I NEED A HERO
Men in Uniform #0.5
Codi Gary
Releasing Oct 20th, 2015
Avon Impulse
Sergeant Oliver Martinez joined the
military to serve his country—not plan parties. But after a run-in with his
commanding officer, Oliver is suddenly responsible for the Alpha Dogs Training
Program’s upcoming charity event. Worse, he’s got to work with the bossiest,
sexiest woman he’s ever met—who just happens to be the general’s daughter.
When it comes to military men,
Evelyn Reynolds is not interested. And with the opportunity to launch her new
PR firm at the charity event, she doesn’t have time for some sexy, arrogant
jerk with a hero complex. Evelyn is determined to keep things professional—if
only she can ignore how Oliver’s muscles fill out a t-shirt and the infuriating
way he makes her heart pound.
But when tempers flare and a
scorching kiss turns into so much more, Oliver and Evelyn will have to decide
if this attraction is forever…or just for now.
Oliver Martinez sat
stiffly in the wobbly office chair, the room stifling despite the hum of the
air conditioner above his head. He wasn’t usually the nervous type, being that
military police didn’t allow time for panic, but facing off against General
Reynolds, the man who pretty much held his career in the palm of his hand . . .
Well,
he figured he had a right to sweat with the way the older man was staring him
down.
“What
do you have to say for yourself, Sergeant?” General Reynolds asked.
A
thousand excuses ran through his mind, but none of them would appease the
general, Oliver knew that. He hadn’t become an MP to be liked; even his family
knew he wasn’t a people person. He was hardworking, sharp as a tack, and a mean
son of a bitch when you got on his bad side—qualities that made him an
excellent MP. And military police was exactly where Oliver belonged. He got to
bust heads and keep order; it was structured, and there were rules. He was the
good guy.
But
this time, he had stepped in a big old pile of shit trying to play the hero.
“I
did what I thought was right, sir,” Oliver said.
“You
instigated a confrontation with a civilian that turned into an all-out bar
brawl,” General Reynolds said. Although his tone and outward expression seemed
calm, Oliver hadn’t missed the eye twitch on the left side of the general’s
face. The man was beyond furious, and nothing Oliver did or said was going to
make things better for him.
Why
had he decided to go out with the guys on Friday? His buddies from group
therapy, Dean Sparks and Tyler Best, had convinced him that he needed to get
out and blow off some steam. He hadn’t expected to take down some rowdy kid or
have the cops called on them. The civilian police had been cool, though, once
he explained the situation, and as they hauled the kid off for drunk and
disorderly, he’d thought that was the end of it.
Until
he’d shown up for work this morning only to have Tate tell him he wasn’t on
rotation and that the general wanted to see him. Oliver hadn’t had any idea
what the meeting was about, but he’d never expected to get his ass chewed over
something that wasn’t even his fault.
“It
wasn’t a brawl, sir. I contained and subdued him too fast for that.”
Oliver
regretted his words the moment they left his mouth. They sounded arrogant, and
that wasn’t going to score him any points.
Especially
since the civilian in question was the general’s son.
Despite
knowing this, Oliver tried again to explain his side. “I just mean, and with
all due respect, sir, that the civilian was drunk and harassing several women, and
when I politely asked him to leave them alone, he threw the first punch.”
General
Reynolds’s salt and pepper mustache twitched, and Oliver wondered for half a
second if the general was messing with him and if he was secretly amused that
his son had been taught a lesson in respect.
“I
don’t care if he threw a hundred punches. You should not have engaged. You did
not have to break his nose or sprain his wrist while you were restraining him.”
Okay,
so he wasn’t amused. But no matter how angry the general might be, Oliver
wasn’t going to apologize for roughing up the little punk. The kid had thrown a
sucker punch that had lit fire to Oliver’s jaw, and it was still sore. And if
the kid hadn’t fought him so damn hard, he wouldn’t have gotten hurt in the
first place.
Would
he have handled things differently if he’d known who the kid’s dad was? Maybe.
But there was nothing Oliver could do about it now except take whatever
punishment was meted out to him.
“It
seems to me you could use a little time out of the field to learn how to
channel your aggression . . . in other ways,” General Reynolds said.
Now
the general was smiling, and unease swept over Oliver.
“Have
you heard of the Alpha Dog Training Program?” General Reynolds asked.
“Yeah,
I know a few of the guys running things,” Oliver said.
And
neither Best nor Sparks had been happy about it at first. The Alpha Dog
Training Program was the brainchild of some PR expert hoping to create a good
public image for the military by training shelter dogs for specialty jobs like
military, fire, police, search and rescue, and therapy. And if the
animals-getting-a-second-chance angle didn’t just make you weepy, the dogs were
being trained by troubled kids under the supervision of MPs.
It
was meant as an alternative punishment for nonviolent juvenile offenders.
Instead of being locked up in a detention center with months of community
service tacked on top, they were sent to Alpha Dog. They shoveled shit, fed and
cared for the dogs, and learned how to teach them basic obedience. The place
was set up with barracks for up to twenty-five kids at a time. The goal was to
give them a skill and refocus their energies. The program even helped them with
job placement at several Sacramento veterinary hospitals and rescue
organizations. It was a better deal than most kids in the system got.
“Well,
I’m glad you’re familiar with it, because you’re going to help organize and
promote their upcoming charity event,” General Reynolds said.
Oliver
choked in surprise. “I don’t know anything about fundraising!”
The
general’s eyes narrowed and glittered. “Well, this will give you a chance to
develop a new skill.”
Oliver
just sat there, weighing his options. If he pitched a fit and accused the
general of abusing his power because Oliver had hurt his son’s delicate
feelings, he’d be committing career suicide.
“How
long will I be out of the field, sir?” he asked.
“Until
I think you’re ready,” General Reynolds said.
Oliver
nodded grimly. The only option open to him was to bite the bullet and do the
job.
“You’ll
report to the Alpha Dog Training Program today. The event coordinator will be
there at eleven to give you instructions on what you’ll be doing. I do hope you
take this time to learn some discipline, Sergeant Martinez.”
Fuck you.
Taking
a deep breath, Oliver stood up and saluted the general. As soon as he barked,
“Dismissed,” Oliver was out the door, wishing he was headed home to beat the
hell out of his punching bag. This whole morning had sucked donkey nuts, and
the last thing Oliver wanted to do was be around a bunch of teenagers or his
friends.
Not
that Best and Sparks weren’t good people, but he knew that the minute they
found out about his little time-out, they were going to laugh it up.
Especially
Best.
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An
obsessive bookworm, CODI GARY likes to write sexy
small-town contemporary romances with humor, grand gestures, and blush-worthy
moments. When she’s not writing, she can be found reading her favorite authors,
squealing over her must-watch shows, and playing with her children. She lives
in Idaho with her family.
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