Page 106 of Bravo

He raises the gun and levels it on me. “It’s too late for that, darling. You know that.”

A gunshot echoes through the trees, and the bullet tears through the flesh of my abdomen. I fall backward. Until icy cold envelopes me, dragging me down to the depth of darkness.

ECHO: ELLIOT

“That ought to do it.” I finish turning the wrench one final time then slide out from beneath the old truck. As soon as I’m standing, I tap on the hood so my brother, Riley, can turn the motor over.

It purrs to life, sounding better than it has in over a decade.

Riley grins at me. “Good work, brother.”

“All in a day,” I reply then head into the shop to retrieve a bottle of sweet tea from the refrigerator. It’s not nearly as good as the stuff my mom makes, but it’ll do in a pinch. “Want one?”

“I’ll take one, thanks.”

I offer Riley a bottle of tea, and we both take seats on the old couch kept in the shop. It’s worse for the wear with grease stains and the smell of motor oil clinging to it, but it’s comfortable and reliable. And after a day of working underneath a truck older than me, it feels darn good to sit on.

My service dog, a German Shepherd named Echo, lies on an old blanket in the corner alongside Riley’s dog, Romeo. Both pups enjoying a relaxing afternoon. You wouldn’t know by looking at them that they could be lethal, or that they spend a good portion of their lives chasing bad guys and bringing people home to their families.

Hunt Brothers Search & Rescue is a job that leads us down some dark roads, but it’s one I wouldn’t trade for anything. We bring lost people home, and that’s a calling that I’ll answer until I draw the very last breath from my lungs.

“It’s so hot already. How is this April?” Riley asks, rubbing an old handkerchief over his forehead.

“That’s Texas for ya,” I joke. “One day it’s freezing, the next it’s summertime.”

“Isn’t that the truth.” Riley downs the rest of his tea then gets up. “You coming in yet? I’m guessing mom will have supper ready to go here in the next hour or so.”

“I’ll be in soon,” I tell him. “I want to check a few more things before calling it a night.”

“Sounds good.” He turns and offers me a wave over his shoulder. “Heel, Romeo.”

His dog hops up and joins him, and the two of them head out of the shop together.

Even though we each have our own houses on the ranch, my mom still insists on cooking dinner at least once a week. More if she can get us there. She loves it, and frankly, so do we.

I’m helpless in the kitchen, despite her best efforts, so during the winter when grilling is unpleasant, it’s frozen dinners for me. Except on the nights she cooks. Given that I’m thirty-five now, I probably should have figured out how to cook at least a basic meal without a grill, yet here I sit, still hopeless.

It’s something I can live with.

After taking a deep breath, I toss my bottle into the recycling bin then head out into the early evening. It’s not quite six yet, so it’s still bright enough that I can get one final ride in before the end of the day.

That in mind, I head toward the barn. Echo falls into step beside me, the dog never straying far from my side. He’s my bestfriend and the greatest partner I could ask for. Truth be told, he’s saved my life in more ways than one.

When I’d gotten back from my final deployment, I’d been a mess. The things I saw—I shake my head, not even wanting to relive them for a moment. I’d struggled with the transition into civilian life. But getting and training Echo had been the best decision I made.

Each of my four brothers has his own service dog. Bradyn has Bravo, Riley—Romeo, Dylan has Delta, and his twin brother, Tucker, has Tango. Each of us with our own lifeline.

Or, at least, that’s what I consider them. Attachments that tethered us into the real world when we’d been so lost.

The barn is empty right now, with our three ranch hands likely finishing the new section of fencing dividing a pasture into two. Most of the horses are gone, including Bradyn’s horse, Rev, and his fiancé’s horse Midnight.

“Hey there, boy.” I reach over and run my hand over the forelock of Bobby, my quarter horse. I saddle broke and trained him, and he’s like an extension of me. He nuzzles me in response, so I retrieve his halter, slip it over his head, then open the gate and guide him over to the tethering post.

After brushing him out, getting a saddle onto him, and slipping the bridle over his large head, I guide him out of the barn.

“Hey, just heading out?”

Bradyn’s fiancé, Kennedy, asks as she dismounts from Midnight. Her blonde hair is braided down her back, and when she smiles, there’s no longer darkness hidden behind her bright blue eyes.

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