The Embattled Road (Lost and Found Series) (7 page)

John glanced at him as he parked opposite the couch. “Yeah. I wasn’t wild about the apartment they tried to get me into. They wouldn’t approve this one, so I left the program. If I’d realized you’d be looking for me I’d have given you my address.”

Duncan made a face. “No biggie. I got it from Chad. He said his mom likes to send you cookies.”

Embarrassment heated the tips of his ears. “It’s the only actual cooking I ever get.”

“Well, how about some more take-out?”

He unpacked the bags, lining up cartons in the middle of the table. John retrieved clean utensils from the kitchen and they dug in. It was only late morning, but for some reason the food tasted phenomenal. Or maybe it was the company. John was man enough to admit he’d missed his buddies. Phone calls were fine, but there was so much that wasn’t easy to talk about on the phone.

Duncan cracked a beer and handed him one. “Come on, Palmer. You have to drink one.”

“Why? I don’t normally toxify myself until after lunch. It’s a little early yet.”

Duncan winked at him.. “We have to celebrate opening our agency.”

John squinted at him. “What agency?”

“The investigative agency we’re going to create.”

For several long seconds, the words just did not compute. When they did, a thrill launched through him. “Are you being serious?”

Instead of answering him, Duncan reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheaf of papers, handing them to him. It was a lease agreement to an office building in Colorado. The owner’s names were listed as Duncan Wilde, John Palmer and Chad Lowell. He looked at Duncan in confusion. “Why is my name on here?”

“Because you’re one of the partners.”

John knew he sounded stupid, but he had to ask again. “Why?”

“Because, you have experience. Valuable experience that the government gave you and I’m going to take advantage of. Can you still wire a camera?”

He frowned. “Of course.”

“Think you can brush up on your surveillance techniques?”

“Yes.” He shook his head, numb. “But I didn’t buy any part of it.”

“Well, what would you be comfortable paying for a percentage of it? The caveat being that I maintain controlling interest. I’m not working for anybody anymore.”

John was floored that he would even be offered the opportunity to take part in this. If Duncan wanted to run the company himself that would be fine, all the better for him. Emotion clogged his throat as he looked down at the pages again, and his name typed in bold on the top line beside those of the two best buddies he could ever remember having.

The thought of going into business with them and doing legitimate, needed work thrilled him more than the orgasm he’d had that morning. “Are you serious? Have you talked to Chad about this?”

“No, not yet. I wanted to make sure you were on board first.” Duncan grinned. “I knew you’d be the more difficult one.”

John snorted, glancing at the pages once again. He thought of what was in his accounts and retirement and knew it wouldn’t be enough. When he rattled off a number, Duncan shook his head. “No, you’re only buying a quarter interest. I’m going to maintain control of the business, but I want you guys there as partners.”

They settled on half of what John had offered and he signed the business contract, promising to be in Colorado as soon as he could release his apartment and make travel arrangements.

Chad looked up at the sound of a truck rumbling behind him. The inattention made his weak left hand slip and thirty feet of barb-wire sprang back into a coil.

“Shit!” 

He flexed his left hand inside the glove, cursing his lack of grip. Yes, it was his weak hand, but it was even weaker than when he was a kid. Frustrated the hell out of him.

The familiar red truck pulled to a stop a few feet away and a woman got out. Chad lowered his head until his hat covered his eyes and swiped the sweat from his face. He should have known he wasn’t far enough away.

With a sigh, he stepped carefully around the fencing materials, dropping the pliers into the leather saddle-bag on the ground.

“Hey, Tara. What brings you out this way?”

As if he didn’t know.

“Hi, Chad. Well, it’s been forever since I talked to you so I thought I would just slip out and say hi. Your momma said you were fencing. Can I help?”

He frowned and looked her up and down. Her blond hair was curled, make-up on, nice boots and low-cut shirt displaying her boobs. Not exactly fencing attire. More like seduction attire.

“Nah, that’s alright. I’m about done anyway.”

She swayed forward and reached up to kiss him on the cheek. Chad let her but pulled back when she tried to rest her hand on his chest. The smell of her God-awful perfume reached his nose. Even in the middle of a thousand acres of cow shit, it was enough to set him back.

He turned back to the fence line. If she wanted to hang around and watch him work that was fine, but this hole needed to be patched. He walked to the previous post, placing his left foot deliberately, and reached for the coil of fence. Barb-wire was cantankerous on the best of days with two good hands, let alone his. Finding the end, he pulled, slowly unhooking each barb from the coil behind it. It was slow, tedious work and more than once his hand slipped.

Tara stood to the side watching him. One quick glance at her face was enough for him to see the pity in her eyes. And the longer she stood there staring, the more frustrated and angry he got.

“Tara, why don’t you head to the house and say hi to my mom. I’m sure she’d love to see you.”
Sorry, Momma
. His mother would probably rather walk barefoot on hot asphalt than entertain Tara Johnson, but he didn’t know how else to get rid of her. “I’ll be home in a bit.”

Letting the coil of wire spring back, in spite of all the time he just spent unwinding it, he turned to guide her back to the truck.

“Well, I don’t--”

“Tell her we have a new calf from that black cow of hers. She was wondering about it.”

Tara’s expression brightened when she realized she could be the bearer of good news. “Okay, Chad. I’ll tell her. And you’ll be home in a little bit?”

He nodded, though he’d already begun fabricating an excuse in his head. 

As she started the big truck her daddy had bought her a couple years ago and turned around, Chad wondered how he could foist her off on some other charity case. Before he’d gone to Iraq, they’d dated fairly regularly and gotten along well. When he’d come back, wounded and bandaged, she’d seen a kicked puppy needing care. It drove him nuts. She used to be an awesome girl, but now all she did was mother him and look at him with her sad eyes.

For the thousandth time he wondered if he shouldn’t just go somewhere else for a while. Get away from all the well-wishes and concerned looks. He could get physical therapy at any VA. He didn’t have to stay in Texas. His arm was healing and his prosthetic fit like a glove, giving him more freedom than he’d ever expected to have. If he put his blade prosthetic on, he could run for miles on a flat surface. Choppy ground was still difficult, but he would adapt.

As much as he appreciated Honeywell, Texas, and its residents, they still treated him like the kid he used to be. They’d given him a hero’s welcome when he’d come home, with a parade and his name on the soldier’s wall at the courthouse. But it was as if his combat experience was glossed over. To them he was still a kid who needed taking care of.

His parents were the same way. As much as he loved them, they smothered him. It had been months before they’d allowed  him to do any work alone on the ranch. Once he’d gotten used to riding again, it had been easier to get away to find something that needed done.

No matter how many times he returned from chores unscathed, they still watched him as if he were going to break at any given moment.

His cell phone chirped in his pocket. Pulling it out, he smiled when he recognized the number. “First Sergeant, how the hell are you?”

Duncan chuckled at the greeting. “I’m fine, Chad. How are you doing? You get hitched yet?”

“God, no! Don’t wish that on me. There are women crawling out of the woodwork down here to try to entice the poor, wounded Marine.”

He turned and stepped over the fence roll. The horse was tied under a tree and looked content. Chad dropped down in the shade a few feet away and snatched a water bottle from the saddle bags, then allowed himself to lay back against the saddle. He twisted the cap from the bottle and quickly drank half the contents, washing away the pervasive Texas grit.

“They’d love a chance to get me to the altar.”

“You’re just too purty for your own good, Lowell.”

Chad choked out a laugh, looking at the gnarled skin of his forearm that wasn’t hidden by the leather glove. “Yeah, right.”

“Maybe it’s all that sugar you eat making you irresistible. Women love sweets.”

“Whatever.” Chad dug a piece of Double Bubble from his pocket, ripped it open and popped it in his mouth. “You’re full of shit.”

“Well, maybe they won’t bug you so much in Colorado.”

“Colorado. What the hell’s in Colorado?”

“Me. And the business I’m going to open up. With your help.”

Shock slowed Chad’s chewing down.
He was actually going to do it?

“And what business is that, First Sergeant?” he asked carefully.

Duncan snorted. “I’m not a sergeant anymore, Chad. I’m just a regular guy opening up an investigative slash protection service in Denver. And who’s looking for a couple of partners.”

There was silence on the line for almost a solid minute.

“Chad? Did you hear me?”

“Are you serious?” Chad’s heart thudded against his chest wall as he waited for confirmation.

“I am. I already have a list of clients willing to hire us for several jobs.”

He was floored. Yeah, they’d kind of talked about it at Walter-Reed, but he didn’t think Duncan had been serious. Chad should have known better than that. If Duncan Wilde said he planned to do something, then the man was damn well going to do it.

Possibilities raced through his mind. Selfishly, his first thought was that he could get away from all the wounded hero crap that followed him everywhere here. If he left home he’d be able to reestablish himself without all the childhood baggage.

And, more importantly, he’d be able to feel worthwhile, doing needed work rather than the busy-work his parents had him doing.

“How much is it to be a partner?” Chad asked, not daring to hope yet that he could afford it.

Duncan named a figure that had to be incredibly low, but Chad jumped on it.

“When and where?”

Duncan sighed on the other end of the line. “I was worried I’d waited too long to get you to take a chance. As soon as you can get here we’ll start. I went down and offered John part of the firm too.”

Chad smiled.  “Oorah! This will be exactly what he needs. Did he say yes? If not I’ll go down and kick his sorry ass until he does.”

“Oh, he agreed. Took a little more convincing than you did.”

“Ha! Well, I’m pretty desperate right now,” he admitted. “I was just thinking about getting away somewhere.”

“Well, now you have a place to go. You can crash at my apartment until we find you a place of your own. Call me when you have flight arrangements and I’ll pick you up.”

“I will.”

Chad hung up the phone and let out a war whoop, pumping the air. He could get out of Texas and away from the smothering. His mom and dad would be disappointed, but he had to make his own way in life.

Rolling to his feet without even a catch in his step, he attacked the fence with new enthusiasm. The sooner he got it done, the sooner he could move on down the road.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

One week later
…

Duncan looked up at the office building. Big, metal, kind of generic and non-descript, which suited their needs perfectly. They’d rented the fourth floor of the seven floor building, and they had room to grow. On the east side of Denver, the entire city was spread before them.

“I thought the Gunny would be here by now, “ Chad groused. “I want to see inside.”

He grinned at the younger man, enjoying his impatience. “He will. He’s coming straight from the airport.”

As if in answer to their words, a yellow cab mini-van pulled up to the curb. The side door opened and a ramp lowered down. Within seconds John, glowering true to form, rolled to the sidewalk. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he called to the driver. The stress of traveling domestic for the first time was written all over his lean face, and Duncan knew it had to have been hard dealing with the cabs and the airports and planes. Not to mention the public. But, in true Marine form, Palmer had gotten it done.

John wheeled his chair forward to meet them. Chad whooped and grabbed his hand, then leaned down to bump shoulders with him. “It’s damn good to see you, Gunny!”

“You too, Lowell.” He grinned. “Looks like that Texas sunshine has been agreeing with you.”

Chad ran his hand over his chin and grinned. Duncan realized Chad actually did look healthier. Even the few scars on his neck were fading. The arm still had a good ways to go but Chad seemed to be using it okay. As for the prosthetic leg, well, Duncan hadn’t even been able to tell he had one on until he’d lifted his jeans leg to show him. The man moved as if he still had two natural legs, definitely easier than he himself did.

John looked healthier too. His face was lean and he hadn’t shaved for a while, but his eyes were direct and strong. He’d switched to a more compact racing chair with slightly slanted wheels that responded to his hands as if it were actually part of his body. There was a frown on his face, but his eyes glinted with humor.