Free Not Another Soldier by Samantha Holt Page A

feeling guilty.
    I sigh and rest my chin on my hand. I can’t believe I
called him. But who else was I going to call? I don’t have anyone else and
they’ve still got my car, though I guess they didn’t find anything or they
wouldn’t have released me. I’ve never been so scared in my life — not
even when Rob tried to hurt me — and right now, regardless of what happened between us
today, I want my best friend. I just hope he’ll forgive me for the way I
behaved. Nick had sounded annoyed until I mentioned the fact I’d been held for
questioning at the station. Then he just went all gruff and told me he’d come
get me before hanging up.
    My heart bounds against my chest as I spot his black
Jeep. He pulls up directly in front of me and leans over to open the car door.
“Get in.”
    Great, now I feel like a child being scolded by a
parent. I climb in, noting he doesn’t offer to help with the seatbelt. Twining
my fingers in my lap, I peek at his cold expression, dread curdling in my
stomach. I guess I handled everything worse than I realized.
    “What happened?” he asks brusquely as he drives out
the parking lot.
    “I got pulled over on my way to work… shit, I haven’t
even called them yet.” I wave my hand—to myself more than anything. “I’ll call
them in a bit.”
    No way am I going in now. I’m still shaken up by
everything. Thankfully my boss is really understanding. My gut pangs. We’re
short staffed, as usual, but I didn’t even take time off after Rob died so I
shouldn’t feel guilty really.
    “Anyway, the cops said there was some kind of APB on
the car or something. Like it’s been picked up as having something to do with
drugs.”
    Nick’s brow furrows. He still looks kind of cross with
me. “And…?”
    “And they searched the car and me. It was pretty
scary,” I admit. “I don’t think they found anything but I’ve got to wait for
the car to be processed. What I don’t get is why there would be a marker on it?
Surely there would be some reason for them to believe it was involved in drug
dealing? And, Nick, you know that used to be Rob’s car.”
    “So?” He keeps his gaze ahead as he navigates the
streets. I glance at my watch. It’s nearly eleven p.m. but there’s still plenty
of traffic on the street, I guess ‘cause it’s the weekend.
    “Nick,” I say, exasperated. I need answers. “Was Rob
doing drugs or selling them or something?” His face remains blank. “Nick, if
you know something, please tell me. I don’t want to remain in the dark about my
husband.”
    He visibly winces at the word. Why does that hurt him?
He rubs his head and rakes his free hand through his hair before securing me
briefly with a serious expression. “Rob didn’t take drugs.”
    “Okay…” I can hear the ‘but’ in his tone.
    “I think he dealt.”
    My hand goes to my mouth. Drug dealing? What the
hell…? How could I have been so blind? I fight to find some words to respond.
Did I ever really know Rob? I don’t understand how he could have been doing
something like that without me knowing. But I don’t think I ever knew him well.
Not until the day he tried to strangle me. “Do you… do you know for sure?”
    “Let’s just say, a guy got caught using and he named
Rob as his dealer. No one could prove it and you know Rob could talk his way
out of anything.”
    “Why didn’t you say something?”
    “What could I have said? He was your husband ,
Sienna, and your marriage had nothing to do with me. How could I barrel in and
just tear apart your marriage over rumors?”
    “No, that’s right. Protect your own, right?” I cringe
at my bitter tone.
    “Actually I thought I was protecting you.”
    God, could I feel any more of a bitch? I wait a few
moments and try to get my words straight in my mind. “You’re right and I’m
sorry. All of this has left me so confused. It just feels like I’ve had one
shock after the other recently.”
    “I know.”
    “And I know I