darling, can you hear me? Your dad and I are here. We love you very much…”
“Mr. and Mrs. Gervais? I’m Doctor Smitt. I’m glad that you could make it here. Sargent Gervais is a trooper. She lost a lot of blood. Luckily they got her to Germany in time or she…” I couldn’t remember any more of the conversation between Dr. Smitt and my parents. I was in and out of consciousness. All I could remember was how bad my leg hurt, but on day four, I woke up.
“Evie,” my mother cried out with tears running down her rosy cheeks.
The expression on her face would be a look I’d never forget. The look was a mixture of overwhelming joy and sympathy. Joy that I was alive, and sympathy that I wasn’t the same…I’d never be the same.
“Mom.” A simple statement, the only statement my dry throat would allow me to say.
The following forty-one days consisted of the same cycle: wake up, eat, dress, physical therapy, rest, try to eat more, more physical therapy, try to eat even more, shower, and sleep. Forty-seven days had passed since the Humvee I was in ran over an IED in the road, killing my best friends in the process. Every night since I’d been conscious, I relived the deadly nightmare in my head.
I struggled daily with wanting to live, the voice in my head told me it would be okay to die. The weekly counseling and the daily, grueling physical therapy that I’d gone through was allowing me to leave this hospital in Virginia today, and return home to Georgia. Home as a civilian, something I hadn’t been for eight years, once the medical board approves the medical discharge Dr. Smitt had requested.
Every night, I laid awake questioning the God above why me—why had I survived and no one else from that vehicle. Remorse of not saying good-bye to my friends cut through me—they went in the ground and I was here, in this room, breathing, alive. They’re dead, and nothing can change that. Nothing.
The nightmares were vivid. Their screams echoed in my head. They’ll never leave me, making me wish that I was dead too. Guilt consumed me from wishing I were dead instead of being alive. I tried to make sense of it all, but nothing made sense, I just wanted to be home…where I prayed I could outrun the bad dreams that plagued me.
Pain shot through my leg, and I bent over to touch the marred flesh on my right leg to soothe the ache. A piece of flying debris ripped half of the calf muscle from my leg, and scarring from the skin grafts cover the where the muscle used to be. From my hips down, shrapnel scars riddled both legs. Gone are my smooth, long toned legs from running track in high school. These legs are ugly, and I walked with a limp.
My parents are thankful I’m alive, scars and all, but they’re exhausted. For the past month, one of them had been here with me at all times. One week Mom stayed, the other week Dad stayed. For the first week I was here, they both stayed, but someone had to return to run the ranch because of birthing season.
As much as I wanted to get out of this hospital, I’m not excited to return to my parents’ ranch. I rather go to my apartment where I wouldn’t be tempted to be outside working with the farm hands or riding horses, instead of staying off my feet to let my body heal.
“Evie, darling, you ready to go?” my mom asked as she walked through the open door
of my room with Nurse Grace in tow.
“Yes, I’ve been ready since six hundred hours.”
“I gave your mom all your paperwork, instructions, orders for therapy, and prescriptions.” Grace smiled. “Well, give me a hug. I’m sure going to miss you.” She embraced me tightly and wiped tears from her eyes after she let go.
“I’ll miss you, but not this place.”
She laughed. “I understand. Please take care of yourself and to call of you need anything.”
“Okay, I will. Thank you for being here for me, I appreciate everything you’ve done.”
“It’s not a problem, and don’t forget when you get settled in at Fort Valley to look up Mutts for Vets. I really think having a four legged companion might be good for you.” She put her arm around my shoulder and gave me a gentle squeeze.
“We’ll see.” I rolled my eyes. The last thing I needed was some dog to care for. How was I supposed to care for a dog when I couldn’t care for myself?
“Mrs. Gervais, I put the number for Cain Graham with Mutts for Vets in the paperwork I gave you. I gave him a call to let him know to be on the lookout for you.”
“Thank you so much, Grace. I think it sounds like an excellent idea for Evie, and I appreciate you taking care of my baby.”
“It was my honor, ma’am. Now let’s get her home. Evie, I’ll grab a wheelchair and you can be on your way,” Grace said as she left the room and returned with a wheelchair.
I stood slowly to make sure my legs would support my weight and got into the wheelchair. Grace pushed me in the hallway where nurses and doctors hi-five me on the way to the elevator. Once in the elevator, it whisked us away to the first floor, and she pushed me to the entrance where Mom’s rental was waiting for us. Mom walked around us and opened the door for me to get in.
