A Soldier's Heart Read Online Free

which Spence could only be grateful. As agitated as he was right now, the sergeant was the last person he needed to be around. Tomorrow would be time enough to have a little discussion about what the hell was going on inside Nick’s thick skull.
    Spence kept walking, trying to focus on something other than how close he’d come to losing both of his friends. He pulled out his keys and fingered the small silver orca that he carried as a good luck charm. Callie had bought it for him right before he had deployed the first time. He’d teased her about it at the time, but he’d come home from Iraq in one piece. So far, his luck had held in Afghanistan.
    The charm was a reminder of the whale-watching tour she’d dragged him on while he’d been home on leave. He’d groused about going, telling her that if he’d wanted to spend time on a damn boat he would’ve joined the Navy instead of the Army. As it turned out, he’d had a great time. The day had been sunny and warm as the boat made its way up Puget Sound through the San Juan Islands where the local pods of orcas made their home.
    He could still hear Callie’s joyous laughter when one of the big males had flipped onto its back to swim directly under where they stood on the boat. Then the enormous animal had breached, sending up a huge spray of water, clearly enjoying the day as much as the people clustered along the railing of the boat. Spence would never forget the amazing sight or the way Callie had hugged him afterward.
    Yeah, watching the orcas frolic and play in the water had been a great way to spend his last day before leaving to rejoin his unit, but it wouldn’t have mattered what they’d done that day. The real reason those precious hours had been special was that he’d spent them with Callie.
    She’d been his best friend since grade school, and they’d remained close despite bouncing all over the place with their jobs. He’d enlisted in the Army after two years at the community college while Callie had earned a degree in computer technology. Since graduating, she’d taken jobs with various companies working to beef up their computer security. Right now she was living in Portland, Oregon. Before that, she’d been in Spokane. By the time his deployment ended, there was no telling where she’d be.
    But no matter where she was living, he planned to spend his next leave with her and see what happened. He’d yet to decide whether to reenlist again although his original plan had been to make the Army his career. A lot would depend on what Callie thought about the idea and if she was willing to take their relationship beyond a casual friendship.
    He turned the last corner just in time to see Leif walk out the front door. Spence broke into a run.
    “Yo, Leif! Wait up!”
    Falling into step with the man, Spence asked, “How’s the arm? What did the medic say?”
    His friend grimaced as he gingerly flexed his biceps. “It hurts like a bitch, but I’m holding off taking a pain pill until we get back to our quarters where I can pass out in the comfort of my own rack. The doc says to keep an eye out for infection, but otherwise I should be fine in a few days.”
    Then he frowned and looked around. “No Nick?”
    Yeah, it pissed Spence off that the sergeant wasn’t there to check on Leif, too. “Uh, he had to stay behind to report in. I’m guessing he’ll be waiting for us back at our quarters.”
    Leif cut loose with a string of curse words that ended with: “That bastard is lucky that my arm is too sore to punch him. It’s only pure damn luck he’s alive right now.”
    He wasn’t saying anything Spence hadn’t thought himself. “Well, I’ve got two good hands, so I can do any punching that needs to be done. Right now, all I want to do is stuff some of those pills down your throat and grab some shut-eye myself. Tomorrow will be soon enough to confront Nick.”
    Leif nodded. “Sounds good, but I can tell you one thing—either he straightens out or