Chapter One
The nightmare was back. Engines roaring. The fiery crash. Tremendous heat. Stunning pain. Screaming—was it him or someone else? And then the relentless hammer pounding inside his skull. Hunter fought his way back to consciousness, knowing it was the only way to escape. But the pounding didn’t stop when he opened his eyes.
Disoriented by the sunlight spilling through his bedroom windows, he glanced at the clock. It was four o'clock Thursday afternoon. He'd only meant to take a quick nap after his grueling physical therapy session, but he'd slept for over two hours.
He groaned as the pounding started again, finally realizing that someone was at the door to his apartment, and they weren't going away. Rolling out of bed, he pulled on a T-shirt and a pair of sweats, then headed into the living room.
He opened the door with a scowl—and froze.
Bree Larrimer, a thirty-year-old brunette, stood on the threshold, wild-eyed and panicked. Bree was the wife of his best friend—widow, he mentally corrected. Clutching Bree's hand was Olivia, a freckle-faced little girl with the same dark-red hair as her father.
"What’s going on?" he asked, stunned by their appearance. After Gary had died, Bree had taken Olivia and moved back to Nashville, where her parents lived. "Is everything okay?"
"No. It's not okay. I need help," she replied, her voice fast as she shifted her weight from foot to foot.
"What can I do?"
"Watch Olivia for me."
"What about your parents?" he asked, alarmed by her request. "I thought you were staying with them."
"I was, but my father is an alcoholic, and my mother is an enabler. I can't trust them to take care of Olivia while I look for work. And I have to work because I need money, and I need a career. I have to make a life for my daughter now. It's all on me."
Her voice cracked with panic and fatigue. Hunter hadn’t seen her in months. Actually, he hadn't seen her since Gary had died. His own recovery had consumed him. Reaching out to Bree had just...hurt too much. Seeing her now, terrified and trembling, pulled at something deep inside him. Guilt.
"Come inside," he said quietly. "We'll talk."
"I’m not coming in," Bree replied in a hard voice. "You won't talk me out of this, Hunter. You owe Gary. You owe me. You said you'd take care of him. That you'd bring him home."
Her voice broke. And so did his heart.
"It will only be for a few days," Bree continued, clearly ready to run before he had time to think.
"Hang on," he said quickly. "I'm not a babysitter, Bree. I don't know anything about kids. What about one of your friends? What about a nanny? I'll pay for one."
"That takes time. And I don’t have time. All my friends are gone. The ones from the base don’t even want to see me. I remind them of what they could lose. I haven't heard from anyone in months, including you."
"I know. I'm sorry. I've been…dealing."
"Well, at least you're still alive to deal," she retorted.
That cut deep. But he didn’t flinch. He deserved every harsh word she had to say, because he'd been in charge of that fatal flight. He'd failed to bring his team home safely. He only wished he'd been the one to die, because there wouldn't have been anyone to suffer like Bree was suffering. He wasn't married. He didn't have a girlfriend. In fact, he'd avoided long-term relationships because he'd grown up watching his mom pace the house every time his dad, who was also in the Marines, was unreachable.
"I shouldn't have said that," Bree added, wiping at her tears with a rough swipe. Then she knelt down and pulled Olivia close. "I’ll be back soon, Livvy. Hunter will take care of you."
Olivia gave her mother a doubtful look. "He looks grumpy and mad."
"Hunter is a good guy. Your daddy's best friend. He'll make sure you're okay. You be good for him, okay?"
"I want to go with you."
"I know. But Mommy needs to find a job and a place for us to live."
"Why can't we live with Nonna and Papa?"
"Because we can't. It's going to be fine. Everything will get better." Bree kissed Olivia again, then stood up, grabbed a pink suitcase, and rolled it inside his front door. "Hold out your hand," she told him.
"Bree. You need to rethink this." He felt desperate to get her to change her mind. "Why don't you both stay? We can work on things together."