Page 54 of Duty Bound

“I don’t know. Does it make a difference?”

Her chest rose. “Yes, it makes a difference. It helps knowing he wasn’t alone. That you were with him.”

At least that brought her comfort.

“That’s when he said to tell you he loved you,” Blade croaked.

She swiped at her eyes. “I loved him too.”

His heart shattered into a million pieces.

That’s why they could never be together.

CHAPTER 20

She’d been wrong about everything.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized Blade was right. Joe had always been well-behaved at home, always polite and attentive like he was playing a part.

He never let his hair down—not with her, anyway.

When they went out, it was usually with her friends, which meant he had to maintain his perfect boyfriend facade. It was only with his Special Forces buddies, his true friends, that he’d allowed himself to let loose.

How the hell had she missed that? Ten years, and she felt like she hadn’t known him at all.

Yet that wasn’t the only mistake she’d made.

Her stupid notion that Blade had forced him to sign up. That Blade had led him astray. It was all bogus.

The real Joe probably wanted to break free from his preordained, orderly life. He'd have been itching for a thrill like the Green Berets offered, for the brotherhood of a tight-knit unit, for the chance to truly be himself.

She shook her head as she traipsed along behind Blade.

How had she been so blind?

It was too late now, that’s what sucked about it. She couldn’t tell Joe how sorry she was.

They’d been little more than kids when they’d gotten together, and since they’d lived under the same roof since she was just sixteen, he’d never had a chance to go wild and have fun. He’d stepped up and done the right thing, taking her on and looking after her.

A pang caused her to catch her breath.

Had he been happy?

The change in the terrain was more noticeable now. The path they were on wound through a field of wildflowers, their dark heads bobbing in the breeze. Blade had become tenser, more vigilant. He stalked ahead, his gun in the ready position, his finger flat against the trigger guard.

“Let’s aim for those trees.” His voice was a low growl.

They were moving into the danger zone. Any security she’d felt up in the mountains vanished, and the tight knot of anxiety in her stomach was back. She pushed all thoughts of Joe out of her head and concentrated on what was happening around her.

Lily followed Blade into the wooded area. This was where the narrow band of forest started and would give them some cover. She was hoping they’d be able to stay camouflaged all the way to the river.

Suddenly, Blade stopped walking and raised his hand, signaling to her to stop.

She froze.

“What is it?” she whispered.

“Something doesn’t feel right.”

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