Page 35 of Chasing Amanda

His phone rang again when he was rinsing shampoo out of his hair.

While he dried himself with a towel he’d found in the hall closet, his phone rang a third time. Wrapping the towel around his waist, he looked at the caller ID.

Uh-oh. He connected the call. “Lieutenant Johnson.”

“It’s Major Sapp. I just got off the phone with Detective Sealy of the Providence PD. You know him?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You were involved in an altercation in which you…let me see here…”

Papers were shuffled in the background.

“You repeatedly smashed the head of one Russell T. Harris into a hardwood floor, broke his nose, and gave him a concussion.”

Mark felt his future slipping away. “Yes, sir.”

More paper shuffling. “You punched him so hard in the kidneys that he’s being treated for blood in his urine.”

Mark gazed through the haze of steam at the mirror over the sink, seeing only a hazy reflection. “I punched him, sir. I wasn’t aware of that.”

“Sealy also said that Mr. Harris broke into the apartment of a girl you’ve been seeing and”—was his CO shuffling the papers to make Mark sweat? If so, it was working—“attempted to sexually assault her.”

Mark swallowed. “That’s what it looked like, sir.”

“I see.” Major Sapp was silent for a moment.

His CO was fair. He’d lectured them often about how everyone deserved respect. Fellow soldiers, subordinates, superiors, citizens of enemy nations, enemies, and women. Especially women. Maybe that would help Mark’s cause.

Finally, the major spoke again. “I have one question for you, Lieutenant.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did it really take you that many hits to knock the guy out?”

Mark blinked. “I was trying not to kill him, sir.”

Major Sapp chuckled. “I’m glad you didn’t kill him. The paperwork would have been a bear.”

Mark blew out a breath and wiped sweat off his brow with the back of his hand. “Yes, sir.”

“How’s the girl?”

“She’ll be all right, as long as… What did you say his name was?”

“Russell T. Harris.”

“As long as Harris doesn’t get out of jail, Amanda will be okay.”

“So, Amanda.” Major Sapp paused as if waiting for something, but Mark wasn’t sure what. After a minute, the major asked, “Girlfriend?”

“I met her Thursday night. I saw Harris follow her out of the bar where she worked. I…distracted him.”

“I see.”

“She and I spent some time together this weekend.” Such a bland way to describe what had happened over the last twenty-four hours. They’d fallen for each other. They’d fallen in love.

“I don’t know how you feel about her,” Major Sapp said, “but women don’t forget men who save their lives.”