No Man Left Behind: A Veteran Inspired Charity Anthology by Elizabeth Knox (black authors fiction TXT) 📕

take care of you, Owen. Already housebroken, which after seeing your apartment, I’m not sure that you are.”

“Fuck off,” I growl, trying to keep the grin from my face.

Entering the building, I immediately spot the security cameras and alternate exits before getting to the reception desk; on the way I catch the eye of a man in the waiting area and from the look on his face, he knows exactly how I served my country without being told.

We exchange a nod, a brief moment of understanding.

“What kind of dog are you getting?” Keith asks me.

“A Lab, I think. I doubt I get a choice.”

“Owen Bannon?”

My head whips around at the sound of a melodic voice calling out my name. The woman who called it is looking hopefully at the older guy I had exchanged a nod with when I entered, looking crestfallen when he points her in my direction and her body language pisses me off.

“That’s me,” I growl out harsher than necessary and she seems to shrink further into herself.

“Mr. Bannon, I’m Lucy and I’ll handle your final evaluations and transition training.” Her voice becomes almost monotone as her eyes study my chin and she takes a deep breath. “Follow me, please.”

“Can my friend join us?” I ask, trying to get her to look back at us.

“I’m sorry, is he a domestic partner?” she asks, looking down at the paperwork instead of back to us.

Keith lets out a bark of laughter that immediately reddens her cheeks.

“No, sweetheart, he’s missing all my favorite parts,” he tells her. That gets her to look at me before she looks around mortified and I groan, knowing he was going for sexual innuendo and failing miserably.

“Dude.” I turn to him. “Wrong fucking place to joke about that shit.”

“Oh, fuck . . .” Keith’s eyes dart between our faces. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“Let’s go back to my office, please,” Lucy states a second time, but this time her eyes are locked on mine and I feel my rush of frustration at her initial reaction to me fade.

I nod and lift my hand in a silent indicator for her to lead the way; her spine stiffens as her eyes follow my hand, and it suddenly occurs to me that I’m not the only one who’s a bit damaged.

“This center has been open for nearly three years now.” Lucy’s voice relaxes back into the tones I heard when she first called my name, as she recites her obviously memorized speech about the foundation, but I’m more concerned with studying her figure and reaction to others we pass.

The girl has curves and maybe a bit more weight on her than would usually catch my eye. While her jeans fit her just right, I can’t figure out what the fuck is going on with her top, it’s a size or two bigger than she needs and looks like something my grandma would have worn; oddly clashing with her blonde hair that turns purple near the ends.

It’s her responses to people that tell me more—she seems to dart around some of the men we pass on the way to her office and I slowly realize that it was my build that must have triggered her in the lobby.

Hearing Keith click his tongue, I slow down to walk beside him.

“Don’t crowd her,” he says quietly.

Making the next turn, we’re abruptly in her office area.

“Please have a seat,” Lucy says right before I would have run into her. “Now, your application says you live in a single-family home. Are you Keith? He has that name down as a reference, missing the last name.”

“That’s me. We served together and I live about an hour from his cabin.” He shrugs, eyeing the folding chair warily before leaning against the wall.

“Cabin? Is there a dedicated outdoor area for D . . . um, for the potential service dog?”

“Yes, oh, sorry, you don’t want to hear from me,” Keith awkwardly answers the question I had no idea about.

The interview goes on for another ten minutes before I cut in.

“Do I get to choose my service animal?” I ask. Eager to get on to the next stage.

“I do that. I’m pretty sure I know who I’ll pair you up with, but I do need to complete the home inspection before I tell you anything else,” Lucy carefully responds, again, looking anywhere but at me.

“Great, let’s get going,” Keith vocalizes what I’m thinking.

“What? Today? I have to set a time, and . . .”

“Do you have your own pet to get back to?” I ask when her eyes slide down to her watch.

“No, I mean, I guess we could. It’s just supposed to be more random. So it doesn’t look like you’re staging a visit.”

“Why don’t you have a dog?” I ask, leaning forward and putting my hands on my knees.

“I . . . I foster these dogs from time to time, when they’re puppies and it’s time to start their early training,” she answers, not only making eye contact with me again but allowing a flash of annoyance to show. “I do have the afternoon free, so I suppose I could get my things together and make the visit.”

“Great. I’ve got the big, black RAM in the parking lot, pull up behind me when you’re ready,” I say, standing up and walking to the door, leaving both her and Keith with gaping mouths behind me.

Chapter Two

Owen

“Hey! Wait up,” Keith calls out to me as I’m crossing the parking lot. “Not sure how we should play this. Duncan worked his magic but maybe you should do the home inspection yourself?”

“Huh? No, I don’t know where shit is around the place; let alone how to get there if the GPS craps out,” I answer, looking back at him. “Have you heard back from Carlos?”

Just as I’m opening the door to my truck, Keith reaches out and slams it shut.

“Let’s get somethings fucking straight, brother. One: I’m not your errand boy. Two: Stop growling at that woman