Page 8

“Un huh, and where did this horrible assault occur?”
“The village of Tarin Kowt.”
“Never heard of it.” I took a big bite of chocolate cake. God, it tasted so good.
“You’re the blonde midget we’ve been tracking for the last two days, and I can prove it.”
Midget? That was kinda rude. “I’m not the person you’re looking for.”
“Yes, you are. Now get up. You are coming with me.”
“No.” I shoveled more food in my mouth.
“You see these sergeant stripes? I outrank you,” Stone bellowed.
I glanced up at him. “Do you?”
Sergeant Stone narrowed his eyes. “I don’t see any lieutenant bars on your shirt.”
“So?”
“On your feet soldier!”
“No.”
His left eye twitched. “What did you say?”
“Are you hard of hearing too? I’m not going anywhere with you.” I took another bite.
His huge hand clamped around my arm, and he jerked me around. “I could have you thrown in the brig for insubordination.”
“Okay.” That sounded pretty darn good. I could get some much-needed sleep.
“Show me the heel of your left boot.”
I rolled my eyes. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m eating.”
“Now, soldier.”
My temper flared to life. All I wanted to do with eat my dinner in peace, but that wasn’t going to happen. “Go away before I hurt you.”
Sergeant Stone laughed. “You? Hurt me?”
“Yeah. Since I supposedly assaulted you already, why not again?” That’s when I noticed everyone in the mess hall was watching us and I didn’t care. So what if Pops or Captain Harris got angry. I was sick to death of men pushing me around.
The idiot reached for my left leg.
I hit him upside the head with the metal water jug and rammed my boot into his stomach.
“Sonovabitch.” Sergeant Stone staggered backward and shook his head to clear it. “That was a mistake.”
The menace in his dark brown eyes had me diving under the table.
“You can’t outrun me.”
Maybe not, but I wasn’t planning on running. I kicked him off his feet.
Sergeant Stone crashed to the floor. His merciless gaze locked on me. “You want to play? Game on, Tinkerbell.”