Link caught up with the group as the helicopter approached and landed right in front of them. He was still weirded out by the man bringing bread for them.
“That didn’t make sense,” Link said as he loaded onto the chopper.
“No, it didn’t. The man was really old,” Keel said.
“He said thank you,” Mick added.
Chase shook his head. “Getting thanked with bread. This guy must have been abusing the locals.”
“Glad we got him. Now we just need to drop him off.”
Link sat back, resting his head against the wall of the helicopter. The things that happened because of war were awful. Ansley had been taken because someone was a jerk. No one should have to put up with that kind of treatment, not Ansley, and not that old man. But it was a worldwide problem. He wasn't sure why some people were bad, and no motivation to change, like prison or loss of money, could convince them to change. It was like they were just bad through and through, and the only solution was not allowing them to live. He hated that truth for the world. Some people were just bad, and no amount of threats would ever make them decent people.
The knowledge that there was evil out there further cemented his desire to stay in the military. He knew Ansley had her reasons for getting out, but he had his reasons for staying in. He was well equipped to bring down terrorists, and he owed it to himself and others to keep doing the work to make the world a safer place. Even when the problems seemed more like Hydra, the water snake with many heads, it was worth it to keep fighting so that old men could offer them bread.
They landed and handed their prisoner off, then took a moment to eat something, but not the bread because they had no idea who had given it to them or if it was safe. It was a kind gesture, but kindness sometimes hid deep cruelty.
The sun would be up in about an hour. He wondered what Ansley would be doing today. She had about two weeks left in the Marines. Hopefully, her day was going well. When he got home, he wanted to call her up and just listen to her talk.
“What’s that smile for?” Scott asked.
“Just thinking.”
Scott chuckled. “You’re thinking about your woman, right?”
"Technically, she isn't my woman. We are just friends."
“Sure,” Scott said. “A smile like that doesn’t say friends.”
He wasn't going to try to convince his buddies of anything. He would make sure they were respectful toward her, but he knew better than to argue with them about Ansley. Soon enough, they would see how good she was for him, and maybe they would see how good they were together.
Chapter 17
It had been almostsix days since she'd heard from Link. The desire to talk to him was driving her crazy. To fight off the desire to send him about a hundred messages, she headed out to find a place to eat where she could wander around after and do some window shopping.
For the last few years, her wardrobe had consisted of military-approved shorts, pants, and shirts. She wasn't one to wear dresses, but maybe she would buy one or two. First, she had to figure out which style would fit her body shape.
Some styles, like A-line dresses, were classic. Sundresses and knee-length skirts were staples that she could add to her closet, but some of the in-fashion clothing didn't look like stuff she would be comfortable in. Maybe she just needed to spend more time shopping to find a dress that would fit her.
She picked a restaurant next to an outlet mall so she would have time to eat and shop more before heading home. Being out in public was nice, but still something at the back of her mind made her worry. She couldn’t sit with her back to the door, and she didn’t feel that she could relax.
The place she chose served Mexican food, which was absolutely delicious. It was more calories than she would normally have, but after a week and a half, she would be done with the Marines, and obsessing over her weight would calm down a little. She knew she could drop pounds if she worked out after eating a meal like this. Plus, she really didn't care about gaining a few pounds. The only reason she needed to keep them off in the military was so she didn't have to buy new equipment.
After eating, she headed over to a store with women's clothing, checking out the dresses in the window. One of the dresses, a cap sleeve blue dress with small flowers across the bodice, looked nice. But was it the kind of dress she wanted to wear?
Would she feel more comfortable in slacks? Pants were more her style, but guys liked sexy women. Maybe slacks could be sexy. Not the kind of pants the military had her wear. She looked awful in those, but she could dress up pants with the right top.
She really didn’t know what Link considered sexy. Maybe she could ask him. But it would feel weird to ask that question over the phone.
“Are you thinking of ruining someone else’s life?”
The voice sent a chill through her. It had been a long time since she'd spoken to Peter. The man still blamed her for Craig's death, but she hadn't had anything to do with his death. He'd gone out on that pier on his own volition. She'd begged him to just go home, but he'd been manic that afternoon.
She'd been at the beach with him when an argument erupted between them. He ran off, like he did when he was angry, and she'd called out, begging him to just go home. He exhausted her with his constant mood changes.
The months before, she'd grown tired of chasing him. He expected her to run after him and beg him for some random thing and apologize to him, even when he'd been the one in thewrong. He expected her to cave to him, to bow to his wishes and do whatever he wanted. But she was done with being his lap dog and doormat. She wanted a relationship that wasn't mired in drama.
That last day had been too much. He’d been chatting with a woman on Instagram, which wouldn’t have bothered her, but then he’d arranged a time to meet her. When Ansley found out, she called him on it, and he threw it back in her face, blaming her for his infidelities.
