Total pages in book: 26
Estimated words: 24538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 123(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 24538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 123(@200wpm)___ 98(@250wpm)___ 82(@300wpm)
“My roommate has a brother, and he’s been in and out of rehab since high school. Whenever he falls off the wagon, he gets into trouble, and usually, someone else has to clean up the mess. The last time Phoebe mentioned him a few months ago was because she’d driven him to rehab. I didn’t pay much attention, so I didn’t know that he was out or that he’d fallen back into his old habits.”
“He’s the one who hurt you?” I asked, seething inside and already planning on how to hunt the asshole down and make him pay.
“No. Well, not directly. His dealer came by my apartment earlier today, and even though I tried to tell him I wasn’t Phoebe, he didn’t believe me. He–he”—her eyes filled with tears again, and she touched her cheek just below the broken skin—“he hit me as a warning. And even though he said I almost had him convinced I wasn’t my roommate, if Paul didn’t pay back what he owed, he’d go after any woman who lived in the apartment.”
Shit. She was running from a drug dealer? They were ruthless and hard to pin down. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be around long enough to build a business. Trying to get to him through proper channels would take forever, if it even worked.
I hugged her again and kissed the top of her head before I had a chance to realize what I was doing. “That’s a hell of a situation you’ve got yourself in…?” I trailed off and leaned back so I could look at her expectantly.
“Sage Elsher,” she replied with a tiny curve of her lips. “And you are Command Master Chief what?”
Stunned at her knowledge of my rank, particularly since she’d recognized the slight difference in my insignia—a star under the eagle rather than anchors—that designated me as a step up from Master Chief Petty Officer. “Hamlin,” I answered. “Command Master Chief Arrow Hamlin. How did you know my rank? Do you have family in the Navy?” I didn’t think she was a sailor because she hadn’t saluted me, and if she was local, she was likely stationed at Coronado and there wasn’t a sailor on that base who didn't know the name of the Chief Enlisted Officer.
Sage laughed, and I felt a little of my tension ease up. “Marine brat, I’m afraid. My dad retired at the equivalent of your rank. When I was a kid, I thought it would be a fun activity to memorize all the ranks and insignias in each branch, and the knowledge stuck with me. I’m kind of a nerd like that.” Her cheeks flushed with pink, and it was adorable.
“Sounds to me like you’re very smart. Despite being the daughter of a Navy freeloader.”
She chuckled again, and I knew I wanted more of that sound in my life.
“Sit and rest,” I told her gently. “I’m going to check your tire.”
Sage nodded and scooted her legs into the SUV so I could shut the door. I walked over to the flat and checked the tire, rim, and wheel to make sure I didn’t find anything that might indicate the car had been tampered with. After inspecting it, I was confident there had simply been a random nail in the road that caused the damage. Her tires weren’t exactly in the best condition either, which irritated me because the idea of Sage not being safe would easily drive me batshit crazy if I let it.
I grabbed the keys she’d left in the ignition, then shut and locked the door before stowing the keys in a small crevice under the car where the person I sent here would be able to find them. Before I headed back to my vehicle, I called an old friend–—who also happened to be one of my subordinates, but the favor I was going to ask of him would be off the books.
“Master Chief Hamlin,” Kade answered. “What can I do for you?”
I cleared my throat, then spoke in a low, serious tone. “I need a favor, Truett.” I didn’t want him thinking this was coming from a superior officer, so I clarified, “To be clear, what I’m asking of you is not an order. It’s…off the books.”
He was quiet for a brief second, and I wondered if our friendship would be enough for him to trust me outside of our military roles. Some of the guys on his team had been burned by a former CO who betrayed them and forced one of their own to take the fall.
“Go on.”
I sighed in relief. “I need help hunting someone down and a place”—I looked at Sage and our eyes connected, sending a bolt of attraction straight to my core—“to stash someone while I figure out what to do with her.”
“Her?” His curiosity bled into his tone, but now was not the time to get into the details.