Jane Harvey-Berrick

Semper Fi:

The Education of Caroline

This is the story of The Education of Caroline now told from the point of view of Caroline’s lover, US Marine Sebastian Hunter.

* * *

Sales of Semper Fi support these charities

Felix Fund

www.felixfund.org.uk

&

EOD Warrior Foundation

www.eodwarriorfoundation.org

Both charities support the brave men and women who work or have worked in bomb disposal.

Series

The Education of Sebastian (Education Series #1)

The Education of Caroline (Education Series #2)

The Education of Sebastian and The Education of Caroline (Education Series combined edition)

The Traveling Man (Traveling Series #1)

The Traveling Woman (Traveling Series #2)

Roustabout (Traveling Series #3)

Standalone Titles

The New Samurai

Exposure

Dangerous to Know and Love

Playing in the Rain

The Dark Detective

At Your Beck & Call

Summer of Seventeen

Lifers

Dazzled

Slave to the Rhythm (coming soon)

One Careful Owner (coming soon)

Semper Fi: The Education of Caroline

Copyright © 2015 Jane Harvey-Berrick

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you do, you are STEALING FROM CHARITIES. I only distribute my work through iBooks, Amazon, Nook, Kobo and Create Space. If you have gotten this book from anywhere else, it is a pirate copy, it is illegal, and you’ve really spoiled my day. Just saying.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

All rights reserved. Jane Harvey-Berrick has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.

This book is a work of fiction. Names and characters are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Jane Harvey-Berrick has asserted her moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

First published in 2015

ISBN 9780992924645

Harvey Berrick Publishing

http://www.janeharveyberrick.co.uk

Editing by

Kirsten Olsen and Alana Albertson

Cover design by

Hang Le / www.byhangle.com

Cover photograph by

Michael Anthony Downs / www.michaelanthonydowns.com

Cover model Derek Pristou

Formatted by

Christine Borgford / www.perfectlypublishable.com

Table of Contents

Semper Fi

Other Titles by Jane Harvey-Berrick

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Epilogue

More About JHB

More about Felix Fund and EOD Warrior Foundation

Acknowledgements

Bonus Chapter ~ NEW!

To men and women who served their country, and the families who support them.

JANUARY 2012

I was dreaming about her again.

That was nothing new. I dreamed about her most nights. I tried to wash away the memory in whiskey. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes I woke up in bed with a woman I didn’t remember meeting, let alone fucking.

Give me a combat situation and I was a good little Devil Dog, but in the underbelly of a soft city, I was a misfit. And I couldn’t give a shit.

But when real life decides to smack you between the eyes, you don’t have any fucking choice.

You learn a lot in the military. Well, I thought, being an adult, it would be a good career move to have somebody inspect me every day to make sure I put my pants on the right way and had my shoes on the correct feet.

I did get to be a real Marine while I was out in Iraq. I was still with my Unit then, still with my buddies. I spent most of the last two Afghan tours in mud-built villages trying to persuade the tribal elders to side with the allies; maybe it helped make a difference. Now I’m stuck in the armpit of Europe on a chickenshit assignment, supposedly doing MSG guard duty at the Consular Agency in Geneva, all because my last CO in Paris was a dickless dumb-ass.

So I fucked his wife.

Funny enough that’s a big no-no in the military—the kind of thing that can get you a court martial followed by a dishonorable discharge. Like I give a shit.

I know how that sounds, because being a Marine is about having to trust your life with the guy who’s got your back—so fucking his wife kind of puts a downer on things. And usually I don’t go near married women—not anymore. But they both deserved it. Long story short: the no-ball pen-pusher didn’t want anyone to know his wife was screwed by a noncom, so he had me reassigned. Mostly I did PR which I hated. I was shit at it, too. Too much time having to smile. But I did work with some journos flying out to Afghanistsan, getting them prepped for a war zone.

There are worse places than Geneva. There are worse countries. I’ve seen a few of them. But there comes a point when you’re so fucking bored that you bore yourself thinking about how bored you are. I’d reached that point five months ago.

I’d even thought about getting the hell out of the Marine Corps and doing something else with my life¸ although I had no clue what. But I’d re-upped, so I had another two years to go. The only glimmer of light was that in Spring 2012 they needed more US-born interpreters in Afghanistan. And for this billet, I’d get a huge bonus. But it was more about getting the fuck out of Cuckoo Clock-land.