“Shot.”
“Pierce.”
“Charley.”
That little banter finally won him a small, real smile. Good.
He would take every one of those he could get tonight.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Pierce drove with one hand on the wheel and the other resting on Charley’s thigh. Thankfully, Zane had picked up his Jeep for him and had it waiting at the hospital.
San Diego moved past them in a blur of lights and late-evening traffic. Charley was quiet and looking out the window most of the way, occasionally blinking like she was trying to force herself out of the memory loop playing behind her eyes.
When he turned into his neighborhood, the security gate slid open, and he eased the Jeep through, headlights sweeping over clean sidewalks and trimmed hedges. It was a quiet neighborhood not far from the base.
He pulled into his driveway and cut the engine.
The silence that followed was even louder.
Charley didn’t move right away. She sat there, as if she were bracing herself for the next thing.
Pierce exhaled slowly, then reached across the center console and placed his hand over hers.
She looked up at him, and the moment their eyes met, something in his chest tightened. The turmoil in her gaze wasn’t dramatic, and it wasn’t hysterical or frantic. It was worse than that. It was controlled. Contained. Like she was holding herself together by sheer force of will, and if she loosened her grip even a fraction, she would come undone.
It broke his heart.
“Hey,” he said quietly.
Charley swallowed. “Hey.”
Pierce lifted his hand from hers and brought it to her cheek, cupping her face with gentle pressure. Her skin was warm under his palm, and it grounded him just as much as it did her.
“You’re not alone in this,” he said, voice steady even though his insides felt anything but. “Do you hear me? Not for a second. We’re going to get answers. Whatever it takes.”
Her lips pressed together, then softened. A faint smile tried to appear; it was real enough to give him a sliver of relief.
“I know,” she whispered.
Pierce leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead, lingering there a moment longer than necessary. Not because he was trying to be dramatic, but because he needed her to feel it. Needed her to understand he wasn’t going anywhere.
When he pulled back, she blinked hard, and he could see the shine in her eyes even before she looked away.
He got out first and walked around to her side, opening the door. She stepped out carefully, moving like her body still hadn’t caught up with everything that had happened. Pierce grabbed the two bags they’d picked up from her place.
As he shut her door, the headlights from Ray’s truck rolled in behind him, followed by Jessica’s car.
Pierce didn’t need to look closely to know they had decided, without even saying it out loud, that Charley wasn’t going to be left alone tonight. His team didn’t do “go home and call if you need anything.” They did “we’re here, whether you like it or not.”
He nodded once to Ray, and Ray returned it in that quiet way of his that said,We’ve got you.
Pierce turned back to Charley and set his hand gently at the small of her back, guiding her toward the stairs of the front porch. He did push, and didn’t steer like she couldn’t handle herself. He was just there as a steady point of contact.
They walked up the steps to his place, the warm porch light casting a welcoming glow. Pierce unlocked the door and ushered her inside.
Inside, voices drifted from the kitchen area.
