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“Party pooper,” Vader said as he laughed. We all knew the score. This was one fight we couldn’t win.
When another flash drew my attention, I blinked several times, uncertain what the hell I was seeing. “Whoa.” Was that a kid? There was no way. The entire area had been ravaged by warfare. No one could survive out here.
Scorpion pushed my arm. “Let’s go.”
“There’s someone out there.”
Another round of gunfire drowned out my words, but my gut told me I was right. I inched forward, scanning the area. The smoke cleared just enough and when I squinted, I knew I was right. It was a goddamn young girl. Oh, hell, no.
“Come on, Snake. Hawk’s right,” Mustang screeched over the din of firepower, immediately trailing after the others.
“I’ll be right there.” I couldn’t allow an innocent girl to be caught in the crossfire. Without thinking, I took off running.
“Get back here!”
I heard Hawk’s voice, but nothing would prevent me from saving her life.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Gasping, I jerked up, thrashing my arms. I was suffocating, unable to focus. I pitched forward, dropping onto something hard.
“No. No!”
Woof! Woof!
I scrambled backwards, trying to find my weapon, my heart thudding to the point all I could hear were echoes. They were everywhere. Oh, God. The girl. She…
As I sensed a warm presence, rage tore through me. Kill. Kill…
Then I felt wetness against my face. What the…
Woof!
I closed my eyes briefly, trying to control my breathing. When I opened them again, I stared into the most beautiful brown eyes. “Apollo,” I whispered then wrapped my arm around his neck. “It’s you, buddy.” My God. I’d been ready to kill my dog. Blinking, it took a few seconds before I could focus. Then I realized I wasn’t in the desert any longer. There was no war to fight, no bloodbath to endure.
Other than the one inside of me.
Half laughing, I leaned my head against the side of the bed, ravaging despair tearing through me. I’d thrown myself to the floor because of the terrifying nightmare. “Third one this week, buddy. They’re getting worse.” I was covered in sweat, every muscle aching. Especially my leg. I rubbed it for a few seconds, grousing over every aspect of my life.
Apollo sat down on his haunches, his tail thwapping against the hardwood floor.
“Don’t look at me that way,” I grumbled and struggled to stand. As a jabbing pain slammed down the length of my leg, I fell onto the bed face down. I fisted the covers, pushing my way to a sitting position. I refused to be a goddamn invalid. I’d ignored the pain this long. I could keep doing so indefinitely. “Besides, I could end up hurting you.” My violent tendencies were also getting worse, my anger a restless beast clawing at my skin on a constant basis. I glared at the cane, refusing to use it. The idiots from the hospital had told me I’d never walk again. I’d proven them wrong.
Purposely ignoring the heart-pounding throb, I lumbered toward the bathroom, the pain and stiffness stealing my breath.
For some crazy reason, my beautiful baby boy had never lost patience with me, and I was thankful he remained by my side. Even when I acted like a dickhead, which was happening more frequently. I wouldn’t give a shit about anything if I didn’t have him. Exhaling, I forced myself to stand, my muscles stiffer than usual. I needed a huge mug of coffee.
No, what I needed was a shot of bourbon. What the hell. I’d have both. It was the best way to start another day in paradise. Half laughing, I managed to throw on a tee shirt and stumble into the bathroom, turning on the water. After dousing my face, I grabbed the toothbrush, piling on too much toothpaste. Then I made the mistake of glancing in the mirror.
I no longer recognized the man staring back at me.
I rolled the bristles across my teeth as I narrowed my eyes, finally touching the ragged scars I’d been left with.
“You’re lucky to be alive,”I’d been told by at least a dozen people.
“You should be thankful you made it back home,”another four or five had told me.
“You have your whole life ahead of you.”Even my father had told me that. The problem was I had no idea what that life entailed. How many times had I shoved a pistol into my mouth? I wasn’t scared of dying. In fact, I relished the thought. I just didn’t want to leave Apollo alone after everything he’d been through.
