Battle Tested Page 7

  “I will, although I may wait until morning.” She frowned, suddenly realizing that only one dog was between them. “Where’s Tango?”

  “Oh, I left him with Aiden.” Isaac offered a crooked smile. “He didn’t seem to mind.”

  Was it possible her brother was now emotionally ready to connect with a therapy dog? She’d secretly been a little worried about what would happen when the puppies no longer needed fostering. She doubted that Aiden would be allowed to keep all four of them. She’d been hopeful that maybe her brother would be able to keep one.

  Something she’d intended to keep praying for.

  “I was hoping that once Kyle releases Beacon from his care, we could arrange for Tango to be reassigned to your brother. The second time might be the charm.”

  She smiled. “Funny, I was thinking the same thing. Either getting Tango assigned or maybe being allowed to keep one of the pups.”

  “Both might be good options,” Isaac said. “Tango is a trained therapy dog, so he’d be able to offer Aiden support right away. Meanwhile, it’s possible Westley will assign someone to show Aiden how to train the puppies, too.”

  She stopped for a moment and turned to face him. “That’s brilliant! Aiden would absolutely love it.”

  “I’m happy to put in a good word for him.” Isaac’s low, husky voice sent ripples of awareness down her arms.

  “I’d appreciate that, and so would he.” With an effort to ignore her out-of-control attraction to the man, she resumed walking. Eagle stayed close at her side. “It’s highly competitive to be assigned to the dog handler program. Not sure an E-2 airman whose previous job was to do mechanic work on the fleet stands much of a chance.”

  “Is that what Aiden did in Afghanistan?” Isaac glanced at her curiously.

  She nodded. “He doesn’t like to talk about what happened, but I know that a suicide bomber was involved. A young local, barely old enough to drive, plowed directly into the fleet of parked vehicles. Aiden saw the whole thing, including the blast of the bomb and the death of his buddy.”

  Isaac winced. “How awful for him.”

  She nodded. “No worse than what you went through, I imagine.”

  “I flew combat for eighteen months straight, before our chopper was hit.” Isaac shrugged. “I’d be dead if not for Beacon saving my life.”

  She rested her palm on his shoulder. His muscles tensed, so she quickly dropped her hand. They turned down Webster and seeing the veterinary clinic prodded her to ask, “How is Beacon doing? Did you visit him this morning?”

  “Yeah, but unfortunately, his wound isn’t looking great,” Isaac admitted. “Kyle is going to switch antibiotics. If all goes well for a solid twenty-four hours, he’ll consider discharging him the following morning.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.” Vanessa felt awful about what had happened to Beacon, but she trusted Kyle Roark’s instincts. If he wanted to watch Beacon longer, it was probably the right thing to do.

  They approached the intersection of Webster and Viking, the corner where they’d found the puppies. She thought back, counting in her mind. Was it really just a few days ago? She shook her head in amazement.

  It seemed she’d known Isaac for so much longer than that. She felt foolish for falling apart in his arms. Especially after he’d backed off, leaving an awkward silence between them. Obviously he didn’t feel the same way.

  Fine with her. Hadn’t the debacle with Leo proven she couldn’t trust her instincts around men? Was there something wrong with her that caused her to fall for men who weren’t interested?

  Enough of putting herself through the wringer for a man. She had her younger brother’s mental health to consider. Along with staying focused on the patients she cared for.

  The cop standing outside her front door gave a crisp salute as she and Isaac approached.

  She and Isaac returned the acknowledgment with salutes of their own. “Thanks for walking me home,” she said, taking a step up onto the porch. “Keep me posted on how things go with Beacon.”

  “I will.” Isaac hesitated, then added, “I need to know if you’re going to talk to Justin in the morning and what time. Or have you forgotten your promise not to go anywhere alone?”

  The way her pulse jumped in anticipation was ridiculous. “I didn’t forget.”

  “Great. Then I’ll swing by at zero nine hundred,” Isaac said. “Good night, Vanessa.”

  “Good night.” She stood for a moment as he turned, then called out, “Wait. You forgot Tango.”

  He shifted toward her. “I guess I did.”

  It was telling that he wasn’t nearly as connected to Tango as he was to Beacon. She slipped inside with Eagle, unleashing her protector. He ignored the golden retriever, who was stretched out on the floor next to the box of puppies pressed up against the sofa where Aiden slept.

  She tiptoed in an effort not to disturb the sleeping pups. Tango lifted his head at her scent, his tail hitting the floor with a muffled thump in greeting.

  “Come, Tango,” she whispered.

  The dog rose, stretched then trotted toward her. Eagle was slurping water from his bowl in the kitchen. She found Tango’s leash, clipped it to his collar and took him outside.

  “Thanks.” Isaac took the strap from her hand, his fingertips lightly brushing against hers. Ignoring the tingle of awareness, she crossed her arms over her chest and stood for a moment, watching him head home.

  Irrationally longing for something that could never be.

  * * *

  Isaac could feel Vanessa’s gaze long after she disappeared inside the house.

  He was losing what was left of his mind over her. He’d almost kissed her twice. And then in a rush to put distance between them, he’d almost forgotten Tango.

  Yep, he was an unacceptable mess. Time to pull himself together and focus on what was important. Beacon, first and foremost, but then his career.

  After Tango took care of business, he took the dog inside and glanced at the reenlistment paperwork sitting in the center of his kitchen table. It had been staring at him for days now, and he was still no closer to making a decision than he had been a week ago.

  Not tonight, he told himself. Maybe he needed to make sure Beacon was over his ordeal before he could think about the future.

  He didn’t sleep well, but thankfully the nightmares weren’t too bad. He’d had them, but each time he’d woken up, his heart pounding, he’d instantly known that what he was seeing in his mind’s eye wasn’t real.

  A small step in the right direction.

  The following morning, he took care of Tango, showered and then made himself a full breakfast, something he didn’t do on a regular basis. He’d learned the importance of eating healthy meals even when he wasn’t hungry, so he forced himself to make a full breakfast twice a week.

  Bacon, eggs, hash browns and a tall glass of orange juice.

  He was stuffed by the time he’d finished. A glance at his watch confirmed he had thirty minutes before he was due to head over to Vanessa’s, so he cleaned up his breakfast mess and washed the dishes.

  Not good that he was looking forward to seeing Vanessa again, as if it had been twelve days instead of twelve hours since he last saw her. But no way was he going to renege on his promise to keep her safe. He’d just have to get over it. Besides, he found himself curious about how a civilian janitor had overdosed on a PTSD prescription medication in the first place.

  He wasn’t sure why being with Vanessa was so different than what he’d experienced with Amber. But now wasn’t the time to examine the reasons. Instead, he clipped on Tango’s leash and headed outside. The October air held a distinct chill, but he didn’t mind. The leaves on the trees were still 90 percent green, the colors only just starting to change.

  In another week or two, the area would be glorious. By then he would have had to make a de
cision about whether or not to reenlist.

  Later, he told himself. He’d deal with the paperwork later. As he approached Vanessa’s place, he was surprised to see she was hovering in the doorway, waiting for him. When he came up the sidewalk, she hurried down with Eagle to join him.

  “Hi. Are you sure Justin cares about these drug overdoses?”

  “Why wouldn’t he?” He glanced at her. “If it bothers you, it’s important enough to report.”

  “You’re right.” She nodded, as if to dispel her lingering doubts.

  He fell into step beside her, keeping the dogs as a buffer between them.

  “I notice you like to walk,” she said, eyeing him curiously.

  He tensed for a moment, tempted to ignore the subject, then realized as a nurse she probably already knew. “Yeah. I don’t want to drive until I know I won’t have a flashback.”

  “I see.” Her brow was furrowed. “Although I’m not sure how you’ll know one way or the other until you try it.”

  She had a point; in fact, Flintman had encouraged him to drive, as well. “Maybe.”

  The walk to the Base Command took almost twenty minutes as the offices were on the opposite side of the base. When they arrived, they were shown into a large office and instructed to wait for Captain Blackwood.

  “I hope that means there’s news on the investigation,” Vanessa said in a low tone. “We really need to capture Boyd before he can harm anyone else.”

  “I’m surprised the blatant note from the blogger hasn’t spurred some sort of retaliation by now.” Isaac shook his head. “Stupid move, taunting a killer like that.”

  “Maybe that’s partially what Justin is working on,” she agreed. “They’re having enough trouble finding the guy without other people meddling in the investigation.”

  Fifteen minutes later, Justin and his K-9, Quinn, strode in. “Sorry to keep you both waiting. Please, have a seat,” he said after they’d saluted.

  “Not a problem.” Vanessa dropped into the seat closest to the window, leaving him with his back to the door.

  He didn’t like it, but tried to ignore the weird paranoia that plagued him.

  “Any news on Boyd?” Vanessa asked.

  Justin’s expression was grim. “Unfortunately not. I’ve had cops scouring the base from one side to the other, but no one has seen him.” He paused, then added, “Or admitted to seeing him.”

  Vanessa leaned forward in her seat. “I have a concern about several drug overdoses that I’ve seen in the past two weeks. Three in total, and this last death was a civilian.”

  Justin’s brows levered upward. “A civilian from where? How did he get on base?”

  “He works as a janitor at the hospital. A better question is, how did a civilian noncombatant get ahold of the prescription PTSD medication known as Tyraxal?”

  Justin stared at her for a long moment. “That is a good question. What are your thoughts?”

  “I can only speculate that one of our airmen has sold his prescription. Tyraxal offers great benefits, but it’s also highly addictive.” Vanessa glanced at Isaac for a moment, and he figured she was speculating about whether or not he’d ever taken Tyraxal.

  He hadn’t.

  “Have you shared your concerns with Lieutenant Colonel Flintman?” Justin asked with a frown.

  “I have, yes,” Vanessa nodded. “I’m hoping he’ll get back to me today.”

  “Why are you bringing this issue to me?” Justin asked, sitting back in his seat.

  Isaac picked up the thread. “You mentioned the Olio Crime Organization when we found the puppies. Isn’t it possible they’re dabbling in drugs, too?”

  “You’re assuming they aren’t already up to their ears in dealing illegal drugs,” Justin said drily. “They’re likely involved in all kinds of criminal enterprises, but three overdoses involving a PTSD drug?” He grimaced. “Not sure how that would fit in with their master plan.”

  “You’re assuming they have a master plan,” Isaac joked. Then he turned somber. “Seriously, isn’t it possible they’re branching out? We believe they may have targeted the base by stealing four highly valuable dogs. Why not try to sneak their greedy tentacles inside this way, too?”

  Justin nodded thoughtfully. “You have a point, Isaac. I can’t afford to ignore any potential link to the Olio Crime Organization.” He turned toward Vanessa. “Keep your eyes open at the hospital, okay? There may be other overdoses that were treated on days you weren’t working that you’re not even aware of.”

  “I know. I’ve already considered that.” Her expression was troubled. “The thought of there being even more...” She swallowed hard.

  The urge to comfort her was strong, but Isaac curled his fingers into the palms of his hands and stayed where he was. Because next time, he might not find the strength to keep himself from kissing her.

  “Anything else?” Justin asked, looking a bit impatient.

  “No, sir.” Vanessa pushed to her feet. “Thanks for your time.”

  “I always appreciate being kept in the loop,” Justin said. “Don’t hesitate to contact me if you find other anomalies.”

  “Of course,” she agreed.

  Isaac stood and turned toward the door, feeling the muscles in his back and neck relax as his tension eased. No one was watching them or hovering outside the office doorway.

  Tango wagged his tail, and he bent to scratch the golden between his ears. The dog wasn’t Beacon, but he was a good companion nonetheless.

  Vanessa and Eagle led the way outside. As they walked back toward Canyon Drive, he caught a glimpse of the Winged Java. “Care for a coffee?”

  She looked surprised and he mentally kicked himself for not thinking before he spoke. Hadn’t he decided that spending time with Vanessa wasn’t smart? So why ask her to share coffee?

  There was a pause before she finally nodded. “Sure, that would be great.”

  He wasn’t disappointed in her response, which only proved how far gone he was.

  The café wasn’t far and the tables outside were surprisingly empty.

  “I’ll buy this time,” she offered.

  It was the perfect way to put his impulsive invitation back on friendship terms, but he couldn’t do it. People could call him a chauvinist if they wanted, but he wasn’t going to allow a woman to buy him coffee. Especially not since he’d invited her.

  “I’ll take care of it. You want an iced decaf or would you rather go for the full load of caffeine?”

  “Full load, please.” She plopped down in the same seat they’d used yesterday, looking exhausted, as if she hadn’t slept well. No doubt she’d been upset about losing her patient to a drug overdose.

  “Hang on to Tango for a minute, would you?” He handed her the golden’s leash, then headed inside the café. He took his place in line and after a few minutes placed their order. As he waited, he tried to think of a way to broach the subject of their friendship.

  By the time their coffee was ready, he still hadn’t figured out how to bring it up without looking or sounding like an idiot.

  He carried the coffee outside and couldn’t help but smile when he found Vanessa speaking to both Tango and Eagle as if they were her kids.

  Don’t go there, he warned himself. They weren’t dating, weren’t a couple and no way was he going to fall in love, get married and have kids.

  He couldn’t even be a combat pilot anymore, so what did he have to offer Vanessa? Or any woman for that matter?

  Absolutely nothing.

  He dropped into the seat next to her and set her coffee down. “Talk to the dogs often?”

  She flashed a brilliant smile. “Of course, and don’t act as if you don’t do the same thing. I’ve watched you with Beacon, remember?”

  “Guilty as charged,” he agreed. “But that’s just because for three solid
days Beacon and I were alone on the mountain and he was the only one I could talk to.”

  “Oh, Isaac.” Vanessa’s gaze was full of sympathy. “It breaks my heart when you say things like that.”

  It was the truth, but before he could say anything more, a sharp retort rang out and it took him a split second to realize that the sound was gunfire.

  “Get down!” He lunged forward, grabbing Vanessa’s arm and dragging her to the ground, using the table for cover.

  People nearby screamed and ran, while he did his best to cover Vanessa’s body with his. The sound of panic hit hard, and his vision blurred as nightmares from the past threatened to drag him into the dark abyss.

  SEVEN

  Vanessa couldn’t believe it was happening again. The situation outside the Winged Java was eerily similar to the events that had transpired during Beacon’s homecoming.

  The wail of sirens indicated help was on the way. She tried to ease away from Isaac’s bulky frame, but he clamped his arms around her, keeping her in place.

  “So much blood,” he whispered.

  Blood? Where? Vanessa, scanned the area around them, but didn’t see any evidence of injury. She didn’t think she’d been hit, but maybe Isaac had? She squirmed again, trying to get a good look at him. The vacant expression in Isaac’s eyes reminded her too much of how Aiden looked after a flashback.

  “Isaac? Are you hurt?” She prayed her voice would get through to him.

  He didn’t answer.

  “Isaac?” She shook his arm. “The cops are on the way. Are you hurt?”

  “No, I’m fine.” His voice was a bit stilted, but at least he’d answered. But he didn’t move from beneath the table until the Security Forces cops swarmed the area. “You okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she assured him when they finally crawled out from beneath the table.

  “Good.” His color was back, although she could still see beads of sweat dotting his brow. Because of the close call? Or his flashback?

  “What happened?” Justin Blackwood pushed his way through the cops.