Harmony Island Gazette

Prologue

Boone

“Ladies and Gentleman, I would like to welcome you to Richmond International airport. The local time is now 6:35. We’re coming into gate B7. If you have a connecting flight, please check the monitors. If this is your final destination, welcome home.”

My entire body tensed at the last few words before the stewardess went into the credit card speech she’d given earlier in the flight.

Home.

That word was like a dagger to my heart.

I pulled my hat further down as I stared out the window, watching the plane taxi its way to the gate. My stomach knotted the closer we got. I didn’t want to be here. I didn’t want to be discharged.

When my commanding officer walked into the doctor’s office after she diagnosed me with permanent hearing loss in my left ear, I’d wanted to bolt from the room. The military was my home. That was where I was meant to be. Returning to civilian life wasn’t in the cards for me.

Mom was gone. I had no other family. The guys I served with were my people. I wasn’t supposed to ever leave.

But here I was, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. The only remnants of my military service were the dog tags around my neck and the green bag I’d shoved all my items into before I walked away from the only family I had left.

Here, I was alone. And I hated being alone.

I waited until the plane was empty before I grabbed my backpack from under the seat in front of me, used the headrest to pull my body to standing, and shuffled into the aisle.

The two stewardesses who had worked the flight watched me as I passed by. I pulled my hat further down on my head as I nodded at them.

“Thank you for your service,” one said.

My entire body stiffened at her words. I glanced over my shoulder and met her gaze before I just nodded and left.

She didn’t know what she was saying. I joined the service to redeem myself. I’d failed to save my mother’s life, and I’d vowed that I was never going to make that mistake again.

Now, I didn’t know what I was going to do.

I walked through the airport at a brisk pace. I didn’t want any more civilians thanking me for my service. Plus, being around this many people made me anxious. By the time I got to the luggage carousel, I breathed a sigh of relief. The suitcases and bags were already out and circling around.

I found my green bag, grabbed the handle, and swung it up onto my shoulder. I saw an older man wearing a Vietnam vet hat. He nodded in my direction, and I returned the gesture but didn’t stop to speak to him. Instead, I just ducked my head and hurried away.

As I walked to the sliding doors, I grabbed out my phone and opened the rideshare app I’d downloaded last time we were stateside and we’d wound up barhopping. I was grateful for it now as I scanned through the cars that were parked and ready.

I selected the simplest one I could find and reserved it as I walked out onto the sidewalk. It didn’t take me long to find the white Toyota Corolla. I knocked on the trunk and it opened. I dumped my bag into the back before slamming the trunk closed and pulling open the left rear door.

“Good evening,” The driver said from over his shoulder. The man looked old enough to be my father.

I just nodded.

“Where are we going tonight?”

“To get my truck.” The Ford F-250 had been a gift from my uncle, my mom told me. I never knew if that was true or not. I’d never met the man. But I loved the truck. It was the only sentimental piece I kept stateside for when I was on leave.

The man nodded and took off through the throng of cars and people. I settled back in my seat and closed my eyes. I wanted to nap—I was exhausted—but I couldn’t.

Not when I knew where I was headed after getting my truck.

It had been a long time since I’d come back to Harmony Island, North Carolina. I’d written off the place a long time ago. Once Mom was in the ground, I left and never looked back. Her house, her things. They sat untouched. Now, the city of Harmony was forcing my hand. I needed to decide what I was going to do with the house or they were going to make the decision for me.

As soon as I got to my truck, I’d fill the tank with gas and take off down the highway to North Carolina whether I wanted to or not.

It was a thirty-minute drive from the airport to the storage facility where I’d left my truck. I paid the driver and opened the door, not wanting to engage in niceties. I moved to tap the trunk, but the driver beat me to it. The trunk swung open, and I reached in to grab my bag. I swung it up onto my shoulder, slammed the truck closed, and headed inside to the lobby.

A woman who looked no older than twenty was sitting behind the registers, snapping her gum and staring at her phone. When the bells on the door jingled, she glanced up at me from over her glasses.

“How can I help you?” she asked as she rested her hands on the counter in front of her but didn’t let go of her phone.

“I’m here to pick up my truck.” I pulled my wallet from my back pocket and fished out the ticket they’d given me when I’d left it.

She sighed as she set her phone down and took the ticket from me. She typed a few things into the computer in front of her and then nodded as she turned to the small cabinet that held a bunch of keys on hooks. “Wait out front, and I’ll bring it around. Johnny was working on it earlier this week. It should be good to go.”

I was so grateful when I found this place. Not only did they store vehicles, they did regular checks to make sure fluids didn’t go bad and that the truck would still start.

“Thanks,” I said as I tapped the counter.

She murmured a quick, “uh huh,” as she disappeared through the back door.

I made my way back to the front. I took a deep breath of the evening air and tipped my face up. The sun was now tucked behind the trees, and darkness was slowly creeping around me. I knew once I got into my truck I would feel better. I would feel more like me than I had in a while.

The familiar sight of my black truck rounding the corner of the building brought a smile to my lips. She looked good. Johnny had kept his promise to keep her in pristine condition. Johnny gave me the cursory finger raise from the steering wheel as he pulled up next to me. I waited while he pulled open the driver’s door and hopped down.

“Hey, man,” he said. He was tall with a deep, gravelly voice, and he wore a trucker hat. His hands were stained, no doubt from car fluids.

“Thanks for taking care of her,” I said as I shook his extended hand.

“My pleasure.” He stepped to the side so I could get a full view of the inside of my truck.

“Candice will settle your account.”

“Perfect.” I swung my bag into the back of the cab. Then I climbed into my truck. I pulled the door closed, but Johnny looked like he wanted to say something, so I rolled the window down.

He tapped the door with his hand and smiled up at me. “Thanks for your service.”

My throat tightened, and my smile faded. I knew he meant well, but I wasn’t sure if I was going to survive civilian life if this was what I was going to face every time I got around people. “Sure,” I said before I put my truck into drive and rolled forward.

I didn’t look back as I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the highway. I kept the window down, enjoying the cold night air rushing around me as I raced down the road. I leaned forward and flipped on the radio, blaring a country station.

I didn’t stop until I crossed the state line into North Carolina. I had a few more hours until I got to Harmony, so I stopped at a gas station. I filled up on gas, used the bathroom, and grabbed an energy drink to help keep me awake.

It was eleven before I pulled into the outskirts of Harmony Island. It felt both familiar and foreign at the same time. I had some memories of this place, but not enough to feel nostalgic. If anything, this place represented a time in my life that I wanted to forget.

I pulled down a side street and idled as I got out my phone and found the email from Harmony City Hall. I could picture my mother’s home, but I couldn’t remember how to get there. I punched her address into my map app and waited for the familiar computer voice to tell me where to go.

Ten minutes later, I was sitting in front of her house in the small community complex of Harmony Cove. Mom’s house was small compared to the others around it. The grass was long and danced in the night breeze. The windows were dark, and I felt stupid for wanting a light to go on. A sign of life that I knew was no longer there.

I dropped my gaze to my lap and cursed under my breath. I was weak. And weakness was what put me in this situation in the first place. If only I’d been stronger, she might still be here.

Guilt and anger rose up inside of me. I gripped the steering wheel so tight that my knuckles turned white. No longer able to sit in front of the physical representation of all my failures, I threw my truck into drive and sped away.

I needed a drink.

Harmony Pub came up when I searched local bars while I waited for the light to turn green. It only took seven minutes before I was pulling into a vacant spot near the back of the parking lot. I turned my truck engine off and pulled the keys from the ignition before yanking open my door and climbing out.

The gravel crunched under my feet as I made my way to the front door. Harmony Pub was buzzing with conversation, the jukebox in the corner, and a friendly game of darts happening in the back.

I pulled my hat down to cover my face as I approached the bar. I doubted that anyone would recognize me. My mother kept to herself when she lived here, and I was back and forth so much that I hadn’t made any concrete relationships. All I wanted to do tonight was drink—not engage in awkward small talk.

I found a barstool in the corner and settled down. The bartender caught my gaze and raised his eyebrows while he filled a glass.

“Whiskey,” I said, and he nodded in acknowledgement.

I set my phone face down on the bar and settled back in my seat. I wasn’t sure where I was going to spend the night. If I had to, I’d stay the night in the bed of my truck. God knows, I’d slept in worse places.

“I don’t know what to tell you, Rich. I really don’t know of anyone who could help you out,” the bartender said as he set the tumbler of whiskey down in front of me. He had his attention on an older man who was standing a few feet away from me. He didn’t look like he was drinking. His expression was desperate as he glanced around.

“Jax, I’m desperate,” Rich said.

The bartender hadn’t stepped away from me. Instead, he just folded his arms as he leaned against the counter. “I get that, I just don’t know of any bodyguard.” He flinched like saying that word felt weird. Then his gaze drifted over to me. He frowned. “Are you new around here?”

I glanced from Jax to Rich, who had approached me. I stiffened. I didn’t like it when people approached me, especially when I didn’t know who they were.

“I’m passing through,” I said, hoping my short answer wouldn’t invite more questions.

Jax nodded, his gaze dropping to the tattoo on my arm. “You military?”

“Honorably discharged,” I muttered under my breath, hating every syllable.

“Huh.” Jax flicked his gaze from me to Rich. “Maybe…” He paused as he extended his hand in my direction as if inviting me to provide my name.

“Boone,” I said before I could stop myself. Shit. Realizing I’d just put myself squarely into this conversation with these strangers, I turned to Rich. “What are you looking for?”

Rich met my gaze, and I could see the desperation in his gaze as he studied me. “I need someone to protect my daughter from her abusive husband.”

The bar around me faded away. Anger rose up inside of me as I leaned toward him and said, “Tell me more.”