The American Soldier Collection 12: Ask Me No Questions
Cassidy is a retired Marine. She's trying to survive, evade a stalking soldier, and make a new start. She doesn't want to be seen as weak, so she decides to leave her job and start new, away from trouble. She visits an old friend from the military and a new town called Tranquility that many soldiers live in. They're a lot like her, trying to adapt, looking for support and compassion, yet striving to maintain strength and live better lives after serving their country and making so many sacrifices. She falls in love with it all, including five American soldiers who make her feel protected, and also like everything will work out just fine. But trouble seems to follow her, and now more is at stake, including the lives of five American soldiers she's fallen in love with and the hope that after all her struggles and pain that she could have her happily ever after.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Romantic Suspense
Length: 47,960 words
THE AMERICAN SOLDIER COLLECTION 12:
ASK ME NO QUESTIONS
Dixie Lynn Dwyer
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Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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IMPRINT: LoveXtreme Forever
THE AMERICAN SOLDIER COLLECTION 12: ASK ME NO QUESTIONS
Copyright © 2015 by Dixie Lynn Dwyer
E-book ISBN: 978-1-63259-470-9
First E-book Publication: June 2015
Cover design by Les Byerley
All art and logo copyright © 2015 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter to Readers
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DEDICATION
Dear readers,
Thank you for purchasing this legal copy of Ask Me No Questions.
Cassidy is a strong woman who has faced danger head on and lived life dependent on her own abilities and determination. There’s been no family except the Corps. She continues to give back and try to help fellow soldiers like herself survive as civilians. When the tables turn and her kindness and determination to help even those not wanting to be saved places her in danger, it comes at the worst of times.
She is in survival mode with raw wounds, a broken soul, and feeling ready to give up.
May you enjoy Cassidy’s journey as she learns to not only trust again and believe in the kindness of strangers and the compassion of honorable American soldiers, but also the power of true love like she never knew existed before.
Happy reading.
Hugs!
~Dixie~
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
About the Author
THE AMERICAN SOLDIER COLLECTION 12:
ASK ME NO QUESTIONS
DIXIE LYNN DWYER
Copyright © 2015
Prologue
The deep, pounding sounds of the rotors died out the radio calls for help. Lance Corporal Cassidy Williams remained silent and observed everything going on around her. The yelling, the radio calls for backup. The small excursion mission with Sergeant Major “Red” Halloway and the small medical team, she and Dr. Reynolds, was swiftly turning into a nightmare. The sound of land-to-air missiles coming too close for comfort from enemies below had her shaking in her military gear.
“I am not landing this chopper. Not with a medical team unprepared for ground battle. How the fuck long will it take for backup to arrive?” Sergeant Major Halloway yelled into the radio receiver. “Fuck!” he exclaimed, and the chopper took a sharp dip to the right then back to the left as another missile whizzed by them.
Cassidy held onto the strap hanging from above. Sergeant Major Halloway looked at her. “We have to land. We need to get those men out of there.”
The others looked at her. Did they think she couldn’t handle this? Did they believe just because she hadn’t been in the midst of battle with bullets whizzing by her head that she couldn’t use her training as a Marine to stay alive and take orders? For crying out loud, she was a medic, a nurse who assisted with gruesome procedures alongside Dr. Reynolds. She was so desensitized to seeing gore and blood and not freaking out or panicking that Dr. Reynolds had her assist lots of times in situations like this. Situations where soldiers needed immediate medical attention the moment they got on the chopper. She could do this.
“Sergeant Major, don’t you dare think for one moment that I would hold you back. I’m a Marine, sir. I’ve trained for all of this. Those men need medical attention, or they’ll die down there. I’ve got this.”
An exchange occurred between Sergeant Major Halloway and Dr. Reynolds. Reynolds nodded. Truth was Sergeant Major Halloway was one of the best command leaders. He never left a man behind. And word was that some of the men down there were from his old team. He would be retiring soon. This was his final tour.
“Land this bird, Corporal. We’re going in,” Sergeant Major Halloway said, and the
n one of the team members checked Cassidy’s gear.
“You got this, Cassidy. Just stay on the damn chopper,” Frederick stated, and then winked.
He was a bad-ass Marine. Tough as nails and a total flirt. She hung out with him and some of the team that were down there. Maybe that’s why she was so willing to help. Their lives meant more right now. They were injured, scared, and she and this team in the chopper were their only help right now.
She nodded as the chopper descended.
She jerked each time bullets peppered the side of the chopper. But then she watched in awe as the soldiers and Sergeant Major Halloway hopped off the chopper before it even fully landed. What she hadn’t expected was to see the smoke, the burning vehicles, and then Frederick fall to the ground as someone shot him.
She didn’t think twice as she jumped from the chopper. Automatic rifle in hand, she turned toward three men with automatic weapons and fired her gun, taking all three men out as they fired toward her. It was so instinctual. Her training kicked in, despite the fact that she mostly served her country in the ER alongside doctors and surgeons. The adrenaline was pumping, and she lowered to a squatting position and made her way to Frederick.
“Corporal Frederick, are you okay?” she yelled to him.
He cringed in pain. “That’s some fine fucking shooting, Cass. Did you kill those fuckers?”
She saw the blood oozing from his side.
“They won’t be shooting anyone else, Frederick. Let’s get you to the chopper.”
As she tried to help him up, she heard more yelling and lots of gunfire being exchanged. One of the other men from the ground team joined her. His expression was hard, his face covered in dirt and blood. There was blood on his uniform. She reached out to him.
“Are you injured?”
He shook his head. “No, ma’am. Not my blood.”
“Help me get him in the chopper,” she said just as a series of bullets whizzed by their feet. Both she and the soldier turned and fired, taking out another set of men, but the soldier she was with took a bullet to his arm.
“Fuck,” he yelled out.
“Let’s move. Now!”
They dragged Frederick toward the chopper. Despite the bullet wound to the soldier’s arm, he was able to lift Frederick onto the chopper with the help of Dr. Reynolds. The doctor immediately began to evaluate the injuries. The pilot was yelling to them that help was minutes out.
One look behind them and she knew they didn’t have minutes. More needed to be done.
She shifted her gun to her shoulder and headed back out. She could hear the doctor calling to her to stay put, but she couldn’t. It was a war zone, and more soldiers were getting shot.
She ran toward the group of men being carried by other American soldiers. Sergeant Major Halloway was bringing up the rear. He had blood on him, but it was from the soldier he was carrying out. They all looked battered and bloodied. It was terrible to see them in this state. She was compelled to help. Then she saw past the sergeant major and directly toward men with guns running from the trees. They were not American soldiers running toward them, guns drawn.
“Get down,” she yelled to them as she pulled her firearm around her and aimed.
As the bullets filled the air around them all, she began firing her weapon, placing herself between the group of injured soldiers and the enemy. She watched them go down and barely felt the strike to her side and her arm. She just kept shooting, and Halloway was right beside her.
It wasn’t until she heard the sounds of explosions and gunfire from above that she realized help had indeed arrived and now they could focus on the injured.
“I thought I told you to stay in the chopper, Cass,” Halloway yelled at her, calling her by her first name. It was more personal, and she knew sharing this situation had changed their relationship altogether. But as the adrenaline rush began to leave her, the pain kicked in, and she fell to the ground on her knees. She’d been shot. Twice.
“And let our men die? No way, sir. Not today. I wasn’t going to sit there and watch them drop you guys like flies. No way.”
“You crazy son of a bitch. You are a Marine. I’d take you as part of my troop any time, Lance Corporal. Now let’s get on that chopper and head home.”
She lifted her arm from her side, and his eyes widened.
“I think I may need some help, sir.”
Chapter 1
Sergeant Major “Red” Halloway stood in full uniform at the retirement party for one of his friends. He almost hadn’t shown up. But his son Cash had talked him into going. Cash was now living back in Tranquility with his team and brother, Stryker. Red took a sip of bourbon from the glass he’d milked the last hour. He couldn’t even enjoy his drink, his mind on his son Stryker and how badly he suffered from his injuries. Marines just like him, both sons had nearly lost their lives serving. In a routine mission gone wrong, Stryker sustained injuries to his legs and hip. He was in such a state of anger and depression that none of the therapists that came to the house lasted more than a few days. He was obnoxious, downright mean, and said he didn’t care if he would walk correctly again or not. It didn’t even help that the rest of his team had taken up residence on the nearby ranch.
“Hello, sir.”
Red turned around to see Gunnery Sergeant Frederick Holt. Holt saluted him, and Red saluted him back before he pulled Frederick into a hug.
“Damn, this is turning into a fucking reunion of sorts. I’ve seen about five or six of the crew from that mission in Iraq that nearly took all our lives,” Frederick said as he joined Red by the bar and rubbed along his belly as if remembering the bullet he’d taken in his gut that day.
“I haven’t seen anyone. Where are they all hiding out?” Red asked. Frederick chuckled.
“They’re vying for one very special ER nurse’s attention.”
Red squinted his eyes.
“Who would that be?”
“The sexy Lance Corporal Cassidy Williams, sir.” Frederick chuckled.
“Cass is here? Where?” he asked, and Frederick laughed.
“Damn, you too?” he teased.
“Hell, I could be her father, hell, her grandfather.”
“Not a chance. Women like the older military types,” Frederick teased.
“Not Cass. She’s a gem. A God damn asset to the United States Marine Corps.”
“Not anymore. She retired. Took a civilian job in Houston. I’m surprised you haven’t bumped into her in your neck of the woods. You’ve got all those cool dance halls and, of course, Casper’s.”
Red couldn’t help but look around for Cass. It had been two years since he had seen her. He often wondered what she was up to. He’d recommended her for commendations and even a few medals for risking her own life to save the troops and taking out the enemy soldiers before they could take out more U.S. soldiers. She had more than proved her position as a Marine, never mind as an ER nurse.
“There she is over there.”
Frederick pointed toward the right, and sure enough, a crowd of four men surrounded her. She looked incredible. The black cocktail dress hugged her shapely figure, and her long brown hair hung past her lower back in an abundance of curls. She looked as sweet and youthful as he remembered. Shocked the crap out of him and the other soldiers that she could shoot the way she did and react as swiftly.
She caught sight of him, completely dismissed the four naval officers she was with, and headed toward him.
“Look at that. Maybe you do have a chance,” Frederick teased, and Red shook his head at Frederick.
“She’s younger than my youngest son,” he replied as Cassidy approached.
She immediately stopped, stood straight at attention, and saluted him. Red saluted her back, and then she embraced him.
“My God, Cass, you look incredible. How the hell are you?” Red asked.
“I’m doing well, sir. How about yourself? Retirement life all it’s talked up to be?”
“You tell me. I
hear you’ve left the Corps and are now engaging in some sort of civilian affair. Sounds boring.”
She chuckled, her hazel eyes sparkling as she glanced at Frederick then back at Red.
“I wouldn’t say that. I’m keeping busy. I was working at the military hospital for a while but then started focusing on private care. I’m currently working at a small non-profit agency in Houston.”
“As a nurse?” he asked.
“Not in surgery or trauma like before. I’ve decided to slow things down a bit. I enjoy helping injured soldiers get back on their feet again and work out regimens of physical therapy, nutrition, and exercise. You name it. It’s a new way of approaching the special physical and psychological aspects of a soldier’s experience with combat and their injuries.”
Red was really impressed. He couldn’t help but want to learn more about Cass’s new profession.
“Can I grab you a drink? Maybe you can tell me more about this new profession. Do you work privately as well?” he asked.
Frederick chuckled.
“That’s a hell of a line, sir. I’ll leave you two alone,” Frederick said, and Cass chuckled as Red pointed at Frederick.
“You watch it. She could be my daughter. Remember that.”
“Well then, I’ll be back in a little bit to see if I can make some leeway and get Cass to accept a dinner date with me,” Frederick said and winked at Cass.
Cass walked with Red and smiled. “He’s harmless. Besides, he might be a little jealous because I declined his offer of a date.”
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