Page 24

"That doesn't sound fun."

"They both wanted me to be on their side. They wanted me to keep their secrets and tell their lies, and I could barely keep up with what I was supposed to know or supposed to say. Usually, I tried to say as little as possible. Turning eighteen was a big relief."

"I can see why. Are you close to them now?"

"No. It's not that we're fighting or anything; it's just that I became less important when I couldn't be weaponized. We see each other occasionally when someone comes through town, or I go to LA. But I was gone for a long time with college and medical school and then being deployed. The past fifteen years have gone very fast." She paused as the waitress brought their food. "This looks fresh and healthy," she said, eyeing her salad. Then her gaze moved to his. "But your fries look really good."

He laughed. "What is it with women who order a salad and want my fries?"

"I didn't say I wanted your fries; I just said they looked good."

He moved his plate across the table to hers. "Take a few."

"No, that's okay."

"Please. I insist."

"Fine." She snatched a couple of fries as she gave him a guilty smile that he found unexpectedly endearing. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He focused on his food, because that seemed like a better idea than looking at Rachel enjoying her stolen fries. His meal was tastier than he'd expected. He had a feeling Jack would have been a regular here.

As soon as he finished eating, he was going to find out. But it was nice to take a break, and so far, he and Rachel had managed not to piss each other off, which was also good.

"I know you were born and raised in Iowa," she said a moment later. "I remember some of your team members used to call you Iowa."

"Jack gave me that nickname. I didn't appreciate it. But he loved it."

"A friend of mine from college grew up in Des Moines. I visited her one summer, and it was beautiful."

"Iowa can be really beautiful," he admitted. "But small-town life was not for me. Growing up, I always wanted to get away. I even learned how to fly a plane when I was thirteen years old."

"That's very young. Is it even legal?"

"Around there, no one cared. It had once been used as a crop duster. The owner taught me how to fly it. There was nothing better than getting up in the sky. On the ground, I felt like my life had been predetermined for me. I was Dan Brennan's son, and I'd follow my father and my older brother, Kevin, into the family business, which was selling farm and construction equipment. I had no interest in that, and I didn't want to be a part of it."

"Was your family supportive when you joined the Army?"

"No. My father wanted me in the business. And my mother wanted whatever my father wanted. He was her sun and her moon. Her life revolved around him and the family. My parents both came from big families, so I had a lot of cousins. Sometimes, it seemed like half the town was related to each other, which made everything feel even smaller."

"Did you go to college before enlisting?"

"One year at the local community college. I enlisted when I was nineteen. According to my brother, I broke my parents' hearts."

"That's a big burden to carry."

"It got worse when my dad died five years later. I wasn't there when it happened. I was overseas, and I couldn't get back for almost two weeks."

"That's awful," she said, compassion filling her gaze. "I'm sorry, Tyler."

"Thanks. It was a sudden heart attack. He was only in his early sixties. Anyway, I tried to go home more often over the next few years, but I'd burned a bridge when I left, and they'd moved on with their lives. My mother ended up marrying one of my dad's friends, who was also widowed. And my brother got married and has three kids of his own now, all under the age of eight."

"Are things better between you all now?"

"They're fine. We lead different lives, but we're still family, and I've never regretted my decision to enlist."

"If you loved to fly, why didn't you join the Air Force or fly for the Army?"

"I thought about it. I actually trained on helicopters and got my certifications, which proved helpful when I joined Delta. But to be honest, when I was in the service, I wanted to be on the ground, in the middle of the action."