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The girl’s screams still echoed in his own head while they watched helplessly as she was dragged through her village and sold to a Taliban soldier by her father so his sons wouldn’t be recruited.

It was one thing I was never able to understand about these people. Their insistence that men were somehow superior to women.

If only they didn’t believe that, if only that man had treated his little girl like the treasure she was. If only… So many ifs… So many problems that I no longer cared to try and fix.

I gazed down at Callia’s lifeless body, a woman I’d trained with all through sniper school, through boot camp. They’d gone on more missions together than any other sniper team in the last ten years combined. She gave up her life to a culture that intrinsically believed she didn’t belong.

The decision to leave the Army after that hadn’t been easy on Ace. Seeing the knowing look in Callia’s husband’s eyes before a word had left his mouth broke something in him. He was never able to go back. He hadn’t healed.

Watching her husband break down in tears at the loss of not only his wife, but of his unexpected unborn child had cracked his heart in half. It wasn’t long after that, that he’d met Creed Black. The man had forced Ace to g

ive a damn again, to save the un-savable, to right his wrong.

Ace had missed Nick more than ever during that time and was tempted to go home more than once. Having to explain what had happened held him back. There were days where he still wasn’t sure he had made the right decision.

With so many variables and not enough good outcomes, he was always left feeling like half a man. Watching his friends find love over the last couple years caused him to begin wishing for more again.

After a lot of internal debate, he finally came home when Nick needed him most, even though the stubborn bastard would never admit it. His cousin loved being the sheriff of a small town, but after his father had fallen sick, Ace knew he had to step in and help the only family he had left.

Finally, he felt like he was in a place in life where things would come together. Fall into place if he had his way. Snow was part of that plan. All he had to do was get her keen on the idea of sticking around.

Chapter Four

“James!” she screamed over and over. He had to help her. To help them. “Hang on, Daddy, James is coming.” Her father was barely conscious. Her mother had been knocked out as soon as the truck hit her side of their small car.

“S’okay, Pepper,” her dad slurred, his eyes closing.

“Daddy?” With no answer, panic consumed Pepper’s veins. “Daddy, please don’t leave me,” she begged him.

They’d been on their way home from her first high school talent show. She was the youngest in the entire show at fourteen and had won. James couldn’t be there, he was a beat cop and worked the third shift, so she’d been talking to him as they drove home.

It was then that an out of control truck t-boned their small Honda Civic, hitting her mother in the passenger side. Glass flew everywhere, she screamed, and the blood…so much blood.

Now they were laying on the driver’s side, hanging by their seat belts, waiting for help to come. She had no idea what happened to the other driver or where he was. Sirens could be heard in the distance, but it made no difference, she feared her mother was gone, and her father might be soon behind.

“Daddy?” she called again quietly. Unable to move, her legs were trapped between the seats. His lack of answer scared her more than the pain she was feeling.

A rustling noise drew her attention towards the back window as a light shown in the dark vehicle. “Miss?” a voice called.

“I’m here!” she yelled back. “Please, you have to help my parents.”

“Pepper!” Finally, James was here. She just knew he would make everything fine again.

“Daddy, do you hear that? James is here.” Happy tears flowed down her face.

The quiet from the front seat was deafening.

Jolting awake as a loud crash sounded, she was out of breath and sweating. Tears streamed down her cheeks in rivulets as parts of her dream clashed for attention.

For a split moment, everything was clear. Then like smoke in the wind, it was gone.

Only one thought lingered.

Death.

She could see the accident as if she were back there. The pain of losing her parents took hold again. The pain from breaking both of her legs; it was there. A memory as fresh as if it had happened the day before. All the feelings she felt at fourteen, but nothing else. Her name, her parents’ names. It was all distorted as if she’d watched from afar.

Needing fresh air to deal with the new information she’d been given, she slipped from bed quietly. Sunlight streaming through the window told her she hadn’t been asleep for too long.