Read Online Embattled Minds (Military Romance) (Lost And Found Series) by J.M. Madden - Free Book Online Page B

just a body, scratching an itch.
    The thought of her breaking down at the restaurant flashed across his mind and he had to rethink that assessment.
    Shaking his head, he shifted into gear, glad that he’d taken the night off. It would give him a chance to get her out of his system.

Chapter Five

    T he cellphone buzzed on the desk beside him.
    Duncan looked at the screen and recognized the number from the other night when they’d all been working out. The caller had not left a message, just a hangup. This was the same number.
    Sliding his finger across the touchscreen, he rocked back in his chair.
    “Hello.”
    Somebody was on the other end of the line, he could sense it, but they weren’t saying anything. “Can I help you?”
    The line disconnected.
    Duncan rolled his chair until he could look out the window to the street below. Snow-covered, of course, but no worse than normal for Denver three days before Christmas. He followed the line of sidewalk down as far as he could see, but nothing caught his attention.
    He hadn’t seen Aiden for several weeks now. Now that he knew who the hunched figure was, he always watched for him. If the other man needed help, Duncan wanted to be there to give it.
    Pushing to his feet, he wandered toward Palmer’s office. The other man was behind his cluttered desk, staring off into space. When Duncan walked into the office, he visibly started.
    “You okay, there, buddy?”
    John swiped a hand over his face and grimaced. “I’m fine. Just thinkin’. What do you need?”
    Duncan showed him the cell phone number and John’s fingers flew over his keyboard. “This number has called me a couple of times, but doesn’t say anything. I just want to see if I can figure out who it is.”
    John sat back in his chair with a shake of his head. “Nope. The number looks like a drugstore throwaway. Dead end.”
    He thought as much, but it was good to have it confirmed.
    “Is the holiday covered? The Malone surveillance and…”
    John nodded, but he didn’t look happy about it. “Harper volunteered to work the entire weekend, with Claypool pulling day shift. Parks is still on the Vail detail, with Calvert backing him up. We have a secondary contractor taking over for Roger while the plant is shut down so he can fly home for a couple of days. Everything is covered.”
    “Did you find something for Shannon?”
    John’s face darkened with a scowl.
    “Fuck, Duncan, do you know how hard it is to shop for a damn woman? I’ve never had to deal with this before, so I’m seriously struggling. I don’t know what the hell she wants. Besides a damn ring, I mean.”
    Smiling, Duncan shifted a pile of manuals from the only chair in the room.
    “Have you talked to her at all? There has to be something she wants.”
    John sighed. “She wants to get married, I can see it in her eyes, but I don’t know if I’m up for that yet. Hell, I just moved into her house. I’m getting used to the cats. I don’t know if I can do any more than that right now.”
    Duncan felt for his buddy. He’d probably be freaked if he were in the same situation.
    “Well, why don’t you think about getting away for a while. Take a trip or something. Shannon would probably love to get out of the house for a while after the Gerbowski mess.”
    John blinked and cocked his head to the side. “You know, that’s not a bad idea. Even if I have to travel.”
    Duncan left his second in command surfing travel sites and planning a trip.
    He limped his way down to the rec room and raided the refrigerator, pulling out some easy to eat essentials. Twice before, he’d left a bag of food where Aiden had hung out, and twice before they were gone the next day. That wasn’t to say that somebody else hadn’t taken them, but he didn’t think so. The industrial park where the office building was located did not have any homeless.
    Other than Aiden.
    As he climbed into his truck a few minutes later, Duncan had little hope that he’d see the