Stranded With The Sergeant. Cathie Linz

by acid rain,” Keishon stated darkly.

      Joe continued, “V stands for Vanquishing Fear and Panic.” Yeah, right. This was one Joe had to work on himself, big-time. He shoved those thoughts aside. “I stands for Improvise. V stands for Value Living and A for Act Like Natives.”

      “What’s that supposed to mean?” Keishon said. “What natives live in the mountains?”

      “Animals,” Gem replied on Joe’s behalf. “Animals live in the mountains.”

      “And animals are smarter than people,” Keishon said. “They know stuff, like where water is, right?”

      “That’s right,” Joe said. “So we’ve covered S…U…R…V…I…V…A. Which leaves us with?”

      “L,” Sinatra supplied.

      “And L stands for Live by Your Wits,” Joe concluded. “Learning basic skills helps you develop your self-confidence.”

      Sinatra nodded. “I checked out some camping Web sites and learned about wilderness skills stuff. It made me feel better about this trip, made me look forward to it more.”

      Keishon added, “And Ms. Martin covered other information in class.”

      Covered…oh, yes, he’d like to see Ms. Martin covered, all right. Covered in yards and yards of concealing material, because maybe then he wouldn’t notice the way her T-shirt molded the curve of her breasts. He was watching the woman breathe, for God’s sake. Not a good sign.

      “All right, recruits,” Joe barked. “Time to move out!” And time for him to remember the goals of his mission this weekend where Prudence Martin was concerned—survival, not seduction.