Out of Uniform (Wingmen Warriors 14)

“Sorry.” His mouth curved into one of those rare, one-sided smiles. “Of course you should.”

What would a full wicked smile that twinkled in his eyes look like? This wasn’t the kind of distraction she needed. “Let’s go to the station now, please.”

“Think for a minute. You’ve been in contact with the Tacoma PD every couple of hours and nothing’s coming through. They’re running the license plate from the Suburban now. I didn’t want to scare you when we discussed it before, but we need to be sure nothing’s seriously wrong. Finding out who you are won’t be worth a damn if you pass out on the precinct floor.”

Perhaps his one-word answers hadn’t been so bad after all. “But wouldn’t I have already—”

“That’s for the doctor to say.”

“Fine.” She waved a hand. “You’re right, and I’m irritable. There’s so much beyond my control, I can’t stop grasping at any little thing I can manage. Does that make any sense?”

His smile faded altogether. “Yeah.”

Back to one-word answers. So much for conversation.

Dee stared out over the endless stretch of snow road, mountain peaks just visible through the misty fog. She monitored the mile markers, city limits now only ten miles away.

Anticipation tingled through her at the notion of discovering her identity and hopefully answers about a possible child. Even so, she couldn’t stop a sliver of regret from mingling into the mix. Regaining her memory could mean saying goodbye to Jacob.

Jacob was more than ready to say goodbye to whoever had been following them since they’d left the Lodge.

The snowy haze made it difficult to keep track of cars around them beyond headlights beaming through soupy weather. But he’d seen the same light-colored SUV peek through the fog again and again. He couldn’t be sure of the paint job with all the sludge on the vehicle, but he also couldn’t stop thinking about Mr. Smith’s white Suburban.

Of course with so many SUVs around here, the odds of seeing slush-covered Suburbans were high. It could be coincidence. He’d tried slowing, speeding up, even taking a side road and still he could swear they had a tail.

He didn’t want to stress out Dee further, especially not before a doctor’s okay on her health. At least she wasn’t pressing for conversation anymore and he could keep his full attention on making sure they made it to the base safe and sound.

No one would get through the front gate without proper identification.

He checked the rearview mirror again. Nothing but snow and a sedan now. Still, the unease itched. Maybe he was being overly cautious.

But until he knew what had happened to Dee, he couldn’t relax his guard.

“There are no drugs in your system.”

Dr. Kathleen Bennett’s words brought Dee a mixed swell of relief and disappointment. Relief over nothing toxic in her system, and disappointment that the answer wouldn’t be simple.

She took in the military doctor, a flight surgeon who wore a green flight suit with a stethoscope around her neck. The woman inspired trust with a brisk no-nonsense confidence that Dee appreciated. She would focus on that, trust that and try not to think overlong about Dr. Bennett’s slight swell of pregnancy that made Dee’s stomach clench.

She forced back the need to take Jacob’s hand. While he’d sat in the waiting room throughout her morning full of exams, she’d asked that he be allowed to join her afterward.

Watching him walk so confidently through his military world at McChord Air Force Base sparked confidence in her—and a yen to see him in his flight suit.

“I’ll send your blood work out for more extensive testing, but so far there’s nothing out of the ordinary.” Dr. Bennett tucked her pen behind her ear into her red braid and flipped through the chart. “You’ve definitely got a bump on you head, but not severe enough for us to be concerned about.”

Jacob swallowed, a long, slow ripple of muscle along his strong neck.

He was worried? For her? He’d hidden it well earlier in the truck, so distant and moody, only relaxing somewhat once they crossed through the front gate of the base.

Regardless, she wanted to clutch his hand in gratitude rather than for comfort. Someone cared what happened to her. How small and incredible a thought.

Jacob pressed, “When will we hear back?”

“A week at the most.”

Dee winced. “So many tests. Expensive tests.”

“Don’t worry. We’ve got it covered.”