Page 25 of Keeping a Warrior

Such a simple statement to encapsulate two of the hardest years of Rhys’s life. The pararescue pipeline rivaled BUD/S in difficulty and washout rates, but he’d made it, and here he was.

“Lani? This is the same girlfriend you just broke up with?”

The memory of Lani’s phone call slammed into him, and Rhys’s hand curled into a fist. “Yeah,” he forced out. “Met her when I was five.”

“That’s right. Childhood sweethearts.” Devon’s voice held a note of sympathy. “I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for you.”

Before he knew it, Rhys found himself telling her all about the birthday party where they’d met, a pool party where most of the adults were either drunk or high, or both.

“Lani hit her head on something and went under. No one noticed, except for my dad.” He snorted. “Lucky for her it was during the five minutes a day he’s sober.”

“He saved her?”

“Yeah. Pulled her out, pounded on her back a few times until she coughed up all the water. To her parents, he was a hero. Our two families became friends, and like you said, the rest is history.”

“Together ever since?”

“As much as two kids can be. Then when we were fourteen...”

Everything changed. In the blink of an eye. We became the one constant in each other’s lives, and now that it’s over, we have no idea how to move on.

He blinked back sudden tears, feeling foolish as hell, but Devon didn’t react, didn’t say anything, just gazed up at the derelict plane.

Rhys wiped the back of his hand roughly across his eyes. “Why do you like that thing so much?”

A faint smile quirked her lips. “I don’t know. Maybe because she looks the way I feel. Mostly whole, still recognizable, but missing a lot of pieces.”

Kind of like he felt, too. Rhys rubbed his chest, surprised there wasn’t a gaping hole where his heart should be. Cutting ties was hard, and as much as he and Lani recognized it needed to happen, damn, it hurt.

The silence that fell after that was soothing, comfortable.

At last Devon murmured, “Wanna head back and try to get some sleep?”

As they drove slowly toward their quarters, Rhys said, “It’s been a long time since I talked this much about myself with anyone.”

Devon bit her lip, her fingers falling to trace the shape of the knife in her pocket. “Same.” She swung open the passenger door and hopped out of the truck. “Night, Rhys.”

“Night.”

He watched until she’d disappeared safely into her room, then turned toward his own with a sigh.

“If I were you, I’d watch yourself with her.”

The voice came at Rhys out of the darkness, and he jumped. “Jesus!”

Mullet stepped out of the shadows where he’d been leaning against the wall. He held up his phone. “Came out to call my wife, saw you drive up with Lowe.” He paused. “What were y’all doing?”

None of your business. “Just talking,” Rhys said tightly. “Unwinding. What’s it to you?”

“Man, it ain’t nothin’ to me. Just think you should be aware of what you’re dealing with.”

“We were just talking,” Rhys emphasized with a slash of his hand. “What exactly am I ‘dealing’ with?”

“Why don’t you ask one of the guys she accused of rape? Oh wait, he’s dead.”

Rhys rocked back on his heels. “What?”

“Yeah, that first team she was attached to in Kandahar?” Mullet’s voice was hard. “Lowe started fucking one of the dudes there, and when she found out he was engaged, she lost it and accused him and two other guys of rape.”