Chapter Thirty-Three
Grayson
"I didn’t think I’d be spending a Tuesday blowing up a fucking building, but here we are,” Mags grunted from beside me, holding the detonator in his hands.
Where the fuck?
I looked at my friend, noting his clean-shaven face, his bright eyes—his youth. My eyes dropped down, taking in his military uniform.
“Kiss my fucking ass, fuckers,” he muttered, his thumb pressing down on the red button.
In the distance, on top of a hill, a building exploded, sending debris and black smoke into the air. Seconds later, shouts and screams of horror filled the air, the people in the town coming out of hiding, running barefoot into the dirt street.
I wasn’t supposed to be here.
“Mags, what day is it?” I asked.
The satisfied look on his face faded, replaced by confusion. “Bullet, what’s going through your fucking head? What’s wrong with you today?”
Bullet.
My call sign.
My heart began to pound inside my chest. I wasn’t supposed to be here. This—this was in the past.
“Just answer the question, Mags,” I pushed out through my teeth, panic slithering around my feet like snakes.
Snakes.
“It’s the tenth of June,” my friend answered as I looked down at my arms, the sleeves of my uniform rolled up to my biceps, revealing my tanned skin.
My tattoos weren’t there.
Fuck.
Another explosion sounded in the distance, and we both ducked, shards of concrete hitting our backs and helmets. I looked behind us, finding our squadron doing the same, already loaded up, ready to head out. Our mission was complete and we were set to return to base.
You know what day it is, Grayson.
Today’s the day you were supposed to die.
“Where’s Carrie?” I asked, my voice thick.
Mags looked over to me, the younger version of him, still full of life and hope. The corners of his eyes crinkled, narrowing as he asked, “Who’s Carrie?”
When I didn’t answer, he lifted his hand, setting it on top of my helmet. “Get out of the funk, man. We have a war to win.”
I watched him, frozen in place as he walked away from me, along with the rest of our men, their boots crunching underneath the rubble. I looked back to where the smoke was filling the sky, death surrounding me. It was in the air, in the screams of the innocent, in the blood running down the streets like streams. There was no escaping it.
Grayson, come back to me.
Her voice—that sweet voice was in the wind now. I looked all around me, my eyes scanning the nightmare I’d been thrown back into.
Please, Grayson! Grayson!
Tipping my head back, I looked up to the night sky, searching for her—for her light. Had it all been a dream? Was this truly my fate?
“Bullet! Let’s go!” Mags ordered.
I looked toward him, standing in the middle of rubble, holding his gun to his front. I shook my head. “I’m not supposed to be here!”
My friend flinched. “What the hell are you talking about?”
I opened my mouth to try and explain it all, the insanity, but when I did, a gust of wind formed. Suddenly, Mags and the scene around me was blown away like dust. The wind picked up, taking the dirt and sand with it, forcing me to hold my arm over my face, shutting my eyes.
Then, everything stopped, and I opened my eyes, the dust settling to reveal a new scene. I was standing in front of an office building…the one in Charlotte.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” a voice said from beside me.
Twisting my neck, I found a younger-looking Hayes smiling at me as he clapped me on the shoulder. “This is good, Gray. This is exactly what I needed—what we both needed.”
“Where’s the team?” I asked, trying to remember when I was.
Hayes’ arm fell away, and he pointed at my face. “I’m glad you brought that up,” he said, holding out a file to me. “That’s the Navy SEAL I was telling you about. He’s been out for about six months, and he’s looking for work. I think he’d be an excellent asset.”
I took the file from him, opening it and scanning the first page before I asked, “Where’s Carrie?”
Hayes’ brows came together. “Who’s Carrie?”
Grayson! Stay with me, stay with me! I love you! I love you! Please!
There was her sweet voice again, circling me. I looked down at my arms, finding myself in jeans, boots, and a black T-shirt. However, none of that mattered. I was only focused on my tattoos.
A white snake and a red snake.
“So, you might hate this, but I’m going to suggest it anyway,” Hayes said.
I looked up at him, heart pounding. “What?” I asked, but I already knew what he was going to say. This was one of those memories that stuck with you.
He tipped his head towards the red snake. “Red Snake Investigations. What do you think?”
The wind began to pick up, and I didn’t even bother opening my mouth. My friend and the city of Charlotte faded away, and I bent my head, picturing snow-blonde curls, freckles, and bright blue eyes.
The wind stopped, the smell of sea salt in the air.
I looked up, finding myself underneath a dead street lamp. The air was warm and the stars were bright in the sky. I heard a laugh, and my head snapped in that direction.
A man and a woman were walking out of a restaurant. My eyes narrowed on the man, jealously blooming inside me. The woman…Fuck, she took my breath away.
Then again, she always did.
“Thank you for getting dinner with me,” the man said, keeping a respectful distance from her as she unlocked her car.
She beamed at him, and my jaw clenched.
He shouldn’t even be in her fucking presence. He was unworthy of even breathing the same air.
“Carrie,” I called, her name tasting like sugar on my tongue.
She didn’t hear me.
My gut twisted, and I tried again. Neither of them looked at me, continuing their conversation as if—as if I didn’t exist. I stepped out of the shadows, walking into the street.
“Sunshine, look at me,” I ordered.
She tucked a curl behind her hair, saying good night to the man—Leo. My heart stopped beating, a burning pain searing through me. “Carrie, beautiful, look at me,” I said, softer this time once Leo was down the street. I stepped in front of her. “Give me those eyes.”
Nothing.
She turned and got into the shitty sedan I was supposed to have replaced. When she was shutting the door, my hand shot out, ready to stop her, but instead, it went right through it. My eyes went wide.
No.
No, no, no.
What the hell was this?
I looked at my hands and then to the woman I loved in the car. She was texting. I knew that any second now, she would look up over to the light post and see me. I waited, counting the milliseconds until it happened.
It didn’t.
My baby, my sunshine, put her phone down, started her car, and drove off.
My hands were in my hair then.
“Why didn’t she look up?” I asked the empty street as a drop of sweat trickled down my neck. “What the fuck is this?”
You were supposed to hold me before you go…
Her voice was loud now, and I whirled around to find her dressed in jeans and a cream sweater, soaked with blood. Her hair was dull, her curls flat, cheeks streaked with tears, tinted red. Her lips were swollen, and the tip of her nose matched the color of her cheeks.
“Sunshine,” I murmured, my voice rough.
Carrie stared at me, silently crying.
I took a step forward. “Baby, say something to me. I’m right here.” I put my hands to my chest. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Then, a white light appeared at my right, and I shot my hand up, blocking my eyes. “What the hell?”
Grayson! Please, I’m begging you. Don’t go. Stay…stay with me!
I looked back at Carrie. “I’m not going anywhere! I want to stay, Sunshine. You’re my home, my warmth!”
Something tugged me, pulling me closer to the light, but I fought it. I took another step towards her, fighting the pull, growling her name. I held my hands out to her as she watched, frozen in place.
“Carrie!” I shouted.
I’m not ready to say goodbye…
The pull became stronger and stronger, but I kept fighting, trying to get to her.
“Carrie!”
I blinked, and she was gone.