Marine for Hire by Tawna Fenske Read Free Book Online

nonchalant.
    “Thought I saw a little oil on your driveway,” he said as he got to his feet. “Just wanted to check for leaks.”
    She smiled and pushed a double stroller toward him. The boys’ carriers were latched into place on it, and Sam marveled at the technology that created such an apparatus. He’d seen tanks less cleverly designed.
    He looked at Sheri, marveling even more at how she was designed. How flawlessly beautiful she was. She was dressed simply in khaki shorts and a blue T-shirt that matched the straps on her flip-flops. Her eyes sparkled in the midmorning sun, and her hair was piled in a topknot he wanted to tug free just to watch the curls tumble over her shoulders.
    “So you’re a manny mechanic?” she teased.
    “Nah, it’s just a male requirement to crawl around under automobiles every now and then and grunt a few times. They take away our jockstraps if we don’t do it.”
    She laughed, a sweet, warm sound that reminded him of calypso music. As she reached the car, Sheri flipped the button to unlock the doors, then popped one open. She clicked Jackson’s carrier off the stroller and latched it into place on the base in the backseat. Sam watched closely, then followed suit with Jeffrey, patting his warm, squirmy body to make sure he was secure.
    “All set?” he asked.
    “At least until we get two blocks away and I realize I forgot my water bottle. Or my sunglasses. Or my book. Or my cooler. That’s kinda my thing.” She smiled, and Sam felt his gut turn to melted chocolate.
    The drive to Poipu beach was lovely, with tree tunnels and lush fields rolling past in a blur of green and blue. “Right here is the turnoff,” Sheri said as she turned the car onto a narrow side street and continued toward a large parking area. “It’s easy to miss if you don’t know where you’re going.”
    “Right,” he said, and hopped out of the car to unbuckle the babies. Loaded down like pack mules, he and Sheri made the slow trudge across the sand. He let her lead the way, already conjuring up a delicate way to redirect her if she chose a spot that left them with too many people at their backs or no easy escape routes. Instead, she picked a quiet stretch of sand backed up against a low hedge near a footpath leading to an outdoor shower. Two potential escape routes.
    There’s nothing to escape from.You’re on a beach, not a battlefield.
    Sam relaxed and began setting up the canopy. He thought about removing his shirt, but decided against it. His right shoulder blade bore an elaborate tattoo of a bulldog—a devil dog, or teufelshunde as the German soldiers had dubbed the US Marines in the Battle of Belleau Wood in 1918.
    The design was pretty generic, and didn’t reference the Marines or “Semper fi.” Still, Sheri came from a military family. He couldn’t risk her recognizing the significance of the symbol.
    “I hope you put on sunscreen,” Sheri said. “It might not feel that warm, but you’ll burn fast even on a day like today.”
    Sam nodded, keeping one eye on the beach. “Better safe than sorry,” he said.
    His eyes swept the sand, looking for threats, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
    Stop it . It’s just a goddamn beach.
    But he couldn’t do it. He went back to studying his surroundings, cataloging every piece of driftwood, every stranger around him. At the edge of the shoreline, a young Hispanic couple with matching infinity tattoos on their wrists clasped hands and splashed into the waves. To the right, a bald guy fought to don his snorkel mask and swim fins, looking like an overcooked sea creature. To the left, a small crowd gathered around a makeshift barricade marking a sandy strip where a large sea turtle had crawled ashore to snooze in the sun. Sam breathed in the scent of sunscreen and ocean air, watching for anything out of the ordinary.
    Suddenly, he saw it. A man walking alone with a bulging duffel bag slung over his right shoulder. He wore a hat with the brim