Chapter One

Sgt. Michael (Mike) Wilbanks

Louisville, Kentucky, 1968

"This right here is some happy horseshit."

I glanced at the woman beside me who spoke in a low, wistful tone. She'd been on the same plane as I had coming from San Francisco. Though the bag she carried had an Army medical insignia, she'd dressed in street clothes. There was a hard look about her that I'd seen many times during my tours in Vietnam. We hadn't spoken during the flight, but she was hard not to notice.

She looked to be in her mid to late twenties, carrying herself with the confidence of a warrior. My eye had been drawn her way automatically from the moment she'd stepped on the plane. I'd pegged her as the most dangerous person on the plane -- other than myself. Looking at her now, I was reevaluating that notion. The woman might be even more dangerous than I was.

"One'd think those people had jobs to go to." I wasn't sure if that was the "happy horseshit" she was referring to, but I chose to make it about the protesters. I'd encountered groups like this in every fucking airport I'd stopped in on my way back. To say I was spoiling for a fight was the understatement of the fucking century.

"One would think." The woman didn't look my way or seem interested in conversation. Instead, she was scanning the crowd. Not like she was looking for someone in particular, though. I'd seen that look many times. She was looking for a threat. VC on the trail !

I shook my head, shaking away the memory. The war wasn't over yet, but it was for me. "You expecting trouble?" Her vigilance -- and my own demons -- had my radar pinging.

"Always."

I had travel plans, but there was something about the woman that made me walk beside her through the Louisville terminal instead of making my way to my own gate. She was tall, maybe five-ten, with shoulder-length strawberry-blonde hair. She wore a sleeveless shirt that showed off lean, muscular arms. Everything about her screamed confidence, strength, and control. I'd met a few Army nurses who had similar looks about them, but this woman was different. She carried herself with purpose, her duffle slung over her shoulder like my own. Like she was on a mission and no one was going to stop her, even if she had to kill to get them out of her way. She didn't speak again or acknowledge me, but she didn't tell me to back off, either.

The terminal wasn't particularly crowded, though there might have been a hundred people in the area. All I wanted to do was secure the bike I'd procured the second I'd gotten back to the States and fucking ride . I'd been offered a chance to join an MC called Iron Tzars, but I wasn't sure they were really my thing. Their causes were noble and any killing they did wasn't indiscriminate, but I'd had my fill of death in country. Even for those who needed killing.

Boom !

A shot rang out and all around us people screamed, ducking for cover.

Boom !

A nearby window shattered as the round hit, sending glass shattering to the floor and the concrete outside. I scanned the crowd for the shooter before glancing where I knew the woman had stood. Same as me, she was looking around for the shooter. I saw the exact moment she spotted him. Her features hardened and she looked angry as fuck as she squatted next to me, behind the nearby counter. "Fucker's military."

"Can't say I blame him given the reception we got when we landed. Wouldn't be my first choice of things to do, though."

Her gaze went to mine. "You any good in a fight?"

I shrugged. "Good as any, I guess. Ain't armed."

She shook her head. "Me neither."

"Got a plan?" If she didn't, I'd come up with one, but this woman looked like she'd been expecting trouble and knew how to deal with it. If she knew the soldier in question or had known this was going to happen, she'd have a plan. I'd follow her lead until she proved she didn't know what she was doing. One thing I'd learned in Nam was that often it wasn't the most educated man or the highest-ranking officer who could get you out alive.

"He's not aiming at anyone in particular. I'll talk to him. See if I can get him to surrender peacefully. You position yourself behind him and be ready." She gave me a pointed look. "I'll be counting on you to take him down before he shoots me."

"Fuck," I muttered. "Maybe I better try to talk to him."

She gave me an exasperated huff. "Do you honestly think I can take him down myself? I'm strong, but he's easily twice my size."

"You ain't makin' this easy, woman."

"What's so fuckin' difficult about it?"

Her scowl was hard enough to trigger my well-trained instincts. I wanted to snap a salute and bark out, Yes, sir !

"Be ready. Take him down if he looks like he's gonna shoot me or anyone else." She tilted her head, giving me a puzzled stare. "You ain't got battle fatigue, do you? You don't act like you've had all you can take."

"No. I'm good." I scrubbed a hand over my face. "Just don't like puttin' a woman out front to use as bait. I should be the one takin' the risks."

"Well, I mean, if you want to risk your life when he'll probably be able to shake me off the second I go for him, fine by me. But I trust you in that regard more than you should trust me. The odds of you gettin' killed are way higher than me."

I stared at her until another boom went off followed almost immediately by another window shattering. "You're gonna give me all kinds of fuckin' trouble, ain't you?"

She grinned. "Trouble's my middle name. Get in position. I'll wait until you're behind him." She pointed at the barrier next to the stairs and I saw where she meant.

"Yeah, that's where I thought I'd wait. I'll let you know when I'm ready."

We stared at each other hard for a moment before she spoke. "What's your name, soldier?"

"Sergeant Michael Wilbanks. At least, that was my rank when I was discharged."

"Honorable?" She raised an eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes and pointed at my Army issue fatigues. "Of course. Still wearin' the uniform, ain't I? Re-upped after my initial tour. Not this time, though. Had enough of the killin'."

She nodded. "Dr. Josephine Peyton, Captain, US Army. Or I was. You can call me Jo. I got a four-six-one discharge for ‘inadequate personality' ‘cause I told a general touring our field hospital to suck my dick when he said the men in my ward were sacrificed for the greater good, then couldn't tell me what the fucking greater good was."

I couldn't contain my bark of laughter. "Promise me when this is over, you'll let me take you out on a date."

Josephine smirked. "Well, I guess that depends on whether you're able to take this guy down or not. I won't go out with a pussy."

"That sounds like a challenge."

She shrugged. "If it gets this guy to stop shootin' the place up, take it however you like."

Another boom broke the moment. People screamed all around us, but the only person I saw was Jo and her pale blue eyes. Before I could think too much about it, I leaned in and wrapped my hand around the back of her neck, pulling her in for a hard kiss.

At first she stiffened, then seemed to melt into my touch. We crouched there behind a fucking counter. When she gave a soft gasp, I thrust my tongue inside her mouth. I tasted the sweetest woman I'd ever had the pleasure of meeting. She smelled like wild honeysuckle and citrus and I knew I'd never live through another spring without remembering this scent. My cock shot hard and I growled when she whimpered under my touch. Josephine didn't seem like the kind of woman to whimper much, so I hoped I was doing something right. I wasn't sure I'd ever wanted a woman more than I did at that moment. I knew nothing about her other than she had a smart mouth and a keen mind. She'd said she was a doctor, but I knew she was much more. She was a warrior through and through. And I wanted her for my own.

The kiss lasted only a few seconds before I broke it off. She looked adorably dazed, a soft look of pleasure on her face. When she opened her eyes, it took her a brief moment to focus and she almost smiled… Then she scowled again. Seemed to be her default setting. "Do that again without permission and I will fuckin' bury you."

I tried my best not to smirk at her. Not sure I succeeded. Then, with one hard look into her eyes, a promise as well as a warning to be safe, I ran for my cover at the top of the stairs.

Once I was in place, I made eye contact with Jo. She gave me a crisp nod, then moved closer to where the shooter had taken his stance at the top of the stairs. It was eerie how he calmly fired his gun. Round after round. He didn't shout or scream or demand anything, but the report of his shotgun echoed in the vast terminal, speaking volumes for him.

"Hey, soldier!" Jo called to the guy from her cover at the bottom of the stairs. "Hold your fire."

"Ain't takin' orders from no one no more!" the guy screamed in Jo's general direction. He didn't appear to be looking for her so much as he was looking for the next target. A pillar in the middle of the room caught his eye and he fired. Dust and shrapnel exploded around the area, sending the few people hiding behind it screaming and scurrying off to find better cover.

Jo had to yell to be heard over the shouts of people running for their lives. "I know you don't wanna kill no one here. If you've been to ‘Nam, I know you've had enough killin'. I sure as fuck have. Come on. I just wanna go home, man. Have a beer. Maybe get laid."

"Ain't been to ‘Nam yet, but I ain't goin' back to base neither."

"No one said you were." He'd stopped firing momentarily, likely to reload. Jo took that opportunity to talk to the guy. "Where you stationed?"

"Fort Knox." The guy's voice was quiet now. I wondered if he was scared to go back or if he was thinking about his buddies. I could see now he was black. Light-skinned, but black just the same.

"Gettin' picked on by white boys who think they're better'n you?"

I hadn't expected Jo to go there, but I'd seen it more times than I cared to admit. Especially with younger soldiers who had no idea what they were getting into when they signed up. We were all warriors, brothers on the battlefield, but in the barracks, prejudice was alive and well. She must have hit the mark because he was silent a long while before speaking again. He didn't start shooting, though.

"Ain't all I thought it was gonna be. My dad was in France during World War II. When the draft started, he said I should join the Navy. Said I wasn't smart enough to go to college so I should go ahead and join the Navy before I got drafted to the Army. Only, the Navy didn't want me on account ‘a I didn't get no high school diploma. When the Air Force wouldn't take me neither, I was gonna go on back home, but the guy at the office took me next door and the Army signed me. I didn't want to sign up, but they said I'd have a better chance of gettin' to stay home if I volunteered. I think they tricked me."

"They sendin' your brigade to ‘Nam?"

"Yeah. Dad says I ain't smart enough to not get my head shot off." There was a loud sob as the kid broke down. "I don't wanna get my head shot off, lady!"

"I know. How old'er you, honey?"

"Eighteen."

"Joined the second you left school?"

"Yeah. But I didn't want to be in the Army." He sniffed once and I thought the kid was probably crying.

"You don't wanna hurt these people." Jo's voice was calm. She spoke to him like a mother. Firm but loving, like she truly felt sorry for the kid. "Put your gun down and let me take you to the police. You might not have to go to ‘Nam, because they'll probably put you in jail, but you'll survive. And if you do it now, voluntarily, you won't hurt anyone and maybe you can get a service lawyer to negotiate a less than honorable discharge so you can go home after you serve your time."

That was promising a little much, but it was possible the military had more important things to worry about than one scared teenager in over his head. The kid stood there with his head down. I could see him where I crouched behind the barrier to the stairs, maybe twenty-five feet away. He had the shotgun in one hand at his side, not like he was ready to start shooting again.

"No. I don't wanna really hurt nobody. Was kinda hopin' what you said'd happen. They'd just kick me out. Maybe put me in jail for a while, then I could go home."

"Put your gun down, honey. Lay it at the top of the stairs and put your hands behind your head. Can you do that?"

It was hard to reconcile the Jo who'd threatened to bury me if I kissed her again without permission to this soft-spoken, motherly woman trying to talk down an airport gunman. My hackles rose when she came out from her hiding spot, her hands up in a non-threatening gesture. I didn't like her being away from cover, so I slowly stepped out into the open, keeping my hands palm up and out to my sides.

"I got a buddy behind you to your left, kid. He ain't gonna hurt you, but he's gonna get your weapon and stay at your side. If you've got any other weapons or ammo, we'd appreciate it if you'd lay them next to your shotgun and back away. Do it slowly so everyone knows you ain't gonna hurt no one."

"Ain't got nothin' else," he said. "Just this one. Ammo's in the bag beside it."

"That's good. Very good. Now, can you put your hands behind your head and take five steps straight backward? My friend Mike's gonna be right with you."

"You ain't gonna shoot me, are you?"

"No, honey," Jo said. "We've both had enough shootin' to last a lifetime."

"I'm right here, buddy," I said, letting the kid know where I was so I didn't startle him. "What's your name?"

He sighed, putting his hands behind his head. "Alex."

"I'm Mike. I ain't gonna hurt you, but I need to come to you and pat you down. That way when the police get up here, they'll know you're not a threat anymore. Will you let me do that?"

The kid looked so defeated I felt sorry for him. I'd seen that look in every new soldier who set foot in my battalion. Fear. Resignation. Everyone knew your life expectancy plummeted the second you got your draft notice. Sounded like this kid was just like all the others.

He didn't give us any trouble after that. Jo climbed the stairs and secured his weapon before approaching us. "Thank you, Alex. It was very brave of you to trust us. Do you want me to call your dad?"

Alex shrugged, shaking his head. "He'll just box my ears. I ain't supposed to do nothin' to get sent up to ‘Nam. He said once the war ended, I might have a future if I kept my nose clean. ‘Course he don't know we got ordered to ship out."

"Right now, I think he'll tell you the most important thing is that you're alive." Jo smiled at him. Again, it was a kind smile, so at odds with how I'd first pegged her. She said she was a doctor. Maybe this was her bedside manner.

Alex met Jo's gaze with a frightened but grateful one of his own. "I ain't smart, but I know what you done, ma'am. You saved my life."

"I've seen more than enough death to last me a lifetime, honey. Just remember this. Take your punishment like a man, then go home to your family and take care of them."

"I will. Thank you, ma'am." He glanced in my direction before lowering his eyes again. "Sir."

I cringed inwardly, trying not to let Alex see. Last thing I wanted was for him to feel like he'd done something else wrong. I'd feel like I was kicking a fucking puppy.

We waited with Alex until the police had him cuffed. Every time one of them would get a little rougher than Jo thought strictly necessary, she'd calmly say, "That's enough. He's going peacefully." When one of them called Alex a yellow-bellied nigger, Jo stepped up to him and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and got right up in his face. "You say one more word to that kid tryin' to provoke him, and I'll cut off your nuts. Then I'll take my jail time with a fuckin' smile. I may be in prison for a while, but you'll be minus your balls. Forever . Get me?"

Surprisingly, the officer backed down. Probably because this was a completely different Jo than the woman who'd been so kind with Alex. She also looked scary as fuck. Even more so than when I first pegged her on the plane.

For his part, the boy looked startled, like he hadn't expected anyone to take up for him. As the police led him down the stairs, Alex turned his head over his shoulder to look at us.

"Kid's gonna be lucky to survive the next few days. If his CO will get him back to Fort Knox to await trial, he might have a chance." She spoke absently. I could almost see the wheels turning in her head.

"What'er we gonna do?" I asked. Because I just knew Jo wouldn't let this go.

"Nothin'. Ain't my fuckin' problem." She snarled her words a little too harshly to be believed.

"Nope. It ain't." I had to bite back a smile. I had the feeling the next few days were going to be interesting.