Page 63 of Beyond Rosy Irish Twilight

Then she turned to me. “What about you?”

I was so shocked that she had pulled a one-eighty that I didn’t know what to say. So, I nodded like a dumbass, even though crackers were the very last thing I wanted. She looked at the house and hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and strode inside.

“What the fuck was that about?”

“She’s fucking terrified of being inside,” he said as he watched her go.

How the fuck did he know that?

He turned back to me, his face serious. “She came inside earlier to use the bathroom. I saw her in the hallway, practically forcing herself to take a single fucking step. So, I called her into my room.”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course you did.”

“Relax,” he snapped. “I talked to her. It was fucking clear as day that being in the house was bringing back memories, so I distracted her. She’s checked on me twice now. She doesn’t fucking like it, but she forced herself to go inside.”

“How the fuck did I not know this?”

“I’m guessing because you were hiding from her in your office.”

I shook my head. I just didn’t get it. The house was nice, so what was the problem with it?

“You’ve gotta fucking talk to her, man. She’s not okay.”

“She doesn’t want to talk to me,” I sighed.

“Have you tried?”

I refused to look at him. “She screams and I hold her.”

“That’s not the same fucking thing. You’re giving her comfort, but she needs more than that. Whatever happened, you need to find out what it was.”

“Lock said he found her tied up, but she was still clothed.”

He shot me a pointed look. “We both know that means jack shit.”

I knew all too well. Hell, when I came home with James after our last deployment, the last thing I thought about was the horrors of war following us home. But from the moment we stepped foot on American soil, I knew he wasn’t okay. It wasn’t just the way he constantly looked for the threat. Hell, we all did that. The nightmares were the dead giveaway. He had the same fucking look on his face when he woke up as Jade did when we were on our honeymoon. Only, he ended up putting a gun in his mouth and eating a bullet. He couldn’t deal with the constant reminders of what we’d seen, and the pain became overwhelming for him.

I should have asked more questions. I should have pushed harder for him to get help, but he insisted he was okay, and I believed him. The moment I walked into his house and found him in a pool of blood on the ground was the worst day of my life.

Until Jade was taken from me.

Knowing a little of what she’d already been through, I needed to step up my game and make sure she was okay. It was one thing to think she was okay. It was another to ignore the warning signs. Chase was right, they were flashing in front of me like a neon sign.

“I’ve got this,” I nodded to him. “I won’t let her down.”

“I know you won’t, brother.”

24

JADE

Just grab the water and some food, then get the hell out of here.

I took a deep breath and made my feet move. The heat was stifling in the house, despite it being a moderate temperature. But my body was on overload at just the thought of walking around in here. I had to admit, every time I came in here, it was a little easier. Downstairs wasn’t nearly as bad as going upstairs. It was the idea in general of being in the house—of being in any room that I could feel boxed in.

I looked around the kitchen and took in the nice cabinetry and appliances. This was not the same place I’d been before. This was normal. I looked around the room, picking out a few things to remind myself of where I really was. It helped to calm me down and gain my bearings. After that, I quickly grabbed some drinks and crackers. It just wasn’t enough food, at least not for Asher. Chase couldn’t handle more than that right now, but Asher needed something to help him recover.

I pulled open the fridge, surprised to see containers of food already prepared. Maybe he had a cook that I hadn’t met yet. I pulled one out and lifted the lid, surprised when it didn’t smell half bad. I stuck it in the microwave, then took the drinks and crackers outside. Upon opening the door, I immediately felt better. The fresh air washed over me and washed away all the bad crap for at least a little bit of time.

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