Page 39 of Under Fire

Like they knew what he was doing. Like they knew where he’d come from.

Through his rear-view mirror, he gazed back up at her apartment door, wondering if he should stick around. But the bike had disappeared, leaving him alone in the vicinity. Waiting a few minutes for something to happen—nothing did, except the sun getting higher on the horizon—he shook his head, trying to convince himself that it had been nothing. It was just his guilt.

But he just wasn’t sure if it he was more guilty for fucking around with her or for leaving.

Chapter Fourteen

Warren

The Southern Californian blistering sun had finally risen over the long stretch of grass in the local park. The hot summer temperatures were already mounting, causing sweat to bead on Warren’s chest as he ran after a soccer ball. His opponent was ruthless, never giving him a second to breathe.

What else should he expect from a six-year-old girl?

“Warry!” Katy’s joyful yelps came from behind him as he raced her to the ball. “I’m going to get it!”

Despite what nagged at the back of his mind, Warren put on a big grin, ready to teach her a thing or two about competition. He wanted to give her his full attention, even if his mind was divided and working against him. He and Katy—they only had a certain amount of time together.

“Not so fast, kiddo.”

His skilled footing found the ball before her, kicking it back her way so she could send it toward the net. They played a game of soccer where half the time they were on the same team, half the time they weren’t. Although it was a little confusing, he didn’t make a big fuss over the rules of the game. He was just out to have a couple of hours of fun. Seeing her every day, usually twice a day, was the only thing that kept him sane when he was off tour.

He watched her run, giggling as she kicked the soccer ball down field.

“Come on!” she called back at him, her pink cheeks flashing under the sun. “You’re too slow!”

He pushed off, chasing her, closing the distance between them. But then something unexpected happened. She accidently shot the ball to the side, and it rolled down the grassy mound onto the sidewalk. Without hesitation, the little girl ran after it, trying to grab it, getting dangerously close to the road.

“No! Katy!” Warren stormed forward.

But she didn’t listen.

“Katy!”

In a full sprint across the grass, he lurched into emergency stress mode as he saw her little frame teetering to catch the ball that was dribbling down the sidewalk, nearly falling into the street.

“Stop!” Everything inside him was shattering as split-seconds felt like minutes.

Fuck.

He closed the distance as fast as humanly possible, like she was in grave danger. Just as she tried to get the ball from the gutter, he lunged. Snatching her body, curling it into his own, he felt his heart hammering out of his chest. He buried his face into her curly blonde hair, struggling to breathe.Christ. But it wasn’t because of the sprinting.

“But I was just—” she started, confused.

Cortisol rushed through him, coiling around his brain. He knew an extreme stress reaction when he felt it. Even still, he held her tighter than life, thanking God that he’d made it in time. Thanking God she hadn’t gotten hurt.

“I was just trying to get the ball,” she said.

“It’s okay. It’s okay,” he said. “Let’s just play on the grass from now on. Let me get the ball if it runs away.”

Mothers gently pushing strollers in the sleepy still of Monday morning were looking at him like he’d lost his mind. There was not a single car on the road. The local park and surrounding streets were dead quiet.

He had completely lost his shit.

Trying to recompose himself, he kissed her hair, knowing he had to get a fucking grip. It didn’t matter if it felt all too similar. It wasn’t the same situation, he reminded himself. He wasn’t in Iraq. He was home. Katy was okay.

“Are you okay?” She patted his back. “Do you need to go see the doctor?”

“I’m okay.”

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