If only he’d known just how bad things were for her. He would have helped her.
But he hadn’t been there. He’d been in the Middle East, fighting other battles while one had raged right here at home.
And that guilt would never leave him. Itshouldn’tleave him.
If he’d been around more, maybe she would still be alive.
He knew he couldn’t bring her back. The only thing he could do was run this place and help other women who’d been in her shoes.
As soon as he’d been able, he’d gotten out of the military and set this plan into motion with the help of his brothers and sisters.
When Naomi asked who could take point—who could step in and run things—there hadn’t been a debate. Luke was caught up with his career as a contractor in Charlottesville. Rowan was in Hollywood. Wyatt wasn’t a people person. Naomi had been dealing with her own situation in New York.
Caleb made the most sense.
He’d stepped out of the structured life he’d been trained for, and into another without clear directions or any kind of a road map.
But he’d make it work. He had to for Sarah.
Thankfully, Naomi had decided to move back also so she could help. He couldn’t do this without her. She was the business brains behind this while he was the brawn.
He reached the far corner of the property and turned, scanning the tree line. Branches clothed with colorful leaves clawed at the blue sky.
The woods looked quiet.
He cut the engine, taking a break for a moment.
That’s when he heard a faint sound in the air.
Caleb stopped.
It wasn’t wind. The noise was too steady. Too mechanical.
His head lifted slowly, gaze tracking upward.
Movement cut across the sky.
Small. Dark. Fast.
His gut tightened when he realized what he was looking at.
A drone hovered above him.
chapter
fifteen
Caleb’s shoulderslocked as tension snapped tight across his back.
He reached for his gun and angled the barrel up as his stance widened.
The drone hovered for half a heartbeat—long enough for him to register its shape and the way it held position.
That drone wasn’t a toy. It was high tech and expensive.
The whine of its rotors shifted pitch. Then the machine veered, banking hard and disappearing over the tree line.
Caleb lowered his gun but didn’t reholster it. His pulse kicked hard, the quiet around him suddenly charged.
