in the game, Spence. Now isn’t the time to start counting days until we go wheels up for home.”
“Not what I’m talking about. Isn’t this Wednesday?”
Leif joined the conversation. “What the hell difference does that make, Wheels? Do you have a hot appointment for a pedicure?”
Spence snorted. Like that would ever happen. But then disappointment settled in. “I was supposed to connect with Callie this evening because she’s going to be gone on Friday. Maybe she’ll try again tomorrow night.”
He aimed for neutral, as if missing a long talk with Callie wasn’t a major disappointment. Leif didn’t question his reaction, but Nick gave him a hard look. They’d both avoided any mention of their semi-heated conversation on the subject of women. That didn’t mean either of them had forgotten about it.
“So, did she decide to visit her folks?”
Spence knew what Nick was really asking. “Yes, she’s there now, but she’ll be leaving to take a short-term job down in Portland this weekend. That’s why we were going to talk tonight.”
Nick gave him a cool look. “How did her friend at her old job take the news?”
Damn it, he did not want to have this conversation, especially right now. Actually, ever. “She didn’t say, and I didn’t ask.”
Leif looked puzzled, clearly aware that he was missing out on something in this conversation. But before he could say anything, one of the half-starved dogs that usually prowled the area in packs darted out of the nearest alley and headed straight for them.
Nick ignored the mutt. Leif gently nudged it out of his way with the side of his boot. Spence knew he shouldn’t, but he’d never been able to ignore a pair of pleading eyes. By the time the dog reached him, he’d already pulled a piece of beef jerky out of his pants pocket and ripped the pack open with his teeth. “Go get it, dog, and this is not a game of fetch.” Then he tossed the dried beef as far as he could throw it. With luck, they’d be out of sight before the hungry animal found it.
“How many times have I told you not to feed them?”
“I wasn’t feeding him, Sarge. I was distracting him so he’ll leave us alone.”
Nick shot him a “yeah, right” look and kept walking.
As it turned out, Nick was right. A few seconds later the dog was back, sticking close to Spence as they walked.
Glancing down, he glared at the filthy animal. He suspected under all the dust and dirt, the dog was white with a few big spots of brown and black. It was hard to tell, but there was no missing the hopeful wag of that plumed tail.
“Get lost, dog. You can’t come home with me.”
He tossed another piece of beef jerky, but his new best friend ignored it. “Better take what you can get, buddy.”
The dog tipped his head to the side as if considering the wisdom of Spence’s advice and took off running.
Leif laughed. “He’s smarter than he looks.”
The patrol continued on their way back to camp. Another twenty minutes till shower, food, and bed. It was all good. Well, except that his furry companion was back. Damn, he hated it when Nick was right, especially when he knew he’d be hearing about it for days to come.
But this time the dog trotted past him, continuing past the rest of the men. When he reached the front of the pack, the dog put his nose to the ground and followed a zigzag pattern down the street. Damned if he didn’t act like one of the explosive-sniffing dogs that the military used to sweep the streets clean of IEDs.
At least Nick didn’t bitch about the dog being back. Maybe he was too busy staring up at the rooftops. Spence kept his eyes on the windows and doorways, while Leif kept an eagle eye on the street behind them.
So far, there’d been no sign of any more shooters in the area. Maybe they’d crawled back into their holes to lick their wounds. It wouldn’t pay to assume that was true, so he dredged up another dose of determined vigilance. He wasn’t sure why, but
“Not what I’m talking about. Isn’t this Wednesday?”
Leif joined the conversation. “What the hell difference does that make, Wheels? Do you have a hot appointment for a pedicure?”
Spence snorted. Like that would ever happen. But then disappointment settled in. “I was supposed to connect with Callie this evening because she’s going to be gone on Friday. Maybe she’ll try again tomorrow night.”
He aimed for neutral, as if missing a long talk with Callie wasn’t a major disappointment. Leif didn’t question his reaction, but Nick gave him a hard look. They’d both avoided any mention of their semi-heated conversation on the subject of women. That didn’t mean either of them had forgotten about it.
“So, did she decide to visit her folks?”
Spence knew what Nick was really asking. “Yes, she’s there now, but she’ll be leaving to take a short-term job down in Portland this weekend. That’s why we were going to talk tonight.”
Nick gave him a cool look. “How did her friend at her old job take the news?”
Damn it, he did not want to have this conversation, especially right now. Actually, ever. “She didn’t say, and I didn’t ask.”
Leif looked puzzled, clearly aware that he was missing out on something in this conversation. But before he could say anything, one of the half-starved dogs that usually prowled the area in packs darted out of the nearest alley and headed straight for them.
Nick ignored the mutt. Leif gently nudged it out of his way with the side of his boot. Spence knew he shouldn’t, but he’d never been able to ignore a pair of pleading eyes. By the time the dog reached him, he’d already pulled a piece of beef jerky out of his pants pocket and ripped the pack open with his teeth. “Go get it, dog, and this is not a game of fetch.” Then he tossed the dried beef as far as he could throw it. With luck, they’d be out of sight before the hungry animal found it.
“How many times have I told you not to feed them?”
“I wasn’t feeding him, Sarge. I was distracting him so he’ll leave us alone.”
Nick shot him a “yeah, right” look and kept walking.
As it turned out, Nick was right. A few seconds later the dog was back, sticking close to Spence as they walked.
Glancing down, he glared at the filthy animal. He suspected under all the dust and dirt, the dog was white with a few big spots of brown and black. It was hard to tell, but there was no missing the hopeful wag of that plumed tail.
“Get lost, dog. You can’t come home with me.”
He tossed another piece of beef jerky, but his new best friend ignored it. “Better take what you can get, buddy.”
The dog tipped his head to the side as if considering the wisdom of Spence’s advice and took off running.
Leif laughed. “He’s smarter than he looks.”
The patrol continued on their way back to camp. Another twenty minutes till shower, food, and bed. It was all good. Well, except that his furry companion was back. Damn, he hated it when Nick was right, especially when he knew he’d be hearing about it for days to come.
But this time the dog trotted past him, continuing past the rest of the men. When he reached the front of the pack, the dog put his nose to the ground and followed a zigzag pattern down the street. Damned if he didn’t act like one of the explosive-sniffing dogs that the military used to sweep the streets clean of IEDs.
At least Nick didn’t bitch about the dog being back. Maybe he was too busy staring up at the rooftops. Spence kept his eyes on the windows and doorways, while Leif kept an eagle eye on the street behind them.
So far, there’d been no sign of any more shooters in the area. Maybe they’d crawled back into their holes to lick their wounds. It wouldn’t pay to assume that was true, so he dredged up another dose of determined vigilance. He wasn’t sure why, but
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