Page 83 of Wandering Souls

“That’s where Gabe and Kate live, both former soldiers.”

“Oh.” Her face brightened, as if she remembered something. “She had twins earlier this year. Ray mentioned them. Wow, that looks rugged.”

Too rugged for Damien’s liking. And far too far away for him to dote on the twins but Kate was attached to her home, and Gabe to her, so here they stayed.

Abigail turned the chopper north again. So calm, so at ease, she was the very image of someone in control. As surgery completed Stevie, he realized that flying completed Abigail. Embedded in her soul, it defined her. It’d break her heart if she were forced to give it up.

“Abigail?”

“Yes?”

“Would you tell me what happened in Afghanistan?”

She shot him a look, the pain in her eyes too raw for words. “There’s not much to tell. Insurgents shot down my chopper. I was lucky to survive.”

He doubted the simplicity of her story. “Your crew?”

“Only other person on board was my co-pilot, Steve. We were on our way to deliver some supplies and pick up a team finishing up their border patrol when it happened.” Her voice had lost all emotion and she stared out of the windshield to the distance.

“Steve?”

“Died on impact.”

“I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “We hardly knew each other. I’m just glad there were no civilians or troops on board.”

Before his eyes, she stiffened. Her face became a blank canvas but he sensed she held back. “Sorry, my timing kind of sucks.”

Her mouth curved into a tight smile. “Agreed.”

“If you need me to take the stick, I can.” He prayed she didn’t.

“I’m good.”

“How did you get back to base?”

Abigail took a deep breath. Her chest rose and fell as a muscle clenched in her jaw. The tension radiating off her made the air between them thick and uncomfortable. Hadn’t she debriefed with a psych?

“I sent out a mayday as soon as the rocket hit us. When it was clear, I radioed in my position. Lucky for me, there was a crew about fifteen minutes from my location.”

Her measured response worried him. Denying her emotions couldn’t be good for her mind.

“My leg took the brunt of impact. If they had been any further away...” She swallowed and licked her lips. When she glanced toward him, Damien saw the terror in her eyes. Reaching across, he laid his hand on her arm.

“What happened between the time you went down and help arriving?”

She shook her head and a tear fell. “I was in unfriendly territory.”

“How many were there?”

“Just two.”

She said that like she’d had to defend herself against terrorists every day, but the strain in her voice hinted at the emotional toll it had taken. Unsure what to say, he squeezed her arm. He wished he could say he’d heard the story on the news, but he made it habit to avoid the tabloids and media whenever he could.

“I did what I had to.”

He heard the unspoken words as clear as if she’d said them. Taking a life in self-defense might be justifiable, but it didn’t change the fact that she’d had to kill in order to live, and he knew, better than most, it didn’t stop the memories from haunting her every day. Suddenly, his youngest daughter seemed older than ever.

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