Free Mercy: Second Chance Military Romance by Abbi Hemp

work for you?”
    “Sounds great, Harris. Good to hear your voice.”
    “Yeah, you too man. Later on.”
    I ended the call. Afghanistan, even at the late stages of a war that had lasted longer than a decade, had been a place where lifelong bonds were formed for better or worse.
    Was that why Mercy wouldn’t vacate my thoughts no matter what I tried? Maybe a night of drinking with Harris would eject her, and I would be able to move on.
    I did not need a crazy woman in my life. No matter how much I enjoyed fucking her. After talking to Harris, my spirits were lifted enough to make the afternoon tolerable.
    While reading an autobiography from a man who had served in Vietnam, I kept glancing over at my phone, thinking Mercy might call, but she never did. Fucking women .
     
    * * *
     
    Later that evening, I walked in the bar like I owned the place. It was pretty much empty, which wasn’t surprising for a Tuesday night. Most normal people who frequented bars had to work hard for their drinking money.
    I saw Harris sitting at the bar and walked over. Taking a seat on a stool to his right, I patted his back as he looked in the other direction. He turned around and smiled the moment he saw me. We had been through so much together.
    “How you been?” he asked then turned to the bartender. “Two glasses of your top-shelf single malt.”
    “Not bad. Yourself?”
    “Things went to hell after I got back from Afghanistan.”
    I nodded.
    “For me too.”
    “You seem to be doing okay for yourself. I mean, you’re drinking on a Tuesday night.”
    “Oh, I’m doing okay. You’re here too. Glad you came.”
    “No problem.”
    The bartender returned with our drinks. I pulled out a twenty and shoved it across the bar at him.
    “Keep it,” I said.
    He nodded his head then wandered down to the other end of the bar. I lifted the glass.
    “To the family the government gives you.”
    Harris grinned as he clinked his glass against mine. We both took a healthy drink. He set his down on the weathered wooden bar. I kept mine in my hand, staring at the ice cubes floating.
    “What’s on your mind?” he asked. “I can see it on your face.”
    “Remember that reporter chick who showed up and got kicked out by Captain Jeffries?”
    “Yeah. What about her?”
    “I looked her up.”
    His face scrunched up in confusion.
    “What?” I asked then finished the last of the alcohol.
    “Roger called me all excited about a week ago. He said he found her and they were dating.”
    “What?” I repeated as if the second incantation would give me more answers.
    “She didn’t tell you?”
    “No, she didn’t say anything. He didn’t either. I talked to him earlier today.”
    He shook his head.
    “That man is bad news.”
    “Tell me about it. He wants me to go into business with him.”
    “You have the money.”
    “Yeah, but I don’t know if I can trust him, you know. And now I find out this. Maybe I can’t trust her or him.”
    “Some days, man, it seems like everything was so much simpler in Afghanistan. I mean, it was more dangerous, but we knew what to expect, you know?”
    I nodded.
    “Definitely. Roger showed up after I looked her up.”
    “And you figured why not add good old Harris to the list, huh?”
    He laughed then finished the rest of his drink. I raised my hand to fetch the bartender for another round. Before it was finished, I had turned off my phone.
    Fuck her if she tries to call , I thought, still unsure of what to think after she had flipped out after we fucked the other night. I did not need her kind of crazy in my life.
    I had enough of my own crazy to deal with. More than enough.
    Harris and I spent the night catching up, drinking and forgetting our problems. I parted ways with him after he picked up some woman with brunette hair and big tits.
    On the way back to my apartment, I turned my phone on, thinking about giving Mercy a call and seeing if she was okay. When I saw no messages come in, I put it in my pocket