Into the Night Read Online Free PDF Page A

was remarkable. The guy was right out of central casting. Hello, Gertrude? Yeah, we need a Navy SEAL hero type over on lot twenty-four this afternoon. Make sure he stands well over six feet tall, is built like a Greek god, has neon blue eyes, golden brown hair, and a face more handsome than Brad Pitt's, willya?
    "Ma'am."
    And he should definitely be ridiculously young, so as to make me feel as old as possible by actually addressing me as ma'am.
    Shit. When had she become a ma'am? Thirty-two didn't honestly qualify as ma 'am-dom, did it?
    "Lieutenant Muldoon will give you today's tour," Jacquette said. "And he'll accompany you whenever you're here on base. Please try to stay with him at all tunes."
    Oh-ho. Lieutenant Junior was her baby-sitter. Wasn't that annoying news?
    And although he gave no outward sign—Junior was either unswervingly polite or brain dead—Joan had to believe that this was not an assignment that he'd requested. No, this was one he'd gotten stuck with, poor thing. He was doomed to be as miserable as she was.
    "That's not just for your own personal safety," Jacquette continued, "but also for security reasons, of course. Again, if you need anything..."
    Enough games. The U.S. Navy might not take this PR opportunity for Brooke Bryant seriously, but she sure as hell did. "I need full access to this base, Lieutenant," Joan told him.
    He pretended not to understand. "Then I'll let you and Lieutenant Muldoon get to it," the XO said smoothly. "Enjoy your tour."
    "Sir, I have full security clearance," she said.
    But he was already taking another call on his cell—or at least pretending to take one—ending their conversation by turning his broad back and walking away.
    And then there she was. All alone with Junior.
    "Do you want fries with that?" Mary Lou Starrett asked.
    The skinny sailor with a bad case of acne hardly looked at her once, let alone twice. "Just a vanilla shake."
    "Small or large?" There was a time—not so long ago— when this kid wouldn't have been able to take his eyes off of her. And she, well, she wouldn't've given an enlisted loser like him the time of day.
    "Large. And I'm in a real rush, so if you don't mind... ?" He finally looked at her, and it was with "Come on, you moron" in his eyes.
    Mary Lou took a chicken sandwich from the warming bin, squishing a big hole in the bun with her thumb as she put it into the paper sack. It wasn't as satisfying as spitting into his shake, but it would have to do.
    She took his money and gave him his change, and he grabbed his food and left. And the lunchtime rush at the Navy base's McDonald's was officially over.
    Her husband, Lieutenant Sam Starrett of U.S. Navy SEAL Team Sixteen, hadn't come in with the rest of the crowd. Even though he knew she was working today. Even though he knew this was one of the three weekdays she dropped their daughter, Haley, at Mrs. Ustenski's day care center and actually got her ass out of the house. ..
    Her twenty pounds overweight, size humongous, never-gonna-wear-a-thong-again big-ass ass.
    It had been thirteen months since Haley was born. And it had been longer than that since she and Sam had had sex. Real sex. Not this do-it-in-the-dark-with-any-random-blow-up-doll-available-type sex they'd had very infrequently since then.
    Mary Lou slowly organized the stack of paper cups alongside the soda machine, knowing if she didn't look busy, Aaron the asshole manager would find something for her to do.
    Maybe if she lost this weight, Sam would look at her again as if she were a woman, instead of a sack of potatoes. Maybe when she finally stopped breast-feeding. Everyone said that breast-feeding made you lose weight, but maybe she was some kind of freak of nature. Maybe after she weaned Haley, she'd get thinner. And maybe then Sam would want her.
    He stayed up late, watching TV in the living room, waiting until after she was asleep to come to bed. Or so he thought. She was usually awake, lying there wishing that he would