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Foster sat in Chase’s truck as they drove through town then took the long winding road out to the property. His buddy hadn’t said a word since Foster had jumped into the passenger side as if tangos were hot on his ass, mumbling a harsh, “Go,” as he’d closed the door and leaned back in the seat.
Chase had glanced at the hanger then hit the gas, occasionally looking in the rearview as if he expected a black SUV to jump out behind them, machine guns firing. An obvious threat to explain Foster’s odd behavior.
Mackenzie Parker.
He hadn’t seen that coming. Not when Atticus had mentioned — repeatedly — how she’d joined the Coast Guard. That she’d serve until the organization either forced her to retire or she died in the process. Though, after what had happened to Josh, it all made sense.
Which only added to the guilt slowly suffocating the cab. How she’d likely given up her career because her dad needed someone he trusted. That Atticus’ own sanity was hanging by a thread. Foster hadn’t really looked at it from that perspective before — hadn’t considered why Atticus kept pushing for him to join.
They aren’t you…
That’s what she’d said. Twice. Which explained the harsh tone, the scathing way she’d glanced at him. Her father had put Foster on some kind of impossible pedestal and he’d more than fallen off it tonight.
He’d crushed it. Broken it into dust, which had blown away with the wind and the rain.
He wasn’t sure if she thought her dad would have insisted she remained in the Coast Guard if Foster had signed up. Or if she’d gotten a less than warm welcome home. Either way, his name was at the top of her shit list. And she hadn’t held back.
Chase sighed beside him, finally taking a moment to look him in the eyes. “That bad, huh?”
Foster chuckled. “That’s what I love about you, buddy. No small talk or brotherly encouragement. You just jump right in with both feet. Straight to the heart of the issue.”
“First of all, you hate small talk. Second, you’d deck me if I tried to coddle you. And third, we both know it must have been pretty fucking awful for you to jump into the truck and just yell at me to go.” Chase pointed a finger at Foster. “And yeah. You yelled.”
Foster scrubbed a hand down his face, wishing he’d taken Zain’s offer and hopped into the man’s Chevy. Instead, he was left scrambling for some form of damage control. “Fine. It sucked. You happy?”
“Do I look happy?”
Foster eyed his best friend. “You look like crap.”
“Thanks for noticing. Nothing like stabbing a guy in the chest to relieve a tension pneumothorax while stuck in a van, teetering on a crumbling cliff, to get me back in the game. Talk about being baptized by fire.”
“You didn’t even blink.”
“Are you high? My damn hands were shaking.” He pinned Foster with an intense gaze. “My hands never shake.”
“Of course, they were shaking. You were halfway frozen. We all were. And you saved his life. That’s the takeaway here.” Foster inhaled, cringing a bit as he turned to face Chase. “You did save his life, right?”
“You’d be feeling pretty damn bad if I hadn’t. And yeah, I did, but the point is… You’re not the only one trying to find their way here. We’re all struggling.”
Foster huffed. “Zain and Kash are not struggling.”
“They were. They just found their rhythm quicker than most.” Chase checked his mirrors then turned onto the pitted dirt road. “Besides, they don’t remember that night the way we do. A blessing I guess.”
“Nothing about that night was a blessing. And I have a feeling they recall far more than they’ve let on.” Foster sighed. “Probably because they’re afraid I’ll go off the deep end or something.”
“Are they wrong?”
He glanced out the side window, watching the trees bend as the wind howled beyond the glass. “I made it back without killing anyone, didn’t I?”
“Did you? Because I was somewhat worried you’d cracked and left a bunch of carnage behind when you’d told me to go. Like you’d robbed a bank or something.”
Foster laughed. “Nope. Just trying to save a hint of my pride. Do you know who this new pilot is?”
Chance frowned, shoving his truck into park after he pulled into his spot off to the left of the main building. “No idea. Kash wasn’t lying. Atticus hasn’t said shit about it.”
“That’s because it’s Mackenzie.”
Chase stared at him, obviously waiting for him to continue before he shook his head. “And that’s supposed to mean something to me?”