Battle Tested. Laura Scott

plan.

      Isaac couldn’t believe he’d actually told Vanessa about his PTSD, something he rarely talked about outside of therapy sessions. For the first time in weeks, he didn’t feel the urge to hide the truth about what he was going through.

      Maybe this meant he’d turned the corner on his healing process.

      The sound of a car door slamming shut made Vanessa jump and nervously glance over her shoulder. He reached out to capture her hand in his, recognizing she was still suffering the aftermath of her attack.

      “It’s okay, you’re safe with me,” he assured her. Would she end up having nightmares as a result of the near strangulation? He hoped not. “Tell me about Boyd Sullivan and why he wants to hurt you.”

      She grimaced and shook her head. “Nothing to tell.”

      Isaac chose his words carefully. “Vanessa, I know firsthand that talking through an event is better than keeping it bottled inside. And I’m willing to listen without passing any judgment.”

      They took several steps heading west on Webster Street, past Canyon Drive, where most of the base housing was located, before she let out a heavy sigh. “There really isn’t anything to the story. Boyd holds a grudge against the Air Force for dishonorably discharging him and he’s coming after people who he believes are responsible for his downfall.”

      He’d heard the same theories. The base had been on high alert for months now, and apparently with good reason. Sullivan was getting bold and impatient, judging by the way he’d sneaked into the hospital to attack Vanessa.

      He cast a glance her way. She was beautiful, her long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, matching her chocolate-brown eyes. Beside him, she was petite in her pale blue scrubs covered by a white scrub jacket. Her honeysuckle scent made him think of home, and he was glad he’d been in the right place at the right time for once.

      “And what about you? Did he want a personal relationship with you?” he guessed.

      “Not at all,” Vanessa quickly denied. “In fact, I helped him one night while he was still in basic training, providing medical care for wounds he’d suffered as a result of a barroom brawl. He didn’t want to go to the ER and get in trouble, so I provided first aid from the kit I carry in my car. That’s why this attack doesn’t make any sense.” She paused, then added, “He told me that I was the first person to be nice to him without expecting anything in return. Does that sound like a rational reason to want me dead?”

      “No, it doesn’t,” he agreed. “I wonder if he thought your being nice to him meant you were interested in something more.” To be honest, Isaac couldn’t imagine any red-blooded man not being attracted to Vanessa.

      He was attracted to her. Not that he was going to do anything about it. He let go of her hand, reminding himself that he wasn’t interested in another relationship. Been there, done that, didn’t work out, end of story.

      In his experience women thought they could help a guy get over his issues, yet when they learned they couldn’t, they decided the guy wasn’t worth the trouble and moved on.

      And maybe he wasn’t worth the trouble. He couldn’t blame Amber for leaving him when his panic attacks prevented him from leading a normal life. He especially didn’t appreciate her hovering over him. He used to think he’d get better and move on with his life, but he now understood PTSD didn’t ever go away. There were strategies to deal with it, sure, but it wasn’t like being treated for an infection that would be cured by a course of antibiotics.

      No, this was more like having a chronic illness for the rest of your life.

      “I’m sure he wasn’t interested in me that way,” Vanessa protested. “If he was, he didn’t pursue anything.” Then she added, “At the time I was drawn to him, not romantically, but in a maternal way. In a weird way, he reminded me of Aiden—young and a bit immature, yet trying to make something of himself. Silly now that I look back at it. Boyd wasn’t interested in anything but placing blame for everything that happened to him on someone else. Nothing was ever his fault, oh, no. It was everyone else out to get him.”

      “Then why target you as someone who wronged him?”

      “I have no idea.” She was silent for another block, then added, “And just so you know, I was working the night shift the night the dogs were let loose from their kennels. I know everyone believes Boyd had help from inside the base, but it wasn’t me. I’m not the one helping him.”

      Isaac was surprised by the sudden vehemence in her tone. “I didn’t suggest you were.”

      “Well, that’s something, I guess,” she said, her tone faintly bitter. “There are others, including the anonymous blogger, who have made it clear they believe I sent the rose to myself to deflect suspicion. The latest theory is that Boyd is getting help from a woman on base.”

      He hadn’t realized the depth of what she’d been going through over the past few months. “That’s a tough break, but I’m a witness to the attack who will exonerate you once and for all.”

      She lightly rubbed her neck, wincing at the tenderness. “Pictures of the bruises likely to be visible by morning should help, right?”

      The thought of her golden skin marred by bruises infuriated him. If he’d been a minute later... He clenched his jaw, unwilling to think about how he may have stumbled across Vanessa’s dead body.

      The level of hatred Boyd was carrying around with him was inconceivable. Must be that Boyd wanted more from Vanessa, a personal relationship of some kind. No other explanation made sense. She must have done something, or said something, that dented his fragile ego.

      No point rehashing it now. She needed protection, and he intended to make sure Captain Blackwood provided it to her. Isaac wasn’t going to leave her alone, not until a Security Forces cop was stationed outside her house.

      They walked the next block in silence.

      At the corner, Vanessa took a left, heading past a thick hedge separating two front yards. A movement in the shrubbery caught his eye at the same time that Tango made a whining sound in the back of his throat.

      Not a growl, but still a sound of distress.

      Vanessa stopped dead in her tracks, reaching out to tightly grab his arm. “Did you hear that?” she whispered.

      “Yes.” Isaac’s pulse kicked up and he instinctively pushed Vanessa behind him in an effort to protect her. “Call the police.”

      The movement in the bushes increased and Tango strained on his leash as if desperate to rush over.

      Was Boyd hiding in there? Did he right now have a gun trained on them?

      For a split second, his mind went back to the moment his chopper had been hit by enemy fire, spinning helplessly out of control. Temporarily lost in the past, he let go of Tango’s leash and the dog took off straight toward the bushes.

       No! Stay focused on the here and now!

      “Tango!” His voice came out in a strangled cry, but the golden retriever didn’t listen. The dog disappeared into the bushes.

      Leaving Isaac as the only protector for Vanessa.

       TWO

      Vanessa wasted several precious minutes fumbling in her bag for her phone. When she finally found it, she punched in the emergency number for the base police. “This is Lieutenant Gomez and I’m with Captain Isaac Goddard. We’re on the corner of Webster and Viking and have reason to believe Boyd Sullivan is hiding in the bushes. Hurry!”

      “I’ll send someone over,” the Security Forces dispatcher promised.

      She kept the phone in one hand and gripped the back of Isaac’s uniform with the other. Her entire