Never Forget: A Novella in the Echo Platoon Series Read Online Free PDF Page A

last fall, deftly handling everything needed to prove his leader’s unethical ties to the mob. No wonder he’d risen so high in the enlisted ranks.
    She took note of his obscure address—Muddy Creek Road, Pungo. “Good thing I have GPS.”
    “It’s a straight shot down Virginia Beach Boulevard.”
    “I’ll find it,” she promised him. “Should I pack Curtis a lunch?”
    “Oh, no. I’ll feed him.”
    “Thank you. He’ll eat anything you give him.”
    “Plus I’ll pay him five an hour. It’s not even minimum wage but it’ll add up.”
    “Oh, you don’t have to do that.” She ought to be paying him for getting her son out of the house.
    “He’ll need the incentive,” he said with assurance.
    Picturing Curtis’s response to the new arrangement, he was probably right. “Okay,” she agreed. She nodded at the putty in his hand. “Good luck with the repairs.”
    “Same to you,” he said.
    Conscious of the shy smile on her face, she backed up three steps before whirling and walking briskly away from him. She could feel his gaze burning a warm path down her back, and she found herself putting a subtle sway in her step, wondering if he found her bare legs pretty.
    At the end of the aisle, she glanced back just as he jerked his gaze up. Their eyes met again and a fresh wave of heat rushed into her cheeks, causing her to blush like a school girl. She darted out of sight to hide her flustered state.
    W HAT THE HELL have I done?
    Reality slapped Rusty from his trance as Maya turned the corner. Clearly, his brain became mush in her presence. There was no other explanation for the fact that he’d just saddled himself with another responsibility—like the dog wasn’t enough of a handful. Now he had to keep an eye on her son, too.
    What had he been thinking?
    Sure, the kid could throw the ball and take the dog for long hikes in the woods. But he’d lied about Draco not being dangerous. Any Navy SEAL dog worth his salt loved to bite. The more aggressive, the more type-A, the more capable a dog was of protecting his teammates. War dogs weren’t your average domesticated canine. And they didn’t turn sweet and cuddly overnight—especially not Belgian Malinois, who’d been bred for centuries to be high-strung, fearless, and aggressive.
    Crap . If Rusty didn’t take the time to train both boy and dog, the kid was going to get some puncture wounds. And then Maya Schultz wouldn’t even speak to him, let alone want to know him better. So why the new arrangement?
    Scrubbing a hand across his forehead, he envisioned the vulnerability he’d glimpsed on her face when she admitted that her son had plowed his fist into the wall.
    Yep, it was that helpless look that did it. The only thing worse than her son getting bitten by his dog on his property was the prospect of the kid unleashing his frustration on his mother in their own home, where no adult male was present to protect her.
    I am such a pushover.
    Draco got up and started walking. Sixty pounds of determination dragged Rusty in the direction of the exit.
    “And we’re done shopping,” he acknowledged.
    At least he’d gotten what he came for—plus a whole lot more. All that responsibility for what? For the unlikely prospect of forging a connection with the widow of one of his fallen teammates. He sneered at his uncharacteristic optimism.
    Good luck .

Chapter Four
    ‡
    M AYA MARCHED INTO her son’s bedroom and raised the shade, admitting brilliant morning sunshine. “You need to get up now , honey. He’ll be here in twenty minutes.”
    Curtis pulled the pillow over his eyes. “Why?” he whined in a voice that started in a boy’s register and broke into a man’s.
    He’d been asking that same question— Why? —ever since she’d informed him that come Monday he’d be working for a retired Navy SEAL, helping to care for the military dog he’d just adopted.
    “I don’t want this stupid job,” he added.
    Ignoring his protest, she grabbed his