Holiday A Soldier Is Never Off Duty Novels & Stories

"I couldn't reach you." "I know." "I was so scared." Jack's voice softened. "I'm here." Lela cried harder. "Please come home." There was a long silence. "I don't know when I can." Her heart sank. "What do you mean?" "The base is going into lockdown." Lela closed her eyes. Of course it was. The military was going to change everything. Jack wasn't simply a husband anymore. He was a soldier in a country that had just been attacked. "I need you to stay inside," he said.

"Fine, but let me be clear. General Phelan is on vacation down south, and most of our senior officers are gone. If something happens here, just know I won’t be stepping in." Andrew sighed, impatient. "Just go get him. What, you want to remind me your boys are ready to rough me up? That’s fine. I’d actually like to see who dares." Leslie let out a sharp laugh. "Suit yourself. You asked for it." She honestly questioned whether Andrew had lost his mind. The soldiers in this military base weren't the same as those street thugs and lowlifes in civilian society. When they got rough with someone, they could easily put a person in the hospital!

“Holi, sir. The festival of colors. It’s a big celebration in India.” Zayden’s expression darkened. A holiday meant no work. No employees. No her. He clicked his tongue in irritation. “Leave.” The manager, sensing his bad mood, quickly left the room without another word. Zayden leaned back, running a hand through his hair. He hated holidays. They were a waste of time. Back in America, he rarely took days off. And now, being in India, he didn’t like the idea of a work-free day. He pressed the intercom. “Mark, come to my office.”

"Sheila, you've been through so much." John gently kissed Sheila's forehead, his eyes shining with love. Dad was sitting off to the side, his eyes all wrinkled up from smiling so much. "How can you not see it? I tell you, it's a good thing this baby is yours. If Hank had a kid, there wouldn't be much hope for the poor thing." He used to be so proud of me for joining the army. Even though I left without knowing when I would come back, Dad always said that a man had to be ready to protect his country.

I haven't done an overnight in a while. "Exactly. Then I'd be hearing it from both my wife and my daughter, and I make it a rule never to hear from both of them on the same subject, at the same time. Head on into the conference room so we can have our pre-shift briefing. Catch ya in a few." * * * The room is quiet as we have our briefing. Renegade is the shift commander tonight, and he reminds us of some very important points. Valentine's Day can bring out the best and worst in people, just like every other fucking holiday.

"Girl, you have got to learn to stop and smell the candy canes." Noel Holiday stood next to the bar where his brother Sam was pouring drinks. He smiled at his mother and sisters and shared a grimace with his brother Val, who was dodging secretaries and the mistletoe. Noel hated the office Christmas party, probably all the more so since he was the one saddled with the name of Noel Holiday and he'd been born on Christmas day. The old man had a sick fucking sense of humor. "Noel, can you run over and check the village display?" Nicholas Holiday called to his eldest son. "Something about the arrangement doesn't look quite right."

"No, I mean, after we finish our business with him. You, Max, Hayden, and Owen will be helping me to talk to Homer about the vacation. How about that?" And for the first time, Jefferson and Hugo sat together in front of the fountain. Jefferson with his fruit while Hugo talked about the holiday. He seemed to yearn for that holiday. After all, he had a point. After yesterday's incident, many bodyguards were injured, and some were unconscious. So they deserve a good holiday. "I've checked. There's been a lot of holiday promos lately. You know, it's as if the world is telling us to take a vacation," he said with a loud laugh while Jefferson shook his head, rude as he always be.

“Come on, Eric,” the first soldier shrugs. “He’ll be the king one day anyway. He might as well hear our concerns.” The gruff soldier, Eric, sizes me up again, but he must decide that I’m good for my word, because he finally opens his mouth to speak. “I haven’t been home in two years because I can’t afford to take the time off,” he says slowly. “My wife and son need the money, and this is the best work you can get in Dun’s Crossing.”

He informs Ryder. “How is that possible?” Ryder asks, seeing a thousand things wrong with Caleb’s plan. “I know that this is your area of specialization, but I was in the military for at least five years and I used to volunteer at your company during the holidays because I needed money,” he tells Ryder “You were in the military for five years? I thought that the normal military term for everybody is a year or two, so how was yours five years” Ryder questions him

The rift that had once divided them was now a distant memory. Aleah’s due date was fast approaching, and Hunter had shared the news that he’d been assigned to a mission in Israel. The President himself had requested him as a bodyguard for the trip. Hunter, meanwhile, had created his own pack, taking in the abandoned pups he’d rescued from rogue attacks. But even with his new responsibilities, he had never turned his back on his work as a soldier. He loved being out in the field, where he felt alive—solving cases, saving lives, and offering hope to those who had none.