Leaving Home, Chase, A. [best ereader manga .txt] 📗

job one fighter short.

“It’s getting better, so I’ll be fine by Tulsa.” He wasn’t going to tell Sam anything else.

Sam was younger than Chaz, and Chaz could tell Sam was uncomfortable asking him

about his health.

“Are you sure? You look like you’ve lost weight and you’re moving really stiffly. I

know Doctor Jameson has been worried about you since your last injury.” Sam flexed his

fingers, looking like he wanted to be anywhere else except where he was.

“I have lost weight, and I slept wrong, so my back’s a little off today.” Chaz started to push to his feet. “Thanks for asking, though I have to wonder what brought this up. You

didn’t know you were going to see me here.”

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LEAVING HOME T.A. Chase 45

Sam dropped his gaze to the floor and murmured, “Actually I saw you two days ago

when you walked out of the hotel. I called your name, but you must not have heard me. You looked terrible, Chaz. Are you on something? Maybe something for the pain?”

Chaz couldn’t tell if Sam was fishing or not, but he wasn’t about to tell him the entire

truth. “I was having a bad day, Sam. Yes, I do take something once in a while for the pain, but only when it gets so bad I can’t move. That doesn’t happen very often.”

After standing, he picked up his bags. He dug a smile out from somewhere near the

bottom of his toes, and flashed it to Sam. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine, and I’ll be ready to work when Tulsa rolls around.”

Sam didn’t look convinced, yet he seemed to have the sense not to say anything else

about it. “Good talking to you, Chaz. See you in Oklahoma.”

Chaz dipped his head slightly, then walked away. He got in his truck before calling

Peter to let him know he was coming. He tossed his phone over onto the passenger seat and, after starting the engine, he slammed his fist into the steering wheel.

“Fuck!” he shouted. “God damn fucking nosy bastard. Who the hell does he think he is?

He has no business asking me about that shit.”

His hands shook as rage coursed through his veins. Damn nosy asshole trying to find

out dirt on him. Sam had always wanted to be the go-to guy for the PBR, and he’d been

jealous of Chaz’s senior standing. Now he was looking for reasons to get Chaz in trouble

with the organisation. Chaz took a deep breath, realising how paranoid and idiotic those

thoughts were. Sure, Sam wanted what Chaz had, but he wouldn’t try to steal it. Sam

understood how things worked, and would wait until Chaz retired to take his place.

Fuck, he couldn’t show up at lunch like this. He needed to calm down, so he unzipped

one of his bag pockets to grab one of the pill bottles in there. Chaz didn’t even glance down to see which one he’d got. He dumped two into his palm, then put the lid back on before

tossing the bottle into the duffle. He swallowed them dry, grimacing at the chalky aftertaste.

He didn’t know if two would be enough to settle him, but he didn’t want to take too

many while driving, which probably explained why Peter had found him in the alley instead of somewhere two hundred miles away from where he’d started. Spacing out while driving

had happened to him twice, and he’d sworn to never do that again.

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LEAVING HOME T.A. Chase 46

A sense of peace drifted through Chaz, and he sighed. The anger dissipated with each

beat of his heart until his hands stop trembling, and he felt confident about driving to

Steamboat’s.

When he got there, he took another pill, just to be on the safe side and to ensure his

calmness would stick around for a while. After climbing out of his truck, he walked into the restaurant. Peter must have been watching for him, because Chaz saw him standing at their table across the room.

Chaz smiled as he approached Peter. He shook Peter’s hand before sitting down and

glancing around the room.

“You know, I eat here every time I come to Cheyenne.”

Peter smiled, though there were shadows in his eyes. “Yeah. I’m the same way. My

family used to come here for special occasions. It’s been a while since I was here.”

“We lived miles outside any city or town. We’d go to get supplies once a month, and

that’s when we’d go out to eat at a restaurant, so it was a big event for my siblings and me.”

Chaz found he wanted to say anything to make Peter happy. He wanted to see a real smile

on Peter’s face and in his eyes.

“How many siblings do you have?”

Before Chaz could answer, the waitress arrived. He waited until after they had placed

their orders to reply.

“Three. Two older brothers and one younger.” He chuckled. “I talked to the younger

one before I checked out of the hotel. He’s over in Afghanistan. I don’t ask where he is, because most of the time he can’t tell me.”

Peter nodded. “He’s military?”

“Yes. Been in the army since he graduated from high school. He’s in the Rangers now.”

Chaz took a sip of the water the waitress had just set in front of him. He needed to rinse the residue from the pills out of his mouth.

“Sounds like he does some dangerous stuff,” Peter commented.

Chaz shrugged. “Well, any of the stuff over there can be dangerous. His tend to be top

secret missions.”

“Randy’s brother’s in the military. He’s out in San Diego, stationed at one of the bases

there. He’s an instructor, plus he helps vets readjust to civilian life, or at least life here at

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LEAVING HOME T.A. Chase 47

home instead of in a war zone.” Peter studied Chaz, looking like he was very interested in what Chaz had to say.

“This is Matthew’s fourth tour, but I think he’s getting close to having to re-enlist or

something. I haven’t been able to talk to him about what he’s going to do.” Chaz frowned.

“I’d prefer he get out, but it’s all he’s done for thirteen years. Might be hard