Free Warrior's Mate by Tehya Titan

 
    CHAPTER
ONE
     
    “I have a bad
feeling about this.”
    Army Lieutenant
Jordan Ramsey glanced over at Private Dobbs, the driver of the Humvee, and had
to stop herself from agreeing with him out loud. They were on a bullshit recon
mission that had no purpose, and they all knew it. But she was rank, and as
such, she shouldn’t bitch to the members of her squad…no matter how much she
wanted to.
    The day was hot,
just like every day in the Sandbox was. Iraq was a myriad of desert areas that
was occasionally diversified by various cities of different sizes, but the
American base that Jordan’s unit operated out of was smack-dab in the middle of
nowhere. The light sand color of her camo gear did nothing to help combat the
raging heat inside the Humvee, and the armored tactical vest she wore felt like
it weighed a thousand pounds, making it difficult to breathe.
    It was supposed
to be Jordan’s day off, but nothing ever went as planned, especially when their
small base was run by a dick of epic proportions. A few days ago, some of the
guys from Jordan’s unit had played an impromptu game of basketball after their
duties were finished for the day. When Post Commander Major Tim McCall saw that
the guys were drinking numerous water bottles—at least what he considered was
more than their share—he went ballistic.
    Jordan had been
incredulous when she’d seen the locks on the coolers holding the water bottles
the next day. Major McCall—or as the soldiers on base called him, “MPA,” which
stood for Major Pain in the Ass—had the only key, and he’d left the base for
the day. What he’d claimed was a lesson to teach the soldiers not to waste
resources was really a colossal error made by a man who sat on his pampered fat
ass, sipping imported coffee his assistant made him most days.
    Unwilling to let
the soldiers on base suffer from dehydration just because some asshole wanted
to keep costs on the base down, she’d shot the locks off the coolers. When
Major McCall returned, he’d been furious and had threatened to have Jordan
court-martialed for going against direct orders. Knowing that would be his
reaction, Jordan preempted the Post Commander by contacting Colonel Davis, the
commander at the larger base close to them, reporting the incident and
explaining her actions.
    Colonel Davis had
made a special trip out to their base, putting Major McCall on notice that he
wouldn’t tolerate taking necessary resources from the soldiers on the base and
putting them at risk because of stupid decisions. Jordan had known Major McCall
would exact his revenge, and she hadn’t been surprised to find herself
scheduled for patrol missions three days in a row.
    Jordan had
expected extra duty, but Major McCall had decided to punish her men along with
her, and that was something that pissed her off more than she could say. Every
time they left the base, they were put at risk. And these extra patrols were
pure bullshit. It sucked, but there was very little she could do.
    However, it was
hard taking orders from an asshole, but Jordan was used to doing the hard.
    Growing up in a
trailer park with parents that were drunk more often than they were sober,
Jordan had to take care of herself at an early age. When most kids her age had
been playing with dolls and having tea parties, Jordan had to learn how to keep
out of the hands of the monsters that tried to prey on pretty young girls. Born
with skin the color of Irish cream, bright green eyes and fiery red hair that
matched her temper, she had always had her share of male attention, even when
she didn’t want it.
    She’d always
been smart and tough, and she’d used those skills to keep herself out of
trouble until she’d been old enough to enlist and get the hell out of her
parents trailer. Once she’d joined the Army, her looks had been a hindrance,
but as she rose in the ranks, her intelligence and natural leadership abilities
gained her the respect of her peers and the soldiers