A Wicked Persuasion. Karen Foley

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СКАЧАТЬ gave him a meaningful smile. “Like a baby. But what about you? You didn’t need to leave.”

      He paused beside her. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I did. What happened last night was amazing, Kate, but it can’t happen again.”

      Kate’s smile faltered and something twisted painfully in her chest. “You’re saying it was a mistake.”

      Chase’s expression was so intense that for a moment Kate thought he was going to pull her into his arms. “No,” he said fiercely. “Not a mistake. Just not very smart, considering our situation.”

      Realistically, she knew he was right. Last night, she’d been convinced that she could have sex with Chase and not have any regrets; that she could have a brief fling without getting emotionally involved. But recalling what it had been like … what he had been like, she knew she’d been kidding herself.

      Now she forced herself to nod in agreement. “I understand.”

      A muscle ticked in his jaw and he took a step toward her. For an instant, she thought he might actually kiss her. Instead, he made a small sound of frustration and ducked into her tent, reappearing a moment later with one of her duffel bags in either hand.

      “You can use this protective gear for the remainder of your visit,” he said gruffly, indicating the bag that contained her flak vest and helmet.

      Kate watched as he walked quickly to the Humvee and tossed the equipment into the backseat. She wanted to tell him that he could take the stuff. There wasn’t enough protective gear in the world to keep her heart safe from him.

      Drawing a deep breath, Kate walked slowly to the Humvee and climbed into the passenger seat, placing her shoulder bag on the floor at her feet. She reminded herself that she was thirty-one years old and she had wanted Chase in her bed. In fact, he’d given her several opportunities to back off, but she’d been determined to have him. He’d been upfront with her about not being able to make any commitments. It wasn’t as though he’d misled her. She had no reason to expect that he would suddenly treat her as if they were soul mates.

      So why did she feel so miserable?

      She watched as he opened the back of the Humvee and let the dog jump in before he climbed into the driver’s seat and thrust the vehicle into gear. The roads were thick with mud and washed-out in some places, but the Humvee bounced over the ruts without any problem.

      “Here,” he said, handing her a paper bag. “I brought you some breakfast. And a coffee.”

      Kate accepted the bag, expecting to find another Pop-Tart pastry. Instead, she found a hot breakfast sandwich and some fruit inside. The unexpected gesture both touched and confused her.

      “Thank you. Did you already eat?”

      “What? Oh, yeah. I didn’t get any sleep last night after we—” He broke off abruptly. “I was at the dining facility around 4:00 a.m.” He glanced at her as he spoke, and twin patches of color rode high on his cheekbones, the only indication that he was thinking about their interlude, and that he wasn’t as unfeeling about it as he would have her believe. Suddenly, Kate felt much lighter.

      “Oh, well, thanks.” She took a bite of the sandwich, realizing for the first time how hungry she was. Then she recalled the helicopter flight from Bagram to Camp Leatherneck, and felt her stomach rebel. “How are we getting to Kandahar?”

      A brief smile touched his mouth, but he didn’t look at her. “Not by Black Hawk.”

      “Perfect.”

      They headed back to the flight line, and Kate looked across the tarmac to one of the biggest aircraft she had ever seen. Stuffing her sandwich in the bag, she turned to Chase.

      “That’s a C-17 Globemaster,” he said, nodding toward the plane. “One of the Marine expeditionary units is transferring to Kandahar and bringing three Humvees with them, but they have some extra seats, so we’re hitching a ride with them.”

      Kate swallowed hard, reminding herself that at least it wasn’t a Black Hawk, and at least they didn’t have to drive overland.

      Inside the makeshift terminal, Chase took her body armor out of her duffel bag and handed it to her, and then pulled on his own protective gear. Outside, he snapped a long lead to Charity’s harness and handed the end to Kate, who watched as he threw their duffel bags on a pallet, alongside dozens of other bags and assorted gear. Several soldiers began rearranging the baggage and then strapped it all down with an enormous net.

      A military bus drew to a stop by the pallets. “This is our ride to the plane,” Chase said, taking the leash and indicating she should precede him.

      “Sir, I’m sorry but the dog isn’t allowed on the flight,” said a military police officer, stepping forward to prevent Chase from boarding.

      Kate thought Chase might try to argue with the man, but instead he pulled a small card out of his pocket and showed it to the officer, who saluted smartly and stepped back. “My mistake, sir. Enjoy your flight.”

      They managed to get two seats together near the front of the bus, and Charity scooted in under their feet. Kate turned to Chase.

      “What was that you showed the soldier?” she asked.

      Reaching into his pocket, Chase withdrew an official looking ID card, but this one had a photo of Charity, and beneath it the words Military Working Dog, and what Kate guessed was the number of Chase’s unit.

      “Is she really a working dog?” she asked in surprise. “I thought she was a stray that you rescued.”

      “She is a stray, but the K-9 unit has been working with her for the past six months.” Chase reached down to rub the dog’s ears. “Her test scores are higher than most of the other dogs, and her conditioning is exceptional. My guess is that she was a military working dog with the Afghan army and somehow got separated from her handler and ended up in that village. She’s not actually part of the K-9 team, but the unit was good enough to give her an ID card so that I can bring her with me when I travel.”

      “What about when you return to the States?” Kate asked. “Will you be able to take her home with you?”

      He shrugged, but Kate didn’t miss the regret in his eyes. “Probably not. Officially, she’s not on any military roster and there are strict prohibitions about adopting local dogs. I’m fortunate that nobody has objected to my rescuing her, but locally adopted pets aren’t allowed to travel in crates owned by the military, nor are they permitted to fly on military flights back to the States.”

      Kate stared at him. “You’re not going to leave her here?”

      “I don’t want to, but the logistics of transporting her to a commercial airport and getting her on board are complicated. I can’t accompany her myself so I’ll need to find a sponsor to travel with her and make the right connections. That’s difficult and expensive.”

      They fell silent, and Kate considered what would happen to Charity if she were left in Afghanistan. The K-9 unit might continue to look out for her after Chase left, but eventually they would return to the States, too. What would happen to the dog then?

      She watched as dozens of soldiers climbed on board and shuffled past them, all wearing helmets and flak vests СКАЧАТЬ