Free Above Protection (Imperfect Heroes Book 1) by C. J. Pinard Page A

girls in my house, my bed, but never
before had I paid so much attention to detail.
    What the fuck was wrong with
me?
    Realizing I was acting like a chump
with these thoughts, I quickly shoveled the rest of my food in my
mouth, dumped my plate in the sink, determined to clean up later,
and went back into my room.
    I didn’t bother to look back at the
vic, even though I could feel her stare on my back as I walked out
of the kitchen.
    Sitting on my bed, I rested my
forearms on my knees and sighed. My leg was hurting especially
fiercely today and I tried not to acknowledge that, but it was hard
to ignore. I jammed my thumb into the scar on my thigh through my
pants and sighed. Would this pain ever go away?
    Probably not.
    Even though I had kept my injury
secret from the FBI, I had a sinking feeling that they knew. I
closed my eyes and remembered my days back in Quantico.
    I’d been required to run miles in a
certain amount of time, and I’d done it, but it had come at a
price. Once back in my dorm the night of that test, I had done
everything in my power to fight back the tears of pain that wanted
to consume me.
    In all fairness, I really shouldn’t
have been running miles like that on this leg. Sure, the huge chunk
of shrapnel had been removed from my thigh under the careful
scrutiny of a doctor, but that didn’t mean I was back to normal. I
knew I never would be, but I was stubborn and stupid.
    I passed all the physical and psych
tests the FBI had thrown at me, but when I was alone in my dorm –
or later, in my house – there were demons that I had to flog back.
Demons that plagued me day and night. Keeping my mind on SSG Ellis
Anderson and his heroic events was the only thing that kept me sane
and human. That damn kid, with his dark hair and curious sky blue
eyes staring at me on that battlefield, willing me to stay
alive.
    I’d heard he had a new girl. That they
were gonna get married and had a baby on the way. Grinning at the
possibility, I couldn’t imagine that dude being a father. But then
again, what did any of us – Ellis, me, my brother Mason – know
about being a father? Nothing, that’s what.
    I massaged my leg again. I had some
ibuprofen and even some Percocet in my bag, and I wanted to take
some. But to do so meant I was weak and unable to cope, and that
was one title I was unwilling to live with. So I lay back on my bed
and thought of something other than pain or sex.

Chapter 12
    Rayanne
     
    I was going stir-crazy – just like I
knew I would. A little fresh air would do me good, so I thought,
why not… nobody would notice if I went for a walk in the massive
woods that sprawled out behind the cabin I was currently imprisoned
in.
    Duke was watching a local football
game on TV and when I wandered into the kitchen, he didn’t even
turn his head in my direction. I knew he’d say no if I asked him to
go on a walk with me, or if I could go on one by myself, so I
simply snuck out the back door from the kitchen.
    It was early fall so it wasn’t that
cold out, nor was it hot, so the sweater I wore seemed to be just
fine. I closed the kitchen door very quietly and set off to take a
long walk and clear my head.
    As I began walking, the
colorful, dead leaves crunched under my boots. They weren’t loud,
but the sound kept me company as I walked. I was surrounded by Elm
and Spruce trees, which were still full, but I could see bare spots in all of them, shafts of dotted
sunlight slicing through and bathing my face in warmth.
    A few steps away, I spied a lone
purple flower growing tall and proud from the ground. There was
nothing else around it, and I went to it, crouching down to inspect
it. I had no idea what kind of flower it was, but I could see the
edges of its petal were beginning to turn brown. I decided it
needed to be picked, so I gently plucked it from the ground and
twirled it in my hands.
    “You sure are beautiful,” I said to
it.
    So I’d taken to talking to flowers.
Great. If Duke wasn’t such