Deploy, Part One (Rawlings #1)(57)

Justice dropped the bowls in her hand in the sink then abruptly looked over her shoulder before turning. She pointed to herself as she made her way to him. “I was supposed to mail the letters.”

His eyes rapidly searched hers. “What?”

“Me. He said there was box full and that he had a calendar all mapped out for them for when I needed to mail them.”

“Where are they?”

“I don’t know—he was supposed to give them to me the morning I saw you. That’s why I was there. And when he didn’t we texted back and forth.” She walked double time to her bag and pulled out her phone.

When she found the text she was looking for she gave him the phone.

“The ditch across the street? Did you look under this porch?”

“I looked in both places. I mean, it was a few days later when it all died down a little bit that I thought of it, but there was nothing in either place.”

“Were there a ton of people here, would they have taken them? A Souter?”

Her first instinct was to deny the possibility, but doing so would win her nothing. “I don’t know. Maybe. I could see them wanting to screw you that way but I don’t get why he’s not answering, or hiking, or here now. He told me he would be here.”

Panic was setting in. Declan could see it flickering in her blue eyes. She realized what he’d already figured out: she needed Nolan, someone to help her through this hell that Declan now knew was worse than he thought.

Nolan had a way of letting you talk without making you say a word. He could see demons inside you, or at least he could see Declan’s and Justice’s, and tell you they were not as fierce as you thought. He made you stronger with nothing more than a carefree, understanding smile.

“I’ll find him,” he swore. “You don’t know when he said to mail them?” Declan had good reason to ask. Nolan had kept a massive amount of details from their family. His keeping a detail like not coming home for the Rally from Declan and explaining why in some letter was a possibility.

She shook her head. “I just saw him writing them, a different one every day, sometimes a different one every class we had. I should have looked sooner,” she said, cupping her mouth. “Should have told Missy or Atticus...anyone.”

“It’s not your fault,” he said, pulling her against him. “I gotta go back to the base, file a report there with my dad and them.” He kissed her brow and leaned back, still keeping the majority of their bodies as close as possible. “I gotta go now.” When her worried stare deepened, his thumbs traced her cheeks. “We have to be careful right now. You don’t need the grief. None of us do.”

She stepped away, just to get air. “Friends. Fine.”

He pulled her back in front of him. “I don’t have friends like this, Justice. Not ones that rip me open for sport. I said careful, friend was not in the request.” He leaned closer and against her neck he said. “I only want my name to leave your lips when you come undone.” He drew his head up slowly until he met her gaze. “I want to know I’m in your thoughts...I want to know I’m always there.”

“And what if I wanted the same?”

He never had a chance to answer. Headlights, more than one set, came up the drive.

His lips brushed hers, stealing one more kiss. A second later they moved further apart when they heard Missy and Bell’s voices going back and forth outside.

Declan’s hands squeezed her sides then he moved toward the door.

Justice was right behind him. She walked her phone to her grandmother as Declan grabbed a box out of the bed of his truck and brought it inside.

“It’s my fault about the letters,” Justice was explaining to them as another set of truck lights came down the way.

“I’m sure that’s your daddy and Atticus. Atticus is taking Nolan’s truck back,” Missy said to Declan, causing Justice to turn white as a ghost. This was it. That was all she got, and now he’d be gone all over again.

A high and a low...no in between.

Both Justice and Declan met each other’s stare as Bell and Missy vanished inside to give the young couple at least a second to say goodbye.

Declan, especially knowing it was going to be a long while before he was able to see Justice again, might have taken advantage of any time he could. But he knew his father’s truck in any light, and that wasn’t it. It sat too low.

It was Murdock’s.

Almost immediately, Declan decided he didn’t like the way Murdock was looking at him, like he was seeing a ghost. Like Declan was out of place.

Declan was being tested then, he knew he was. Not only was this the f*cking Jody trying to get on his girl, but he was seventeen, too, and the f*cking Sheriff’s kid. No matter how good the hit would feel, it would bring damage that was pointless in the larger scheme of things.

Luckily, seconds behind him was Chasen.

“Bring in the rest of that now,” Missy said from the door as if Declan had been there moments and had to go immediately.

Declan did grab two more boxes from the bed of his truck, and once he set them down he hugged his grandmother, all the while keeping is glare on Murdock who was standing by his truck, looking more confused than pissed, which was more than likely why Declan was able to walk away right now. Leave and know he was going to be there with his Justice.