Page 7 of Wrath

I collapsed onto my bed, and in a blink, I was out.

I had no idea how long I’d been sleeping when I felt myself being pulled into the darkness. I knew what was coming. The nightmares were always the same.

No matter how hard I tried to fight it, I would either be in that Humvee with my platoon, driving through the busy streets of Afghanistan when we ran over that underground mine, or in my childhood home the night my parents were killed. Both were horrific. Both left me a shell of the person I once was...

But on this particular night, it was the memory of my parents’ murder that had me tossing and turning in my bed. I could feel my heart pounding against my chest as the nightmare took hold. It started with flashing moments, first of my mother standing at the stove going on and on about her day while my father sat back in his recliner, pretending to listen to every word.

I could almost smell the flowers she’d have sitting on the kitchen table, and I just couldn’t fathom anything bad ever happening to her. In a blink, I could see Pearl, our big white Boxer, peering in through the front door window, pleading for someone to let her in. I was in my house, a place I once loved and felt safe in, but in a flash, it turned dark and my entire body turned ice-cold.

I couldn’t breathe.

I couldn’t move.

Then, the next instant, unwanted images bombarded my thoughts. The sounds of gunshots exploding through the house, small clouds of smoke drifting down the long hallway to my parents’ bedroom. A flash later, I was standing in the doorway, looking down at my mother and father lying in their bed in blood-soaked pajamas.

Endless horrific visions kept pounding through my mind until the sound of my phone ringing finally pulled me from my seemingly never-ending nightmare. I figured it was Torch calling again, so I didn’t bother opening my eyes as I reached over and grabbed my phone. “Yeah.”

I was still half asleep when I heard Stitch order, “Meet me in the playroom in half an hour.”

“On my way.”

Stitch wasn’t a man to be kept waiting, so I tossed my covers back and got out of bed. I was feeling a bit groggy as I pulled on my jeans and boots, but it wasn’t anything a cup of coffee and an early morning bike ride wouldn’t fix—or so I hoped because it appeared I was in for another long day.

CHAPTER4

Mia

“What are you still doing here?”

“What do you mean?”

“You didn’t hear the news?” Darby looked absolutely thrilled as she announced, “Dad lifted the lockdown!”

“Oh, really?” I’d been locked away in my room working and hadn’t talked to a soul since the day before. “I had no idea.”

“Yeah, Susana has already headed back, and I figured you had, too.”

“Nope. Still here.” I shrugged. “I think I might stick around for a while.”

“Really?”

“I think so... at least for a couple more days.”

“Hmmm, I see.” Darby walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Does this have anything to do with Wrath?”

“Maybe.” The words had barely left my mouth when doubts started to creep in. “I don’t know.”

“Have you talked to him?”

“Yeah, but not about anything that mattered.” I lowered my head to my hand and sighed. “If I’m being honest, I have no idea what I’d even say to him.”

“I’ve always believed that less is more.”

“I agree, but I can’t really say anything to him with the guys around all the time.” I looked up at her as I said, “I need to find a way to get him alone.”

“You could ask him over to your place.”

“Yeah, but I’m afraid to ask him over to dinner. He might shut me down before I ever get started.” I thought for a moment, then added, “I need an excuse like I need help replacing a door or something, but I can’t think of anything that needs to be fixed.”

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