Page 4 of No Second Chances

“Shotgun!” he calls out over his shoulder.

Remy gives me a small kiss on the forehead and takes his bag from Linc. Then he follows his friend outside and leaves me alone with the only man in the world who is capable of bringing me to my knees.

He smiles almost nervously and runs a hand over the stubble on his face. His stupid, kissable face. Even standing there in public with him gives me butterflies. There is so much I want to tell him, but I can’t say a word. Not here and most definitely not now.

I swallow audibly and nod in the direction of the door. “We should go.”

“Yeah.”

Yet he doesn’t move, and neither do I.

Absently, I rub my wrist again. I can’t help it. In the months since everything happened, it’s become almost soothing. A reminder that I’m still here, still breathing, and I can conquer anything.

What I’m not prepared for is the sharp inhalation that comes from the man standing next to me. When I look up, I see he is staring angrily at the fading scars.

I do the only thing I can. I run out the door and to my brother’s truck without looking back, even though I know there is no real escape. Especially when he climbs into the truck silently and proceeds to stare at me the entire way home. His intent is clear.

Our conversation is far from over.

* * *

Linc

The rage boiling through my veins can’t be stopped. In fact, by the time we pull into Remy’s driveway, it is safe to say I am downright seething. I do, however, manage to keep a tight grip on myself, at least until Danny disappears into the house along with Kennedy. Kennedy, who avoided my gaze the entire drive back and practically fell out of the truck in her haste to get away.

Before Remy even takes a step away from the truck, I grab him by the arm.

“She tried to kill herself?” I may have whispered the words, but the dead air left in their wake is inescapable.

Remy has never, not once in all the years we’ve been best friends, ever taken a swing at me. But I swear to everything I hold dear, he is about to now.

Instinctively taking a step back, I hold my ground. “What happened to Kennedy? I saw her wrist.”

That same haunted look from the airport crosses his face, and I watch the anger fade away. With one glance at the house, I’m guessing to make sure that Kennedy isn’t about to come out, he leans against his truck.

“Somehow she got hurt. Won’t tell me how or why. Hell, she won’t even talk to a therapist about it. Though whatever it was, it hurt her enough that she thought it would be easier if she took her own life. My mom found her.” He slams a hand into the side of the truck and takes a deep breath. “Kennedy still won’t talk about it. She won’t tell me anything. She hasn’t answered any of my texts or calls since after boot.”

“What happened?” I ask one more time, trying as hard as I can to keep my emotions in check.

He can’t answer, though. I know he can’t since he literally just said as much. That does absolutely nothing to stop my impatience and determination. I need to find out exactly what happened to her.

“She’s so happy all the time.” The words tumble out before I can stop them. “I don’t understand what happened that could bring her down like that.”

“Mom and Dad are taking care of her,” Remy offers. “I know you care about her. We all do.”

Nodding along with him is pretty much the only thing I can do at this point. If I try to say anything, my anger may get the best of me. I don’t want that and Remy definitely doesn’t deserve that either.

“Can I do anything to help?” The thought of Kennedy sad or alone is enough to make it hard for me to breathe. Thinking of her being alone when she really needs someone there to protect her, even if it is from herself… almost brings me to my knees.

Remy doesn’t answer, and I find myself looking up to Kennedy’s window. She is there, with the curtain pulled aside, staring directly at me—not her brother. For a moment, just one, I let myself think about what we could have together. Then I push it aside and bring my attention back to Remy.

“Anything you need, I’ll do it.” He knows I’ll be there for him and his family, no matter what. Just like I had carried his ass through training when he needed it. He’d done the same for me, and that’s why we were going overseas together. Well, that and we’d lucked out and gotten the same duty station and unit.

Remy shoots me a grateful look before picking up his bag. “I’ll send Danny home when he gets done raiding my fridge. Will I see you tonight at the party?”

Shit. The party that his girlfriend is throwing as a way to welcome him home. I’d honestly forgotten all about it. My eyes stray up to Kennedy’s window again, but she is gone.

“Yeah. I’ll be there.” There is only one other place I’d rather be, and there’s no way I can trust myself to be alone with Kennedy. Not until I figure out what happened to her.

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