Page 9 of Bullets and Dandelions

Damn, he was scarier than Pops when he was riled up. Rolling to the other side of the table, I jumped up and grabbed a plastic tray. The instant he popped up, I hurled it at him like a frisbee.

Thud!It hit Sergeant Stone in the face. Blood gushed from his nose, but somehow, he managed to stay on his feet. He grinned at me.

Shit. I wouldn’t last two minutes in hand-to-hand combat with him, and he knew it. Anything I could get my hands on; I threw at him.

With unbelievable ease, Sergeant Stone ducked and dodged the projectiles.

He could give Pops a run for his money.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” Sergeant Stone said.

I bit my lip to keep from laughing. He had a glob of mashed potatoes perched on the top of his head. To make it even better, pieces of corn, gravy, and coleslaw were splattered over his beard and uniform. “Gee, sugar, I don’t have a problem hurting you.”

His attention suddenly fixed on something behind me.

Had his team shown up?

A hand clamped on my shoulder. I instinctively shifted my weight and tossed the person over my shoulder.

“Hey!” A military police officer smacked the floor.

“Shit! Sorry.”

His partner tackled me, placed a knee in my back and slapped the handcuffed on. “You are under arrest for assault.”

“Sorry, I thought you were one of the jerk’s buddies.”

The MP pulled me to my feet. “Who started the fight?”

Everyone in the mess hall pointed at Sergeant Stone and in unison said, “He did.”

I let out a sob. “I broke up with him and he won’t leave me alone.”

“Like I would date that vicious little hellcat.” The look of outrage on Sergeant Stone’s face was hilarious.

“See? Just cause he’s a sergeant, he thinks he can do whatever he wants.”

“Cuff him, Andrews. We’ll let the lieutenant sort this mess out,” the MP ordered.

Sergeant Stone’s jaw dropped. “What are you arresting me for?”

“Assault.”

“I never touched her,” Sergeant Stone snarled.

I held out my left arm which had a colorful bruise above the wrist. “Yes, he did.”

Andrews cuffed Sergeant Stone and relieved him of his weapons. “Let’s go.”

Sergeant Stone shot me a withering glare.

I gave him my Debbie Sunshine smile. Gotta say, I really enjoyed our perp walk to the brig. Everyone stopped dead and gaped at Sergeant Stone’s food covered uniform. “A Marine’s table manners leave a lot to be desired,” I called cheerfully.

“Shut it, Reynolds,” the MP instructed.

“Yes, sir.”

Chapter Five

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