Protecting Charley (Trident #11)

CHAPTER ONE

The firm knock echoed through the house like a gunshot.

Charley froze, as every muscle in her body tensed. She stared at the front door, her subconscious screaming at her not to move because it already knew what was waiting on the other side.

Her feet felt like lead as she moved closer to the door. Every step seemed to drag her deeper into the nightmare. Her hand trembled as she gripped the doorknob. Her pulse spiked like a warning siren.

The moment she opened the door, she knew exactly who the two men were and why they were there.

Standing on her porch in their dress uniforms, the two Army officers wore solemn expressions that told her everything before a single word was spoken.

The Army officer on the left cleared his throat.

“Ms. Taylor?”

She wanted to slam the door in his face, to make the moment disappear. But she couldn’t move or even find her voice. She could only give him a slight nod.

“The Secretary of Defense has asked me to express his deepest regret that your father, Colonel Brian Taylor, was killed in action. The Secretary extends his sympathy to you and your family for your loss. On behalf of a grateful nation, please accept our deepest condolences. We are here to assist you in any way we can.”

The words hit her like shrapnel, tearing through her chest. Her father. The man who had raised her. The man who had taught her to be brave, how to ride a bike, how to keep going even when life threw her curve balls. Her hero was gone.

The chaplain stepped forward and began to speak, but Charley’s shock drowned out his words.

Grief crashed over her so violently that it stole the ground right out from under her, and she found herself suddenly falling through darkness and silence before her vision was flooded with sweet memories.

The last time she hugged him before he deployed.

Her last phone call with him. Her last meal with him.

The last time he told her that he loved her.

She closed her eyes as tears began to fall.

When she opened her eyes, she was standing inside the same house again, only a few years older, when another knock sounded at the door.

Her breath caught in her throat as she stared at the door. She shook her head, not wanting to answer it, knowing again what was on the other side. But she wasn’t in control of the nightmare.

She slowly reached for the doorknob and opened the door. Instead of an Army casualty assistance officer and chaplain standing there, the two men were Marines. They mirrored the same solemn expressions.

“Ms. Taylor?”

Charley’s fingers clenched the edge of the door frame, bracing herself for the news that she knew would destroy her.

“The Secretary of Defense has asked me to express his deepest regret that your brother, Sergeant Matthew Taylor, died at his home. I am deeply sorry to inform you that the cause of death was self-inflicted. The Secretary extends his sympathy to you and your family for your loss. Please know that we are here to support you and will provide any information and assistance you may need.”

Charley shook her head. “No, you’re wrong,” she whispered, her voice trembling as she took a step back. “Matt wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t leave me.”

The words were like a wrecking ball that slammed into her chest, leaving nothing but devastation in its wake. The pain of losing her father hadn’t even fully settled before another wave crashed over her, drowning her in agony.

Her knees buckled as the world shattered around her. She was suddenly trapped in a whirlwind of memories—her father’s laugh, Matt’s smirk, holidays they spent together, the last time she saw them both. It was all so real. She had lost the two people she had loved with her whole heart.

Tears burned her eyes as the panic inside of her grew. She tried to breathe, but the air wouldn’t come.

A shrill ringing sound echoed in her head, like a leftover scream from the nightmare she couldn’t escape. Then, slowly, the sound changed. It was less of an echo and sharper. It was then that Charley realized the ringing wasn’t part of the nightmare anymore. It was real.

◆◆◆

Charley’s eyes flew open as the nightmare faded away to the sound of her alarm clock ringing on the nightstand beside her.

She bolted upright, clutching the sheets in her fists. Her chest heaved, and her cheeks were damp with tears.

It wasn’t real. Not this time. But it had been once, actually twice. And no matter how many years had passed, she still woke up from the nightmare broken and drowning in grief she could never escape.

It was the same nightmare that had haunted her for years. The same one that made sleep feel like a battlefield she could never win, though they’ve been more frequent in the past few months.

She wiped the tears from her face as she lay back down. She stared at the ceiling, watching the ceiling fan go round and round.

She wondered if her plan to move back to California could be what had been triggering the frequent nightmares, as if she was stirring up the ghosts she had tried so hard to leave behind. She hated having to relive those brutal days when her world came apart.

Seven years ago, her father, a Colonel in the U.S.

Army, had been killed when his helicopter went down during a mission in Iraq.

Two years later, her older brother, Matt, a Marine who’d never truly made it home from his last deployment, took his own life after fighting a losing battle with PTSD.

Losing them both had hollowed her out, but it was her brother’s death that finally shattered the last pieces of the life she’d tried to hold together in California.

A year after her brother’s death, she decided that she couldn’t live in a place where everywhere she turned she was filled with memories of her dad or brother. So, she did what she thought was best for her, packed her car, and drove until the ache quieted.

Arriving in Virginia Beach had puzzled her, considering it was a town filled with military, which was what she was trying to escape.

But she was glad fate had steered her in that direction, because it was where she discovered a charity foundation that served as a haven for veterans, service members, and their families.

Many times, Charley considered seeking counseling for herself to deal with the burden and grief.

But instead, she found herself wanting to help others.

Sure, it was a stark reminder of her dad and brother, and she still carried the weight of their losses, but helping others deal with their issues was her way of helping heal herself.

It became the first place that felt steady beneath her feet again. Even now, in the mornings, when the nightmares clawed their way back.

The best part was the people she had met and how those friendships turned into an extended family for her.

She glanced at the clock on her nightstand—six forty-seven in the morning. Charley ran her hands over her face as she took a deep breath and exhaled. She might as well get up, as she thought about everything she had to do today.

She only had a few days left in Virginia Beach. After a few years of making a life there, she was leaving for California, back to the place where her life had started, and where it had all unraveled.

Shoving the thoughts aside, she forced herself to sit up and swing her legs over the side of the bed. Her bare feet met the cool hardwood floor. She stood and stretched before walking to the bathroom.

She stood at the vanity, gripping the edge of it as she met her own reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and the shadows smudged beneath them were evidence of another restless night.

“Get it together,” she muttered to herself. She turned on the faucet and splashed some cold water on her face, hoping it would help wash away the lingering ghosts of the past.

After drying off her face, she finished up her morning routine. Her plan for the day was to finish packing her apartment and then attend her farewell party later that evening.

Alex Hardesty-Chambers, Charley’s boss and the founder of the foundation, had insisted on throwing her a party, despite Charley’s protests.

She had tried to explain to Alex that, even though she was leaving Virginia Beach, it wasn’t like she was cutting all contact with her. She would still be working for the foundation, but in San Diego at the new site that was opening.

However, Alex wasn’t having it, telling Charley that she couldn’t just leave without a proper send-off.

Charley appreciated the sentiment. But she wasn’t a fan of having attention thrown her way. A part of her just wanted to slip out quietly and avoid the emotional good-byes.

The people she worked with at the foundation had no idea how much they had helped Charley deal with her own grief.

She owed it to her friends and colleagues, especially Alex.

After all, Alex had trusted her in a way few people ever had.

Even now, it still felt surreal that she’d been chosen to lead the new West Coast expansion as the Executive Director.

Sometimes Charley wondered what Alex saw in her that she couldn’t always see in herself, but Alex had never wavered.

She believed Charley was the right person to build on the Foundation’s success.

Charley closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting it chase away the last traces of her nightmare. There was no time to drown in memories, especially not today. The party loomed, along with a dozen tasks she still had to finish before she left in a few days.

She straightened her shoulders, forcing her pulse to steady.

This foundation had given her purpose when she’d had none, and now it was her turn to make sure its newest chapter started right.

With one last steadying breath, Charley pushed away from the counter, ready to step back into the day and whatever it demanded of her.