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“I can’t right now.”

“Fine. I’ll ask Melvin and some of the others.”

“You need to stay away from Melvin.”

“I do?”

He nodded. “Trust me. He’s not a good guy.”

“I’ll have to decide that on my own,” I said stepping away.

He put a hand on my shoulder. “Rose, wait…”

I spun around. “What?”

“Just be careful, okay? Afghanistan is a rough country.”

“I’ll be fine,” I said and then turned to walk away.

Fucking men always trying to control me, I thought.

I had to admit though, he was hot.

CHAPTER 6

Rose

After Warren warned me about Melvin, I was even more eager to talk with him. I went to where I usually saw him—the makeshift outdoor gym on the south wall of the camp. He was on the weight bench, lifting some ridiculous amount into the air while a slightly smaller man stood behind him. Neither of them had shirts on and their bodies glistened with sweat.

“Hey, boys,” I said, strolling over.

Melvin grunted before placing the barbell back on the hooks. He sat up and stared at me, not bothering to disguise his lustful expression. While not afraid to apply my female charms when necessary, I never took it too far and only used it to acquire the information I needed. And looking at Melvin—I knew he could possibly help me break the story wide open.

“What’s going on, foxy reporter?” he said, standing up.

The other man wandered away, leaving me and Melvin alone.

“Your CO is making me go home early,” I said, pouting.

“Get out of here. We were just getting to know each other.”

“Do you want to be in the story I’m writing? It would be a profile piece online. You’d get a lot of fan mail from women all over the world.”

He stepped toward me. “Who says I don’t get that already?”

“Well, it would be even more with a nice story online. Maybe some photos…”

“You want to take

photos of me?”

“Maybe later. I just need information first.”

“Information?”

“Yeah. About what goes on here at the base.”

“What have you heard?”