LITMIR.BIZ

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But this isn’t Bagram Air Base, and they just don’t have the resources here that Bagram has.” He gestured toward the metal bunk beds with one hand. “This is what’s available, and I’m sorry if it’s not up to your usual standards, but it’s what you get.”

      Blowing out a breath, she picked up her pink duffel bag and dropped it onto the nearest bunk. “For myself, I don’t really care where I sleep. But Tenley deserves better.”

      Chase found his resolve crumbling beneath her obvious distress. At the same time, he couldn’t help but admire how doggedly she looked out for her sister.

      “Okay, look,” he said, scrubbing a hand across the back of his neck. “Let’s go over and talk to the USO folks. Maybe they can figure out alternate arrangements for the two of you.” She gave him a grateful smile, and he raised a hand to forestall the words of gratitude that he knew hovered on her lips. “Just don’t get your hopes up. They may not have anything else to offer you. When I talked with them, it sounded like they were stretched pretty thin.”

      Kate made a sound of frustration and sat down heavily on the bunk. “I don’t know why I came over here,” she lamented softly. “What was I thinking? Russell tried to talk me out of this, but I thought it was our only chance to save Tenley’s career.”

      Chase had no idea who Russell was, but he felt a surge of jealousy that Kate somehow relied on this man. Worse, it sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. He could handle her anger and her indignation, but he wasn’t sure how he would deal with her tears.

      “Okay, c’mon,” he relented. “Let’s go over to the USO and then we’ll take a quick look at the concert venue, okay?”

      Kate didn’t meet his eyes, but she nodded. “Okay.” Her voice was subdued.

      Chase frowned. Was she crying? He was torn between wanting to go to her, and wanting to run as fast as he could in the opposite direction. In the end, cowardice won out and he retreated toward the exit.

      “I’ll wait for you outside,” he said.

      The Humvee had departed. Chase would spend the night bunking with a Marine Corps battalion, and had given the Humvee driver instructions to drop his protective gear and duffel bag off at their tent. Now he wondered if he hadn’t been a little hasty in sending the guys off. The wind was still blowing, and the small rocks and dust that it kicked up made it unpleasant to be outside for any length of time. When Kate finally emerged from the tent, she looked composed, but resolute.

      “All set?” he asked.

      She nodded. “Yes.”

      She didn’t say anything else, and Chase didn’t ask. He was just relieved that she wasn’t crying. He could pretty much deal with anything, but not tears.

      “The USO office is about a ten-minute walk from here,” he said as she fell into step beside him. The wind was at their back, so they avoided the worst of the debris that was flying around. But when they finally reached the office, they were both covered in a fine coating of dust. The USO was housed in a large, one-floor building and consisted of a lounge equipped with oversize leather chairs, flat-screened televisions and a bank of computers and telephones. At least a dozen soldiers were sprawled in the chairs watching television, or sat at the computers, connecting with family members and friends back home. Chase could see two civilians inside the office, and pointed them out to Kate.

      “Do you want me to come with you when you talk with them?”

      “No, I can take it from here. This is what I do.”

      Chase sat down in a chair where he had a clear view of the office, and watched as Kate went in and closed the door behind her. Through the glass windows that separated the office from the public lounge, he could see her negotiating with the two USO representatives. She had her little planner with her, and was busy taking notes as she talked with the women. They were smiling and nodding, and she reached into her oversize shoulder bag and withdrew what looked like a handful of oversize glossy photos of Tenley Miles. She handed one to each woman. They spoke for several more minutes, and then Kate came out, looking extremely pleased with herself.

      Chase rose to his feet. “All set?”

      She smiled at him and tucked her planner into her bag. “They’re going to provide a semi-private housing unit for Tenley when she arrives. She’ll stay in a unit with me and two other women, but at least she won’t have to sleep in the tent with the band members.”

      Chase had to give her credit. He had talked with the USO representatives in the hours before Kate had arrived and had been told in no uncertain terms that the only option was for her to stay in the tent.

      “I’m impressed,” he said to her as they left the building.

      She gave him an arch smile. “It’s amazing what a little bit of charm can get you. You should try it some time.”

      He grinned. “Didn’t you notice? This is me at my most charming.”

      To his relief, she laughed. “Yeah, right.”

      “So where are you staying tonight?” he asked. “I’ll make sure your gear gets moved to the new location.”

      “Unfortunately, it looks like I’ll be in that tent by myself until the performers arrive. Then the two women at the USO are giving up their own beds for Tenley and me.”

      “Really? And where will they stay?”

      Kate shrugged. “They said they can put some cots in the USO office and sleep there for a couple of nights.”

      “And you’re okay with that? You don’t mind displacing other people for your own convenience?”

      Kate gave him a level look. “Not for my own convenience, for Tenley’s. And it’s not as if they’ll be sleeping outside. They offered to do this. I didn’t ask them to.”

      Chase didn’t know why he should feel so disappointed, but he did. He admired the fact that she would go to any length to ensure her sister’s safety and comfort, but he didn’t like how easily she could disrupt other people’s lives to do so.

      “Does she have any idea that people bend over backwards to accommodate her, or does she just expect it?”

      He watched as Kate drew in a deep breath, and then stopped to face him. “If you have a problem with this, Major Rawlins, maybe you should assign somebody else to escort me around. This is why I came over here—to make sure Tenley has everything she needs. She has no idea how much work goes into preparing for a concert. Like I said before, she’s just a kid. She has enough to contend with, without having to worry about the logistics of where she is going to eat, sleep, etc. That’s my job.”

      Charity gave a soulful whimper, as if sensing the tension between them.

      “Okay, then,” Chase said. “Let’s go over and make sure the concert site meets with your approval.”

      They walked in silence after that. As much as Chase was attracted to Kate, he couldn’t help but think this assignment was a waste of his time. She could clearly take care of herself. Meanwhile, part of his team was up in the mountains doing his job for him. He wondered how they were doing, and how soon he could rejoin them.

      Beside him, Kate’s shoulders were rigidly set and she stared straight ahead. Even as they toured the staging area where the bands would perform, she pointedly ignored him. She made some notes in her planner, and examined where the bands would wait backstage, but didn’t give him any indication of whether she approved of the site or not. But he’d seen Kate’s face when she’d thought Tenley would have to stay with the other band members, and he knew that her misgivings stemmed from a true concern for her sister.

      After viewing the concert venue, they walked over to the dining facility and had lunch. But unlike the day before, there was no small talk. They might have been complete strangers for all the attention Kate paid him. Chase tried several times to make conversation with her, but after receiving short, polite responses,

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