Shit.
He wrenched open his door and bounded after her, his left leg screaming in agony, not to mention the goddamned broken ribs that threatened to punch a hole right through his lung. Blam! Wheeze. That quick and he’d be spending another day or two in the hospital. Fan-friggin’-tastic. Just what he didn’t need right now.
“Ali!” he bellowed, grinding his teeth against the pain, running with an uneven, awkward limp made even more so by the shifting sand beneath his boots.
She turned on him then in grief and frustration, slamming a tiny balled-up fist into the center of his chest. Sweet Christ…
Agony exploded like a frag grenade. He took a knee. It was either that or just keel over dead.
“Nate?” Her anger turned to shock as she knelt beside him in the sand. “What—” Before he knew what she was about, she lifted the hem of his T-shirt, gaping at the ragged appearance of his torso. His ribs were taped, but the rest of him looked like it’d gone ten rounds with a meat grinder and lost.
“Holy shit, Nate!” He almost smiled despite the blistering pain that held him in its teeth, savage and unyielding as a junkyard dog. Ali never cursed. Either it was written somewhere in her DNA or in that contract she’d signed after becoming a kindergarten teacher. “What happened to you?”
He shook his head because, honestly, it was all he could manage. If he so much as opened his mouth, he was afraid he’d scream like a girl.
“Nate!” She threw her arms around his neck. God, that felt right…and so, so wrong. “Tell me! Tell me what happened to you. Tell me what really happened to Grigg.” The last was breathed in his ear. A request. A heartrending plea.
“Y’know I can’t, Ali.” He could feel the salty hotness of her tears where she’d tucked her face into his neck. Smell, in the sweet humidity of her breath, the lemon tea she’d been drinking before he knocked on her parents’ door and told her the news that instantly blew her safe, sheltered world apart.
This was his greatest fantasy and worst nightmare all rolled into one. Ali, sweet, lovely Ali. She was here. Now. Pressed against his heart.
He reluctantly raised arms gone heavy with fatigue and sorrow. If Grigg could see him now, he’d take his favorite 1911-A1 and drill a .45 straight in his sorry ass. But the whole point of this Charlie Foxtrot was that Grigg wasn’t here. No one was here to offer Ali comfort but him. So he gathered her close—geez, her hair smelled good—and soothed her when the grief shuddered through her in violent, endless waves like the tide crashing to shore behind them.
And then she kissed him…
Hell on Wheels
On sale now!
Acknowledgments
A million thanks to my family for being a constant source of encouragement and support. These past two years have been a roller coaster, but you all stayed strapped in beside me, laughing with me during the highs and crying with me during the lows. I love you all to the moon and back again.
A shout-out to Amanda Carlson, sci-fi author extraordinaire. You’ve been a confidante, a shoulder to lean on, and a true and loyal friend. I couldn’t have written this book without our daily check-ins. You made this story possible.
Huge bear hugs to Dan and Mary Somers. Thanks for sticking with me through thick and thin. Your friendship means the world to me.
And last but not least, kudos to all the folks at Sourcebooks who work so hard to take the dirty lumps of coal that are my manuscripts and polish them up to make them shine like diamonds. I appreciate you more than words can convey.
About the Author
A New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Julie Ann Walker loves to travel the world looking for views to compete with her deadlines. And if those views happen to come with a blue sky and sunshine? All the better! When she’s not writing, Julie enjoys camping, hiking, cycling, fishing, cooking, petting every dog that walks by her, and…reading, of course!
Be sure to sign up for Julie’s occasional newsletter at julieannwalker.com.
To learn more about Julie, visit her at julieannwalker.com. Or follow her on Facebook at facebook.com/julieannwalkerauthor and Instagram @julieannwalker_author.
The Deep Six
Get ready to dive in! New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Ann Walker takes you to the fabulous Florida Keys, where finding a sunken treasure is only the beginning…
Hell or High Water
Former SEAL Leo Anderson and CIA agent Olivia Mortier race to recover uranium lost on the ocean floor before the attraction burning between them ignites…
Devil and the Deep
When socialite Maddy Powers is kidnapped, Bran Palladino will stop at nothing to rescue her and prove that they’re both stronger together.
Ride the Tide
Former SEAL Mason McCarthy is determined to avoid the fairer sex, but he can’t ignore historian Alexandra Merriweather…
“Hot men, hot action, and hot temperatures make for one hot romance!”
—BookPage for Hell or High Water
For more information, visit: www.sourcebooks.com
Black Knights Inc.
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Ann Walker brings the heat with elite ex-military operatives who will ignite all your hottest fantasies.
Hell on Wheels
He’s the bad boy Ali Morgan’s always wanted, but Nate “Ghost” Weller has been keeping a terrible secret…
In Rides Trouble
Daring and dauntless, Becky “Rebel” Reichert isn’t afraid of anything…except not knowing the heated touch of Frank Knight.
Rev It Up
Jake “The Snake” Sommers has spent most of his life as a soldier. Now his biggest mission is to win back the woman who stole his heart.
“Edgy, alpha, and downright HOT, the Black Knights Inc. will steal your breath…and your heart!”
—Catherine Mann, USA Today bestselling author, for Hell on Wheels
For more information, visit: www.sourcebooks.com
Also by Julie Ann Walker
Way of the Warrior (anthology)
The Deep Six
Hell or High Water
Devil and the Deep
Black Knights Inc.
Hell on Wheels
In Rides Trouble
Rev It Up
Thrill Ride