Well, she didn’t plan to.
She lifted her chin and stared directly into the sergeant’s eyes. “You know who I am, I assume, other than my name.”
Throwing around her identity—actually her stepfather’s—irked her to no end, but in this case it was the only card she had in her hand. She’d use it.
Practicality.
Sergeant Zuccolin nodded with reluctance.
She didn’t blink or turn her head. She kept her gaze steady on his. “Good. Then you’ll see the wisdom of sending your colleague there over to the guest cabin to gather my belongings and place them in the vehicle. I’ll see to Atlas and prepare him for the trip.”
“Wait a minute.” Anger was starting to show in David’s demeanor and she didn’t dare make eye contact with him. “I want to know what business you have accompanying our dog off this premises. We are supposed to be working on his retraining together.”
“Atlas is the property of the military, as I have been reminded multiple times, even by you, Mr. Cruz.” It hurt to use his formal name this way. She wondered if he’d ever forgive her. Considering what was going to come to light next, probably not. “My contract is to rehabilitate him, not work with you. I go where he goes.”
This would be for the best. It was becoming very clear whatever was going on around Atlas, her stepfather hadn’t been keeping tabs on her for his reputation’s sake. He’d been using her to keep up to date on David and how much he was learning about the circumstances around Calhoun’s death. If she went with Atlas, David could be free to continue investigating without her stepfather’s scrutiny.
Sergeant Zuccolin didn’t step in. Man must be wiser than she’d initially given him credit for. Instead, he leaned over to his fellow soldier and murmured a few words.
The man nodded sharply and approached Lyn. “Ma’am, if you’d show me where to go, I’ll accompany you to gather both your belongings and the asset.”
She nodded.
David wasn’t finished, though. “Enlighten me. Who are you that you can amend their orders to go with them?”
“It’s not about who I am.” It never was. She’d struggled for years to build her own identity and it still boiled down to this. “It’s about who my father is. Captain Francis Jones of the US Navy. I get the impression he’s a few pay grades higher than your Air Force Captain friend in San Antonio. He sponsored my request to be allowed to work with Atlas. I’m sure he’ll confirm upon request.”
And she was sure she hadn’t made any friends for making the comparison in ranks between Air Force and Navy.
But it was worth it. David’s jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed slightly. There might’ve been a vein popping across his forehead but she might’ve imagined it. Either way, he was angry, not hurt. And his anger was much more preferable to leaving him visibly hurt in front of these men.
“Jones is a common name.” David had his calm well in hand. In fact, his tone had gone cold. “I’d thought it was a coincidence. I stand corrected.”
“Well, then, there’s just a few things left to do then.” Lyn was at a loss for anything else to say so she walked past David and headed for the cabin.
It took moments, since she was packed anyway. The soldier who’d accompanied her didn’t comment. Good, because she didn’t owe him any explanations. She was too busy hoping someday David would give her the chance.
Atlas was on his feet and happy to see her when she approached the kennel. She almost cried when he eagerly sat and turned his head so she could attach the leash to his collar. He must’ve picked up her mood, though, because on the walk back, he remained at a precise heel position. He took notice of the man walking with them and Sergeant Zuccolin when they approached. They were unknown and Atlas regarded both of them as threats in relation to her.
“Load him in the crate.” Sergeant Zuccolin gave the order to the man next to her.
“I’ll take care of securing him.” Lyn made her statement firm and didn’t give anyone time to argue with her.
She led Atlas around to the back of the SUV. The soldier hurried after her with her bags and juggled them for a minute in order to open the door for her.
“Atlas, over.” On her command, Atlas jumped easily up into the back of the SUV. “Hok.”
Atlas obeyed her immediately, entering the crate and turning to face her as he lay down. His ears were cocked backward, though, and his head tilted to one side as he regarded her. This wasn’t like the previous road trip and he had to be sensing her stress. It was a good thing these men weren’t watching him and probably didn’t care to use him to guess at what was going through her mind.
David, on the other hand, had moved around to a vantage point where he could see both her and Atlas. Carefully keeping her eyes on Atlas, she leaned in and gave the big dog a caress on the cheek. “Hopefully you’ll understand one day soon.”