Extreme Honor

by Piper J. Drake

  Atlas.

  He’d gotten pretty good at reading her expressions. Same thought crossed her mind and there was a hint of fear, too. They’d both been ready for a scuffle but neither of them had been prepared to let Atlas go. He’d brought them together.

  They moved for the front door in unison.

  * * *

  Lyn nabbed her laptop bag on the way out the front door, letting David get a step ahead of her. He’d outdistance her regardless, with his ground-eating stride and longer legs. When he didn’t, she was silently grateful. The partnership between them wasn’t gone, despite his telling her to leave earlier.

  Please don’t let this be over yet.

  They’d barely started to explore what was between them and had only made partial progress with Atlas. She wasn’t ready to leave either of those unfinished.

  The two men at the front gate were standing next to a blocky SUV, bare to the point of utilitarian. But then, she was used to the rental SUVs with frills and extra features. It wasn’t obviously a military vehicle as far as she knew but it didn’t look like the usual thing an average person would buy, either.

  Add to it their stance and general attitude and Lyn figured they had to be military. Spending time around David, Brandon, and Alex had gotten her used to the body language. Neither appeared to be particularly intimidating and, in fact, wore such neutral expressions she studied them even more closely.

  David probably saw more than she did. Whatever this situation was, and she had her suspicions, she was glad she was side by side with him. Standing up to these men alone would’ve been a lot more of a challenge.

  The men waited for them to approach rather than coming to meet them. When David came to a stop, so did she, at a distance slightly farther away than would normally allow for comfortable conversation. Already there were irritating undercurrents being exchanged between David and the strangers. Glances and minute frowns. Dogs and cats weren’t the only ones that got into pissing contests.

  “David Cruz and Evelyn Jones?” the older man asked, but it sounded more like a statement than a question. He knew he had the right people. “Sergeant Zuccolin. I have orders to retrieve the military asset known as Atlas. Came through early this morning. Captain Beckhorn has been notified.”

  Lyn preferred straightforward souls like David, Alex, and Brandon. This man talked more like a politician despite his brevity. His tone was too pleasant. He spoke as if they were all good friends and this wouldn’t be met with any protest of any kind.

  “I’d like to see a copy of those orders, Sergeant Zuccolin.” David’s tone was flat.

  The older man clenched his jaw. “I’m sure Captain Beckhorn has forwarded them to you electronically.”

  “To be honest, there may have been a lag in communication.” David made it sound as if that sort of thing happened all the time. “He only called as we were informed of your arrival. I had to choose between coming out to greet you and speaking to him. If you men wouldn’t mind waiting a few minutes, I’d be happy to call him back to hear what he has to say.”

  “There’s coffee up at the main house.” Lyn regretted mentioning it immediately. Both strangers gave her the once-over and dismissed her from consideration. The look was so incredibly familiar from her childhood and the occasions when her father had brought guests to the house. She cursed herself for not choosing something with more impact to say first.

  A person has seconds to establish an impression. In terms of appearance, she was slight and definitely a civilian. On opening her mouth, she hadn’t had any great contribution to the conversation. Anything she said from here on out would barely be heard.

  Damn it. She had better social skills than this.

  The only reason she could think of for being this off-balance was the discussion with her stepfather directly followed by her aborted faceoff with David. Too many thoughts were churning inside her head and she hadn’t had a chance to resolve anything. She’d need to shove all that aside and quickly.

  “Waiting won’t be necessary.” Sergeant Zuccolin glanced at his companion, who stepped over to their car and retrieved a folder from the passenger side. “We brought a hard copy.”

  “Appreciated.” No irritation in David’s comment or expression. These men were all going on minimal auditory or body language cues. Poker would be torture with any of them.

  David read through the orders. It took a few minutes and they all waited. She cheered inwardly as he took the time to look for the loophole. There had to be one.

  Then as he looked up and met her gaze, she realized it was because he couldn’t find one. The men had come here and could afford to wait because there wasn’t anything David could do. She stared at him. Opened her mouth.

  He shook his head once. Brief. Barely a movement. He was giving up.

  Well, she didn’t plan to.

  She lifted her chin and stared directly into the sergeant’s eyes. “You know who I am, I assume, other than my name.”

  Throwing around her identity—actually her stepfather’s—irked her to no end, but in this case it was the only card she had in her hand. She’d use it.

  Practicality.

  Sergeant Zuccolin nodded with reluctance.

  She didn’t blink or turn her head. She kept her gaze steady on his. “Good. Then you’ll see the wisdom of sending your colleague there over to the guest cabin to gather my belongings and place them in the vehicle. I’ll see to Atlas and prepare him for the trip.”

  “Wait a minute.” Anger was starting to show in David’s demeanor and she didn’t dare make eye contact with him. “I want to know what business you have accompanying our dog off this premises. We are supposed to be working on his retraining together.”

  “Atlas is the property of the military, as I have been reminded multiple times, even by you, Mr. Cruz.” It hurt to use his formal name this way. She wondered if he’d ever forgive her. Considering what was going to come to light next, probably not. “My contract is to rehabilitate him, not work with you. I go where he goes.”

  This would be for the best. It was becoming very clear whatever was going on around Atlas, her stepfather hadn’t been keeping tabs on her for his reputation’s sake. He’d been using her to keep up to date on David and how much he was learning about the circumstances around Calhoun’s death. If she went with Atlas, David could be free to continue investigating without her stepfather’s scrutiny.

  Sergeant Zuccolin didn’t step in. Man must be wiser than she’d initially given him credit for. Instead, he leaned over to his fellow soldier and murmured a few words.

  The man nodded sharply and approached Lyn. “Ma’am, if you’d show me where to go, I’ll accompany you to gather both your belongings and the asset.”

  She nodded.

  David wasn’t finished, though. “Enlighten me. Who are you that you can amend their orders to go with them?”

  “It’s not about who I am.” It never was. She’d struggled for years to build her own identity and it still boiled down to this. “It’s about who my father is. Captain Francis Jones of the US Navy. I get the impression he’s a few pay grades higher than your Air Force Captain friend in San Antonio. He sponsored my request to be allowed to work with Atlas. I’m sure he’ll confirm upon request.”

  And she was sure she hadn’t made any friends for making the comparison in ranks between Air Force and Navy.

  But it was worth it. David’s jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed slightly. There might’ve been a vein popping across his forehead but she might’ve imagined it. Either way, he was angry, not hurt. And his anger was much more preferable to leaving him visibly hurt in front of these men.

  “Jones is a common name.” David had his calm well in hand. In fact, his tone had gone cold. “I’d thought it was a coincidence. I stand corrected.”

  “Well, then, there’s just a few things left to do then.” Lyn was at a loss for anything else to say so she walked past David and headed for the cabin.

  It took moments
, since she was packed anyway. The soldier who’d accompanied her didn’t comment. Good, because she didn’t owe him any explanations. She was too busy hoping someday David would give her the chance.

  Atlas was on his feet and happy to see her when she approached the kennel. She almost cried when he eagerly sat and turned his head so she could attach the leash to his collar. He must’ve picked up her mood, though, because on the walk back, he remained at a precise heel position. He took notice of the man walking with them and Sergeant Zuccolin when they approached. They were unknown and Atlas regarded both of them as threats in relation to her.

  “Load him in the crate.” Sergeant Zuccolin gave the order to the man next to her.

  “I’ll take care of securing him.” Lyn made her statement firm and didn’t give anyone time to argue with her.

  She led Atlas around to the back of the SUV. The soldier hurried after her with her bags and juggled them for a minute in order to open the door for her.

  “Atlas, over.” On her command, Atlas jumped easily up into the back of the SUV. “Hok.”

  Atlas obeyed her immediately, entering the crate and turning to face her as he lay down. His ears were cocked backward, though, and his head tilted to one side as he regarded her. This wasn’t like the previous road trip and he had to be sensing her stress. It was a good thing these men weren’t watching him and probably didn’t care to use him to guess at what was going through her mind.

  David, on the other hand, had moved around to a vantage point where he could see both her and Atlas. Carefully keeping her eyes on Atlas, she leaned in and gave the big dog a caress on the cheek. “Hopefully you’ll understand one day soon.”

  Words for David, not Atlas.

  “Miss Jones, we’d like to get going.” Sergeant Zuccolin had lost whatever patience he had initially.

  “Will there be stops along the way? I didn’t have a chance to take Atlas to relieve himself before sending him into the crate.” She didn’t want to leave. Everything about this was rushed, off, and for once she desperately wished she could call her stepfather.

  It wasn’t likely he’d ordered this. Maybe he hadn’t even known. His last instructions to her indicated he’d expected her to be around David for a while longer at least. This didn’t fit.

  “I assure you, we’ll be stopping before you know it.” An odd quirk popped in the sergeant’s voice as he spoke. Or maybe she’d imagined it.

  She nodded and closed Atlas’s crate door. No bungee cords or anything to secure the latch so she left it. Atlas was well-behaved now so she doubted it’d be an issue.

  “Good-bye, Mr. Cruz. It was a pleasure to work with you.” She met David’s gaze this time but it was still frigid.

  He only nodded. “Miss Jones.”

  And that was it. She turned back toward the SUV. The other soldier had the front passenger seat door open for her and she climbed in without looking back. As they drove away, she tried to unobtrusively watch David in the side-view mirror.

  He never moved.

  Then they turned onto the main road and trees hid him from view.

  Chapter Nineteen

  It didn’t take a genius to catch the hint that she wasn’t wanted. Her two military companions were stoic and noncommunicative as they pulled onto the main road headed for the highway.

  Oh, she hadn’t expected them to be friendly and chatty or even make small talk, but they could at least answer her questions. So far, they’d been mute and possibly pretending to be deaf. She’d figured it was because they were concentrating on getting on the road so she’d subsided.

  Now that they were picking up speed and headed on a major road, it could be worth another try.

  “What’s the next step for Atlas?” She tried to sound friendly, positive, yet professional.

  Nothing. If anything, the only response from the man driving was a deepening scowl. Maybe he’d been hoping she’d be quiet the whole ride. Not that this SUV was particularly quiet. It was utilitarian, absent of the padding and console treatments she was used to seeing in vehicles. As a result, there seemed to be something rattling in the center console, the doors, pretty much everywhere.

  There was a radio but no one had turned it on and she wasn’t ballsy enough to reach out and start fiddling with it. She didn’t know the local radio stations anyway since she and David had alternated playlists on their phones for their road trip. David and Atlas had been much better driving companions.

  But that adventure was over. In a whole lot of ways, most likely.

  She tried communicating with her current travel companions again. Simple question. Perfectly reasonable. “Which base are we headed to?”

  Zilch.

  In the back, Sergeant Zuccolin might have shifted in his seat a bit. Maybe.

  There was an awful cold creeping across her skin and through her insides as the situation forced introspection. She probably wasn’t wanted back at Hope’s Crossing Kennels either. Maybe David was moving back into his cabin at that very moment.

  It might be a while before she could work up the courage to call him. Try to explain. He might not even take her call. And if he didn’t, would an e-mail be opened or immediately deleted? What about a text?

  There were so many ways for her to reach out to him and he could ignore each and every one of them.

  There was no telling how long she’d manage to stay attached to Atlas once they got to whatever military base they were heading to. She’d most definitely be going through some challenging conversations. Ideally, she wouldn’t have to reach out to her stepfather directly to keep herself a part of the project. Maybe she could apply what she’d learned from working with David, Brandon, and Alex to her approach for reasoning with the military men she’d be encountering once they reached their destination. Get started on a more positive note with a better impression.

  Sergeant Zuccolin had most definitely formed an opinion of her already. It might be good, but probably the best she could hope for was neutral. Possibly bad. He’d been a direct witness to the surprise she’d sprung on David and it hadn’t been a nice one.

  Betrayal came to mind. Stabbed in the back might be a good way to describe it, too. David had looked like he’d been smacked.

  She owed David an apology no matter what. It hadn’t been something she’d set out to do to him, but she should’ve talked to him about it sometime earlier. The unsettling feeling had snuck up on her and she truly hadn’t recognized it as keeping a secret from him until the moment she told him. Maybe he’d understand. Things had happened so quickly, she’d spent very little time thinking about any role her stepfather played in all of this or why he might want reports on Atlas.

  Stupid.

  But it was the truth. And if there was anything David valued beyond excuses and apologies, it was honesty. Simple, bare, sometimes brutal. He gave it and appreciated it in return. She should tell him. Whether he believed her or not was up to him but at least she could give it to him to do with as he chose.

  The scenery was passing by as a blur outside the window. She barely took notice. They’d be getting on Interstate 95 soon if they took a similar route to the one David had on their road trip. At least, if she remembered it correctly. If this was a long ride, she was likely to lose her mind wondering about what she should do. To be honest, there was no time like the present. Later she might be too busy to keep her thoughts clear and it’d also be too easy to push it off repeatedly until she never reached out to him. Now was better.

  She took out her smartphone and swiped the screen to unlock it. Tapping the message icon, she started to text David.

  “Time to end this farce.” Sergeant Zuccolin’s hand shot over her shoulder and grabbed her phone out of her hands.

  “Hey!”

  She didn’t have time for more as the sergeant grabbed for her hands, starting to wrap duct tape around her wrists.

  Panic blinded her and she thrashed.

  “Fuck!” The SUV swerved as her flailing hands contacted with t
he man’s shoulder. The hell was his name? She should know both of their names so she could report this.

  If she survived.

  Atlas was barking and growling. The metal crate crashed in the back.

  Her brain had gone into overdrive as she struggled against the sergeant. He was too strong, though. In seconds, he’d captured her hands and wrapped the duct tape around her wrists. Once. Twice.

  Metal screeched and clanged. The sergeant shouted as Atlas came flying into the back seat.

  “Shit! How did he get loose?” The enlisted man started to pull over.

  “No!” Sergeant Zuccolin shouted even as he struggled with Atlas. “Keep driving, you idiot. I’ve got this.”

  Not likely. Another minute and Atlas was going to get through the sergeant’s defense with a kill bite. It would be bad. Atlas killing a US soldier would be bad. He wasn’t on duty. He could be put down.

  And he was doing it for her.

  She needed to get him out—safe, away.

  Desperation pushed Lyn to wrench the door handle. The door opened and the ground shot by as they started to accelerate again. Quick. Had to be quicker. She jammed her foot against the door to keep it open as wide as she could.

  “Shut that door!” the driver shouted.

  She ignored him. “Atlas! Hier!”

  Atlas left off the sergeant in the back and jumped into the front seat, into her lap.

  “No you don’t!” The sergeant grabbed her by the shoulder, his forearms bloody and ripped up from fending off Atlas.

  Not what she had in mind anyway. “Atlas! Over! Over! Zoek David!”

  Atlas whined but obeyed. He launched out of the SUV, clearing the dangerous pavement to hit and roll in the grass past the road’s edge. A normal dog might’ve been hurt, but Atlas had jumped out of planes and helicopters in his career. She’d had no doubts he could make the jump and get to David.