Back to You by Jessica Scott

Author:Jessica Scott
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction / Romance - Contemporary, Fiction / Romance - Erotica, Fiction / Contemporary Women, Fiction / Erotica, Fiction / War & Military
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2014-01-07T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Laura set the bowl of broccoli on the table. “Ethan, I thought I told you no hamsters at the dinner table.”

Ethan puffed out his bottom lip, a sure sign that he was about to cry. She was getting ready to intervene when Trent crouched down to look his son in the eye. “Fluffy needs to get put away for dinner, tiny man. She needs her own dinner.”

“But Daddy, Fluffy hasn’t been acting right all day. See!” Trent flinched as the hamster was thrust into his face.

He grabbed Ethan’s wrist and gently pushed the animal back to where he could see it. Picking the rodent up, he turned her around in a circle like he was doing a detailed inspection. The hamster just hung there, her fuzzy belly exposed, looking at him as if to say, are you done yet? “Fluffy is fine. Go put her away, okay? And wash your hands.”

Ethan sighed dramatically and walked out of the room, his footsteps just barely shy of a stomp. Trent straightened and walked to the sink to wash his own hands. “Does that thing always smell so bad?”

“Hamsters go into heat every four days.”

“Dear lord, that’s terrible.”

Laura grinned as she finished slicing the top off of a loaf of bread before sliding it into the oven. “You’re the one who bought them.”

“I had no clue they smelled that bad.”

“They’re not usually this bad. We keep the cages pretty clean.” She turned to find that he’d snuck up behind her.

“I kind of left you in the lurch with them, didn’t I?”

“Hello, captain obvious. You bought two rodents, then left the next day for a training exercise.” She smiled to take the sting out of her words. “But the kids love them so I’ll tolerate them.” She turned back to stir the potatoes she had boiling on the stove. “Has Patrick said anything else about the case?”

A long silence stretched between them. She glanced over her shoulder at Trent, whose strain was showing in his eyes. Laura breathed out deeply. She wanted to ask him to talk to her. Wanted to help carry the burden of his war, but she was terrified he would turn away again, leaving her with more unanswered questions.

“Funny you should mention that,” he said, and there was bitterness in his voice. “Turns out Story knew what was going on.”

“What?”

“Yeah. Turns out my lieutenant wasn’t the only one I shouldn’t have trusted.” She glanced over her shoulder to see him rub his hand over his mouth. “But he’s apparently sent a statement home to Patrick admitting to what he knew and testifying against Randall.”

“I still don’t see how Randall is going to beat this by dragging you into it,” Laura said. She knew enough about the case to know it was a disaster. Patrick had mentioned there was a flow chart somewhere outlining who they thought knew what and when they’d known it.

“Randall is going to testify that I knew he was selling weapons. I signed off on his reports without verifying them, so he’s going to use that against me,” he said quietly.

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