Prologue
Three Years Ago
Terry
Wind raced down the mountain, sending dust and small rocks skittering over the landscape. Across the camp’s wide open recreation area, Lieutenant MacDonald Fergerson—Terry’s munitions expert and one of the few guys in his unit he’d call a friend—was shooting hoops with Nomar Pera, a communications officer from another unit.
Winter in Afghanistan was cold. Halfway up the mountain, more than six hundred feet above sea level, daytime temps didn’t rise much above freezing in February. But today? A rare, sunny and clear day that felt almost…pleasant. Of course, anything was pleasant when you were used to five below zero.
A small convoy of trucks drove through the gates to Terry’s left, and he narrowed his gaze as a half dozen men and women exited. A mobile medical team on their way to Bagram. The doctors and nurses looked around the camp, and from twenty feet away, Terry locked eyes with a dark-haired woman.
She offered him a weary smile, and he returned the gesture. It wasn’t often they got visitors. Terry and his unit had been out here for three months, and he’d seen fuck all of anyone new since then.
But before he could make his way over to the group, they headed into the CO’s tent. After a sigh, Terry jogged over to the rec area and picked up a set of free weights. Might as well get a workout in.
Winter nights were quiet, and the stars shone so much brighter here than they ever had back in Boston. He couldn’t sleep. After strapping on his M9, he shrugged into his coat, jammed his feet into his boots, and trudged outside.
A lone figure huddled under a blanket on a bench by the basketball hoop and turned when he kicked a rock out of his way. Holy crap. The brunette with the piercing brown eyes.
“Insomnia?” Terry asked, standing close enough to hear her sigh, but far enough away to avoid any hint of impropriety.
“This country is so beautiful. Especially at night.” Her voice was liquid gold, smooth and sultry. “During the day, we see the worst of it. But at night—sometimes there are these moments of quiet where I find a special kind of peace.”
“I shouldn’t disturb you then,” he said.
“Wait.” The woman patted the bench next to her, and Terry took a seat. “What’s your name?”
“Sergeant First Class Terry Owens, ma’am.”
“Lieutenant Dana Michaels. It’s nice to meet you.” Dana braced her hands behind her and tipped her head back. “Did you know the Milky Way has over two hundred billion stars?”
“Yep. My sister got a telescope in seventh grade. I had to listen to her recite star facts every day for three years until I went off to college.” He chuckled and peered over at Dana. Her cheeks were pinked from the cold, and she gazed up at the sky like it held the answers to life’s most important questions. “Everythin’ okay, ma’am?”
“Been a long few days.” Her voice held an odd tone. A mix of regret, sorrow, and pain. “Do you ever worry that when you get home, you won’t truly be home?”
“All the damn time.” Though the past week had been quiet, his unit was headed for a hot zone in the morning. “What we see out here, we’ll never forget. Takin’ that darkness back to everyday life? Can’t imagine. But we’ll do it. Not much of a choice.”
“I’m a nurse,” she said. “And I love it. I help people. Before I was commissioned, I helped more people than not. Now…? Some days, I can’t even save half of the men and women I see.”
“I’m sorry.” With everything he was, Terry wanted to comfort this beautiful, sad woman next to him. But she was an officer, and public displays of affection, even consensual, were strictly forbidden.
“Don’t be.” Dana sat up straighter and turned to face him. “I’m supposed to be here. Doing this. No matter how tough it is. Some nights, it’s just hard, and…you’re easy to talk to.”
The corners of his lips twitched, and Terry chuckled. “Most folks I know would disagree with you.”
Dana punched him lightly in the shoulder. “I don’t believe that.”
“I could wake up my unit right now…”
Her laugh made his stomach flutter, and he wasn’t cold anymore. He could feel the heat growing between them. Fuck the regs. He wanted to kiss her more than he’d wanted to kiss anyone in a long time.
“Can I ask you for something?” Dana’s brows furrowed as her smile faded.
“Anythin’.”
“I was reassigned to this unit a month ago, and I’m not close with any of them yet. I know it’s stupid—and against regs—but will you just sit here with me and…maybe hold my hand?”
She wanted him to touch her? Terry swept his gaze around the corner of camp, making sure they were mostly hidden from anyone on patrol or on their way to the shitter in the middle of the night. He was pretty sure she didn’t want him to just hold her hand, but anything more could get them both in a mess of trouble. “I’ll give you anythin’ you need, ma’am.” Offering her his hand, he waited for her to link their gloved fingers. “We can sit here all night watchin’ the stars.”
