Wayward (A Soldier's Heart Book 1)

by Kimber Delaney

  He slid another folder across the desk toward her. She grabbed it and flipped it open, blanching at the image in front of her. She looked up at him.

  “That person was a reservist assigned to a civilian billet. The janitor sold him out for about a grand. As you can see—”

  “I see.” She swallowed hard and closed the folder. “Well, when you lie with the dogs and all that.”

  “Yes.” Randall leaned back in his chair. “The attaché there is an old friend of mine. He called the other day to pass on the info. I figured you’d want to know how it ended.”

  “I appreciate it. I think.”

  “The guy didn’t deserve it, but he should have known better.” He looked at her. “Speaking of lying with dogs, have you heard from your father since the last time I asked?”

  “Nope. I don’t think he’s even trying anymore.”

  “Okay. Let me know if you run into any issues in processing. We did slap this shit together last minute. At least you’ve got a place to live.”

  “That’s enough for now.”

  Audrey made her way back out to her desk and settled in to wait for Charlie. Simon’s monitors faced her desk. He was doing a piss-poor job of acting like he was paying any attention to whatever was on his computer. His face was inscrutable, guarded. Antony wasn’t even trying to hide his curiosity and kept looking at Simon with an odd half smile. A mutual friend had messaged her over the weekend to let her know Antony had been asking questions about her, and had also forwarded her the email, along with their response. It annoyed the shit out of her, but she wasn’t surprised he’d been digging. Her friend’s response had made her laugh. Private and efficient. Cold to some. Never socialized. All business. Most of that was true, though he’d left out their fling, where he’d discovered how not cold she could be. Armed with that knowledge, and that strange urge to settle in, she’d set up a single framed photograph on her desk. Let him analyze that.

  Charlie came back down the hall. Antony called out to her, “Madden.”

  She turned. “What?”

  “Lunch?” he asked.

  “Whatcha think, Aud?” she asked. Audrey gave her a half-shrug, half-nod before logging off of the computer.

  Antony stood. “Good. I’m driving.”

  Charlie barked out a laugh. “By yourself. No way I’m getting in that car with you.”

  “Fine. Keep up. Let’s go, Carwell.”

  Simon looked down at his work and closed his eyes briefly. Antony was working up to stir some shit. He’d told Simon he’d asked around and got almost nothing back, so now he’d poke around and see what he could come up with himself. Simon didn’t tell him, but suspected he wouldn’t get very far with his usual tactics. Still, he was intrigued enough to go along to watch. He was hungry anyway.

  Antony led them to a new BBQ joint that had opened a few weeks prior. They arrived before the lunch rush, and after placing their orders, sat around a table in the back. Charlie and Antony talked shop, letting their companions settle into silence. Audrey folded the paper wrapper from her straw into a little rectangle and then set to work on a napkin she pulled out of the holder in the middle of the table. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Simon. He was sitting back with his arm crooked over the seat. His eyes were glazed over a little, and he was looking out the window.

  Antony’s question jarred her out of her reverie. “Linser, you gonna spar this afternoon?”

  Audrey looked at him, one eyebrow raised.

  “Madden has open sparring in the afternoon. Top likes us to go blow off steam.”

  “Ah, okay. I’ve got a few more things I can knock out this afternoon, but I could use some ring time,” she said. “How often do we practice?”

  Charlie answered, “As much as we’d like, as long as we don’t have active cases. It’s been pretty quiet lately, so I open up after classes are done for the day.”

  Their food arrived, and the conversation slowed. Antony and Charlie began a heated discussion of whether the food was better here, or at another place down the road. While they were bickering, Simon leaned over toward Audrey. “Antony’ll never budge, but you really should try Down Home sometime. It is the best.”

  She looked at him and smiled. “Maybe you and—”

  Antony interrupted. “So, Linser. Where’d you come here from?”

  Audrey turned toward Antony. So this was the game. She’d give him this one. “Special assignment. But you knew that. Sanders emailed me.”

  Antony didn’t flinch. Smiling, he said, “Yeah. I’ve heard of you.” Out of the corner of Audrey’s eye, Simon jerked his head toward Antony. “I was mostly wondering why your name just showed up and poof! Here you are,” he continued.

  Charlie frowned at him, then looked at her watch and stood up. Audrey joined her. “I guess I’m just sneaky like that,” she told Antony. “Seriously, if you want to know things, ask when we’re in the office.” Nodding to Simon, she added, “See you later.”

  ***

  Once the men got back to the office, Antony made a beeline for Audrey’s desk. Simon was silent, but alert as his friend went straight for the picture frame. He was also curious, but didn’t want to appear too much so.

  Antony’s eyebrows shot up and he let out a low whistle. He slowly put the frame back down and walked to his desk.

  “Well?”

  Antony shrugged. “No clue. Old picture of a man and woman. They look alike, maybe siblings.”

  “Why the reaction then?” Simon asked.

  “I wanted to see yours,” Antony said, turning toward his computer with a smirk.

  Simon flipped him off and grabbed the top file on a small pile on his desk. He itched to look at that picture but going over there while Ant was in the room was asking to be heckled mercilessly. He thought of her that morning. Every time she’d broken out of the formation, he’d met her on the way back, just so he could touch her and look into her eyes. He was also sure that she was going to ask him to join her at Randy’s sometime. He thought about dinner with her, alone. They’d barely talked since they met, and he hadn’t seen her at all over the weekend, but she’d been on his mind. He thought about his appointment that morning. He should ask Dr. K. about navigating relationships.

  He shook his head. Relationships. Yeah, met her a couple days ago, spoken three sentences. What’s next, marriage and 2.5 kids? His desk phone rang, knocking him back to reality. He picked up the phone with one hand, and his pen with the other and settled back in to work.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Audrey finished her set of errands for the day and went over to the athletics complex. Charlie was finishing up with a couple of troops who had been practicing wrist locks on each other. She watched as Charlie locked up one student, shuffling his six-foot three frame around on tiptoe with her five foot one self and stifled a laugh. She was damned good at her job, and her training had saved Audrey’s ass a time or two out in the field, dealing with recalcitrant troops who weren’t happy about being arrested. It had also come in handy on the rare occasions she went out, when someone too far into their cups would get handsy.

  She’d stopped off and changed into one of her uniforms to practice in. She threw her bag on a bench and stripped off her blouse, leaving her t-shirt in place and flopped down on the mat to stretch, feeling her lower back pop as she settled into the sphinx pose. As she moved her body into the upward facing dog, she thought about lunch. She’d been about to suggest to Simon that they go to Down Home that weekend. Antony’s interruption hadn’t been a mistake. She didn’t sense malice from him, just curiosity, with a fair amount of wanting to be a shit, which he confirmed with the volleyball stunt. Jealousy didn’t seem to be his thing, so why interrupt like he did? Maybe he was overprotective of his friend. Charlie had told her about their deployment, how they’d lost the rest of their team, and a few other details. It was horrifying, but his reaction to her was a bit much.

  Flipping over into a sitting position and reaching for her toes, Audr
ey decided she’d just knock on Simon’s door later and suggest dinner. Or maybe coffee, if he acted sketchy, though she was certain he was interested. And if he could make her fingers tingle with just a touch, she was curious what else he could do.

  The troops left and Charlie came over and flopped down on the mat next to Audrey.

  “How was class?” Audrey asked.

  “Oh, it was fine. Those two were having a minor problem. Not sure if it was with the concept, or with me,” she said. “I fixed it, whatever it was.”

  “I saw. The tall one looked surprised that you handled him like that,” Audrey said, laughing. “You have enough energy to spar this afternoon?”

  Charlie looked sideways at her friend. “Bitch, please. Of course. I haven’t flung you around like a rag doll in way too long.”

  “Sure you’d not rather save that for Antony?”

  Charlie rolled her eyes. “Get your ass up, Linser.”

  The women went a couple rounds and found they were still equally matched. Audrey got one over on Charlie, and as she flipped her friend over her shoulder, the door opened. In walked Antony and Simon, both in uniform. Both men clapped loudly, and Antony cheered.

  “’Bout time someone schooled Madden!” he yelled.

  “I haven’t sparred Linser in a year, and yet, she pulled that off. Unlike you, you big oaf,” Charlie retorted, hopping back to her feet. “You still haven’t got me on my back.”

  “Maybe I like it better when you get me on mine,” he snapped back.

  “Least I get something out of it that way.”

  “You wound me.” Antony clutched his chest. He then flopped onto the mat and started warming up.

  Charlie took a gulp of water from her bottle and suggested opening up the floor. She turned to Audrey. “So, we’ve got a game. The square is boundary. If you’re standing inside, you’re open to a match. Gives people a chance to jump in and out whenever they want.” She looked around. “The others around here might join in, they may not. Some of them are sneaky, too. Just watch where you’re standing.”

  Audrey nodded absently and wiped her face off with the towel she’d brought. What she didn’t do was check to see where she was standing.

  The attack came from behind. She knew it was Simon without looking. Damn, he was fast. She’d have figured he would sweep her legs out from under her and was surprised when he put her in a headlock. Oh, I can do this, she thought. She flung the towel toward the bench and took a breath.

  Raising up on the balls of her feet and setting the ribbed tread of her tan combat boots into the blue mat, Audrey grasped Simon’s forearm with both hands, took a half step back with her right foot, and quickly bent over at the waist, throwing her ass into his pelvis and tipping him forward. He’d overcompensated with her backward step and leaned backward, providing the perfect counter to her sudden bend forward.

  Simon’s legs flew, and the swift movement caused him to lose his grip from around Audrey’s throat. He landed hard on the mat, with a loud WHOOF! He was silent and still.

  Audrey, with a very satisfied cat-got-the-mouse smirk, stood up and smoothed out her Army issue t-shirt. She was expecting a lot of cussing, but silence reigned. She realized Simon wasn’t moving. He was breathing, which was a damn good thing, but not moving.

  “Hey, Carwell. Get your ass up!” she called.

  Nothing.

  “Simon?”

  Still nothing. Not even an eyelid flicker.

  She knelt down on her right knee and nudged his shoulder with her hand. His head gently rocked to the side and back, but no response. She tried again, just a little harder, and the same happened. She leaned forward, bracing herself on her left hand and checked his breathing—

  He locked his hand around her wrist, pulled her arm toward his waist, and began to roll away from her while sitting up. He pulled her body along with his until she was flat on her back, pinned beneath him.

  Specifically, pinned from the waist down. Between her legs. Audrey felt her face heat up, along with other parts.

  He smirked at her and adjusted his grip on her wrists. “Gotcha.”

  Audrey felt the heat radiating from him and saw his heart beating on his sweat-soaked neck. Her own heart raced in response. She licked her lips and fought the urge to capture a bead of sweat that was trailing under his collar. Instead, she grinned back at him and used her own sweat to slide her arms, and his, upwards on the mat, bringing his face even closer to hers. As his eyes dilated at the sudden proximity, she brought her legs up, locked her ankles around his waist and used her thigh muscles to hoist him up and over, rolling with him and ending up straddling him. Those grueling hours at the gym had paid off well.

  “Sonofabitch!” he yelled, letting his head and arms fall back against the mat. She sat back on her heels and looked down at him.

  “Gotcha,” she said, winking.

  His chest was heaving as he looked up at her. “Yes. You did,” he said.

  Long seconds passed before a voice came in from the sidelines. “You two gonna get it on, or just sit there?”

  Simon didn’t break eye contact. “Fuck off, Ramos.”

  The moment was broken, and Audrey planted her hands on Simon’s chest and used him as leverage to rise to her feet. He tensed a little at the friction, and she cocked an eyebrow at him. She stalked over to her water bottle and unscrewed it, taking a long swig and trying to quiet her thudding heart. She looked down to make sure her feet were well outside of the boundaries, though it was only her and Simon near the mat. Charlie had been called over to answer questions from another group of people and took Antony to be her crash test dummy. When she turned, Simon was still lying on the floor. Audrey was having a hard time looking away from him, laid out. His breathing had calmed and he had his knees bent, with his fingers interlocked behind his head. He was watching her, face unreadable.

  “I think you bruised my ribs,” he said.

  “Sorry. Is it bad?”

  “I’ll live. And I’m not complaining. There are worse ways to get bruised ribs,” he said, sitting up. Audrey handed him a bottle of water and a towel. “Thanks,” he said, wiping his face.

  She sat across from him and tucked one of her feet in close to her body before stretching down to grab her toes.

  “You know, you’re back in the boundary. That’s an awfully vulnerable position to be caught in,” Simon said. The corners of his mouth were twitching upwards.

  Audrey swung her leg out and sat up straight. “Looking for a way to get back between my legs, Carwell?” That look on his face had her heart beginning to race again.

  He stood up in one smooth movement and held his hand out to her. She looked up at him and placed her hand in his. He pulled her upright, with just a little too much force so she took a step toward him. Leaning down, he whispered in her ear, “The thought had crossed my mind.” She gasped.

  Simon dropped Audrey’s hand and stepped back. “Nice skirmish. I look forward to seeing what other moves you’ve got.”

  Audrey stammered as he walked away. So much for shy and reserved. She was usually far better at reading people on sight. Charlie approached, and over her shoulder, Audrey watched the men leave. Simon turned back and gave her a cocky grin before disappearing outside.

  “What was that all about?” Charlie asked.

  “It’s nothing.”

  “Bullshit. A person on the moon could see the sparks between you two.”

  “Yeah, well. I misread him. Thought he was shy,” Audrey started.

  Charlie threw her head back and laughed. “Shy? No. Carwell’s anything but shy. But he has changed a lot since last year.”

  “The deployment.”

  “Mmmhmmm. It fucked him up. More than just physically. So far as I know, he hasn’t even gone out since he got back,” Charlie said. “He was a bit of a player before. Of course, no one reaches Antony’s levels of whoredom, but he held his own.”

  Audrey tucked that information aside to think about later. “
I’m not concerned with his past. Maybe not even his future. I don’t know how long I’m going to be here, or if I’m going back out on special assignment soon,” she said. “But hell, Mr. Right Now doesn’t sound too bad.”

  Charlie turned toward Audrey, her brow slightly furrowed. “Simon’s a good man, Aud. If you only want a fling, be upfront with him about it. I don’t want to see him hurt.”

  Audrey was surprised. Charlie usually didn’t care too much about any of that. They parted ways, and as she walked by Simon’s door, she heard music coming from within. She had half a mind to knock, but Charlie’s words stopped her. She needed to settle things in her head before she acted.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Audrey finished inprocessing by the middle of the week. By Thursday, she was up to speed on how the team operated. There were few cases on their docket. Most of them were minor tasks that took a few hours of investigation and a few more of paperwork to complete. Boring stuff, but all part of the game. She spent Friday taking statements from workers at the Post Exchange about a shoplifting scheme someone had going on, and she was brain dead when she pulled up to the apartments.

  As she approached the building, she heard music. She rounded the corner to see Simon sitting on one of the picnic benches outside, playing an acoustic guitar. She didn’t recognize the tune, but it was beautiful. His fingers danced over the strings, so light it didn’t look like he was pressing down on the frets at all. His eyes were closed as he picked notes out rapidly. A note sounded out of tune and his brow furrowed and smoothed as he hit it again and it rang true. The longer he played, the more he relaxed, and she didn’t want to make a noise and break the spell. He was some sort of Pied Piper, and she was entranced by the music, and by his long fingers. Her eyes drifted closed as she listened.

  “You could come sit over here,” he said, never missing a note. Audrey blinked out of her trance and her cheeks grew warm. He was smiling at her and had a glint in his eyes.

  She dropped her bag on the bench and sat on top of the table, turned slightly toward him. “What is that?” she asked.