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“And I got the sense her mom doesn’t want to make waves because Helena sends money every month,” Ryan added bitterly. “They never had much, but to bury your head in the sand to your daughter’s problems in exchange for a paycheck?”
“That’s a little harsh,” Lily said. “You don’t know the full story. Helena might be perfectly happy—”
“He’s hurting her,” Ryan growled. “I don’t know if he’s hitting her. But he’s doing something.”
“Sure that’s not jealousy talking?” Lily asked gently.
“Ryan’s never had a thing for expensive clothes,” Dominic said.
Lily narrowed her blue eyes at her boyfriend. “I meant jealous of Helena’s husband, what’s his name.”
“Ashford,” Ryan spat out.
“At your going away party,” Lily continued, turning now to Ryan. “The night before you all left—”
“Nothing happened,” Ryan said. “We started messing around. Last night in town and all, but it felt too weird. Like kissing my sister. So I ended it and got the hell out of there, pulling my damn shirt back on as fast as I could. And afterward . . . I always figured that’s why she kept her distance. Maybe it felt too weird. Maybe she needed space. And then she got married.”
“You think her husband hits her?” Dominic said. He didn’t raise his voice. But there was an undercurrent of steel in the former army ranger’s tone.
“He’s doing something,” Ryan growled. “She cut her hair for him. Dyed it for him. I asked her about it when I picked her up at her mom’s place. She said, ‘Ash likes it.’ She didn’t laugh once on the drive over.”
“You can’t walk away from the air force on a hunch,” Dominic said.
“He’s right,” Caroline cut in. She couldn’t keep quiet, standing by and listening while they explained Helena’s problems away. It was too easy. She knew from experience.
Sure you didn’t send mixed signals? Are you certain you didn’t flirt with him?
Almost everyone Caroline had told about Dustin tried to minimize or shift the blame. Some held the military culture responsible. And some placed the fault on her shoulders.
Of course that was different. She’d come forward. Helena had stood in here and told her she was ‘fine.’ She’d said her husband wasn’t hurting her.
But Helena still felt she couldn’t leave. And that wasn’t right. Everyone should have the right to walk away.
Caroline drew a deep breath and told Helena’s friends about the phone call and their conversation afterward.
“That’s it,” Ryan snapped. “I’m going down there and I’m bringing her back here. If he tries to come after her—”
“How much more leave do you have?” Dominic demanded.
Caroline rested her hands on the stainless steel table that separated the dishwasher from the rest of the storage room/office. She suspected she knew his answer. The thought of hearing those words sent a chill down her spine.
“I’m not going back,” Ryan said firmly.
“You can’t go AWOL,” Noah said without looking at her.
“What do you plan to do when you get there?” Dominic demanded. “Have a chat with her husband? You’ll need to hang out for a while to get a sense of what is going on. And if you’re wrong, you’ll be in a helluva lot of trouble.”
“He’s right,” Noah added. “You can’t walk away from the air force to follow up on an old friend. I’ll go.”
“And leave your wife and child?” Ryan shot back.
Caroline walked around the edge of the stainless steel table and headed for the bickering group. “I’ll go,” she announced, standing behind Lily.
Four heads turned toward her.
“What?” Ryan’s movie star brow furrowed. “You don’t even know her. Just because you overheard her talking to her husband—”
“I do know her.” Caroline kept her tone strong and even.
