Free Blaze of Glory by Catherine Mann

Actually,
he
planned
to
run
himself
into
a
stupor
once
he
got
rid
of
her.
The
sooner
the
better.
“Walk,
huh?
    Sure.”
    Huh?
    She
smiled.
    No
way.
“To
your
room.”
    Her
smile
froze.
Why?
Wasn’t
that
what
she’d
been
hinting
for
all
along?
That
they
should
go
to
her
room together,
even
if
that
wasn’t
actually
what
he’d
meant
when
he
offered
to
walk
her
there.
    Either
way,
this
woman
confused
him,
no
surprise
since
he
hadn’t
found
a
female
yet
whom
he
understood.
    All
the
more
reason
to
keep
his
distance
and
his
mind
clear
during
this
highstakes
research
project
that
could provide
nuclear
power
to
multiple
povertyriddled
areas
like
Cantou.
    Matthias
drained
his
coffee
and
pitched
the
cup
in
the
trash
can.
“Let’s
get
moving
so
I
can
drop
you
off
and finish
this
damn
long
day.”
    

    

    DAMP
HAIRnow
French
braided
to
keep
it
off
her
face
until
it
dried,
Grace
Marie
made
her
way
out
of
the tent,
footsteps
silent
in
the
sand,
then
against
the
mushy
decaying
leaves.
Thank
goodness
the
dark
covered most
of
her
movements
only
a
few
yards
away
from
the
pitched
tent
camp.
They
would
have
more
lights
set up
by
tomorrow.
But
by
tomorrow,
she
would
have
her
father
safely
with
her.
    Hers
was
tinier
than
most
of
the
other
tents,
because
there
was
only
one
other
woman
on
this
deployment, and
luckily,
her
bunk
mate
slept
like
a
log.
    She
only
needed
to
use
the
Humvee
tonight.
Totally
kosher,
since
she
was
the
boss
and
the
equipment therefore
belonged
to
her.
She
could
write
off
the
whole
outing
as
a
“scout
the
area”
drive
around.
    She
was
armed,
in
uniform
with
all
the
proper
papers.
She
should
have
no
concerns
even
if
stopped
before she
could
get
to
her
father,
or
after.
    Her
stomach
gripped
at
images
of
what
might
be
waiting
for
her.
Please
God,
let
him
come
willingly.
    A
long
shadow
blotted
the
already
murky
night.
Her
hand
slapped
over
her
Glock.
They
weren’t
at
war
with this
country,
but
there
were
still
plenty
of
spies
who
would
like
nothing
more
than
to
infiltrate
a
U.S.
military camp
for
intel
or
a
hostage.
    She
unholstered
her
weapon,
held
it
low
at
her
side,
ready
as
she
pivoted
to
find—
    Bobby.
    “Going
somewhere,
Gracie?”

    CHAPTER
FOUR
    

    “YOU’RE
GOINGto
do
what?”
Bobby
swallowed
back
shock
and
probably
a
bug
or
two
in
this
insectinfested
jungle.
    He
couldn’t
have
heard
what
he
thought
as
he
stood
beside
Gracie,
who
was
in
the
process
of
climbing
into the
Humvee.
    Gracie
clutched
the
keys
in
her
hand.
“My
father
is
one
of
the
nuclear
researchers
at
the
local
university retreat.
He’s
here
on
an
exchange
program.
I’m
going
to
pick
him
up
and
bring
him
home.” So
much
for
a
temporary
hearing
malfunction.
He’d
heard
exactly
what
he
thought.
“I
take
back
everything
I ever
said
about
you
being
a
sane
woman.”
    Even
knowing
he
was
teasing,
his
words
still
stung.
She
lived
in
fear
of
battling
her
father’s
mental
demons, in
fact
subjected
herself
to
rigorous
psychological
testing
frequently—only
to
be
told
she
was
not
bipolar
or