Read Online Because of You: A Loveswept Contemporary Military Romance by Jessica Scott - Free Book Online

his eyes and studied his sergeant. His expression was pure innocence.
    “What did you do?” Shane asked.
    “Nothing.”
    “What did you supervise?”
    Carponti sniffed and his mouth twitched. “Nothing.”
    “What did you see happening and not stop?”
    “One of the troops drew a new picture of the LT on one of the latrine walls.” Carponti’s face broke into a shit-eating grin. “It’s really a work of art. You can completely see the freckles on Randall’s nose and everything.”
    “Carponti …” Shane fought the urge to laugh. Last week, Randall had been the subject of a particularly off-color demotivational poster that had made the rounds. Something about being the officer in charge of killing fun.
    “It’s got a camel and a water bottle and …”
    Randall stalked up, his face flushed. He looked like he’d been trying not to run. “Sergeant Carponti, I don’t appreciate your attitude. If I find out that you’re behind this …”
    “Behind what, LT?” Shane asked as he stood up, stepping between Carponti and Randall. “What can I do for you?”
    “You can start by teaching your sergeants some basic customs and courtesies.”
    “And you can stop trying to sleep with their wives. So I guess we’re at an impasse.”
    For a brief moment, Randall looked like he was going to argue, but he apparently remembered that Shane was a hell of a lot bigger than he was. And the last time the lieutenant had run his mouth, Shane had ended up explaining to the battalion sergeant major how Randall had run into the end of his fist. Course, Trent didn’t know that and Shane planned on keeping it that way. As his company commander and his friend, Shane did his best not to put Trent in untenable positions. So long as he didn’t cross the line with this particular lieutenant anymore, Sarn’t Major Giles had agreed to keep it quiet, which would keep it from the battalion commander, which would keep it from Trent. Shane had no idea
how
Sarn’t Major was keeping Randall from running to the battalion commander or his father, but that wasn’t Shane’s problem.
    Keeping Randall and Carponti from getting into it in the middle of the bay was.
    Shane called on every ounce of patience he could and simply waited for the lieutenant to continue. As Trent’s friend, he owed him no altercations. Unless, of course, they couldn’t be avoided. Lieutenant Randall was rapidly pushing him to the couldn’t-be-avoided phase.
    “I don’t need the executive officer to take charge of my troops’ training,” he said again, deliberately not using any form of address. He looked into Randall’s flushed face and couldn’t resist the urge to poke at the LT. Trent was going to kill him but what the hell. Randall needed an attitude adjustment, big time. “Pretty sure your job is to get us toilet paper and paper clips?”
    “Sir. You can call me sir or lieutenant or LT Randall. But if you can’t be botheredto act like a professional, then it’s easy to see why your soldiers don’t, either.”
    He took a step toward the edge of the bunks, forcing Randall to either stand toe-to-toe with him or back up. Randall backed up. “Lieutenant, I’ve got two boys on their way to the hospital in Germany from last night’s attack. I’ve got a mission brief in fifteen minutes and I haven’t slept in forty-eight hours. I don’t have time to stroke your wounded ego. Find someone else for that. So get on with it, or get gone.”
    Randall flushed and swallowed. Shane was starting to hate that nervous habit of his. He really was.
    “I need the sensitive items report before you leave on patrol tonight,” Randall said, looking down at his clipboard like it held all the secrets of the universe.
    “And yesterday I needed parts ordered for one of my fifty cals. Guess which one got someone hurt?”
    “I can’t control the mechanics or the armament repair teams. There were other priorities more important than your weapons and trucks.”
    “Really?