Page 14 of Cursed Fox

I wanted to argue, but I took one look at his face and decided the argument and questions could wait for another time. It was clear as day that whatever haunted him in his dreams, also haunted him while he was awake. I don't know how I’d missed it before.

"Good night, Lex."

I didn't take offense when he didn't answer me back as I walked back to my bedroom. I’d pushed him far enough for one day. Any further battles could wait. I climbed back into bed and made myself a vow to help Lex through his trauma, whether he liked it or not.

CHAPTER NINE

Lex

I scrubbed my hands along my beard long after Nancy went back to her room. I hated that she had seen me at my worst.

Well, maybe not my worst. As far as dreams went, this wasn't the worst one I’d had. At least I hadn't woken up ready to take someone's head off. That had happened a few times over the years, and each time it did, I swore it would never happen again.

Too bad I didn't have any more control of my dreams than I did on the curse of my life.

Knowing I wouldn't be getting sleep again for a while, I decided to grab my phone and call Maverick. My boss answered after a few rings.

"Hello?"

"Did I wake you?" I didn't have the slightest clue why the question popped out of my mouth. Of course I’d woken him. It was only oh four hundred, and there was no reason for Maverick to be awake.

"Yeah, but it's okay. Night terrors?"

"Yeah." What I hadn't told Wes earlier was I did speak to someone about my dreams. Maverick insisted I call him any time I got them so we could talk them out. I wasn't sure if it helped or not, but I indulged my boss if for no other reason than he was there for most of what had happened to me.

"Which one was this?"

I cleared my throat. "The incident before Wes and his team rescued us."

Maverick knew all about that day, so it wasn't like I needed to explain much more than that. Besides the night my parents were killed, it was the worst thing to happen in my life.

"You know it wasn't your fault, right?"

It was the same conversation we had every time this particular night terror reared its ugly head. Maverick was convinced that if he said it enough times, I would one day believe it.

"It was my fault."

"No, man, it wasn't. It was those bastards’ fault for making you choose. You chose right."

Deep in my cold dead heart I knew he was right. I had the choice to protect my country, and that was what I did. But it came at a significantly high cost.

"Tell that to the poor woman's family."

"They were told the truth. Terrorists were responsible for her death."

Maybe so, but they weren't the ones who ended her life. That blame lay solely on my shoulders.

Thankfully Maverick understood the need to change the subject. "Tell me about this favor Wes needed."

I took a deep breath before I answered. "He asked me to help his office manager, Nancy Green."

"Isn't she the mother of Jimmy Green? The first-year running back for the Oklahoma Pioneers. I thought I read that in theWillow Creek Pressseveral months back."

I rolled my eyes at the mention of the local newspaper. That damn thing was nothing more than a gossip rag on all things Willow Creek.

"Yeah, she is. He's been receiving threatening letters in the mail after the rough season he had. Jimmy wasn't taking them seriously, but Nancy asked for Wes's help anyway."

"But he couldn't help because of Jennie, so he called us," Maverick surmised. "Makes sense. I would've thought he’d ask Bravo Team first, but maybe they were on an assignment."

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