Before Sunrise

by Sienna Mynx

  “Come over and see Mackenzie. I want you of course to come for the Christmas party. Okay?”

  “Kennedy?”

  “Yes?”

  “Never mind. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  He hung up.

  So did she.

  ***

  Liam drove to the VA Hospital. He sat outside of it, staring at the doors. The doctor’s name was Eli Abrams. He treated men with PTSD. He was a veteran, too, one who’d actually seen combat. Not just some headshrinker to tell him he had mommy issues. Maybe the man could help. Maybe it was too late.

  Liam wiped his hand down his face. He felt like he was treading water. How long before he drowned in this shit? And what if he hadn’t been able to stop? What if he had hurt Harper? What if he hurt Kay?

  He dropped his head back. Death had showed him the way out, and he refused. The life he knew was gone. He was different. They were all different. No matter how much he wanted to go back to the way they were, it might not be possible.

  Liam started the car. He drove out and straight to Fort Bragg. He cleared his mind of everything, something he’d mastered over the years. The mind was funny that way. People could convince themselves of anything. He convinced himself he was ready to start again. Truth was, he’d been scared shitless, afraid of everything: rejection, acceptance, sadness, even happiness. Mostly afraid that Kay would finally wake up and see him for who he really was. Nothing.

  After 9/11, Fort Bragg had become the Joint Services Special Ops training camp. And in five years, what had started as a call to action to protect the homeland had apparently become a sort of shadow government, where the power and influence of a woman like Alexa Sinclair could only be stopped by the Commander in Chief.

  Liam knew where Alex’s office would be located on base. He’d been debriefed there, early on. He had to go through six checkpoints before he could reach it. Dragging his leg with him, Liam felt more and more like an outcast. He both loved and loathed his time in the service. He wasn’t sure how to rationalize the two.

  Liam showed his credentials and was granted access. After a walk down two long halls he found the office designated for Colonel Sinclair. He saw her the moment he entered the room. She turned and flashed him a lovely smile.

  “You’re early.” She walked over to him. Liam just stared at her. She threw her arms around his neck and held him, pressing her cheek to his. “How have you been, Liam?”

  “Tired. Can we get this over with?” He hugged her back with one arm, weakly.

  She touched his face. “You look tired. Homecoming wasn’t what you thought it would be, was it?”

  Liam walked away from her, from her touch. He went to the chair and lowered to it. If he had his cane, he wouldn’t have to move like such a fucking cripple. Alex stopped behind him and placed her hands to his shoulders. “You know you can talk to me.”

  “I know what you’re trying to do, Alex. It’s not going to work.”

  “What is it that I’m trying to do?” Her hand lovingly stroked the back of his head and then side of his face. Liam turned his away from her caressing fingers. He was in no mood for her antics. She walked over to her desk and leaned back, crossing her long legs at the ankles.

  “Things are different now. You’re a Colonel.”

  Alexa smiled. “That’s my official title, but I’m much more than that.”

  “Yeah, well good for you, Alex. You deserve it.”

  “Thank you, Liam. You were the only man that got me, understood me.”

  Liam sighed. “I know Wolfpack is much more than SEALs, Delta Force, Rangers. I know you and Eric are in deep. It’s because of Scorpion. Isn’t it? The op fails, and somehow you get promoted?”

  “Maybe.” She smiled.

  “You have Sarkhir on the run. It’s just a matter of time before you catch him, then hook the big fish.”

  “That’s the plan,” Alex said.

  “You don’t need me, Alex. The Pentagon, all of them, are acting on your orders. Help me get out, for good. I need to get control on my life. Do this for me.”

  “Now you know this is about more than me trying to control you. You of all people know what Amir Sarkhir is capable of. The administration is about to transition out of office, and still no sign of bin Laden. Your resurrection has shaken the hornet’s nest. Senator Clayton is particularly concerned.”

  “Why?” Liam frowned.

  “Classified. But he thinks you might know more about Scorpion than the orders you were given.”

  “Like what?”

  “Why did Sarkhir let you live, Liam. Five years and he never put a bullet in you. What did you give him?”

  Liam felt the stirrings of white-hot anger, and wondered if she was trying to provoke him into acting out. The Alex he knew would never have verbalized that question. “Are you accusing me of something?”

  “Absolutely not. But I’m asking you. Is there anything you haven’t told us?”

  Liam shook his head. “I dropped in on that rock with the pack and we made our strike. The villagers weren’t hiding our target. You know all of this. Whatever we were supposed to find, we didn’t. They were waiting for us. You lifted the first wave out. Eric was with that first group. The rest of us held them back. They swarmed us. What the fuck was on that rock that was worth risking all of our lives? What is it you think I know?”

  Alex sighed. “There are pressures from every nation in the world put an end to the terror and bring our troops home. The information you gave us so far has saved servicemen’s lives. If you dig deeper, work with me, we can get to the answers we need. Do you really think we can part ways when our nation is at war?“

  “I don’t give a shit!” Liam shouted.

  Alex left brow rose. “Careful how you speak to me. I won’t tolerate it, Lieutenant.”‘

  Liam narrowed his eyes on her. “I don’t give a shit. Do you hear me? I’m done. I’ve given you everything I know, I gave it all up. My life is a train wreck. I’m trying to get it together, but I can’t go back in. My family needs me.”

  Alex sighed. “Are you sure of that, Liam?”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Seems to me Kennedy and your daughter have a life. It’s you who doesn’t. I’m talking about your identity. Giving it back to you. I know what kind of man you are. You were made for this. So was I. That’s why we were…a good team.” She smiled, and for the first time, Liam felt out of his depth.

  “You don’t get it.”

  “I do. You think your leg has changed you, handicapped you. It was never your physical strength that made you a great leader. It was your mind, Liam. It’s—”

  “Full of holes! I can’t get through the fucking day without—” Liam stopped himself. Alex stared at him. “I have my wife back. Kay has come back to me. My little girl sees me as her father. They’re all I need right now. I want out and that’s it. Discharge me.”

  “You heard the man,” came Eric’s voice from the doorway.

  Alex frowned. “What the hell happened to your face?”

  Liam didn’t have to look back. The expression on Alex’s face said that Eric’s was worse than he remembered. His friend had been hit harder, he was sure. Hell, they both had taken worse beatings. It came with the job.

  “I’m fine. Fell in the shower.”

  Alex scoffed. “Bullshit.” She looked from Eric to Liam, then to Eric again. She smirked. “Lieutenant Flanagan? Do you know anything about Commander Drake’s little bathroom accident?”

  Eric stopped next to Liam’s chair. “Discharge him, Alexa.”

  “No,” Alex said flatly. “I’m sorry, Liam. But I have my orders. Day after Christmas you’re to report here. You will be traveling with me to the Pentagon.”

  “The vice president will be making a call to you this afternoon. I’ve gotten a new appointment,” Eric said. “Discharge him now, or I’ll release him in two days when the appointment’s official. Giving you a chance to look like a hero, Alexa. For your ego’s sa
ke, I would take it.”

  “You’re bluffing.” Alex put her hands to her hips. “What appointment?”

  Liam looked up to Eric. He stood there in jeans and his motorcycle jacket. His left eye was swollen where Liam had hit him with the cane. Liam dropped his eyes. He was still angry, but more importantly he felt ashamed.

  “You’ll know soon enough. I heard your little speech. Things are changing. The elections have shown that. The vice president wants to shift things before he leaves office. And what do they say, Alexa, shit rolls down hill. Liam is out. My call.”

  “It’s not your call.” She laughed.

  “We’re done here,” Eric said.

  Liam rose. Alex cut him off. “I can help you. You need to trust me.”

  “I want you to stop,” Liam said. “Stop interfering, stop caring. I have a wife and a life and there isn’t room in it for the way you and I were over there. You understand me?”

  Hurt and humiliation flashed in Alex’s eyes. She stepped back. “Fine. But let me warn you, without my protection you are responsible for your actions and the safety of your family. You have no idea what has happened in the world the five years you’ve been gone.”

  “Yeah, well I’m learning.” Liam walked out.

  He heard Eric following. He wished he wouldn’t.

  “Got a second?”

  “No.”

  “Well, you need to make one.”

  Liam sighed. Eric pointed to an office. He used his badge to open the door. Liam had no choice but to follow him inside. “What is it?”

  “I was bluffing. I haven’t heard back from the VP. If my proposal to him goes through, then I can neutralize her, but Liam, if I can’t…” Eric blew out a breath. He put his hands behind his head. “You can’t lose your cool again. Do you hear me? What happened between you and me at the house stays with us, but I’m telling you, you can’t lose your cool.”

  “I get it.”

  “I spoke to Ant. I know about what happened at Fun World.”

  Liam averted his gaze.

  “Do you think you saw someone?”

  Liam shrugged. “You both think I’m crazy.”

  “Hell no, brother. You got the strongest instincts of any of us.”

  Liam’s gaze slowly returned to Eric. “You believe me?”

  “If you say you saw someone, then you did. Something triggered you to go off, and it damn sure as hell wasn’t an arcade clown.”

  “There’s more. I’ve seen a car, too. Twice.”

  “What kind of car?”

  “Black, Chrysler, looks like a…um, not sure. Not up on models now. I don’t know.”

  “Here’s the thing. Alexa has marked you as a security risk.”

  “A what?” Liam frowned.

  “She says you’re a loose cannon. Certain senators are nervous. The casualties lost in that mission were never fully reported. That’s why they want you at the Pentagon. It’s not for debriefing. It’s containment.” Eric paced before him. “Alexa will force therapy on you, isolate you from your family, and in her warped little mind, convince you that working with her is what’s best for you.”

  “Is she fucking crazy?”

  Eric stopped. “You surprised? How many times did I warn you about that bitch? Her obsession with you?”

  Liam sucked down a breath. “She knows I won’t go.”

  “If you lose your cool, like you did with me today, like you did at Fun World, you won’t have a choice. Feel me? Go see the fucking doctor, Liam. Today.”

  “I already did,” Liam mumbled.

  “You did?”

  “I didn’t go inside, but yeah. I went to the VA hospital. I’ll go back.”

  “I’ll check out this tail you say you saw. Black sedan? I’m sure it’s one of ours. You stay sharp. See anybody, you hit me up immediately.”

  “What if it’s in my head?”

  “What if it’s not? I’ve trusted you through some of the toughest shit I’ve ever been in. I believe in you, brother. Whatever it is, we’re brothers, right?” He extended his hand.

  Liam grasped his wrist and pulled Eric into a hug. Eric hit him on the back twice and let him go.

  “About Harper.”

  “Do you love her?” Liam asked.

  The frown lines around Eric’s mouth deepened and his jaw clenched. Liam’s brow arched as he waited for the truth. They dealt in truth, so he knew Eric wouldn’t bullshit him. Not on this.

  “Yeah, man you know I do,” Eric said through clenched teeth.

  “Are you in love with her?”

  “Hell, man, I don’t know what that means. She acts like I’m some kind of trophy. I can’t be anything to her. It’s not who I am.”

  “Then stay the fuck away from her. Do you hear me?” Liam seethed, not because he wanted to strike. But Eric’s actions would do nothing but hurt Harper.

  “I told her it couldn’t happen again. I’ll keep my distance. Trust me.”

  “I shouldn’t have hit you. I lost it, and I…I was wrong.” Liam touched his arm and squeezed it to emphasize his point.

  Eric grinned. “A good ass kicking always helps a brother clear his head.”

  Liam chuckled forlornly. “Thanks for not fighting back. You could have wasted me with this leg.”

  “I want you to get back on solid ground.”

  “Me, too.”

  ***

  Maybe things were changing for the better. Maybe not. The day had been a good one. She got to the office and everyone was so supportive. The partners told her to take the rest of the year off, with pay. She could return to work after the new year. Kennedy left for the mall. Amidst the shopping mania, she found a parking space right at the door. Luck continued to be on her side, when her first pick of a lingerie choice, a really cute black sexy number, was on sale for half off.

  Then Harper called.

  “What happened next?” Kennedy asked. The sad tale had her panting through Harper’s account of the events. She turned down the street that led to their new home, bracing for the rest.

  Harper sniffled. At times, her words became garbled with deep, wrenching sobs. “He left. But Eric was pretty bad. His face…his back…he beat him until he was bleeding.”

  “Are you okay? Did Liam…attack you too?”

  “No. He stopped when he saw me trying to protect Eric. It was horrible. What’s wrong with him? Why would he do that? You had to see him, Kennedy. He looked like he wanted to kill Eric, that he could kill him.”

  “Harper, it’s complicated. Liam. He’s different. He’s been through a lot and it…it changed him.”

  “This is my fault,” Harper wailed. “Eric asked me to go. He nearly begged me to leave. But I wouldn’t. I’m in love with him. And last night, after we made love, I could tell that I had pushed things too far between us. Now he says he doesn’t want to see me again. That we we’re a mistake.”

  Kennedy released the breath she carried tight in her lungs. She drove up the paved, icy driveway. Liam’s car was parked outside of the garage. “Sweetheart, Eric is too old for you, he—”

  “You’re a hypocrite! Don’t you sit on the phone and lecture me about age. Look at you and Liam.”‘

  “Look at us, Harper. Look at what we went through, what we’re going through now. Look at mama and daddy, what strain I put on their marriage. I was selfish. I left you when you were just eight. I paid a price for it. I’m still paying.”

  “But you two love each other.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  “And I love Eric. I do. Help me.”

  “Harper….”

  “Fine. Whatever. I shouldn’t have called you.”

  “Harper? Harper?” The line clicked off.

  Kennedy bit down on the inside of her jaw. It took her several minutes to digest all she was told. Liam attacked Eric? Hit him with his cane? The violence could be dismissed as an exaggeration but she’d seen different. She’d seen his black rage. How it came over him, took him over. She remembered how
scared she was. She needed to get him some help. Now.

  Kennedy eased open the car door. She grabbed the overnight bag she’d packed and the shopping bag she bought. Quickly she hurried up to the front door and found it unlocked. When she walked in, she saw him immediately. He sat over in the corner of the living room. The Christmas tree was on, but no other lights. Natural light spilled into the room from the windows. He sat with his back to the wall and his wounded leg out straight while his elbow rested on the bend of his other knee.

  Kennedy closed the door. He didn’t even bother to look over. She dropped her things at her feet and approached, shedding her coat. With nowhere to hang it, she tossed it back to her bags. Her eyes however, never left him. The only sound between them was the hollow clicks of her heeled boots over the hardwood. Liam moved, more like shifted a bit. He lifted a beer and took a sip from it. But he remained locked in his thoughts, apparently focused on the twinkling red, yellow, blue, and white lights of the tree.

  “Hi.”

  Did he know she was in the room? He didn’t act as if he did. Kennedy rubbed her hands at her sides. She went closer, stopping to stoop then sit next to him on the floor. She ached to touch him. Instead, she reached for his beer and took a sip from it. Finally, his heavy-lidded gaze slipped over to her.

  “I hear it’s been a day,” Kennedy said.

  “Harper okay?” he rasped in a strained, hoarse voice.

  “She will be. How’s Eric?”

  “He and I worked it out. I…I was wrong to attack him,” Liam said softly. “I lost it, I guess.”

  Kennedy lifted her arm and brought it up to his head, drawing it down to her lap. Liam stretched out and hugged her waist, pushing his face in the crease of her thighs. Kennedy stroked his hair. “Can you tell me what happened?”

  “I’m sure she gave you the playback.”

  “What happened to you, I mean? What came over you?”

  “I…I…I don’t know. I saw her with him and I knew. I knew what they’d done. What we’d done. How there’s no going back. There was just…anger.”

  “At who, Liam?”

  He didn’t answer her.