Chapter 4
“I already owe the Cap too much. If he ends up disabled because of me this time, I’ll never forgive myself.”
A short-haired woman helped Lena up from where she’d been crouching and sobbing into her hands. Her
stare at me was pure fire.
I knew her-the only woman on Reid’s squad, Riley Ward.
“Why would the Captain marry someone as stupid and mean as you? He risks his life out there to protect and serve, and your head’s stuffed with nothing but romance drama.”
“Even if the Cap did cheat, it’d be because you pushed him to it!”
Only then did I learn Reid could’ve avoided that bullet-he took the hit trying to save the baby in Lena’s
belly.
I let out a cold laugh and turned on Reid. “Didn’t you say you’d hand Lena off to the team? Why were you still with her today?”
“Reid Foster, you’re this wound up over Lena-don’t tell me the baby is yours.”
“Avery Lane!”
A vein jumped in Reid’s forehead. His palm cracked across my face, hard enough to split my lip. I spat a mouthful of blood and kept my expression flat.
“How could you hit her!” His parents, late to the chaos, rushed in and pulled me behind them. Reid’s breath came rough.
“She can swing at me or scream at me, but she does not insult a widow.”
The two of them stared at me, shocked. I lifted my chin. “Did I hit a nerve?”
“You camp at Lena’s place and don’t come home till morning. I don’t buy that nothing happened.”
Lena’s sobs hitched. Her gaze flickered, then she cried harder, wailing she might as well die with the baby.
The room was one spark from blowing. If his parents weren’t holding me behind them, half a dozen fists would’ve already landed.
I didn’t care. I slammed the divorce packet into Reid’s face.
“If you don’t sign the divorce right now, I’ll air even more of your salacious rumors with Lena, and we’ll see if she can take it.”
“I’ve got all the time in the world. I’m not sure your hand can wait.”
Chapter 4
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Reid bit down so hard his jaw worked, but he still wouldn’t cave. His parents scrambled, weeping, gathering the scattered pages.
“Don’t divorce him, Avery,” his mother sobbed. “We’ve seen how much he loves you. If you leave, it’ll take
half his life with you.”
The room was a mess of voices when Reid finally spoke.
“I have never betrayed you. This can’t get out. But for Lena’s sake, I’ll say it.”
Over a chorus of protests, he went on, slow and steady.
“Every time I went to Lena’s, we had three or four people posted nearby. Riley has the duty logs. Do you dare
look?”
“If you do, don’t say ‘divorce’ again.”
I snorted. “Why wouldn’t I?”
Riley’s fingers tightened and loosened on her backpack strap. Under Reid’s crushing stare, she fished out the shift roster and handed it over.
Name after name covered the page.
Reid took it, started to pass it to me-then his face changed. He forgot his injured arm, lurched upright, and rifled through the pages fast.
At last his eyes went dark. He looked around at everyone and, in a rasp, said,
“I agree to the divorce. Give me the papers.
“}
