Reckless Heat: A Hostile Operations Team Prequel Read Online Free

be most of the time.
    “You need to lie down, sir,” I say. “Sleep it off.”
    I’m not afraid he’ll explode now. Once he has his meltdown, he’s done until the next time. He continues sobbing on my shoulder while I maneuver him over to the couch in the family room. I settle him on it, take off his shoes and lift his feet to the sofa, then straighten and look down at him.
    His eyes are red rimmed, the lids swollen. He gazes up at me bleary-eyed. “Look like your mother,” he whispers, and my heart pinches tight. “I miss her so much sometimes. Hurts looking at you.”
    “Yes, sir.” I have no sympathy for him, not really. It’s always about him, always about how he feels. Did he show an ounce of concern for me or Christina when our mother died?
    Fuck no. He sobbed and carried on, got drunk, disappeared for days at a time. I later learned he went to clubs. That’s where he met Bambi, stepmama number one. Next was Candy. Who knows what’s coming next?
    He waves a hand at me as he turns into the back of the couch, clutching a pillow to his middle and heaving softly.
    I despise him. And yet I still stand there for a long moment before I force myself to walk away.
    I can’t wait until I get to walk away forever.

Chapter Five
    EVIE
----
    “ W ell , that looked intense,” Julie says as she comes over and sits on my bed with a Coke in her hand.
    I take a sip of the Coke she poured over ice for me and nod. After Matt left, I listened to the sound of the car pipes until they faded away, then turned and went into the house. Julie was inside fixing drinks. Sarah had run into her room to play with her dolls.
    “What are you doing here?” I ask. “And where’s Mama?”
    Today was usually her early day home from work.
    “She got called back into the salon. Customer emergency or something.”
    I roll my eyes. “Do you mean Mrs. Hinch needs her roots touched up before her church ladies’ social tonight?”
    Julie laughs. “I don’t know what it was, but Aunt Norma called and asked if I could watch Sarah since you weren’t home yet.”
    Julie lives a block over from us, and I guess Mama decided not to wait for me to get home. I’m not all that late, but I should have called. The truth is that I didn’t think of it. I’d have texted, but Mama doesn’t have a cell phone yet. I bought my own with money I earned working as a waitress because no way would Mama buy me one when she didn’t have one herself. It wasn’t a fancy phone, and I’m always careful since it’s pay-as-you-go, but at least I have one.
    Still, thank goodness Jules was home or I’d be in trouble.
    “Okay, I answered your question,” Julie says. “Now tell me what that was all about.”
    I sigh. “He’s leaving. You were right.”
    Julie reaches out and squeezes my arm. “I’m sorry. When Jack told me, I didn’t believe it either. Wow. I thought Matt was going to LSU. But West Point… didn’t see that one coming.”
    “Me neither.”
    I still can’t quite wrap my head around it. Since his mother died, Matt told me—when he talked about it—that he wanted to help people. I assumed he wanted to be a doctor. Search for a cure for cancer.
    But the Army? I don’t understand. It’s people like me who join the Army—people who need money for college and don’t have it—not people like Matt who can choose any college he wants and never pay a dime.
    I’m still coming to terms with this, still trying to figure out what it means for Matt and me. As if there is a Matt and me.
    There never will be now.
    I pinch the bridge of my nose and work on breathing. “He said we’ll always be friends, that he’ll stay in touch with me.”
    Julie sighs. “Well, that’s something anyway. And he probably will. The two of you have been friends forever.”
    “I don’t want to be friends.” I clutch my fist to my chest where it hurts so badly. “I want him to feel what I feel, Jules. I want him to ache for me, to need me…”
    My throat hurts.