Page 16 of Under Fire

“Ice cream!”

That seemed to clear the air, enough for the little girl to give him a big kiss on the cheek.

“I love you.”

Then she ran off into the yard to meet her class.

Warren watched her go, that wild hair catching in the wind, just like her dad’s. He couldn’t believe it had been five years already. Life could be shit, he griped as he felt his shoulders flexing in latent anger. He refused to think about it and never did—nor did he talk about it.

Turning back up the sidewalk, he checked his watch, letting the horrible memories fall out of focus, clearing his mind. He was good at compartmentalizing.

It was the only way he survived.

Approaching his truck, he heard Brooke come up behind him. He spun, seeing her pull her sweater tighter around her form and standing at the edge of her grass.

“She’s growing up fast, you know.” Brooke narrowed her eyes on him.

“I can see that,” he replied, crossing his arms.

“Maybe you should let some of these deployments go. Stay home and spend more time with her?”

“I can’t.”

Brooke tilted her head, questioning.

“I made a commitment.” He held strong, unmovable.

“Geoff said that, too. Now he’s gone.” She pulled at her sweater nervously again, a haunted look overtaking her face.

Warren felt his limbs stiffening, as he studied her.

Brooke shot him an indicting look. “She misses you.”

“She misses her father.”

“You’re all she knows.”

Warren bit his tongue, not letting himself say what he really wanted to say.I’m not her father.

But Brooke seemed to know it anyway, the sneer emerging on her face. “Do you want her to grow up without a father figure?”

He refused to reply.

“Whatever,” she resolved, waving her hand in the air dismissively. “Just go.”

He didn’t miss the shaking in her voice as she turned to walk back up her lawn. He watched, standing firm on the sidewalk. He should have reached out and grabbed her. He should have said he was sorry. He should have done anything, especially when he saw the telltale signs of her shoulders heaving, sobbing silently.

But he felt numb.

So, he let her go, and he turned back to his truck.

It was almost nine. He had to make it back home to receive his guest.

Chapter Seven

Alisa

Once again, Alisa found herself pulling up to a beautiful house in the Brixby Hill gated community—Warren’s place. This time, she fidgeted with her black tank top, not because she didn’t know what to expect but because she knewexactlywhat to expect. For someone who could be so cool and unfeeling, she was losing herself in emotion.

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