The Military Wife (A Heart of a Hero, #1)(84)

Libby hugged Sophie like she was as precious and delicate as a butterfly. Allison gave Ryan a quick hug, guided him to the other side of Sophie’s bed, then stood back and watched with a hand over her mouth.

Shock and relief and happiness crashed through Harper, leaving room for hope.

“Wh-where’s Da-dee?” Sophie’s big blue eyes peered beyond Harper and into the hall where Bennett waited.

“He’ll be back soon, darling.” Allison’s voice cracked and revealed the lie.

Harper touched Allison’s arm and mouthed his name. Allison’s mouth tightened, and she nudged her head toward the hallway. Harper followed and they gathered with Bennett, who had propped a shoulder on the wall outside the room.

“Where’s Darren?” Harper asked.

“I don’t know.” Allison ran a hand through her lank hair. The week had aged her a decade. “As soon as Sophie woke up and the doctors assured us she would make a full recovery, he left.”

“Are you still mad at him?”

“No. Yes.” Allison’s laugh contained equal amounts of irony and exhaustion. “I don’t know. I’ve called and left him a half-dozen messages. I thought about going after him, but Sophie needs me right now.”

“What do you need from us?” Harper asked.

Allison watched the kids interact. Sophie’s soft giggles were the sweetest music. “I want my family together. Could you track down Darren and bring him back?”

Bennett’s face was grimmer than normal. “I’ll find him and bring him home.”





Chapter 21


Present Day

Adrenaline careened through Bennett, lengthening his stride as he punched Darren’s name into his phone. No answer. He muttered a curse. Harper alternated between a fast walk and jog at his side, her face flushed and drawn with worry. He forced himself to slow.

It had been a long time since the dread and anticipation of a mission hovered over him. He was not handling it well. Maybe he was out of practice or maybe he was old, but his stomach felt ready to expel the sandwich and oatmeal cookies he’d scarfed down on the road.

“Do you think something is wrong?” Her question came out breathless.

He stopped. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but wisps had escaped. Brushing a piece behind her ear, he caressed her cheek with his thumb. Her skin was soft and sweet smelling. Too many nights he woke from erotically charged dreams starring her, his senses tricking him and making him believe she was with him, her scent lingering like a memory.

“The sooner we find him the better.” It was a nonanswer, but she didn’t call him on it. He walked on but at a slower, although still brisk, pace.

“It’s weird he wouldn’t stay to see Libby and Ryan, isn’t it?” she asked with the same worry growing ulcers in his stomach.

“We’ll start at their house.”

Negotiating the checkpoints grew his impatience. Bennett had to keep his voice from betraying his agitation. The MPs were only doing their job. Finally, he and Harper were free and he pulled up to Darren and Allison’s house.

“His SUV is here. Thank goodness.” Harper hopped out of the truck and ran to the front door. A quiet pall hung over the street, and Bennett scanned in all directions as if an attack could come from any direction. The hairs along his neck stood on end, his fight-or-flight instincts awakened even though he couldn’t pinpoint why. Certainly he didn’t anticipate an enemy combatant jumping out of the azalea bush.

Harper rang the doorbell, knocked, and cupped her hands to look through the mottled glass insert of the window. “I can’t see or hear anyone. Maybe he’s out for a walk?”

He tried the knob, but the door was locked. “Do you know if Allison leaves a key anywhere?”

Harper flipped up the red pot. Metal glinted through dirt. Bennett picked up the key and wiped it on his pants. He unlocked the door and cracked it open, instinctively crouching down, his hand going to his hip for a gun that wasn’t there and hadn’t been for years. His throat was parched, and when he called Darren’s name it sounded rough and creaky.

No answer. He stepped farther into the foyer and listened. Nothing. The house had an abandoned feel even as he nudged a pair of tennis shoes out of the way. Onward he scouted, expecting the worst.

The den and kitchen were clear. “Wait here while I check upstairs.”

“I’ll come with you.” Harper took a step backward, but he stopped her with his arm, blocking the way back.

“No. Let me. In case…” He couldn’t bring himself to say what he was thinking, but by the way her eyes widened and fear flickered across her face he didn’t have to.

He waited for her to nod before he returned to the stairs and took them on soft feet, only a slight creak giving him away. He pushed each door along the hallway open, revealing nothing more than empty rooms. In front of the master bedroom, he hesitated, preparing himself. The door swung open with a whine of the hinges.

It took a heartbeat for reality to crash with expectation. His knees trembled and he expelled a long breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

Darren stood at the open back window, the flowered curtains fluttering with the breeze. He was barefoot in worn-out jeans and a T-shirt. Bennett’s gaze hung on the matte black 9mm in his hand. It was pointed at the floor. Even though Darren hadn’t acknowledged Bennett’s presence, he was too well trained not to be aware he was no longer alone.