Page 40 of Complicated Past

“That was because he laughed. It’s contagious.”

“A child’s laughter is the best sound in the world. I need to give this back to you.” She reached up and unclasped the necklace she still wore and placed it in his hand.

“I hope she saw this.” He fumbled with the clasp and then brought the ends around to the front to look at them.

“Let me.” She took it from him. As she reached to fasten the clasp, Linc’s hands rested lightly on her hips. She gave into the impulse to meet his gaze, tilting her head as his face drew closer.

“Are you coming, Uncle Linc?” Jalen called.

Linc’s frustrated grumble matched the wave of disappointment crashing over her. Jalen might be adorable, but his timing sucked.

“We’ll pick this up later,” Linc promised in a husky, low tone.

She certainly hoped so. Though he released his hold on her, she still felt his electrifying touch.

Linc carried a kitchen chair over and resurrected the blanket fort. After he started the show, he sat close to her on the couch. When he held out his hand palm up, she put hers in his, thrilling in the simple pleasure of the light caress of his thumb.

“When is this deployment supposed to end?”

He flinched, and his grip on her hand tightened ever so slightly. “About ten weeks.”

“What’s it like there now?”

“We’re training, not engaged in combat, so you don’t need to worry about me. Most of the Ukrainian draftees barely know how to fire a weapon. They don’t have much of a choice but to defend their country. It’s far from ideal. They have to provide their own gear, and they’re sent into the field after a few weeks. We do what we can to give them a fighting chance, but . . .” he trailed off.

“That’s got to be hard.”

“It is. A lot are my age and older. They have families and kids. Most Americans have no idea what it’s like to live in a war-torn country. I don’t enjoy fighting or war. I do what I do because we have enemies. That means we need a strong, prepared military to make countries think twice about bringing the fight here—or doing another attack like 9/11.”

“What made you want to join Special Forces?”

“It wasn’t my original plan. I wanted to do computers and cyber security to give me skills I could take into the private sector. Besides, historically, the make-up of Special Forces isn’t very diverse.”

“I’ve heard that.”

“They began actively recruiting minorities with certain skills and performance scores. That they thought I could go toe-to-toe with the best of the best, just being asked to go through the selection process was affirmation like I’d never had in my life. I wanted to prove I was worthy of the chance. I contacted a former teammate who’d made it through Selection and the Q Course and asked him to mentor me.”

“Smart. I understand the majority don’t pass the qualification course.”

“It takes a lot more than physicality. It requires endurance, the ability to think outside the box, mental and emotional stamina, and tenacity—though they make you want to quit. And you have to be a team player. Many of the ones who come in thinking they’re going to beat everyone to prove they are the best don’t make it through. And I could have easily been one of those washouts without Mack’s insights and guidance. Serving with the men I do is a game and life changer.”

Jalen crawled out of the fort and over to the sofa. “I can’t hear my show.”

“Sorry, J-man. We’ll stop talking.” Linc pulled Jalen onto the couch, where he cuddled up against Linc’s side and then shifted to lay his head on Linc’s leg. Linc rubbed his back. Within minutes, Jalen’s eyes closed.

“There’s something about the innocence of a sleeping child.” Linc said, looking at his nephew.

“I know what you mean. You should get some rest too.”

“I’ll sleep when Bri’s back home.”

“There’s nothing more you can do tonight to help her, and what you did today was brilliant. I know it’s hard to wait and not know what is going on, but I believe it will work, and Bri will be the one snuggled up with her son two nights from now.”

“I hope you’re right. And that they get whoever is at the top of this food chain, so neither Bri nor Regina have to testify in court.”

Kendra hadn’t thought about that. “What would happen if they have to?”

“They could be targeted to keep them from testifying.” He rested his head against the top of the couch. “There’s even a remote chance they would have to go into Witness Protection.” He exhaled noisily.

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