Hearths of Fire Read Online Free Page A

cheeks had become gaunt. As for her eyes, there was no soul present—black as a pit. It had departed this earth the moment she’d heard her husband had left her alone.
    Not bothering with a towel, knowing there was no warmth to be had there, Catori exited the bathroom and walked across the room. She opened a window to allow some of the humidity inside and could just make out the sound of the waves as they continued to crash onto the sand. She was glad she hadn’t turned on a light in the bedroom as she made her way to the bed. She curled up in the middle of the mattress, hugging one of the pillows tight against her chest.
    Catori knew she couldn’t go on like this. She’d come to the realization that bringing another man here might have been her way of letting go. Subconsciously, that was. She’d been lost for so long that she wasn’t sure of anything anymore. Exhaustion settled over her, but sleep was elusive as usual. No matter how many times the plaguing questions came to the forefront there were never any solutions.
    As Catori’s muscles finally loosened enough and her chills subsided, her thoughts finally drifted to the folder that was sitting in the living room. Did she have it in her to start over? As physically exhausted as she was now, she wasn’t certain if she was up to the task. If she took that step she would have to be intimately involved with each and every hostage rescue mission that took place. Never again would she put herself in the position of hearing through back channels or secondary comms that her team hadn’t made it out—that her husband wasn’t coming home.
    Catori stared out through the sheer curtains, catching glimpses of the moonlight as the clouds rolled through underneath. Had today’s events been a sign? Was Red somewhere out there looking out for her, knowing she’d reached her limit? Again, questions that would forever remain unanswered. She promised herself that come morning she would look at the dossiers that Crest had put together for her. Whether or not she carried through with the task ahead was another matter altogether. One thing was for certain…if she were to direct another team, she would never change the name. Red Starr HRT would always and forever carry the title of her husband, for he would always remain yah-ik-tee .

Chapter Four
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    P icking up her travel mug of coffee and Crest’s folder, Catori slipped on her oversized sunglasses and headed for the beach. The weather was still on the chilly side so she wore her favorite crocheted sweater once again, although this time she had on a pair of sweats. That still didn’t mean she would be parted from her flip-flops. The only way that was happening was if she had on her military issued combat boots that she used to wear on assignment. It made her wonder where they were and figured they were back home in California. It was still up in the air whether or not she’d pull them out and dust them off.
    Her hair was drawn back into a ponytail, and with the glasses covering up the bags underneath her eyes, Catori figured she looked younger if the stares she was receiving from a group of twenty-something men playing volleyball were anything to go by. Mentally shrugging off their attention, she made her way a good fifty yards away to her favorite bench spot and took a seat, grateful that no one else seemed to be around this early in the morning.
    Catori laid the file next to her and stared out over the ocean. Seagulls were making dives into the water, trying to catch their breakfast while the white caps of the waves still struggled to make their way higher up onto the sand. She watched a large sailboat miles out as it made its way across the horizontal daybreak. Taking a sip of her coffee, she also tasted the salt on her lips from the sea spray.
    A jogger passed by with earbud cords hanging from his head. His pounding footsteps could be heard from yards away and she fought the urge to tell him that he was doing it wrong.