Page 25 of Chosen
“Colonel Vincent Rosa,” she finally muttered.
Of all the things Slade had thought she might say, that sure as hell hadn’t been on his radar. Colonel Rosa, his former commander way back when Slade had been an Air Force Combat Rescue Officer. That’d been eight, no ten years ago, around the time Marise and he had first worked together.
“What about him?” Slade asked.
She looked up from her task, and he saw that odd emotion again in her eyes. “He’s here at Patriot’s Retreat.”
Slade took a moment to work that through in his mind. This was a place for seniors, and the colonel would be only in his late fifties or early sixties. But it was also a place for those with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Or those whose PTSD had gotten the better of them and they were no longer able to function in day-to-day society.
“PTSD,” Marise provided as if anticipating what he was trying to work out. “Can’t get into the medical specifics, but with his signed consent, his wife had him placed here shortly after he attacked her. According to her account, he apparently thought she was someone else, that he was in combat, and afterward, he didn’t remember the incident.”
“Shit,” Slade spat out.
Rosa was one of the good ones. A focused boss who never lost sight of either the mission or the personnel doing it.
“Yeah, shit about sums it up,” she agreed under her breath while she continued to stitch. She was fast.
And good.
One day, he’d tell her that he didn’t have a scar on his ass, thanks to her. Not that he could see that particular part of his body, but he’d asked a doctor about it during one of his routine physicals required for Maverick Ops.
“Did the colonel want to talk to me?” he asked while she cleaned the cut on his head. “Is that why you called?”
“No,” she said and again went silent until she’d added the butterfly bandage and stepped back to meet his gaze. “I did call about him, but he doesn’t want to talk to you. Trust me, I’ve tried to convince him. He needs help, Slade. He needs the kind of help you can give him.”
There it was again. That something he’d seen in her eyes. And now he realized it was fear.
Hell.
Marise wasn’t the sort to get spooked easily, so he had to know what had put that look in her eyes.
“I believe Colonel Rosa is in danger,” she spelled out. “I am, too,” Marise added. “I think someone might try to kill us.”
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Chapter Two
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There. Marise had spoken aloud her huge concern. Not her safety. She could handle herself. But for the colonel.
And while it was still just speculation, it felt real. It felt like something she shouldn’t ignore. That’s why she’d called Slade. He was the first person she’d thought of after she realized she needed help.
Now, she realized she just needed him.
Slade could steady her the way no one else could. Their history together was responsible for that. Bonds forged the hard way. She trusted him with her life and vice versa. More importantly, she trusted him with Colonel Rosa’s.
“Take a second,” Slade urged, and he bracketed his hands on her shoulders.
Strong hands. In fact, strong described everything about him. Tall and with plenty of muscle. Plenty of good looks, too. Hot.
Yeah, that.
There were times she’d had to force herself not to get caught up in that hotness. That strength. Because that path would no doubt lead to some amazing pleasure. But it would also lead to a loss of those hard-earned bonds.
She took that moment as he’d instructed. Gathering her thoughts so she could spell out everything to Slade so he could help her do something to fix this.
“Who might try to kill Rosa and you?” Slade finally asked.