Page 23 of Battle Scars

“And I can’t let you out of my sight.”

“What if…?” I trail off as a thought begins to form.

“What if what?”

“What if I could put you in the car with me so you can see how safe I am?”

He looks suspiciously down at my car and its lack of extra seats.

“That seems doubtful,” he says, raising one dark brow as he takes in the cockpit of the car. He’s not wrong, this car won’t fit us both, but that doesn’t mean this is the only car. Hell, this isn’t even the main car, this is the back up.

“We have a special car for ride-alongs.” I laugh at his expression.

For a man who usually keeps his face absolutely blank, he’s sure saying a lot right now without words.

“I don’t know…”

“Come on, it’ll be fun.”

“Uhh…”

“Erin!” I shout. “We need the buddy rider.”

“Big man is going to ride along?” she asks like it’s the funniest thing she’s ever heard.

It kind of is because he’s a giant. He’s going to hate sitting in the buddy car cockpit and that’s bigger than mine.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Rowan adds. She’s also got a good read on him because there’s no way he won’t hate this.

“Let’s go get you some gear.” I quickly shuffle him back to the locker rooms and manage to find a fire suit that will fit his massive frame. He’s already wearing boots, so he just needs a stocking cap, helmet, and gloves.

“Where do I put my gun?” he asks me once he’s all dressed.

“Uh…” I start because I’ve never come across that specific problem before and also we try to keep extra combustible things away from cars that have a high probability of combustion.

“Never mind. I’ll figure something out.”

Yikes!

“Great,” I say with a little too much enthusiasm. There’s nothing quite like being forced to face the danger you’re in over and over again.

I lead Gabe back to the track where the girls now have the buddy car pulled in and gassed up. I show Gabe where he needs to go, and he looks supremely unhappy as he tries to fold his massive body into the passenger seat.

I help him get strapped in and then climb into my own seat so Erin and Rowan can buckle me in. Once they clear the car, I pull out onto the track and really open it up. I hope Gabe can handle a little speed.

I don’t even try to hold back the smile that spreads across my face, because I finally feel like I can breathe again. A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

TEN

MISTAKES WERE MADE

Gabe

The second I saw the crazed smile flash across her beautiful face, I knew I was fucked.

I’ve survived convoys through the middle east. I’ve been shot at, bombed, stabbed while negotiating passage on a camel, you name it, I’ve seen it.

I was an adrenaline junkie when I was young, but that was before I knew what it was like to lose what matters most. Now, everything is a calculated risk. I’d happily take the dangerous jobs if it meant my boys got home safely to their girlfriends, wives, and mamas if they weren’t every bit as crazy as I was at that age.