Embattled Hearts 1 by J.M. Madden Read Free Book Online Page A

of him. John hadn’t understood. What had he done to make her mad? Crying had only made her more determined, until she finally snapped at him, “This is why I’m getting rid of you.”
    She left him standing there on the steps as he cried his eyes out. It was the last time he’d ever seen her.
    John contemplated the suburban scene in front of him as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. He’d covered a lot of distance between then and now. Actually, if he thought about it, he was fairly proud of where he was. For an abandoned kid that had barely scraped through school, he did good in the military. Commendations and awards were stacked in a box in his closet, telling him how brave other people thought he was. As a Gunnery Sergeant, he had been well respected by his men. His orders were followed immediately and without question, and his team had had one of the lowest casualty counts in his company.
    Well, until that day outside of Kabul. Everything had gone to shit then.
    He tipped his head to one side, then the other, cracking the bones in his neck. He scrubbed his hands through his hair and flicked the ignition on without starting the truck. He pressed buttons on the radio until he found an irritating station that would keep him awake.
    Shannon was up and moving around by seven o’clock. John thought it was safe to head back to the apartment. Maybe he could catch a few minutes’ sleep in his bed before he had to go in to the office and submit the evidence. Jamison would not appreciate business on a Saturday, but it couldn’t be helped.
    *****
    Through a crack in her bedroom drapes, Shannon watched John pull away from the curb, several yards down the street. Her heart warmed at the thought of him waiting out there in the cold, watching to make sure she was okay. For a man who didn’t have any relationships, family or otherwise, she was amazed at how well he took care of her. If she confronted him about it, he would deny it, of course. But she knew the truth. John Palmer had an incredibly warm, caring heart.
    And he seemed to have a soft spot for her.
    Smiling, she turned and headed for the hot shower. She needed to clean and shop today.

Chapter Three

    C had called Zeke at three.
    “’Lo?”
    “Dude, are you still in bed?”
    There was silence on the other end of the line, and Chad thought the other man had fallen asleep. “Maybe. What do you want? It’s damn…early.”
    He snorted. “No, it’s not. It’s after three. What time do you normally get up?”
    Zeke yawned on the other end of the line. “Mm, five-ish. Depends on the job the night before.”
    “Well, whatever. You need to get up. Are you going with me?”
    The silence stretched on the other end of the line even longer, and Chad knew Zeke had hoped he’d forgotten.
    “I don’t know, Chad. I’m not…ch-chomping at the bit for a girlfriend like you…are. I don’t need to go out and be looked at like a bug over and over again.”
    Chad winced at the too-blunt description of their normal nights out. Zeke was all too right. Finding girls was not the problem, it was getting to know them. Between Chad’s obviously fucked-up arm and Zeke’s long pauses and patchwork face, people tended to give them a wide berth, no matter how friendly they tried to be. And if the women did pause long enough for a drink, they usually fell into two categories: the motherers and the pityers. Neither of which they were in the market for. If he wanted to be mothered or pitied, he could go back home to Texas.
    He was hungry for companionship, though. It had been years since he’d been in a serious relationship, and months since his last half-dressed fuck.
    The first time he’d been with a woman, she’d said over and over again she’d be fine with his amputation, and that she’d seen injuries like his before. Well, apparently not, because as soon as she caught sight of his stub, she’d paled and shuddered, making an excuse to leave. The second time he’d been with a