His Soldier Under Siege

by Regan Black

  She nodded. “Yes,” she whispered for the bugs listening in. “That beautiful school was whole, filled with cheerful, healthy kids one minute and a pile of dust and bloody rubble the next.”

  She stared at the floor, her eyes blank as she relived it. “The bodies...” Her voice faded as tears tracked slowly from her lashes, over her cheeks, to her chin. Her shoulders shook and he wondered if she’d ever talked about this with anyone. Her hands clenched. “Children were scattered everywhere. Most of them dead or close to it. Every single one of them injured. Once I could hear again, the crying was as painful as the scene.”

  “You must have used whatever you had on hand to help them.”

  “Of course we did. It’s allowed in certain situations, like that one. We treated our own and the locals with the same supplies. We all did everything possible to save those kids. Danny Franklin, one of the MPs on our security team, insisted I treat the little girl in his arms—she couldn’t have been more than eight—before I treated him. Something like that is only a criminal offense on paper.”

  The fury in her eyes was no act. He wondered if Hank had any idea of the hornet’s nest this stunt would kick over. She looked ready to take on the Riley Hunter singlehandedly. And win.

  “Do you have any suspicions about who reported you?” he asked.

  “It sure as hell wasn’t Danny.” She rubbed at the tension lining her forehead. “I’m guessing the complaint was filed by someone after my job or a pencil pusher with no compassion.”

  “Is that two people or one?” He should’ve asked which facts she planned to embellish for the trap.

  “When you’re over there, you realize no matter where a person was born, we’re all just trying to survive this world.” She wiped her damp cheeks with her sleeve. “Unless you’re a jerk. The thing is, I didn’t do anything wrong or illegal. The suspension is overkill. It was a crisis and I responded accordingly.”

  “You do have an idea about the person who complained.”

  She sniffled, paused to blow her nose. “Bingham said the complaint came through anonymously, with enough evidence to make it credible. Until the JAG office shows me the full report I can’t know for sure who started this.”

  “It’s just you and me,” he prodded. “Spill it.”

  “I think it’s H.B. He was the executive officer on that deployment,” she said. “We butted heads from the start on that mission.”

  The timer went off and she went to the oven to check the brownies. They smelled exactly like his mother’s. “I think you did it,” he said.

  “Hope so. It’d be nice to do something right. We’ll know once they cool.” She walked down the hallway to her bedroom. Just when he’d decided he should follow, she strolled back into view wearing loose pajama pants patterned with superhero icons and an oversize T-shirt. On a scale of zero to sexy, it should have scored a zero, but he found her off-the-chart attractive, no matter what she wore.

  The weariness in her deep brown eyes broke his heart. Apparently they were staying here tonight. He started toward her and she held up a palm, a silent plea for distance. He respected that even as a small voice in his head wondered if she wouldn’t be better off with a shoulder to lean on. She’d never looked as vulnerable as she had during these last few days.

  If Hank’s theory played out, the situation would get worse before it improved. He hated that for her. “Do you want to watch a movie?”

  “Not tonight.” She turned on her speakers and gentle classical music filled the room. “Is that okay?”

  “Sure.” Did she think he’d argue over her choice of music after she’d laid herself wide-open for the sole purpose of developing a lead?

  Uncertain what else to do, he wrapped her in a hug. She was oddly still for a long moment. At last she hugged him back. “Thanks,” she said against his chest, too low for any microphone to hear. “I needed that.”

  She leaned back and tapped his shoulder. Time for him to follow Hank’s script. “Let’s go out to dinner tomorrow,” he blurted. A rough transition and a day earlier than Hank had requested. Too bad. Neither her brother nor the jerk listening could see the pain etched on her face. He wanted this bastard caught at the earliest opportunity. Grace Ann deserved a chance to heal and move forward.

  “We could do Roscoe’s and then take a burger over to your brother.”

  “I was thinking something a little nicer just for the two of us.” He reached for his phone and brought up a search for fine dining in Bethesda.

  She gave him a thumbs-up and a weak smile, encouraging to keep up the performance.

  “Help me decide,” he said. “What do you know about this Italian place?” He read off the first listing on his phone.

  “They have an excellent reputation,” she said. “And a strict dress code.”

  “I can get my suit cleaned in the morning.” It might actually be faster to drive back home for a clean suit, but he refused to leave her alone that long.

  She curled into a corner of the couch, stretching her neck from side to side. “It’s a date then.”

  He came over and kneaded the knots in her shoulders. “It will be,” he whispered against her skin.

  She patted his hand and shifted away from his touch. “I’ll just put the kitchen to rights.”

  Her withdrawal combined with everything else set his teeth on edge. She shouldn’t have to relive that kind of tragedy, knowing someone who wanted to hurt her was listening. The bombing of that school had carved deep scars on her heart. She’d warned him there would be nightmares tonight. Did Hank have any idea what he was putting her through?

  Their first weekend together after the unit’s return, they’d gone rafting in West Virginia. She’d laughed and joked with him, soaked up sunrises and starlight, and not given him the slightest hint of the horrors she’d seen.

  He didn’t mind being her escape. The trade-offs had been more than worth it. She gave him time and space to have fun, no obligations or strings attached. With Grace Ann he’d never felt the pressure to provide or protect. Now that those things had been forced on them, he realized he wasn’t grumpy about it. He definitely wasn’t happy with the person behind the chaos, but stepping up, sticking around? All of that felt right.

  “Sorry about dumping that whole thing on you,” she said, rinsing the soap out of the saucepan she’d used for the caramel sauce.

  Grabbing a towel, he started to dry the dishes and utensils. “I can take it.”

  “So I’ve heard.” She squeezed the excess water from the sponge and dropped it into the holder to dry.

  He wanted to put his lips to the shell of her ear and managed to resist the lure. “Talk to me,” he said. Neither of them had ever leaned on the other this way. How could he assure her he didn’t mind, that he wanted to be her sounding board any time, for the rest of time?

  “I’ve done enough talking for tonight. Your ears may never recover.” She went over and cut two brownies out of the pan. “Be honest,” she said, handing him one square.

  He paused, inhaling the delicious aroma first. Then, biting into the treat, the rich chocolate melted on his tongue, sweetened with the smooth, gooey caramel. He stared at her for the longest time.

  “Just like home,” he said when he’d finished. “Kevin will flip out.”

  “Oh, good.” Her smile bloomed, the first one in hours, transforming her into the confident, glowing woman he recognized. “I can’t figure out why you had so much trouble.”

  Love.

  The word planted itself in the front of his brain and wouldn’t budge. His mother had often said love made every dish taste better. His dad had teased her about plans to run off with the milkman on the rare occasions when a new recipe turned out poorly. He hadn’t thought about that in years, yet he could hear them in his mind as clearly as if they were standing right here in Grace Ann’s kitchen.

&nb
sp; “Thank you.” He brushed a crumb of chocolate from her lip.

  With a quick nod, she scooted out of the kitchen and down the hall.

  Beautiful, smart and caring. Grace Ann didn’t deserve any of this mess. No one did.

  Something deep inside Derek shifted and he vowed to see her safely through the crisis until she was laughing and happy again.

  Chapter 8

  Grace Ann had no idea how to cope with an entire day of nothing to do. Afraid of going outside and being attacked, wary of every word she spoke inside. What could she do? She started with yoga in her bedroom to make up for another restless night. This edgy, unsettled feeling was why she never talked about the village school. Who did it help?

  Well, with luck it would help Hank and the investigation.

  When she’d dressed for the day and finally mustered the courage to go to the kitchen for breakfast, she found another note from Derek by the coffee maker. He’d taken his suit to the dry cleaner. He’d been thoughtful enough to mark the time so she wouldn’t have to wonder when to expect him back.

  Her personal safe space had been violated, leaving her raw, nerves frayed. She’d never felt so small. The Riley Hunter would know she was alone, the closest help out on the street. She hurried over and checked the lock on the back door, then the garage. As fear choked her, she confirmed the front door was locked. She slid to the floor, hands trapped between her updrawn knees. She’d wait right here until Derek rang the bell.

  Everything between them would be awkward after last night. As much as she’d like to blame the madman hunting her, this was on her. She’d done the right thing, baiting the trap, but she should have found a solution that also got Derek clear of her issues and trouble.

  The man had a life and she had no right to keep interfering. If he’d met a new woman recently, Grace Ann didn’t want to get in the way of that, no matter how much she appreciated his steadying influence amid the turmoil swirling around her.

  Aggravated with herself and most of the world in general, she sent Hank a text message, asking if he had an update.

  The immediate reply was no comfort. No. Sit tight.

  She didn’t have the energy to dress up for a date. Correction, she didn’t have the energy to go on a fake date with Derek, and tonight’s outing planned couldn’t be defined as anything else.

  Hearing a car in the driveway, she tensed. A moment later the doorknob twisted over her head. “Grace Ann? It’s me.”

  Derek. She scrambled to her feet and opened the door. He walked in, his hair windblown and color in his cheeks, and she wanted to keep him all to herself. Forever. Somewhere safe.

  What a ridiculous thought. Derek had told her corporate law appealed to him because of the stability and low chance for drama, which made her the last candidate for him in a forever scenario. He’d implied Kevin was all the risk he wanted to manage. And here she was, keeping him hip-deep in the muck.

  “Hi,” he said, his warm gaze sweeping over her. He leaned in and kissed her before she remembered she shouldn’t let him do that anymore.

  “Hi.”

  He held up a tray with two tall to-go cups. “From the shop that shares the strip mall with the dry cleaner,” he said.

  “Thanks.” From now on, she’d associate him with the scents of whipped cream and cinnamon as well as campfires and pine-laced breezes. “Hungry?” At his nod, she turned for the kitchen, hoping her nerves didn’t show.

  “You doing okay?”

  “Peachy.” Her left hip sported a riot of colorful bruises, but she was moving better after the yoga. As she cracked eggs into a bowl, she wondered where he’d met the new woman in his life. The office? Maybe the gym where he did his rock climbing training.

  “I spoke with the team outside,” Derek said as he carefully pried the lid from his to-go cup. “They’re confident no one’s been around.”

  She knew he’d given her that report solely for the sake of the bugs. “That’s good news.”

  “How about we head out to Rock Creek after breakfast? We could wander the trails.”

  And have a conversation that would stay between them.

  “Sure,” she replied. Hank’s team would shadow them, of course, but it would be worth it. It was a beautiful area with tree-lined trails for biking and hiking that opened up on great views. Maybe spending time doing more of what they normally did together would ease this strange pressure in her chest. For the past two years she’d been content to be his weekend pal. Why wasn’t that enough anymore?

  “Kevin and I talked this morning.” He set her coffee to the side of the stove for her.

  “How’s he feeling?”

  “Great. Upbeat and happy. I think you might be right about him having met someone.”

  Of course she was right. “He knows plenty of people in and around the hospital,” she said. She added seasonings, diced peppers and cheese to the beaten eggs and poured them into a hot skillet.

  “If it was a normal friend thing,” Derek mused, “like he has with you, he’d just talk about her openly, wouldn’t he?”

  “Probably.” Neither she nor Derek had told a soul about their weekend getaways. Her older brother, Matt, had gone more than fourteen years without mentioning the love of his life or their son. “In my experience, the more important a woman is to them, the less information my brothers volunteer.”

  Derek sighed. “It won’t do me any good to ask. It’s pretty clear he wants me to stay out of his life.”

  “Are you looking for an opinion?” she queried. This was her opening to support Kevin’s request.

  “Absolutely.”

  The immediate affirmation was unexpected. “I think he wants to make sure you’re living your life. He knows what you did, how you sacrificed for him when your parents died. He doesn’t want to be a burden to you again.” She shuffled past him to get the plates out of the cabinet, managing not to tuck herself into his hard body and hang on.

  “You’d think that would serve as his reminder that I’d do anything for him.”

  “Mmm-hmm. Have you forgotten Kevin’s all grown up?”

  “Well, no.” He opened the drawer and pulled out forks for both of them. “Maybe,” he added with a lopsided grin.

  Butterflies swooped through her belly. She’d wasted so much time holding him at a distance. She’d miss him when he moved on. “He only wants what’s best for you, too.”

  “I was clumsy as a parent,” Derek admitted. “Gave him all kinds of crap when he talked about going into nursing. Told him the army wasn’t the right solution.”

  “Hey, be nice to yourself,” Grace Ann soothed. “I can’t imagine balancing sibling and parent roles.”

  He sat down across from her at the table. “You remember meeting me. I wasn’t exactly family member of the year. Sure, the service covered the cost of his education and he’s seen some interesting corners of the world, but all while I’m back here worried about him getting hurt or killed.”

  Kevin was right that she hadn’t caused the helicopter crash, but guilt swamped her again. Ducking her head, she focused on the food on her plate. They really shouldn’t be talking about this here. Either one of them could say something that inspired their listener. Unfortunately, she couldn’t cut him off without raising more suspicion or losing her chance to hear this piece of his life’s puzzle.

  “Families play a big role in army life,” she said stiffly. “Support is vital.”

  “I’ve heard that,” he said. The low chuckle that followed sent a delicious shiver over her skin.

  Mildly embarrassed, she took a sip of her latte. Of course he’d heard that litany before. “Not trying to bore you. In the nursing corps we see the interaction more directly and more frequently than other units. Believe me, if Kevin didn’t understand the pressure on you before, he does now.”

  Derek tapped his fork to his pla
te. “He asked you to talk to me, didn’t he?”

  “Yes.” This conversation was killing her already minimal appetite. “At risk of overstepping, you are his hero for the way you stepped up when you were kids. He’s afraid you’ll put your life on hold all over again, that’s all.”

  He tucked into his eggs, closing his eyes in appreciation. “First, this is amazing.”

  “Glad you like it.”

  “And second, how do I support Kevin if I leave?”

  She took a bite and swallowed to buy time. “He has resources and a network of friends. No one in our unit will let him flounder. He wants you to visit, sure, but he wants you to go home.”

  Derek arched an eyebrow. “Why?”

  Pinned by that unrelenting gaze, the truth spilled out. “He thinks you met someone. Someone awesome, to use his words. Kevin only wants you to be happy.”

  “What?” His expression blank, his fork hit the plate with a clatter.

  Her heart sank. “You heard me.” Exasperation inched closer to irritation. “He made me promise to send you home so you don’t miss your chance with her.”

  Derek’s silent shock was better than any excuse he could offer. She poked at the remainder of her breakfast and sipped the latte that didn’t taste so sweet anymore.

  As if the conversation wasn’t bad enough, they both knew someone was listening in. Giving up on the food, she carried her half-eaten breakfast into the kitchen and scraped the leftovers into a container for later.

  For tomorrow, when she was alone again because Derek had come to his senses and returned to the new woman. A woman who wasn’t sitting around waiting for a madman to attack.

  “You cooked. I’ll clean,” Derek said, crowding her.

  “Super.” She gave in and retreated to her bedroom to change into something better for a hike along Rock Creek.

  Derek hadn’t denied that he’d met someone new. Better to have that out in the open. Her stomach cramped and she had to breathe through her nose to keep from tossing up her breakfast.