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Chapter Two
Lennox
Sittingbehind the wheel of my truck, I stare down the dirt road that would eventually lead me into town.
I hate going into town.
There was no avoiding it though. I had to pick up supplies to last me the month and there was no service up here that would deliver all the odds and ends I needed.
Scowling at the greenery around me, I reluctantly start the engine and begin to make my way down the mountain. I haven’t even left my property yet when a call comes through the Bluetooth in the truck. Seeing Connor’s name, I accept the call.
“You heading into town today?”
I grunt my answer. He knows this is the usual day and time I go. I may be a grumpy sonofabitch, but my habits are consistent. They give me a sense of peace and control that I’ve needed since leaving the military.
“Can you come and get me? Jeep’s not starting, and I need supplies before the storm hits.”
Leaning forward, I eye the sky. Dark clouds are rolling in from the east faster than I’d realized. A big storm was supposed to come in tonight, but I never paid the weather any mind. It could do what it liked, I’d do the same.
A bit of rain never deterred me from doing what I wanted.
Hell, I’d completed more covert missions in extreme weather than I had with clear skies.
“Know what’s wrong with it?” I ask, turning the truck around to cross the mountain in the direction of Connor’s place.
“One of the plugs is rusted over. Needs replacing.”
“I’m on my way. Be ready.” I hang up before he can say anything else.
Connor and I met while we were in the service together. We’d been paired for a unique mission that had almost cost us both our lives. If it hadn’t been for his quick thinking and my expert shot, we’d be six feet under with no marker. After that mission, Connor had been released on medical leave, and a year after that, I hadn’t reenlisted.
I’d thought I had something to come back to. Something new to fight for.
I’d been wrong.
It had only taken me a few weeks to realize what I thought I was coming back to was gone and to understand that civilian life wasn’t for me. But there was no going back.
I’d reached out to Connor when I’d gotten back, asking for a favor that had never panned out. Once that devastation had sunk in, his older brother, Cohen, offered me a plot of property on the mountain that their family owned.
Cohen, who was also a retired Navy SEAL, owned the mountain now that their parents had moved to warmer climates and had offered me land when he’d heard my story. Living on the hilltop had given me purpose and peace. I was continually grateful to Conner and his brother for letting me stay on the mountain.
A light misting of rain hits my windshield as I make the final turn onto Connor’s property. He’s standing under his enclosed porch and jumps into action when he spots me.
“Thanks, man,” he huffs, settling himself in the passenger seat.
Not saying anything, we begin the descent into town.
The journey is quick but as soon as we enter into the main area of town, I feel uncomfortable. Crowds always have my senses going into overdrive.
But today is different. I can’t pinpoint how.
Pulling into the one and only big-box store in town, I scan my surroundings.
Nothing out of the ordinary. This early in the morning the crowd is pretty thin and no one is looking our way, but still…there’s something out there.
Connor is quiet too, mimicking me and taking in our surroundings.
“What has you on edge?” he asks, voice low and lips barely moving.
