Chapter 19

“We were alone. You could have done anything, but I don’t feel like you or anyone did.” She felt a tinge of hurt at the thought. Did he not want to?

He saw the far-off look. “Temptations are often hindered by the reality. I’m ninety-nine percent sure that Ostara evaluated you when she got here. Had anything been wrong, you would have woken to an entirely different scene this morning. Even if she hadn’t, your mother would find a way.” He could have gotten defensive about her insinuation. It wasn’t worth it. He had a bit of fun already. “Maybe it is better you stay and sleep a bit more. I am sure the general will understand.”

She shook her head and regretted it. “I’ll be fine. I just need a shower.” She got up and stumbled her way toward the bathroom. She came out just as Lt. Carlson was putting containers out on the table.

“Thank you, Lieutenant. It was kind of you to go to the trouble.” She smiled but winced as her head still throbbed. She was again in the uniform, including the boots.”

“My pleasure Private. I wasn’t sure what you would like so there’s a variety. Eggs, bacon, sausage even some croissants. I had them put in a small container of butter and other condiments just in case.”

“It smells delicious. But it is a lot of food for just us. Are you eating with us this time?”

“I have some in the car,” he answered with a grin. “You put up a good fight, Private. Next time, I would say to build your tolerances a bit before taking on one of the strongest drinks made.”

“Nonsense. Why eat alone? Come in and sit. I promise not to bite.” She was slipping out of her role, but neither Jason nor the Lieutenant commented.

“Generous offer and thank you. I have a few calls I need to make, so it would be easier in the car.” He glanced from her to Jason. “Sir, the General said to take your time, but don’t be too late. He may be a few minutes himself. He is attending to something that came up late last night.” He shook his head, stopping Jason’s question. “he assured me it had nothing to do with last night. Please enjoy breakfast. I should get these calls done.” Jason merely nodded, and the Lieutenant left.

Selena let him get out the door before she collapsed into the chair.

“maybe next time someone tells you a drink is stronger than you are used to you will listen.”

She stuck her tongue out and grabbed one of the dishes.

They had several minutes to spare when they got to the office. Five were wasted by two men insisting they search Jason. Selena thought it was funny but stayed back. She was admiring Jason in his more formal uniform. He had a lot of decorations on the chest. The two security followed them to the office.

Ostara was not at the desk when they walked in. A sergeant was. She had been there a few times before and knew who Jason was. “There is someone in there waiting. The general asks that you wait for him here,” she said cautiously.

The intercom on the desk rang, and the sergeant stared at it, ignoring it. It rang three more times, and a moment later, the inner doors were tossed open.

“Damn it, why don’t you answer?” the older gentleman screamed, storming out.

Jason was moving fast. The man was startled as he stumbled backward back into the office. They made it halfway inside before the guards caught Jason.

“I warned you, you son of a bitch,” Jason spat at the man. He was struggling in the guard’s grip, his arms pinned back. “They can’t hold me forever. Run while you can.”

Selena stared. She didn’t know what to do. She was stepping toward him when the sergeant came in, followed by another man behind, General Bisland.

“Room, attention,” the sergeant called.

“As you were, Major,” the man bellowed.

Jason’s head spun. As if a switch was hit, he stopped struggling and stiffened.

“Release him,” the man ordered. “I said release him. The Major will behave himself right, major?”

There was still hesitation, but he did as ordered. Jason didn’t move his feet, but he adjusted his glare. “For now, General sir.” He again focused on the other man. “It explains the search at the door and the escort. Coward. It is only a matter of time before you and I cross paths again.”

There was pure hate in Jason’s voice and it frightened Selena. She knew everyone was capable but never saw that side of the man before her.

“He cannot threaten me and get away with it,” the man shouted.

“You were told to stay put until everyone was here. You knew the possibility your presence would cause an issue. You are lucky I took the time to add the detail. The only reason you are here is that the President ordered it.”

“I am here because there are issues that need to be attended to, General. I am still on the advisory committee, and I still have a say in how the SSG runs.”

“You are a civilian with a history. You antagonized the situation. Now sit down, or I will have them remove you until you are needed.”

Ostara came in with two others. “Sir, I am here to escort the private. If you do not need her here.”

“She is your charge, Captain. Do what you need to.”

That was unexpected. Ostara had Selena follow her and the others. “captain, SALUS rules.”

That got the civilian riled even more as he started to fume. Ostara turned and nodded. “Of course sir, I wouldn’t think of any other way.” They closed the doors behind them.

“Sir, it is good to see you, but why are you here?” Jason shifted, and the civilian jumped backward.

“For crying out loud, sit down before you fall and break something,” the General shouted. “I am here because I was sent. A lot of things have happened, Jason. I had a video meeting with the President. Her briefing on the guard was limited, and she was pissed, to say the least. Her chief concern has truly been one of my own for some time. But we will get to that in due time.”

Jason stared only a moment at the raving lunatic who used to be a general in the world’s only superpower’s army. Now, he was a politician, and he didn’t help the reputation of that career any. When they say there can’t be an honest politician, they must have seen him coming.

The two guards watched him and stood between them as Jason walked over to the window.

“He is a magnet for trouble. Even before he came here, there was trouble on the plane. Then there was the ranch. Let’s not get started on the troubles with the hotel. That one takes the cake on all of them.”

Jason was looking out the window when he shuddered. The hotel matter had been his fault. However, he knew that there was no guarantee that it couldn’t have happened in some other way if things had gone differently. Considering those involved, there was the possibility that it could have still happened. It could have gone worse. Though not much. His mind drifted back.

He wasn’t planning on looking for another week. He was waiting to talk to the rent-a-box store clerk. He had rented a mailbox since it was the best way to have an address without having a physical address. He didn’t want to use the hotel. It wouldn’t have looked right on applications in his thinking.

There was a couple that was trying to send out a box to their friends who had moved to Alaska. The only reason it caught his attention was that they said it was from the place they sub-rented from when the clerk asked what the box contained. It was just some artwork and knickknack items that they left behind. They went on how they loved the place, but they had got a job with a nonprofit in the Philippines. Before he knew it, he was asking them about the place. They were happy to give him the address and the name of the manager. However, they didn’t know if anyone was waiting for it already or if there was anything else available. They even made a call to tell the office that he would be calling to see if the unit was available, and if they wanted, they could show him the place since they were mostly moved out anyway.

He almost didn’t call. He needed a place, and it almost felt as if it was meant to be. The feeling didn’t last. The woman who answered was very polite and laughed when she joked about him calling so fast. She told him that the unit would take up to thirty days to be ready. She apologized after saying she didn’t think they would have anything since he was only looking for a single bedroom. As far as she knew, none would be available at any time in the near future. But people were not always predictable, and things changed. She took his name and number and would call if there was another opportunity or something changed.

It was several hours later when he got a call. The office manager wanted to show him a unit it was a bit bigger than he was looking for but would be available in a few days. He didn’t need bigger but Jason agreed to look. No harm in looking most of the time.

Mr. Penske was the facility manager, and I met him at the office the next day. He was an older man, at least seventy, though he didn’t look it. The Korean War vet hat he wore gave some possible hints. He offered him a cup of coffee as he was just getting one for himself. He started asking questions as they made up their cups. It was a half-hour before he took him up to the apartment and showed him around. It had three bedrooms with an open kitchen and dining room. The kitchen had a nice island for cooking and a nice-sized living room. The master bedroom had a master bath. A second full bath was across from one of the smaller bedrooms.

Mr. Penske pointed out that the rent was slightly higher than the unit he had inquired about. He also pointed out that was due to the size. Also, all the utilities, including the cable packages, minus any specialty orders or channels he would want, were calculated and added to the rent. There was a military discount that could make it about the same price. He was telling him about the property when he led him to the outside patio and pointed at two other buildings that were a part of the community complex.

The selling point was the outdoor area. It was a small patio, and part of it had a cover that was perfect for a grill and a table. Not that he planned any gatherings, but he didn’t mind sitting outside once in a while. With the great view of the community area in the center of everything, he could see sitting out there more often. He was one person and didn’t want something as big, but the price was reasonable, even without the military discount. From what he had seen of the neighborhood, it seemed decent enough.

Mr. Penske told him that it would be ready in a few days, provided he cleared the background check. He said that normally, with active military, they would forgo the background check, but the owner wasn’t available to approve it. He was a former marine and tried to help other military members where possible. That explained the military discount. It took a half-hour to fill out the paperwork.

Mr. Penske confessed to having had a buddy of his check on Jason when they were all done. His grandson was an Army MP and did a computer search. He only got as far as seeing the basic stuff when he was summoned to his superior’s office.

Jason sighed and shook his head.

“No, I don’t hold that against you,” Mr. Penske laughed. “He knew something like that could happen one day. He’s a good kid and will weather it.”

Jason sipped the new cup of coffee. “Give me his name and station. I will call and clear it up. The odds are they would be getting a call from whoever does your background checks anyway. I can’t say he won’t suffer something for it but at least I can lessen the sting a bit. He’s not the first to utilize the data banks for personal reasons. I doubt he will be the last.”

“I would appreciate that, Major.” Mr. Penske stood and held out his hand. “From what we did get, I would say that you would be a good person to have here.”

“Call me Jason. Addressing me by rank just makes me cringe, knowing I am an officer.”

“Call me Zeke. I am sure we will be seeing you around.” Zeke said after laughing and nodding.

He was at the hotel when Zeke had called. He had never seen a background come back as fast and they would be happy to offer the unit to him. Unfortunately, they had some minor work to be done and it would be longer than expected. Three days later he got the approval to move in earlier that morning.

He was getting lunch and waiting for Ruby to come around. He hadn’t been doing that since he met Selena at the library.

He tried to keep distant. She needed to study, and as drawn as he was to her, he didn’t see much of a chance. Somehow, fate always had him and her in the area talking about her classes or whatever. He made the joke about just attending the classes with her the last time. The next day, she seemed to take the initiative. She found wherever he was and would sit up at the same table with him or in the next cubicle. Things just moved forward from there. Lunches together were often random conversations, not even about school or work. She did try to get as much about him as possible. That kind of question always fits somewhere.

They sat and read and talked as much as possible inside a library. She always had some questions about the case he suggested to her for her course. The day they first met was about a week before her last semester was supposed to start, and she didn’t wait to try to find a case study. Signing up for the classes at the college had been part of his plan. He always took some kind of course to keep busy or just to keep learning. He was planning for the fall for a fresh start. There were a few more classes than he planned, and one he couldn’t do because of another class he needed.