Total pages in book: 40
Estimated words: 36646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36646 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 183(@200wpm)___ 147(@250wpm)___ 122(@300wpm)
For the better part of my life, I’d been the adult. The grown-up. My pa disappeared before I was born, and my ma couldn’t have told you who he was to begin with. She had seven other children, some of them older than me, some younger. I was the one everyone went to, though. From the time I was old enough to stand on a kitchen chair and cook a meal, it was me taking care of my family.
Now? For the first time since I could ever remember, I was living in the moment and not worrying about the next move. Joy. Pure bliss. It would be so easy to wave him off the exit and just keep going South. This wasn’t my fight anyway. I’d done what I could to keep the kid alive. He was back at his barracks until they’d finished the fucking paperwork, then he’d be shipped off to a disciplinary barracks. Likely Leavenworth, as I’d thought earlier. I could… just keep riding. Let Mike take me away somewhere we could spend some time seeing how attracted to each other we really were, or realizing we hated each other and have a fight to the death. I had to grin at that. For the first time in my life, I thought I might have found a man who could take me in a fair fight.
As we neared the exit, I was about to say fuck it all and tell Mike to keep going. But he squeezed my knee, harder this time. He didn’t look back at me, but kept going until he’d pulled off the interstate and onto the exit ramp. He didn’t say anything even when we stopped at a light just before we got to the post. Instead of pulling to the visitor entrance, he pulled into a gas station to top off the tank.
“What are you thinking?” I asked as Mike handed the service guy a five-dollar bill. It wouldn’t take that much, but I imagine Mike wanted the guy gone so we could talk.
“Just wondering what your plan is. If we’re gonna get shot at, I’d like to know now.” He grinned as he spoke, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“No plans on getting shot at. I know a colonel there. He owes me a favor and I’m gonna to try to collect.”
“What are you hoping for with the kid, Jo? You know he’s gonna do time. If nothing else, they’ll put him in a mental institution.”
“I know that, Mike,” I bit out, a little harsher than I should have. “I just want the kid to get a fair shake, OK? Yeah, he has to do time. And he’ll get a dishonorable discharge. I’d just like to make sure he gets what he needs while he’s there, especially the means to contact any family who need to know where he is. Maybe some psychiatric help.”
“OK. Fair enough.” Mike finished fueling the bike before securing the pump and climbing back on in front of me. “Let’s see what we can do for the kid.” A few minutes later he pulled up to the visitors’ entrance. The gate was manned by several MPs who looked no-nonsense. I’d have trouble getting in if Colonel Gill decided to renege on our agreement.
“Military ID, please.” One guard approached us while three more kept watch.
“We’re both recently discharged.” I pulled an envelope from my jacket pocket with my paperwork inside it and handed it to the guard. Mike raised an eyebrow but did the same. “I’m here to see Colonel Gill. He’s not expecting me, but tell him it’s Dr. Josephine Peyton.”
“Pull over by the guard tower while I look into this.” The guard gave me a disgruntled frown. Doubtless the man didn’t like a change in routine. Most men who took their responsibilities seriously when on guard duty weren’t fans of the unexpected.
Mike took us to the area the guard indicated. There were several parking spots for people to pull over and wait, though none were taken. It gave us another few moments to discuss our next move. Which, I admit, might have been smarter to have done at the gas station. Or in the parking lot before we left. Or any number of places other than outside the guard tower at Fort fucking Knox.
“I hope you know what you’re doin’, Jo. You on good terms with Colonel Gill?”
“Not at all. In fact, he hates my guts. Only problem is, I saved his life more than once in Laos. He may be an insufferable, know-it-all, condescending bastard, but he always repays his debts. And he’s not a bad man. Just tends to be a rule follower, even when he knows he needs to make his own rules.” I was betting this kid’s life with my belief on the strait-laced bastard, but someone needed to look out for the youngster.