I leaned against the doorframe, Adam’s arm looped warm around my waist, steady as the sunrise. Hawk caught my eye, that spark in his gaze making it clear he wasn’t just spoiling for a fight—he was hiding something deeper, darker.
I’d seen enough broken edges to recognize them in someone else. Hawk wore his with humor, but I knew the storm was there, waiting.
“Careful,” I warned him.
He smirked, tossing the wrapper aside. “Always am.”
But Adam’s low grunt beside me said otherwise.
I turned into him, pressed my lips against his shoulder, letting the warmth of him ground me. We’d bled, we’d burned, we’d survived. And somehow, in the middle of hell, we’d found each other.
The war wasn’t done, but neither were we.
And whatever came next—San Marcos, traps, blood, shadows—I’d walk into it with Adam Stoker at my side.
Together.
Always.
The End
Keep reading for more of The Brave, Delta Force Division
SCARS OF WAR
“Sometimes love means letting someone go fix their own broken parts.”
114
Hawk
It’s been over a year since I was home. I was there for my mother’s funeral, and that was the last time I saw my dad. We talked often. I’ve been in Asia and other countries with my Brave Team and some others, closing down an organ-snatching ring that spread all over the world.
I held my breath as my secret crush stepped out of the front door, of my Dad’s home. Julia Marlow. She looked more beautiful now than she did fifteen years ago. I saw the badge at her belt and her gun in a shoulder holster.
Those big beautiful, hazel eyes and that straight black hair pulled back into a long ponytail.
My Dad told me she was a cop. That’s when my heart skipped a beat. Was something wrong with my dad?
She was surprised when she saw me, or was that anger? I stepped out of the truck. “Is anything wrong?”
“Hello, Hawk. Your dad had an accident, and he broke his arm. I’m glad you’re here. I didn’t like leaving him alone.”
“An accident. Is he okay?” I asked as I walked inside the house. My dad stood just inside the door. He had a busted lip, a black eye, and a cast on his arm.
“I’m fine. Julia is worried about me because she thinks I’m an old man who can’t defend myself,” my dad said, hugging me. “Tell me why you are here?”
“I’m taking some time off. Why would you need to defend yourself?”
“Some punks thought they could rough me up; I caught them on my property out back. In the woods.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this on the phone? I would have come home sooner.”
“Because I don’t like to bother you, I know how busy you and the Brave Team are. I know how hard you all work.”
“Dad, you mean more to me than anyone else. You’re the only family I have. Let’s sit down, and you can start from the beginning,” I turned, and looked at Julia, “So you’re a cop?”
“I’m a homicide detective working in the city. Mom called from the hospital and told me about your dad. I’ve been investigating these men who jumped him, and who they work for.”
