It Wasn't Me - Lani Lynn Vale Page 0,1

take a little duct tape, though.”

His joke fell flat when I felt my stomach drop out.

I wasn’t a good flyer.

In fact, on the flight over here, I’d had to take my valium and say a few thousand prayers.

The fact that he was teasing about us dying was not a good thing for me.

Especially since my anxiety was already through the roof, and I hadn’t had time to get a prescription for valium before having to be on the flight.

There was an emergency at home, and though I was already set to leave in four days, my CO—commanding officer—had given me permission to leave early. I’d taken him up on it. The only problem was that came with no medication.

So not only was I freaking out about my emergency back home, I was now freaking out about the fact that this man didn’t know what in the hell he was doing.

Instead of saying a word to him, I chose to board the plane, taking the only seat available, which was scrunched in between a large man that took up a lot more room than he was allotted due to the breadth of his shoulders, and a large box that sat on another seat next to the wall.

Buckling myself in and stowing my gear underneath the seat, I closed my eyes, crossed my arms, and prayed that I wouldn’t die on the way home.

***

Jonah

“That was just wrong,” Hammer said.

I shrugged and said, “You find me a new shirt yet?”

The last one that I’d had on got caught on a bolt, and not only had it ripped the shirt, but it’d also ripped my skin.

After bleeding like a stuck pig, I managed to get the blood flow stopped, a Band-Aid applied, and the problem on the plane fixed. Now I was putting it all back together.

“I have one being brought out to you,” Hammer said. “That girl looked like she was about to puke.”

I hadn’t noticed.

What I had noticed was that she had brilliant green eyes, a head full of blonde hair that was most certainly not put up in the regulation bun, and the way her jeans hugged her thighs.

“She did?” I asked, tossing him the massive wrench I’d had to use to fix the wheel. “I didn’t notice.”

“I’m sure you never got past her ass,” Hammer teased.

He was right. Kind of.

At first, I’d glanced at her face, but I’d quickly caught sight of her ass, and then I’d forgotten what I was supposed to be doing.

“Anyway,” Hammer continued. “Thank you so much for coming down here and teaching that class. I really appreciate it.”

I’d come down to teach a weapons class for an instructor that was sick. I’d had the time off, so what the hell did it matter what I did with it?

I’d needed a goddamn break from Kilgore, Texas. I’d also needed to leave before I wrung that woman’s neck.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Hence why I was seconds away from boarding a military transport back to the states.

Hammer, my one-time CO and now a very close friend, had gotten me a ride here, housed me for the week, and was sending me home all on his dime. Or, well, mostly the military’s dime.

Then again, in a roundabout way, I was doing the US government a favor by teaching newly minted soldiers what to do and what not to do when it came to firepower.

So it was the least they could do—give me a ride home.

I just wished I could get the US government to rehire me.

However, after one too many knocks to the head, I was what they called a ‘volatile’ situation.

Meaning that my brain was on the verge of being fucked up if I received any more head injuries.

It was kind of like when professional football players got one too many knocks to the head. At one point, it was safe. At another, it was no longer worth the risk.

At least, that risk was no longer worth it to the military.

Sadly.

Gathering what was left of the part I replaced, I tucked it all into the box that was sitting next to it, reached out for the fuckin’ baby wipe that Hammer was holding out to me, and raised a brow at him.

“Shirt?” I repeated.

He looked behind him to see a little pimple-faced recruit hauling ass in our direction.

The kid tripped halfway across the tarmac and went down hard. Luckily, he kept the shirt out of the snow.

Thank God for small miracles.

“Jesus Christ, save