Page 62 of The Only Reason (The Trident Trilogy 2)

Chapter Thirty-One

Mason

Islamabad, Pakistan

2020

“Mase,” Bryce says as he shoves my shoulder hard, waking me up instantly from my light sleep.

I leap off the bed and grab my pistol from the nightstand. “What’s wrong? Is Millie okay?”

“I’m not sure. We heard what we thought was her yelling. Ty went in and found Alex on top of her, trying to pin her down.”

I’m already across the suite and through the adjoining room door. Ty has Alex pressed up against the wall. Alex is wearing pajama bottoms, but no shirt. Millie—fully dressed in sweatpants and my fleece—is rocking back and forth with her head in her hands.

“She was having a bad dream!” Alex shouts at Ty and then turns to look at me. “I was just trying to wake her up. She was having a nightmare. I wasn’t trying to attack her. Are you fucking kidding me? I was trying to wake her up.”

I point harshly at Alex. “Out of the room. Now.”

“This is ridiculous,” he says as Ty pushes him roughly toward the other room.

“Does he get to live or not?” Ty pauses at the door and looks back at me.

I tilt Millie’s face up and see the anguished eyes she always has after she has a nightmare about her dad. “Yeah. He can live. He didn’t attack her. Just keep him in that room for the rest of the night. No one comes back in here,” I say without taking my eyes off Millie.

I hear the door click behind me as I gently sit down on the bed next to her.

“Hey,” I say quietly as I start to rub her back.

She looks up at me. The tears start welling up as her head collapses down on my shoulder.

I pull her to my chest and whisper in her ear, “Which one was it?”

“The one where the house blows up and his body is flying toward me and he’s yelling my name,” she says, sobbing into my shoulder. “Why do I keep having these nightmares? Why can’t they end?”

“I don’t know, baby. But it’s over now,” I say, pulling her onto my lap and rocking her gently against my chest. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

I kiss the top of her head lightly as I whisper over and over, “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” Her breathing finally starts to slow down a little bit.

She looks up at me, her eyes a little softer. “Will you stay here with me tonight?”

“All night. I’ll be here all night. Go back to sleep now, Mills. I’m right here.”

I lay her down gently and pull the blankets over her. I pull her body tightly to me. “You’re okay,” I whisper until she slips back into sleep.

I’m awake most of the night, waiting for another nightmare to try to attack her. I’m on full alert—ready to beat it back to whatever subconscious hell-hole it’s trying to escape. It never comes. She opens her eyes as the sun starts shining through the curtains. She looks a little confused when she sees me, but then smiles.

“Hey,” she says with such familiarity that I think for a second we’re back in San Diego, ready to make out for a while before we grab our morning coffee.

“Hey. Did you sleep okay?” I pull her a little closer before she remembers where we are and tries to pull away.

She pushes her body closer to mine. “Yeah, I didn’t have any more nightmares.”

“Mills,” I say softly, “do you think this all is a little bit too much for you—being here? We can go home any time you want.”

She breathes in deeply. “I have to at least try to find Azayiz—ask what she knows about Dad.”

“Okay,” I say slowly. “Are you ready to tell me the rest of the story yet?”

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