Battle Tested. Laura Scott

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СКАЧАТЬ was no doubt in her mind that these four tiny balls of fur were exactly what Aiden needed to help battle his illness.

      And she’d do anything in her power to see her tormented brother relax and smile again.

       Anything.

      Isaac easily saw himself in Aiden’s demeanor, from the tense anxiety emanating from the young man’s very being, to the fear and anger darkening his brown eyes, replicas of his older sister’s.

      The kid was young, barely twenty from his estimation, and suddenly Isaac wished that the minimum age to enter the military was older than a mere eighteen.

      Not that he wasn’t proud to serve his country, because he was. After all, he’d gone straight into the Air Force Academy in Colorado, and from there to flight school to become an Air Force combat pilot. By the time he’d served his first tour overseas, he’d been twenty-three.

      Now that he was thirty, his first tour seemed a lifetime ago.

      There was no way to prepare for being deployed, although the various branches of the military did their best. Logically, he knew it wasn’t as if every airman, soldier, marine or seaman experienced combat, but still, the exposure to violence certainly took its toll.

      Which was why he still hadn’t signed the paperwork to reenlist. Returning to the air as a pilot wasn’t an option now. He’d never risk other lives by flying with PTSD. Which left a huge question mark on his future.

      But that was not a problem to solve tonight.

      As they stepped outside to Vanessa’s car, he did a quick sweep of the neighborhood, looking for any sign of the puppies’ mother. Tango helped, but he came up empty-handed.

      He climbed into the car beside Vanessa, and she drove directly to the veterinary clinic. The vet, Captain Kyle Roark, greeted them when they arrived.

      “Westley called me about the puppies. I think I may have the injured mother inside. Someone turned her in a few hours ago. She suffered a rather serious animal bite that required surgery to repair. I think she’ll be fine, but I’ll need to watch her closely for the next few days for signs of infection.”

      “Is she one of the training dogs?” Isaac asked.

      Kyle shook his head. “No microchip. But I’m concerned there may be a link between this dog and the person who let the others go.”

      Isaac didn’t like the sound of that.

      Kyle took the puppies into an examination room to assess their condition. He returned a short while later with good news.

      “They’re all surprisingly healthy, and they look to be about four weeks old.” He glanced at Vanessa and Aiden as he continued, “I’ll give you some supplies you’ll need to foster them, okay?”

      “That would be great,” Vanessa agreed.

      Isaac had noticed how protective Aiden was of the puppies, and hoped Vanessa was making the right decision allowing him to help foster them. Not that he thought Aiden would hurt them in any way, but Isaac knew how horrible it was to be separated from an animal you’d bonded with.

      He missed Beacon with an all-consuming intensity. For several days, after Beacon had saved his life in Afghanistan by dragging him by the back of his flight suit away from the burning chopper, he and the dog had hidden together in enemy territory while waiting to be rescued. Losing his best friend and Beacon’s handler, Jake Burke, had been horrible. During those endless hours after the crash, Beacon had been his only source of comfort. Although even Beacon’s reassuring presence couldn’t keep his guilt at bay.

      Then the USAF search-and-rescue chopper had arrived. The pilot had done a routine flyby, then circled around to land on a small level spot close to where he and Beacon had holed up. Getting into the chopper hadn’t been easy, but by the time the rebels had begun firing at them, the pilot had gotten them airborne.

      At first, he’d been overjoyed at being rescued, but when they’d landed in Kabul and he was separated from Beacon, his whole world had come crumbling down.

      Not only had he failed Jake by crashing the chopper that caused his buddy’s death, but he’d failed in keeping Jake’s K-9 as he’d promised when they’d first begun flying together. Six months of red tape and politics and he still didn’t have Beacon home.

      But tomorrow was the day. Less than twenty-four hours and he’d have Beacon home where he belonged.

       I’m trying, Jake. Just like I promised. I’ll bring Beacon home!

      Before the crash that had taken his buddy’s life, he might have reached out to God for solace. But not anymore. These days, he didn’t feel much like talking to God.

      “We’re ready to go,” Vanessa said, pulling him from his troubling thoughts. “Isaac? Is everything okay?”

      He nodded and cleared his throat. “Yep. All set.”

      Aiden had obviously delegated himself the primary caregiver as he picked up the box of puppies again and waited for Vanessa to get the door.

      Vanessa’s SUV had plenty of room for the three of them and the two dogs Eagle and Tango, not to mention the box of squirming puppies. Aiden kept the box on his lap the entire time, unwilling to let the puppies out of his sight.

      Interesting how the Doberman stayed close to Vanessa’s side, obviously trained to protect her. If that was the case, why hadn’t she brought the dog to the hospital with her? Granted, an intensive care unit probably wasn’t an appropriate place for a dog, but surely under the circumstances an exception could be made for Vanessa’s safety.

      Aiden took the puppies inside and began feeding them, using the commercial formula provided by Kyle. He’d barely gotten settled when there was a sharp knock at the door. Vanessa answered it, looking surprised to see the head of the Security Forces standing there, his tall male Malinois named Quinn at his side.

      “Why didn’t you answer your phone?” Captain Justin Blackwood asked as he shouldered his way inside. Quinn stayed close, well trained enough not to react to the other dogs.

      “Oh, I left my bag in the car while we were at the vet’s office,” she said with a guilty wince. “Sorry about that.”

      Justin scowled, glancing between Isaac and Vanessa. “Tell me what happened at the hospital.”

      Vanessa glanced over her shoulder, then gestured for the men to come into the living room. “I don’t want my brother to hear this.”

      “Fine, but I need details,” Justin insisted.

      Isaac crossed his arms over his chest as Vanessa explained how she took a shortcut out of the hospital, going through the hallway containing offices to get to the other side of the building closest to the front entrance when the lights went out and strong hands grasped her around the neck.

      Hearing her talk about the attack she’d suffered made Isaac angry all over again. Justin’s expression turned grim as he inspected the red marks around her throat, already beginning to bruise.

      “Did he say anything?” Justin asked.

      Vanessa СКАЧАТЬ