Finding Dani (Once a Marine, Always a Marine Book 3) by Kori David Page A

didn’t have a choice. He believed the man in front of him. There was no doubt in Travis’s mind that if he ever touched Dani again, he was a dead man.

    ***

    Claire drew back into the shadows of the nearest tent. She hadn’t meant to follow anyone; she had merely headed back to her own sleeping space, the one she shared with Hailey, when she’d come up on the end of that little confrontation.
    Travis picked up his shower bag and scuttled away, tail tucked firmly between his legs, as far as she could tell. And Damon grabbed Dani’s hand and led her in the opposite direction. Her friend looked a little shell shocked by the whole thing.
    “Spying?”
    Claire turned her head, barely able to see the sarcastic little smile on Dr. Graham’s face. “More like, not wanting to interrupt that rather tense little scene. Besides, what’re you doing skulking around in the shadows?”
    The smile dropped off his face. “I do not skulk, Ms. Belgarde. I was also merely going this way.”
    “Your tent isn’t this way,” she said. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him. He could be such a formal ass.
    “No, but the infirmary is, and we might have a new Ebola case. I was asked to come and consult, since Dr. Bordeaux couldn’t be located. Clearly, she is sorting out some personal issues.”
    Claire snorted at him, not caring that he raised his eyebrows at the unladylike noise. “What new Ebola case? I was there most of the day and it was all routine vaccinations.”
    “The man who came in with the head wound. He’s the one.”
    “But, they were all tested,” she said. None of the villagers had shown any signs of being positive for the virus. No one even had so much as a fever. “We’d better tell Dani.”
    “Not yet,” Martin said. “Let’s make sure it’s actually something to be worried about and not Dr. Montgomery trying to cause a panic.”
    “Then, let’s go. I want to see this for myself.”
    This was seriously going to derail all their plans for going stateside if it really was Ebola in the camp. They’d all need to follow quarantine procedures, which would keep them in Liberia another twenty-one days.

Chapter 8

    Damon was vibrating with the need to punch something. Travis was his focus, but he knew Dani wouldn’t want him to seriously hurt a teammate and friend. And right now, he was in a killing mood. Seeing his hands on Dani—hurting her.
    He had her smaller hand in his as Damon led them toward her tent. She was the only thing keeping him from finding that bastard again and showing him what hurt was. And she was too quiet, not stopping him from dragging her through camp. That worried him.
    She should be giving him all kinds of hell.
    When he had her safely inside, he closed the door and dropped the cloth blinds to ensure privacy. “Dani?”
    Her face was expressionless, but her cheeks were pink and she was blinking rapidly, trying to hold back tears. Damon made the effort to calm down, taking a deep breath, before lifting his hand to her chin and tilting her face up to his.
    “Are you alright?”
    She nodded, the move jerky, and tried to move away. “Fine,” she whispered.
    “You’re not fine. Did he hurt you?”
    She rubbed her arms and shook her head. “Just a little.”
    One tear broke free and slid down her cheek and that was more than Damon could take. He pulled her into his arms and held her close. “It’s okay to cry, sugar. A lot has happened in the last two days.”
    Her sob nearly broke his heart. He scooped her up into his arms and sat them both onto her cot. With her face buried in his neck and her arms up around his neck, he couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be. And she felt damn good in his arms.
    Better than he’d ever imagined. Over the years, he’d imagined more than he’d ever admit to anyone. He gently unbraided her hair and ran his fingers through it in long strokes. He knew she found it soothing when she sighed.
    “I’m sorry,” she