Page 4 of Reunited with the Soldier

Maddox left the military almost three years ago now, he and my sister have been happily married for four years now and I know that he was desperate to be home with her, especially as he almost missed the birth of their first daughter, Erin. He knew his mind wouldn’t be solely on the field when he’d be gone, so when the chance came, he left and he started Maddog security. A firm which I, along with four of our other team mates, are now employed at.

Our last tour was the worst, we lost a brother, and almost lost a few more. None of us made it out without scars, the majority of us having been medically retired.

“I didn’t expect to see you here,” I say to my sister. From what Maddox’s told me, Kayla doesn’t spend time at the office, he doesn’t want her near it. He’s still not over her being taken by her ex. I don’t blame him, the thought of Kayla being gone is a thought I don’t want.

She glances away and my gut tightens. “Kayla,” I sigh. She’s worried about me, I feel as though she’s expecting me to break. It’s not going to happen. It infuriates me that she does it and it’s one of the reasons that I haven’t been coming around as much as I would.

She bites her lip as she glances behind me. “What are you doing here, baby?” I hear Maddox ask. “You know what I said.”

“I know but—” she begins.

It’s been three months of this, her watching me, waiting for me to fall. “Christ, Kayla. I’m capable of taking care of my fucking self. Will you just quit it?” I snarl as I turn away from her, glaring at Maddox as I do. I know that when he catches up to me, he’s going to be pissed that I spoke to his wife that way. It doesn’t matter if she’s my sister. She’s his wife, the mother of his daughter and unborn child.

I hear their muffled voices but continue into the conference room.

Jimmy, Logan, Miles, and Forde are already here. All four men are my brothers, they served alongside Maddox and I.

“Everything okay?” Jimmy asks, his brows knitted together as he glances at his cell. He’s been off the past few weeks. He’s still doing rehabilitation, he was shot in his thigh and was close to losing his leg. He’s lucky that he’s alive, let alone that his leg is intact.

“Yeah, about as good as you,” I reply as I take a seat. “What’s going on?”

He shakes his head, his jaw tight. “Nothing.”

Lies, but whatever. I get it. Sometimes we don’t want to talk about it.

“Dinner tonight?” Miles questions. He’s the newest member of our team. Miles joined when Maddox left, and he’s still trying to get his bearings. Trying to figure out where he fits. He shouldn’t worry. He’s one of us.

“Sure,” I reply, knowing that I have nothing better to do. “Where?”

Maddog Security is in San Jose, which meant Maddox, Kayla, and I upped and left Los Angeles and headed to San Jose. I can’t lie, having a home near the beach is a lot better than expected. It’s going to be a small commute each day, but it’s more than worth it.

“I saw there’s a bar in town that looks good. It’s called The Traveller’s Friend.”

I shrug. As long as there’s good food, I’m happy. “Sounds good.”

Everyone nods in agreement. It’s not even nine in the morning and we’ve already sorted where we’re having dinner. Right now, a coffee would be great.

Maddox enters the office, his jaw set, and his gaze on me. He’s pissed. Yeah, we’ll get in fucking line.

“Gentlemen, welcome,” he begins. “We’ve a stack full of cases that need to be prioritized. Jimmy, until you’re cleared for duty, you’ll be working from the office,” he tells us. “Now, we’re trying to find a secretary, but none have so far been able to stick it out so far. So until then, we’ll have to make the best of it.”

I nod, drumming my fingers on my thigh. I’m anxious to get started. The meeting runs for over ninety minutes as Maddox runs through each case individually, we try to separate the cases that need to be top priority and what could be on the back burner. It’s shit, but with there only being a handful of us, we can only do so much.

“Kash,” Maddox says as we’re leaving the conference room. “I understand that Kayla’s pushing you, but don’t speak to my wife like that again.”

I glare at the man that I trust beyond anyone else. “When your wife stops treating me like I’m going to break, I’ll back off, until then, keep her out of my way. I’m dealing with enough shit without Kayla acting as though I’m going to fucking hit rock bottom.”

His expression immediately changes. “You’re thinking about her,” he says, it’s not a statement but a fact.

My jaw clenches so hard that it’s a wonder my teeth aren’t broken. Lauren. The woman that I let slip from my grasp. The one I walked away from. It’s been nine years since I last saw her and I’ve thought about her every day. I made a mistake in walking away. I should have found another way. Found some way to have both her and the military.

“Leave it alone, Mad, I’m not talking about it.” I turn on my heels and storm out of the room.

I have no idea how she’s doing. I fucked up. I just pray that she’s happy.

* * *

“First drink’s on me,” Maddox says, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. I’m shocked that he’s even out with us tonight. He doesn’t want to be away from Kayla too long.

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