Page 12 of Inseverable (Carolina Beach)

Iraq wasn’t hard. Not in the least. Iraq was pure hell.

I want to rage then, and tell her as much?tell her how she doesn’t know shit. But I don’t. She’s a pain in the ass, that’s for damn sure. And while I’m far from kind, I won’t be cruel. Not to her.

For all I don’t want or need her company, she doesn’t deserve the fury that threatens to choke out the last bit of me that remains.

So instead of raging and going all beast, I continue to run. And so does she, diligently beside me like we have all the time in world. I grit my teeth and push past the stress of another mile, wondering if she’s a punishment for my sins. I’m convinced that she might be when I reach the three-mile mark.

Of course I don’t tell her this. Instead I angle around without speaking. Surprisingly, she does too.

My pace slows to a steady jog. Rainbow, or whatever the hell her name is?wait, Trinity, that’s it?keeps up. Her breathing is more pronounced, and her skin more flushed, but she continues to move her slender legs in time with mine.

In the silence, and based on the conversation, my mind should return where I don’t want it to. Back to Iraq. Back to my team. Back to that time when only three days remained. Instead it latches onto what she said about her parents volunteering all over the world, and her working in a soup kitchen.

No wonder she’s screwed up. Who the hell does that?

I focus on the horizon ahead, doing my best to ignore her. But for some asinine reason my mind starts trying to figure her out. Why is she here, withme? Isn’t it damn obvious I want be left alone?

I open my mouth—ready to tell her she’s wasting her time, and warming up to the wrong man, when the blonde—her friend from the other night—hops down the lifeguard tower and calls to her.

“Trin?”

Her smile fades when she sees me with her, and catches the scowl tensing the muscles along my jaw.

Trinity simply grins. “Coming!” she yells. She pats my arm. “Catch you same time tomorrow.”

As if it’s the most natural thing in the world, she runs off, while I almost stumble—trying to understand what just happened.Catch you tomorrow? What the fuck?

Against my better judgment I glance over my shoulder. Her friend seems wary and she should be. Trinity is, well,not. She ignores my scowl and continues to grin. “Nice butt by the way,” she calls.

I jerk my attention in the direction of my house, thinking I might need a restraining order to keep her away. She’s relentless, nosey, and unbelievably irritating.

I mutter another curse. So then why the hell am I smiling?

Chapter Five

Trinity

I rest my rescue can on my chair and adjust the umbrella so it’s actually providing shade where I want it. It’s only seven thirty in the morning, but that notorious Carolina sun heating my arms is making it clear we’re in for a hot one.

As I toy with the large bulky umbrella, I sneak a peek down the beach, trying not to look desperate, and failing miserably. The spot where Callahan usually materializes like a hot, sexy, brooding mirage is empty of his presence.

Come to think of it, the only signs of life I see are the speed walking ladies no sane human being would be foolish enough to cross. I won’t lie. I’m disappointed. So much so that the little balloon of hope I usually carry deflates with an almost audible whiz.

I finish positioning the umbrella and look once more. Humph. It’s getting late. If Callahan doesn’t come soon I won’t be able to run with him. I try not to laugh. And wouldn’t that just ruin his day?

“Trin!” Sean calls to me.

“Yeah?” I answer.

“I can’t find the damn surfboard we use for rescues.”

I give his comment some thought. “You mean the spine board?”

“Yeah. The surfboard we use for rescues,” he repeats, like I’m the one saying it wrong.

I drop my whistle beside my can, climbing down the lifeguard chair as I speak. “The pediatric one or the adult?”

His long arms swing against his sides as he walks. “The pediatric one—that’s the little one, right?”

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