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

gasp and she jumped. Damn it.
    All the way down the hallway, she cussed under her breath. Then again when she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair. She wouldn’t have kissed her either looking the way she did. The bruise spread across her jaw and up toward her ear, although most of the swelling had gone down. There was some shading beneath her eye, but it hadn’t been enough to give her an actual shiner. She knew it would be at least another week before she looked normal again.
    She heard masculine voices out front and rushed to get ready, scraping her hair into a ponytail. Wondering how she could get rid of that desolate look on his face.
    *****
    Zeke shook Chad’s hand. “Th-thanks for helping o-out.”
    Chad made a face at him, blue eyes twinkling. “Did I have a choice? I don’t remember hearin’ that part. You told me to clean out my truck and be here because the little waitress was in trouble. You’re lucky I know the boss and was able to get time off.”
    Laughing, Zeke pounded his buddy on the shoulder. He counted Chad as one of his best friends, and he knew he’d do a lot more than help him move a woman. Hell, the last two reconstructive surgeries Zeke had gone through, Chad’s had been the face he’d woken up to.
    When Ember walked into the room Chad’s eyes widened with surprise, then narrowed with anger. “Damn. Zeke said you’d been hit, but he didn’t say how bad.”
    Ember brushed her cheek with her hand. “Yeah. It doesn’t really hurt anymore.”
    Zeke knew better than that. He’d seen her wince twice this morning already.
    “Thank you so much for helping me. If I had a truck I’d do it myself.”
    “No problem at all. I think there may be one or two more coming.” Chad waved his scarred left hand. “Can’t do any heavy lifting with this thing, and although he thinks he could probably carry a couch on his own, ole Tiny here will probably need some help.”
    Ember laughed at the nickname. “Do they really call you Tiny?”
    Zeke shook his head. “Only when they n-n-need their asses k-kicked.” He punched his friend lightly in the shoulder and the other man staggered.
    “Get off me, you clown, before I shove a cowboy boot up your ass.” Chad wiggled his leg to show off new boots.
    “Oh, m-man. Those are nice.” Zeke was happy for his buddy, because he’d been waiting for them for months.
    Chad grinned, all Texas pride, too smug for his own good. “I know.”
    Their interaction set the tone for the rest of the day.
    Brian Claypool, one of the more recent hires, arrived with Ortiz. They didn’t have trucks, but they did have an SUV, and the balance and muscle needed to help move the big items.
    Ember ran around like a mad woman, in stark contrast to the military precision the men brought to the situation. Chad was the obvious one in charge, even ordering Ember through a controlled list of objectives. Within an hour, they had the first load of furniture ready to transport.
    She called for the boy to get ready to go outside, and he came running. His enthusiasm dimmed when he found out they were going over to the other apartment. “Can I ride with Zeke?” he asked.
    Zeke blinked in surprise, curious why the kid wanted to even be near him. Drew smiled up at him with clear-eyed trust, and he couldn’t help but give him a wink.
    “Well, I don’t know, honey.” Ember’s big brown eyes looked up at him, and he knew she wouldn’t crowd him if he didn’t want her near.
    “You c-can ride with me.”
    He regretted the offer almost immediately, but Drew whooped for joy. He jabbered excitedly when he caught sight of the Zeke-sized black truck. Ember transferred Drew’s booster chair from her car to the back seat of his vehicle, shoving a couple of boxes to the side.
    Chad grinned at him when he noticed Ember shuffling, and Zeke felt his face heat with embarrassment. Shoving his sunglasses on to keep out the glare of the snowy day, he shook his head.
    Excitement ran