Page 4 of Healing Home

“I know you do, hon, but I think this guy needs you. And you’re welcome to take Frankie, they said. This guy loves dogs.”

Frowning, she swiveled back and forth in the chair. “This seems kind of dirty to me. Welcome him home like a wife then disappear after three days?”

Carolina sighed as well. “I know. I thought about that, too, but it’s what they want.”

BB sighed. “I don’t know, Carolina.”

“Come on. I’ll put an addendum on the contract that you can leave at any time.”

In the end she decided to do it, because every soldier deserved to come home to someone.

“Do I have access to his place?”

“They will overnight you the key. I just needed your agreement for the task.”

“Have them send it. I’ll head out the day before they arrive.”

“Thanks, BB. I knew you’d be a good fit for this one.”

Well, they’d see, she supposed.

* * *

The day before the client,Lincoln Bezel, was due to arrive, BB let herself into his small house just off base. It was a well-kept little bungalow, furnished in such a way that she knew a single man lived here. There were no frou-frou anythings around, not even a lot of pictures. There was sports equipment and electronic equipment. In the first bedroom there was a massive gun safe, but the bed was made and the majority of the laundry was done. She’d never thought about what she’d need to do to the house if she were to leave for weeks or months on end. Coming home to stacks of unwashed clothes would probably suck, something he’d apparently learned over his tours.

BB looked into the fridge. Beer, of course, and bottled water. The cupboards held some packages of dry, flavored noodles and some spices, but that was it. Nothing else.

The mailbox was empty, so the post office must be holding everything for him.

As she looked around the compact, sterile little space, she could almost see the loneliness of the man.

She would do what she could for him in the time they had.

* * *

Link lookedout the grimy window of the plane. Far below him miles upon miles of sea stretched out before him. They had at least an hour before they saw the coastline. Then another half hour before they could land at Coronado.

He wished he wanted to go home.

Link rocked his head back against the thrumming metal of the plane, wondering who he needed to shoot to get them to turn it around. They’d been gone for three months, doing hard ops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Cleanup, mostly. Finding a few high-value targets.

They hadn’t lost anyone, but they did have wounded. Black had gotten a bullet in the upper thigh as a fuck-you goodbye from Afghanistan. He’d be fine eventually, but right now he was hurting. His family would be meeting him as soon as he was rolled off the plane.

Actually, all of the guys would be meeting their families. Except him.

If he was honest with himself, he hated coming home specifically for this reason. It depressed the fuck out of him. For years he’d watched his fellow operators be welcomed into open arms. Link had watched families grow and expand, and his buddies father amazing kids. It seemed like every one of their marriages and relationships were solid.

His had been the aberration.

For a few years he’d tried marriage, but he’d known before he’d even walked down the aisle it was a bad idea. Alisha hadn’t jived with any of his buddies or their wives, and she’d been more interested in parading him in front of her snooty friends. His teammates had tried to tell him, but he’d been too hung up on the dream.

Link’s ears popped as the elevation began to change. They were heading in on approach. He glanced at Black, but the man was knocked out, head rocking on the gurney. Mary, Black’s wife, was going to be hella-pissed at Link, because he was supposed to have kept Black’s ass out of trouble. The man was retiring in three weeks. This was hopefully his last mission.

There was nothing they could have done in the situation though. Black had plowed in, like he always did, and gotten them through the altercation. He was everything a lieutenant should be and Link looked up to him probably more than he knew.

Ryan had gotten injured too, but it was just minor burns on his hands. They would heal up within a few weeks.

Link looked through the window again and sighed. It was probably hotter than hell down there today on the asphalt. He’d steal away for some desperately needed beach time this week.

---