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

Maddy suddenly dropped his hand and fled. He called out to her seconds before two pairs of hands grabbed at his arms and shoulders, preventing him from chasing her. Swiveling around to determine who stopped him, his jaw snapped back as a fist made contact. He fell toward the ground, his back jerking from the harsh contact with the concrete while his legs snapped into the air like a marionette worked by a master puppeteer. The two strangers surrounded him. One aimed his blows toward Sterling’s stomach and chest while the other battered his face.

Sterling’s head snapped left then right, the repetitive motion reminding him of one of the punching bags he used to train with at the gym. He swung his arms, attempting to get some of his own blows in but the two were relentless. He moved toward his left, his legs curling into a fetal position when the blows lowered toward his back. He groaned, yelped, and shouted as his body weakened. One felt for his wallet when a familiar female’s voice pinged across his eardrums. A scurrying of tiny feet followed a large form. The men dispersed as something on all fours flew past him, grabbing ahold of one of the perpetrator’s legs. The guy yelled and then somehow got loose.

The familiar female shouted, “Gunner!”

Sterling rolled onto his back, groaning from the effort. His breathing strained, he attempted to open his right eye, apparently swollen from the pummeling he received.

Abby fell to her knees and screamed over him. Her small hands surrounded his shoulders. Her hot tears streamed down her face, over her chin, and splashed across his raw, open flesh. He grimaced as she pulled out her phone. She spoke into the receiver with a shaky, trembling voice.

Ending the call, she focused on Sterling. “The ambulance is on its way. My God, Sterling. Why did you come out here? You know this is not a good area. If it weren’t for your GPS tracker . . .” She swiped at her eyes and sniffled. “I need you, Sterling. I’m not leaving you. I’ll be with you every step of the way.” She grabbed at Gunner’s leash, wrapping the extra around the palm of her hand.

Sterling closed his eyes while Abby spoke softly to him. He winced as Gunner swiped the length of his tongue over a deep red gash across his right cheek and then gave in to the welcoming darkness.

Abby stayed with him overnight and into the next day, taking breaks only to go home to shower or change clothes. She’d left Gunner in the hands of her favorite dog sitter, a gal she’d become familiar with who enjoyed taking care of the lucky dog. He always received extra treats in her capable hands, an advantage Abby comically reminded Gunner he’d rarely receive in her care. Yet, Abby was wrong. She spoiled Gunner just as much, if not more, than the dog sitter did. Gunner never complained and Sterling only sat back and watched Abby with amusement. It didn’t matter what she did or said. She was cute in every way.

The days that she spent in the hospital watching over Sterling solidified for him the fact that she was one of a kind. He found Abby taking call after call from Phil, reminding him that Sterling was in the hospital and that she wasn’t leaving his side. His father’s visit ended with Marvin crying and holding Sterling’s hand over his bed. The kind act swirled an array of emotions through Sterling that rendered him speechless. When the visit proved too much for Marvin, Abby embraced him, spoke soft, kind words to him, and then took him back home.

On that final day, before he was released from the hospital, she smiled through her tears as Sterling held her hand. Then she drove him home and stayed the night. He held her in his arms and kissed her cheek as he nuzzled her neck and whispered his thanks. When she was deeply immersed in slumberland, Sterling confessed his deep-seated feelings for her, snuggling her back into his chest and holding her more tightly than he had in his entire life.

From that moment, things seemed to change in her relationship with Phil, yet not as he would’ve liked.

Although they continued dating, Sterling couldn’t push aside the strange idea that Phil was somehow spending less time with Abby. Still, if his assumption was true, she didn’t seem to notice.

Sterling, on the other hand, was thrilled. As before, Abby spent a large amount of her free time over at his place when he wasn’t working. Sterling always enjoyed her company but he was especially pleased with those nights she spent overnight in the room across from him. Only a few steps away, Abby served as a temptation he couldn’t stop thinking of. Her presence invaded his dreams turning his periodic nightmares into gluttonous, fantasy. When Gunner wasn’t keeping him up at night, pawing him awake from his disturbed sleep, images of Abby’s, delectable mouth and her sexy body kept him erect and alert most nights.

More times than he preferred to admit, he found himself in the shower, muffling his shouts of ecstasy under the warm spray as he pictured Abby with him. If she heard him, she might knock frantically at the door, expecting him to open it to let her know everything was okay. It would cause an awkward situation between them and would likely change the nature of their relationship; therefore, he had to keep his desire for her a secret, for now.

Watching her enjoyment of Phil’s company; however, turned a bittersweet knife within his heart. He wanted her happy. Still, Sterling wanted to be the cause of her joy, not some other man.

When she was out with Phil or any of her friends, he spent his extra time with his dad, Gunner, or with the few friends he had made at his job. Tonight was one of those nights. Still, he missed her when she wasn’t