Shattered Souls (To Love and Serve Book 1)

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Epilogue

  Copyright

  Dedication

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-one

  Twenty-two

  Twenty-three

  Twenty-four

  Acknowledgments

  Stalk Me

  Copyright © 2017 Shattered Souls by Alison Mello

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted by U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior permission of the author.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, establishments, or organizations, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously to give a sense of authenticity. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Shattered Souls by Alison Melo is intended for 18+ older, and for mature audiences only.

  Editing by Ansley Blackstock

  Formatting by Silla Webb @ Masque of the Red Pen

  Cover Design by Deranged Doctor Designs

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Thirteen

  Fourteen

  Fifteen

  Sixteen

  Seventeen

  Eighteen

  Nineteen

  Twenty

  Twenty-one

  Twenty-two

  Twenty-three

  Twenty-four

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  Stalk Me

  This book is dedicated to all the woman out there who have served and are currently serving their country.

  “It’s hot as balls today.” I growl, wiping the sweat from my forehead. I only have three weeks left in this hell hole, and I can’t wait to get the fuck out of here. I love my job, but Christ, this heat is killing me.

  “Tell me about it. I’m itching to take a damn shower,” my best friend, Sgt. Bailey Adams, whines. “When will that shit be fixed?” I shrug at her. “Great, we’re about to go out on another mission. That means even longer without bathing,” she says as she wipes herself down with a baby wipe.

  I chuckle. Our tent smells like ten skunks all up and died on us, and it’s worse when it’s that time of the month. Our base is small, and the men far outweigh the woman. That means us girls all share one tent. Some of us are from supply, some from Administration, and some from medical, like Bailey and I. We don’t typically have to wait too long to shower but we’ve been having some issues with the showers not working. I shake my head. I try not to bitch about it, especially around the men. It’s hard for them to take us seriously as it is. They get one whiff of a complaint from us and we’re toast. We’ll never live it down.

  My team consists of myself, Bailey, McIntyre, Pierce, Callahan, and Blake, the latter four being men. I’ve busted my ass as the senior NCO on this medic team to gain their trust and respect. I won’t ruin it with complaints of showering, or lack thereof.

  “Come on, Bailey, it’s time to meet up with the others.” I throw my gear over my shoulder, place my helmet on my head, and grab my M4 on my way out of the tent, Bailey in tow.

  When we get outside the sun is blazing hot as it beats down on us. I can feel drops of sweat run down my back. Callahan comes over putting his arm around my neck. “You ready to roll, Sarge?” I give him my signature one eyebrow look and he quickly removes his hand.

  Callahan is the camp flirt. I’m pretty sure he’s fucked half the women on this base. He’s been trying to work his magic with me for the past few weeks, but I’ve had enough. I yank him by the ear dragging him away from the rest of our crew. He’s bitching and moaning the entire time. When we’re finally out of earshot I let go. He grabs his now red ear. “What the fuck, Sarge? You know I’m only messing around.” He rubs his ear like a whiny bitch.

  “Yeah, well, I’m tired of your immature ass messing around. I outrank you, and I’m your leader. Flirt with me one more time over the next three weeks and I will kick your fucking ass.” He may be taller and stronger, but I’ve learned a lot, and I can hold my own.

  “Okay, I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

  “Good, now get my fucking Humvee. We need to fall in with the rest of the convoy.” He opens his mouth to say something, but smiles and runs off instead.

  I meet back up with the rest of my team, who are all looking at me wide eyed. Pierce, one of my male medics, opens his mouth, but I stop him. “If you make one, and I mean one, inappropriate comment about it being that time of the month, so help me God, Pierce.”

  He laughs. “I wasn’t, I swear. I was going to ask if you’re okay.”

  “I’m fine. I’m tired of his toying ass and I let him know it. That goes for the rest of you. Keep it out of my section, am I clear?”

  “Hooah.” They all shout in unison.

  “Thank you, now load up.”

  Bailey and Callahan run to the front. They’re riding in the beginning of the convoy with Malone and Perry, two people from Supply. This is a simple supply mission and should be no big deal, but no one goes anywhere without medics. Myself, Pierce, and McIntyre ride toward the rear of the convoy in our own vehicle. All the trucks start up and we start on our way. We have two stops to make today and they are a great distance apart. We’ll be lucky to make it back by dinner.

  As soon as we’re on the road Pierce looks over at me. “Are you good?”

  “I’m fine, why?”

  He shrugs. “I think you were a bit hard on Callahan.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. Pierce is next in rank below me. He handles the guys and I take care of Bailey and I. “Listen, I have warned him several times now. We’ve had conversations about keeping his flirting out of our section and he doesn't seem to get it. I know he’s fucked his way through half this command, and that’s on him. I have worked too hard to get to where I am for him to screw it up because someone thinks I’m fucking one of my men.” In the Army, women of higher ranks often are thought of as someone who slept their way to the top, but fuck that. I earned every promotion I got. I was the first to volunteer when something needed to be done, and was first in line to head off to school the second a slot was available. I knew what I wanted from my career, and I wasn’t going to miss out on the opportunities to make it happen, but sleeping with another soldier…not gonna happen.

  “I get it. I do. I just think you could have pulled him aside differently.”

  I chuckle. “Well you can help him heal his wounded ego later. If you dealt with the guys in our section, I may not have had to
manhandle his ass.”

  He laughs. “You fucking kill me, Morgan.”

  “My job is to keep your ass alive, not kill you, and that goes for everyone in our section. That, my friend, is what I plan to do. Only three more weeks and we are out of here. Do you think you can keep him in check that long?”

  He shakes his head. “Pierce can’t keep Callahan in check for a day,” McIntyre shouts from the back seat.

  “Right!” Pierce shouts. “She has no idea what that job entails. The kid is twenty-one years old. He’s a fucking walking hard on.” Pierce barks out with laughter.

  “Try slapping it with a newspaper. Worked for me with my dog,” McIntyre says.

  We all start laughing, but in reality it’s not funny, the kid needs to learn to keep his dick in his pants. He’s bright and really knows his job. He could be go really far in this man’s Army, but he has some growing up to do first. I have an amazing team. We work hard to save lives and when the heat is on every one of my team members responds quickly and efficiently. Thanks to their dedication a lot of guys have made it back home. They may have sustained life altering injuries, but we saved their lives and that’s what we do, save lives.

  We’ve been driving for what seems like forever, and are now in dangerous territory. The roads aren’t really roads any longer. They’re more like dirt paths. We’re all driving at a safe speed. There’s a little gap between each vehicle, and everyone is following protocol to a T. The convoy slowly comes to a stop, but because we’re in the back I can’t see why. I radio up to the front to try and get some input from Bailey, but before she could answer there’s an explosion. “Bailey, are you good?”

  There’s a crackle over the radio. “Yeah, but the front truck is fucking toast. We need help up here.” I can hear she’s shaking and panting.

  “Cut the line, get to the front,” I order McIntyre.

  He pulls out of the lineup and gets to the front where we find one of our vehicles blown to shit. We hear an incoming round but we have no idea where it’s coming from. We jump from the vehicle to help the others while some of our guys try to take a defensive position around us. “Medic,” I hear called out.

  I jump up to run toward the voice, collapsing beside my boy, Hodges. His leg is fucked and I need to focus. I get busy taking care of him while Bailey runs up beside me. “I've called it in. Help is on the way.” She lets out a deep breath, beads of sweat running down her face.

  “Good, thanks, Bailey.” I never take my eyes off Hodges, who screams out in pain as I tie his leg off. “Sorry, Hodges, got to stop this bleeding.”

  “Fuck!” He screams when I tighten it one last time.

  I give him a look that screams, really? “Dude, where’s my tough guy? Don’t go turning pussy on me now.”

  He shakes his head. “Fuck you, Morgan.”

  I pat him on the shoulder. “You’re going to be fine. Hang in there, okay.” He nods and I take off running with Bailey to the next wounded person. We began taking on fire, and I have guys dropping all around me. This is a damn shit show. How the fuck did this even happen? I shake my head. Suddenly I hear a loud whistle soaring through the air. “Incoming." Grabbing Bailey I’m about to throw her to the ground when we’re both tossed into the air. The ground is shaking, and suddenly all is quiet, but there are people running all around me in slow motion. Callahan and Pierce appear in front of us. He pulls me off Bailey to find out if she’s going to be okay. He’s screaming at me--I can see his mouth moving, but no words are coming out. My eyes get heavy and darkness takes over.

  I take a deep breath as my plane hits the tarmac. I’m finally home. It’s been a long fucked up journey, but I can’t wait to step off this plane and see my girl. The pilot comes over the intercom. “Welcome to Boston. You may now exit the plane. Thank you for flying with us.” A huge smile spreads across my face. It’s been far too long since I’ve been home.

  I quickly stand to grab my bag from the overhead compartment and exit. I don’t have any luggage checked because we travel light. As soon as I deplane, I make my way down to the pickup area where I find my best friend, Chloe, standing there in uniform along with her partner. Chloe and I have been friends since elementary school. We’ve been together all our lives, and have helped each other through all of life’s curveballs. She’s a Boston cop, it was what she always wanted to be, and busted her ass to get there. I, on the other hand, told her she was crazy. I told her she should join the Army with me. I limp over stiff from the flight. She wraps me in a hug and squeezes me tight. I can’t help but keep my eyes on the guy standing beside her. “Lexi, this is my new partner, Officer Keegan Ward.”

  I didn’t think my smile could get any bigger. I was wrong. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” This dude is seriously hot. My eyes rake over his firm muscular body. He shows me his award winning smile. It’s so perfect my panties combust. I can see the Irish side of him, and I like it.

  “Thank you for your service.” His deep green eyes stare into mine as he continues to shake my hand.

  “Listen, we have to get back on duty. I’m going to drop you off. You can get settled and we’ll do dinner when I get off my shift.” Chloe breaks the trance we’re in.

  I turn to her. “Yeah, that’s cool.” We exit the airport, and of course, parked right there is her cop car. “Really? You’re putting me in the back of a cop car?”

  She shrugs. “Sorry. It was that or leave your ass here until my shift is over.”

  I exhale a deep breath and climb into the back with my bag. I’ve been confined to small rooms for what feels like forever, and now I’m in the back of a cruiser like a criminal. She pulls out of the airport and maneuvers through Boston like a pro. It takes us all of twenty minutes with traffic to pull up to her building on First Ave. It’s a huge brick building that looks like it’s been converted from some sort of factory or something. It’s not far from the water and there’s a huge deck off each apartment. She opens the downstairs door and leads me to the elevator. “I live on the fourth floor. The apartment is plenty big enough for the both of us, and there’s a deck that has an awesome view of the water.”

  She unlocks her apartment and shows me to my room. There’s already a full size bed in there with a small bureau. “Thank you so much, Chloe. I seriously don’t know what I would do without you.”

  She smiles. “I know.” We both giggle as we hug it out. “We have to run, but I’ll see you in a few hours for dinner.” I’m so thankful Chloe is letting me stay here. I have plans to get a job and an apartment of my own, but until I do I needed a place to stay. Living in Boston isn’t cheap, but between my disability and hopefully a nursing job, I’ll be just fine.

  “Sounds good.” She hands me a spare key and walks out the door with her partner in tow. That’s one fine ass, I think to myself as I watch Keegan follow her out.

  I take my time checking out the apartment. It’s gorgeous--stainless steel appliances, modern light wood cabinets, and granite countertops give it a new feel. The kitchen is a cook’s dream, not that I’m much of a cook, but I can hold my own. The living room isn’t huge, it has a small wood stove in the corner that looks untouched. There’s only one bathroom, but it, too, has been updated with his and her sinks, and has plenty of cabinet space for us to share. I make a mental note that I need to run out and get some stuff for myself. I know she won’t mind sharing in the meantime, but I don’t want to take all her shower supplies. Continuing my way down the hall I walk into my room and decide to unpack the few things I have. As I’m putting the last away a yawn escapes me. I’m tired from all of my traveling and decide a nap is a good idea. I toe off my shoes and climb into my already made bed. Another yawn escapes me and I’m out.

  “Where are you off to?” Pierce calls to me.

  I give him a smile. “I’m going to take a shower and try to relax before our mission tomorrow. What about you?”

  “Great minds think alike. I just finished mine and now I’m going to try and reach my girl before
I turn in for the night.”

  “Have a good night.” I continue on my way, dragging my feet as I go. We’ve been out in the field so much lately I feel like I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in days. I’m about to step into the shower when the ground starts to shake.

  I jump up from my bed, sweating. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I look at the clock and realize Chloe won’t be home for at least another hour, so I decide to check out the new neighborhood. I look in the mirror realizing I look awful, so I apply a little eye liner, mascara, and lip gloss before tossing my long brown hair into a messy bun on my head. Once I’m happy with my appearance, I grab a sweatshirt, my cross-body purse with my wallet, and the new key Chloe gave me. When I get downstairs, I decide to head in the direction of the water. I grew up in Boston, but not in this neighborhood. It’s a beautiful area. The breeze coming off the water is cool, reminding me it’s fall, and that means winter is coming. I love having four seasons, despite the brutal winters we tend to get here.

  A smile spreads across my face when I spot a nice little place to grab a bite to eat and a drink. The sign reads Pier Six Restaurant and Bar. I step inside and the hostess greets me. “I’m going to sit at the bar.” She nods her agreement and I walk past her. I take a seat and wait for one of the bartenders to come over. There’s a thin woman with long brown hair and a tall buff guy with dark hair. The guy comes over. He’s cute and has a nice smile, but it’s not as nice as Ward’s smile.

  “What can I get you?”

  “I’ll get a shot of tequila, Cuervo Gold preferably. A Malibu and pineapple, and a menu,” I state flatly.

  He pulls the bottle of Tequila and while he pours he asks, “Rough day?”

  “Something like that.” I instantly down the shot without salt or a lime. Not that I don’t enjoy them with my tequila, but I need to forget the nightmares that haunt me and I simply don’t care to wait. The doctor keeps telling me I need to stop getting lost in my own head, but it’s easier said than done. I analyze everything, it’s who I am.