Chapter 3
Chapter Three
COLE
I want to break things.
Mostly things I can throw.
My Ford F-250 fishtails as I take the turn onto Route 44 too fast. I know I’m acting like a moody teenager and that pisses me off even more.
After two more turns, I grind to a stop in front of my brother’s barn.
Caleb steps out of the door into the falling snow. He greets me with a wave as I stalk toward him. “What’s got you all spun up this morning?’
“Sierra called me last night.”
His hand stills, crushing the rag he’s holding against some kind of metal tractor part. “Damn, that’s the last thing I expected you to say. Figured you were on edge because you were out of Captain Crunch or something.”
I stalk past him into the barn. “It’s Cocoa Krispies, knucklehead.”
He follows me, frowning. I can feel it without seeing his face.
“Why’d she call?”
Caleb knows things ended badly with Sierra.
“Don’t know,” I say as I pace around. “Her voicemail was garbled. The mic was picking up the wind. Besides wind and mumbling, there were only a few clanging sounds. Finally it went to static. The whole thing was weird as hell.”
I move restlessly around looking at his various winter projects with worry crawling under my skin. Just talking about the call freaks me out.
He drops the oily cloth on the workbench and sets the bracket down. Now all his attention is on me. “You call her back?”
I blow out a breath. “Tried all morning. She’s not answering. Going straight to her voicemail.”
Caleb’s looking at me too closely. Now he’s going to be all over my shit. I shouldn’t have brought it up.
He crosses his arms and cocks an eyebrow. “What now?”
“I called a friend back east to check in on her. Anyway, I should go. I have a meeting at Marshall’s.” I frown and crack my knuckles like I do when I’m edgy.
I mutter, “I’m not sure why I stopped here.”
His expression grows more concerned. “Glad you did. It’s damned good to have you back. You sure you’re good?”
Gone is the shoot-the-shit tone and his voice is full of brotherly concern.
“Not really.” I sigh as I pick up a screwdriver off of the bench so I have something to do with my hands. I avoid looking at him as I reply, “Any day that starts with a cryptic, garbled voicemail from your ex-girlfriend is a doozie.”
“I can tell. You around later?”
I give him a tight nod and toss the tool down. “I’ll swing by this afternoon and give you a hand with that broken fence.”
Watchfully, Caleb leans a hip against the workbench. Of all my brothers, he’s pays the closest attention to my moods. He’s also one of the best men I know.
“Thanks, man. Appreciate the help. Got some steaks for dinner if you’ve got time. We can talk about that call.”
I head for the door. “I got time for steak, but we’re not talking about Sierra, so get that out of your head.”
He chuckles. “You’re the one that brought it up. See you later.” He gets back to work.
When I reach the door, I stop. I need to talk to all of my brothers and all at once is better. Rip the Band-Aid off. No use putting it off any longer.
I scrunch my nose. Yeah. My family might have a collective coronary about this decision.
They were thrilled I was out of the service. Out of danger. But I’ll soon be heading off on high-stakes rescues with Marshall Lake’s new company. Which will not sit well.
Before I change my mind about breaking the news tonight, I call out to Caleb. “Hey, think maybe you can get all the guys together tonight? I’d like to see everyone. If you have enough steak. If not, I can pick up some.”
“I’m a rancher, knucklehead.” He throws my jab back at me. “Got the freezer full, so it’s no problem. I’ll check with everyone.”
“Figured I should make it clear I have no trouble pitching in, mending fences or otherwise.”
His expression softens. “Know that, man. Like I said, sure is good to have you back. All the Strongs together again.”
What hits me isn’t a pang of guilt, it’s a machete.
I missed my family. But it’s done. The plan is in motion and there could be four angry brothers at his table tonight, including him. But they’ll find out about my new job soon enough when I go wheels up on a mission.
I try not to sound gruff when I head out. “Later, man.”
The walk back to my truck feels long. Emotional shit is heavy.
As I get in the cab, I make sure I didn’t miss a call. Nothing. Dammit. Come on, Sierra, call back.
I check my watch. This is my second meeting with the team. I don’t want to be late. That would be a shitty way to start a new job.
My truck engine roars to life. I throw it in reverse and back up. Right into a snowbank.
What. The. Literal. Hell?
I shift it into 4x4 and hit the gas. It digs in. The wheels spin. All four of them. But I don’t move forward.
I drop my head to the steering wheel with a curse. Fuck. I’ve lived in Utah my whole life—minus when I was in the Air Force. I know when I’m stuck good.
“Whose the knucklehead?”
Caleb’s voice comes through the glass.
He’s grinning. I’m gritting my teeth. “Just give me a damned shovel.”
He stands back and crosses his arms. “Why don’t you have a shovel in your truck?”
I roll the window down and kill the engine. “I just got back to Eden, jackass. This is a new truck. I haven’t moved everything over from my old one.”
“I’ll get the tractor.”
“That’d be appreciated. I have a meeting to get to.”
Caleb lifts a brow as he kicks my tire. “Must be important if you’re all torqued up.”
“That’s Sierra’s fault.”
I sling the door open and jump out, landing in the snow. It comes up to my knees.
“Why haven’t you plowed your damn driveway?”
He flips me a bird as he stalks toward the barn where his small work tractor lives.
I shake my head. What a morning.
Since I was running low on time already, I text Marshall. I’ve known Marshall since I was a kid. But now I’m working for his company.
Hey, Boss. Hate to do this. Gonna be late. Not long. Apologize to the team.
He hits me right back. Can’t promise they’ll leave you any donuts, but no problem otherwise.
Dude, sorry. I don’t operate like this.
He texts back. Quit worrying. I know you’re not a slacker. Now enough touchy feely shit, I’ve got an urban training op to plan. See you when you get here.
With a heavy sigh, I lean against the fender of my truck. Damn.
I should have just gone straight to Marshall’s this morning. But I’d hoped stopping here would blow off some steam.
In the distance, the chugging sound of Caleb’s tractor offers some hope this will be done quickly.
Snow’s clinging to his cowboy hat by the time he rolls up and tosses me a tow strap. I bend down to hook it up. I’m so busy cursing and digging around in the snow, I almost miss my phone vibrating.
I’ve been chewing fucking nails waiting on a call.
I’m too late to hit Accept. The call’s already ended. And there’s a text on the screen with three alarming numbers in the little bubble. 911.
Icy awareness hits my already tight gut. I stiffen and curl my fingers tighter around the phone. It’s Cade. He must have found something out.
Something bad, otherwise he wouldn’t have sent a 911 text.
I fight back panic, which is a reaction I thought I’d practiced out of myself in my days in battle.
Caleb hops off the tractor. “Everything okay?”
“This might be about Sierra.”
The call rings twice. I don’t even give him time for a greeting. “Did you find her?”
“Man, it’s not good. I found her. Shit. It’s not good. Sierra’s in trouble.”
My throat contracts as my skin bristles. Cade is not a man prone to panic. For Christ’s sake, he’s an Air Force fighter pilot, so something’s seriously wrong.
“I’m listening, over.”
Cade exhales roughly, sending another wave of distress through me. “There’s a situation and you need to come to Virginia to get her—”
Whoa.
Hard stop.
A bomb could have just landed on me and I’d have been less surprised than this turn of events.
“Me?” I ask dismayed. “You’re delirious. She doesn’t want my help.”
I rub at my chest as I reel from his request. When I look up, my brother is all ears. He can’t hear the other end of the call, but I’m not hiding anything I say.
On the other end of the call, my friend’s voice gets louder. “Cole, listen. This is big.”
I have to unclench my jaw to speak. “You do know that I’m back living in Utah. I just started a new job. And you also know that Sierra and I are history. The bad kind. I don’t think she’d—”
Cade speaks over me, “Things have changed.”
My brother makes a face. I lift the phone from my ear and hit the speaker icon.
I do all of this distracted. All I can do is wonder how things have changed.
Sierra called me. Maybe…
No. She would never trust me again after the way we ended.
I’m not a total damned fool. That ship sailed, and I’m the one that cut the lines to the dock.
With angst tightening my gut, I say, “Cade, I need you to explain.”
“Sierra has total amnesia.”
Caleb inhales swiftly. I swallow hard. When I unglue my tongue, I echo. “Amnesia.”
“Total,” Cade replies. “Her accident is suspicious. There’s an investigation.”
Well, fuck.
I know three things:
I’m not making it to that work meeting.
I’m not having dinner with my brothers.
I need to buy an airline ticket to Virginia.