Scars of War (The Brave Delta Force Division #2)

Chapter 1 Hawk

Hawk

It had been more than a year since I’d come home.

The last time I stood in Copper Cove, Mississippi, I’d buried my mother—and said goodbye to my father in the same breath. Since then, we’d talked often by phone, but phone calls couldn’t replace the weight of familiar ground beneath my boots.

For the past year, I’d been moving nonstop—Asia, Europe, places that blurred together—working with my Brave Team and allied units to dismantle a global organ-snatching ring.

It was dangerous work. Necessary work. But standing here now, staring at my father’s house, it hit me just how long I’d been gone.

Then the front door opened.

I held my breath.

Julia Marlow stepped onto the porch.

My secret crush from high school. Fifteen years later—and somehow even more striking than I remembered.

She’d changed, but not in ways that dulled her. If anything, the years had sharpened her. Her straight black hair was pulled into a long ponytail, exposing the clean line of her jaw. A badge caught the light at her belt, and a shoulder holster hugged her side with practiced ease.

A cop.

Those big hazel eyes locked onto me, and for a split second, everything else faded. The world tilted. My heart flipped once… then again.

Dad had mentioned she was law enforcement, but seeing it made my pulse jump. Why was she here?

Was something wrong with him?

Her expression shifted as she recognized me—surprise first… then something tighter. Suspicion? Anger?

I stepped out of the truck. “Is everything okay?”

“Hello, Hawk,” she said, her voice calm but guarded. “Your dad had an accident. He broke his arm. I didn’t like the idea of leaving him alone.”

“An accident?” I was already moving past her. “Is he okay?”

Inside, my father stood just beyond the doorway—and my gut clenched.

A busted lip. A black eye. A cast on his arm.

“I’m fine,” he said quickly, pulling me into a one-armed hug. “Julia here thinks I’m an old man who can’t defend himself.”

“Jasper you shouldn’t have been alone,” Julia said flatly.

Dad waved her off. “Tell me why you’re home, son.”

“I’m taking some time off.” My gaze swept back to his injuries. “Why would you need to defend yourself?”

“Some punks thought they could rough me up,” he said. “Caught them trespassing out back—in the woods.”

My jaw tightened. “Why didn’t you tell me on the phone? I would’ve come home sooner.”

He sighed. “Because I know how busy you are. You and your Brave Team—saving the world and all that.”

“Dad,” I said quietly. “You are my world.”

Silence followed that.

I turned to Julia. “So… you’re a cop.”

“I’m a homicide detective in the city,” she said. “My mom called me from the hospital. I’ve been looking into the men who attacked your father—and who they’re connected to. The sheriff is glad to have me helping.”

“Connected how?”

“I believe it’s a Colombian cartel working with someone stateside. They’re trying to establish something in this area.”

Copper Cove.

That didn’t sit right.

“They didn’t know I used to be a frogman,” Dad muttered. “I can still handle myself.”

“You shouldn’t have to defend yourself,” Julia said sharply.

“Can we prove it was the cartel?” I asked. “And why here?”

“I haven’t had time to dig deep yet,” she replied, her eyes flicking to me. “And do me a favor—don’t play hero. Let the law handle this.”

That look told me she didn’t trust me not to.

“Can you tell me why you’ve always hated me?” I asked suddenly.

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Dad chuckled.

“I don’t hate you, Hawk,” Julia said, clearly startled. “Why would you think that?”

“Because I asked you out three times in high school—and you never even spoke to me.”

She arched a brow. “Don’t you think you had enough girlfriends without adding me to the list?”

With that, she turned and walked out the door.

I watched her go, the echo of unfinished things settling heavy in my chest.

“Still hung up on Julia?” Dad asked.

I shot him a look. “Why would you think that?”

“Because you used to climb that tree out back and watch her ride her horse.”

I laughed despite myself. “Yeah. She’s always been my secret crush.”

“Not much of a secret,” he said. “Your mother and I knew.”

“Did she ever marry?”

“No. She was engaged once. Broke it off a week before the wedding.”

That information landed harder than it should have.

Dad rubbed his stomach. “I’m starving. You hungry?”

Yeah.

But not for food.