Page 62 of True Valor
Another guy spoke up.“Of course, we’ll haveto climb a freakin’ tree to get the poor bastard out of there.”
Nic felt Julie stiffen ever so slightly.Apparently, Daniel noticed from across the table because he satforward and shot the offender a killer look.To no avail.
“I scoped him from below,” the idiotcontinued.“He had one hell of a skull fracture.”
“Drop it,” Daniel said.“Not everyone is astwisted as you are, Bob.”
“Oh, come on, Professor, lighten up.You knowyou love an impressive injury as well as the next guy.”At the lookDaniel gave him, he blanched and looked around.“Oh, sorry,” hesaid to Julie, who even now was pushing away from the table, herface devoid of color.
“Excuse me,” she said fleeing toward thedoor.
“Good job, Bob.”Nic followed.
When he got to her in the parking lot, Julieleaned hard against the car, taking in huge gulps of cold air.Heapologized even as he reached her.
“We’re a warped group.I’m so sorry,sweetie.”
The look she gave him scared the hell out ofhim.It was the look of panic she’d had in the beginning.“Let meguess,” her voice pitched hysterically, “if they’d been at thehouse that night, they’d have compared which of my family membershad moreimpressiveheadshots?”
He locked her in an embrace, partly out ofself-defense, partly because she sounded like she was breakingapart.He crushed her to him as if doing so would prevent her fromdisintegrating.
“Oh, baby.Shh, baby.”
She shoved hard against his chest, freeingherself.
“Don’t shush me, Nic.Don’tbabyme,either.My entire family is dead, waiting at the morgue, not evenburied yet.”Every word came out more frenzied than the last.“Nofunerals have been planned, no God-damned graves dug.”
Tears now escaped and coursed down her face.“And what have I been doing?I’ve been playing house with you.”
She stopped speaking abruptly, seeminglyfrozen in place.When Nic reached for her, she allowed herself tobe held, though she was stiff.
“I...have...to go...home.”The words cameout on choked sobs.And then the floodgates opened.
Nic held her as she shook, her own anguish astab in his heart.When he finally got her home, she said nothing,went to Joey’s room and closed the door for the night.
Chapter Twenty Three
Julie’s eyes hurt, felt like her lids scrapedat every blink.She poured a cup of coffee and collapsed at thekitchen table.If she slept an hour, she’d be surprised.Tossingand turning, trying to think of some way to stay here.To be withhim.
She came up empty.
Watching Nic stew over his teammates on theside of that mountain had thrown her.Danger was a part of him, andhe wanted to be in the middle of it.How must wives of these guysfeel, even if they weren’t at war in far parts of the world?Evenstateside, what they did cheated death.If all went well.
Obviously, it didn’t always go well.Joey’sfamily now dealt with the gaping void left by his loss.Juliewasn’t sure she could do that.Besides she had her life mappedout.
And Nic wasn’t what she’d planned.He was wayout of her league.Guys like Nic didn’t want wives, did they?Herexperience with guys like Nic was limited, by her own choice.
Jenn was much more likely to catch guys likethat.
In high school, Jenn was the pretty one,Julie was the smart one.Jenn was the cheerleader, Julie workedbackstage for the theater group, was president of the French club,and worked on the yearbook.
Julie knew Jenn loved her but still Jenntreated her as something of a project.Jenn wanted to give Juliemakeovers, wanted to fix her up with the fabulous friend of herlatest boyfriend.Jenn could never understand how Julie couldsettle for something or someone blah, blah, blah.
Underneath it all, though, Julie hadn’twanted to settle.She felt the pull toward the jocks, toward thequarterback of the football team.She just knew her limitations.Better to be content than to ache for something you couldn’thave.
Nic was like that.
Besides, she’d played Jenn’s game once.Thatwas enough.Jenn had convinced her, in her junior year to pick outa hunky guy and go after him.Julie agreed, but refused to revealher choice.And so it began.She picked the gorgeous wide receiverfor the football team, bad and gorgeous.His name was BJ.
