Page 10 of Bravo

“Tonight.”

“A date?” I question.

“Yeah,” he replies. “With me. I think it could be fun.” He shrugs, and I almost feel bad for the impendingnothat’s hanging in the air.

“I appreciate the invite, but?—”

“But?”

“I’m not big into dating.” Another not-lie for me today; it must be a record. Dating means getting attached. I can’t afford attachments because they inevitably lead to pain and death. Two things I’m trying to avoid for myself and everyone around me.

“Oh.” His face falls.

“I’m sorry, Arthur.”

“Nah, it’s good. I get it. Might make things awkward if the date sucks. You know, given that we have to work together.”

I force a smile. “Very true.”

“Well.” He pulls his hands out of his pockets. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow,” I reply, moving to the side and keeping my back away from him so he doesn’t see the gun I’m still holding.

Arthur walks around the side of my cabin, headed back toward the parking lot, so I shove the firearm back into the waistband of my pants before withdrawing my keys and heading back out to my truck. Heart still pumping, I grab my stuff from the truck and slip into the house.

As I do every time I come home, I clear the rooms one at a time, ensuring no one snuck in while I was away. After securing the small cabin and making sure all the windows and doors are locked, I finally take a seat on the couch and let out a sigh.

I miss having someone to talk to. Someone to share my day with. Now, I’m living so much of a lie I can’t risk idle conversation just in case something slips out. Solitude cuts deep, but there’s no way around it. Not yet anyway. Maybe not ever.

For some reason, Bradyn Hunt’s handsome face swims into my mind. I can see him standing there, bathed in sunlight as he’d stared down at me. My stomach twists into nervous knots. He’s exactly the kind of man I could have fallen for once upon a time.

Once upon a time when my life wasn’t one nightmare after another.

Those pesky feelings rear their ugly head again, so I push to my feet and head into the bathroom to wash the day off of me. Pajamas and a book. That’s what the evening has in store for me.

Anything else can just wait outside until morning.

CHAPTER 4

BRADYN

The scents of Dad’s smoked brisket and Mom’s fresh-baked apple pie hit me as soon as I step through the front door. Taking a minute to savor it, I remain in the brightly lit foyer, taking in the hearty scents and the sounds of my brothers laughing in the kitchen. Photographs of my siblings and me in various stages of our lives line the foyer walls, along with crosses my dad has handmade for my mom over the years.

Home.It hits me again, and I smile. Man, I missed this place.

My brother, Tucker, younger than me by four years, sticks his head around the corner. “You planning on coming all the way in, or are you no longer accustomed to being indoors?” He heads down the hall and envelops me in a tight hug.

“Something like that,” I reply with a laugh then follow him down the hallway into the kitchen.

Tucker and his twin Dylan are the youngest of us, having turned thirty-two last month. I’d been gone for that, too, and unable to even make a call, given the sensitive nature of the mission.

“Happy birthday, by the way.”

Tucker grins at me. “Nice of you to remember, big brother.” He winks, letting me know he understands and in no way,shape, or form cares that I didn’t call. Not that I expected him to. He’s a part of our company too and knows that sometimes communication just isn’t possible.

Dylan is the next to peek around the corner, his grin matching the one still on Tucker’s face. He steps out and wraps his arms around me. The quietest of the twins, he’s had a haunted look in his eyes ever since returning from his final deployment five years ago.

Though he won’t talk about what he saw, I can imagine, and it breaks my heart that the little boy who wanted so badly to be a superhero ended up a man haunted by war.

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