Page 121 of Over the Edge

“He went through a lot. It’ll take him some time to recover.”

They stepped out into the damp chill of the North Carolina night and he gazed down at Anna in the faint moonlight. “I don’t know. I’ve seen some guys get hurt so bad they barely seemed human any more, but the spark never left their eyes. They still had a will to live. When I look into Kenny’s eyes now, I see nothing at all. It’s as if he’s dead inside.”

Anna made a sound of distress, and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. She mumbled against his chest, “He’s probably in shock and mentally shut down, right now. He’ll regain his physical strength, and then he’ll face the psychological issues from his captivity. I didn’t know him for long, but I believe in him. He’ll come back to us.”

“Lord, I hope so.” He released her. “Walk with me.”

“Where are we going?” she asked curiously.

“Where all SEALs end up going when they’re distraught.”

“Ahh. The ocean.”

He smiled a little. She had, indeed, become one of them. She was as much a SEAL now as he was.

They walked the two blocks down to the shore and paused at the edge of the beach. By mutual, unspoken agreement, they stripped off their shoes and socks to walk barefoot in the cold, wet sand.

His feet went numb quickly, but he didn’t care. The packed sand felt good squelching up between his toes.

They strolled along the beach for several minutes in silence. He let the crash of the surf and the smell of brine and seaweed work their magic on him. Gradually, his troubled heart quieted. Stilled.

“What are you planning to do now that you’re a fully qualified SEAL?” he asked her quietly.

She shrugged. “When the Reapers spin up, I’ll go do SEAL stuff with them. What about you? Are you gonna stay with the team or put in for a transfer?”

Trevor sighed. They’d been back in North Carolina with Ken for almost two weeks, and Cal had yet to bring up that kiss between him and Anna. But then, neither had he broached the subject with the boss.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he confessed.

“Why the hell not?” she exclaimed.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Don’t go all stiff and British on me, Trevor Westbrook. You love being a SEAL, and you love being a Reaper. Don’t try to convince me otherwise. I know you too well for that.”

She was not wrong.

They hadn’t spent any time alone together since they’d gotten home. They were living in too close proximity to the other Reapers, and besides, everyone spent practically every waking minute sitting with Ken or hanging around the hospital. They were all worried sick about him.

Anna stopped and faced him. “What’s the problem?”

“What do you mean?”

“What’s stopping you from just blurting out how you feel about me?”

He looked away from her intense stare. She saw him far too clearly. Maybe more clearly than he saw himself.

“Ohh,” she breathed.

His gaze snapped back to her. “What?” he blurted.

“I get it, now.”

“You getwhat?” he demanded. “Please, for the love of God, explain it to me so I can understand what’s going on.”

“You’re worried about what everyone else will think. Tell me this. When are you, for once in your life, going to worry about yourself? What will makeyouhappy? To hell with what the Reapers think. What doyouwant to do?”

He opened his mouth. Closed it.

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