The Power of Love (3 page)

Nine months without Luke had seemed like a prospect made in hell on this, they hoped, his last deployment, but court martials could lead to jail.

Worse still,
prison
.

Dear God.

Years without him. Without his love. Without his presence at her side.

Pressing her back against the wall, she wished like hell they could restart the day, or at least, fast-forward until the moment Luke was coming home. Whatever the consequences of his return, she’d deal with it because it meant he was here, rather than in some godforsaken part of the world.

It had been six months since he’d left. Since Josh and he had married. Six long months without him, and that would be nothing if she lost him because of a court martial.

This entire situation was messed up, had been from the start. Firstly, Luke had withheld news of the deployment from them all. He’d been so certain this deployment was going to be different from all his others, that he was flying into something that was way over his head…and apparently, his instincts had been dead right. Secondly, it was a covert op. Covert enough that every inch of it was secret. He’d told them it was Iraq, but he might have been lying about that too. The shit had been hitting the fan in Libya of late—maybe he was there. Ducking for cover as the local militia fought off the ISIS invasion.

It was torture. Knowing, not knowing. He hadn’t been in touch for the last six weeks. They’d managed a quick four minutes over an IM line, but that was it, and then, this morning, there’d come the call from Charles, then a knock at the door. Josh had hurried down the stairs and returned looking like death warmed up. His fury was a physical entity, and she’d seen him mad, but never like this.

Even now, as she stayed here, letting the wall support her, keep her upright, she could hear the sounds of his rage as he kept on tearing into his office.

For him to be this furious, she knew it was bad. It was confirmation that this was worse than what he’d said. And what he’d said hadn’t exactly been promising.

Tears leaked from her eyes as she thought of the trouble Luke could be in.

He’d never have done anything to jeopardize his getting back home. They were here, waiting for him—he would never have done anything to ruin it.

She had to believe that the man she knew and respected would shine through.

She had to have faith in him.

Her chin trembled at the thought. Faith was one thing, but it wouldn’t help if they were up against the United States Armed Forces.

“Oh God, Luke, what the hell have you done?” she whispered, and when no answer was forthcoming, the tears fell harder and she wept.

Chapter Two

Four weeks later

“He’s here!” Lexi cried from the family room. She’d been glued to the window seat for the last four hours, waiting for her papa to come home.

Hell, if Lexi hadn’t been stuck to the window, she would have been. Gia needed to see him.

Desperately.

Ever since this nightmare had started, it had been incredibly difficult being away from Luke. More than ever, she’d needed him, had needed to talk to him, to ask him what was truth and what was lie.

Not that she needed to wonder what the lies were.

There was no way in hell he’d done what they said he had.

She refused to believe it.

That was not Luke. He was
not
a rapist.

Luke was in the army to bring peace, not war. Bizarre as it was, he was a pacifist. A bringer of love and that was what had drawn him to her. Like a moth to a damn flame. She had to have faith in that. It didn’t matter what the witnesses said or the so-called proof that had been spouted around: it was bullshit. She knew it, Josh knew it, and the rest of the world should have known it too. Unfortunately, it was the latter that counted. It was the latter that could send Luke to jail for a crime he hadn’t committed.

At the sound of an engine crunching to a halt and wheels spinning against their loose gravel drive, Gia hurried from the kitchen, her feet slipping on the floorboards as she ran. Ever since she’d learned he was coming home, she’d been obsessed with getting the house clean. That meant some parts were so “hygienic” they were a fire hazard.

Nearly slamming into the front door thanks to the overwaxed floor, she yanked it open, then pulled a pirouette when Lexi slammed out of nowhere and rushed out into the yard to meet her daddy.

The army Jeep sat there, engine vibrating, small curlicues of heat blurring the lines of the hood as Luke tried to get out of the vehicle.

She stood there, staring at him, so goddamn grateful he was alive that for a second, she watched. Absorbing the fact he was here; on the same continent, in the same city, on the same land. Lexi was equally transfixed. She gawked, her little frame quivering with the need to go to her father, but he was so stiff, Lexi registered how much pain he was in too.

Alighting from the car looked like a task in torture in itself. “Luke,” she gasped out, hurting for him.

His head turned so quickly it could have given him whiplash. Spying the bruises in every shade of the rainbow, and the cuts and tears on his face when she finally caught a glimpse of him, made the muscles in her belly clench. She ran forward, forgetting to take care in her haste to be close. She collided into him, wrapping him so tightly in her embrace that he gritted out, “Relax, baby, you’re hurting me.”

She stopped squeezing him and peered up at him as a little body clashed into theirs. “Papa!”

He groaned again, and she knew Lexi was hurting him too. Considering their little girl could only just pick up a gallon of milk without dropping it, the chances of her hurting her daddy were close to nil. That meant the bruises went deep.

Foot deep.
Fist
deep.

He’d been beaten. Recently, too. Though he was injured from a bomb blast, that had been over a month ago. Some bastards had laid into him and caused these extra injuries. She’d seen wounds from a beating far too often to be mistaken. The memories were painful, buried in the past, but they were as fresh as though they’d happened yesterday.

She pulled away from him, half turning to let Lexi stand between them, and rested a hand on their daughter’s shoulder, murmuring, “Let go, darling, we’re hurting Papa.”

Lexi pouted but did as she was told, and as she pulled away, she looked up at him and bit her lip. Her attention was on Luke, but her question was aimed at Gia. “What’s wrong with Papa’s face?”

That was as polite as a five-year-old could get.

He’d been assaulted, that was obvious. But it wasn’t like she could tell her baby girl that.

“He’s just arrived home, Lexi. From the Middle East. Remember we talked about that in geography?”

Lexi nodded, her sage eyes widening. The Middle East featured prominently in their classes. Gia supposed it was only natural for her to be curious as to where her father had gone and why. It had been damn hard watering world events down to make them understandable and palatable for such a young if wise child though.

“Are you okay, Papa?” she asked, her joy in his arrival fading as reality resurfaced and Lexi started to equate the bruises with pain.

“It’s good to be home,” he half whispered, totally avoiding her question. “How are my girls?”

Her cheeky grin peeped out, revealing two dimples that rivaled the sun with their brightness. “I like being at home too, Papa. It’s school now as well, and Mommy is a great teacher. I keep getting As on the tests she makes me take.”

His eyes were misty as he looked down at their baby. With a tender hand, he passed it over her hair, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. “That’s good to hear, darling. You’ve been good for Daddy and Mommy since I’ve been gone?”

“Yep. I’ve done all my schoolwork, and if I get my homework done, then I can read. And I don’t have to go in the playground.” She shuddered. “It was dirty there.”

Gia burrowed her face into Luke’s chest. “I’ve given her OCD,” she whispered into his shirt, expecting a huff of laughter or a teasing retort.

Only it triggered nothing.
Nada.

The crisp cotton of his button-down rubbed against her nose. He smelled of detergent, soap, antiseptic, and Luke. It was the latter that she wanted to pull in more than oxygen, but it was telling that he wasn’t wearing BDUs but civvy clothes.

He was no longer a soldier, so that made sense, still… It was odd and not in a good way. After all these years of seeing him in fatigues, occasionally in his spare time too, it was strange to see him wearing something normal during the day.

Like he was on a time delay and maybe he was. Only God knew where his head was, and who could blame him. Luke finally reacted: he snorted. “If anyone gave her OCD, it’s Josh.”

“Yeah, we’ll blame him,” she mumbled around a laugh. Gia took a deep breath, once more sucking in the delicious essence that was her man. “God, I’ve missed you. I’ve missed you so damn badly. It’s been hell without you.”

“I’m home now,” he murmured huskily. When he lifted a hand to cup the back of her neck, he groaned in pain, but sucked it up to continue, “Everything’s going to be okay.”

She looked up at him. Eyed the lines of strain about his mouth, the pinched cheeks, and the new frown lines dissecting his brow. Everything didn’t
look
like it was going to be okay. Regardless, she had to ask, “You promise?”

Gia didn’t want to be needy, she didn’t want to pester him for reassurance, but at that moment, she felt like Lexi. An ingenue in a crazy, fool’s world. Luke and Josh had protected her so much from their careers that she had little to no idea what they actually did. Now, she felt out in the dark and out in the cold when those careers were playing such pivotal roles in her world.

Now she thought about it, it was pathetic that she didn’t know more about what they did. How could a woman who had been their partner for close to six years not know at least some of the ins and outs of their careers? The only thing she could use to excuse herself was the fact her guys weren’t regular lance corporals. They were high up in the ranks, officers. Luke was, or
had been
, a lieutenant colonel, and Josh was a brigadier general.

They probably made them sign the Official Secrets Act to use the bathroom, so keeping the woman they considered their wife in the know wasn’t exactly on the list of priorities.

She looked at him beseechingly. Silently asking him for a promise she knew he couldn’t keep. It was rotten of her, but she’d take the half-truth today. She needed that reassurance. With everything around her up in the air, she needed this man to be what he’d always been: her rock.

“As far as I’m able, I promise. I’m lucky they didn’t court-martial me.” His smile was bitter. If anything, it told a tale of its own, but she ignored it for the moment, as relieved by his words as she’d been the first time she’d heard that particular piece of news. No court-martial meant no jail. Which meant nothing and no one could take him away from her.

She said as much. “At least you’re home. That’s where you need to be.”

Luke gritted his jaw. “I’m glad I’m here, but this is…” He swallowed, for the first time broadcasting his emotions: rage, fury, and at their base, disillusionment. “They didn’t want it getting into the press. Plus, someone somewhere must have pulled some strings.”

“I’m so sorry, baby. It’s terrible what they’ve done to you.” His pain triggered her own, and her voice was loaded with the sorrow she felt for him.

He stared at her a second, and as the sun glared into his eyes, she saw small pricks of moisture gathering there. When she realized it wasn’t a trick of the light, the fact he was crying broke her damn fool heart. She wished like hell she could hold him to her, squeeze him tightly until neither knew where one started and the other ended. Only, his injuries wouldn’t allow for that and holding back was one of the hardest things she’d ever had to do.

“You believe I didn’t do it?”

She jolted at that, jerking back to throw the full force of her glower at him. “I can’t believe you thought I wouldn’t.”

His chin rocked upward. “What about the brigadier general? Does he? I notice he’s not here.”

Gia’s mouth worked for a second as she tried to decide on what to say. She had to be careful because though she
knew
Josh believed in Luke, his absence was telling. And it wasn’t like she had any news, good or bad, to impart; all she knew was Josh kept disappearing to work from the base. His hours were heavier than usual, but as Josh shared little with her, she couldn’t ease Luke’s hurt.

She stuck with the truth as she knew it. “Josh is…well, he’s been at the base a lot since we got the news. He’s hardly here.”

“Didn’t he know I was coming home today?” His eyes narrowed, the green irises shot amber splinters at her. “Don’t bother answering. Of course, he knew.”

“I think he does.” She fumbled with her words. “B-but he wasn’t here when I woke up.”

“I guess that says it all.”

“No. It doesn’t. It says he’s angry at the way you’ve been treated, not that he doesn’t believe in you.”

“It’s a pretty generous indication.” He sucked in a breath, obviously seeking calm, then murmured, “I need to get in the house. I can’t stand too long. And the Jeep needs to go back to the base.” He turned to the driver. “Thanks for doing this, Steven.”

A man she hadn’t seen before shook his head. “No need to thank me, sir. We all know you didn’t do it.”

Luke’s smile was still bitter, but he saluted, and that salute was reciprocated.

Her heart twisted when she realized that was probably the last salute he’d make in his career.

“Your luggage is by the door. You didn’t see me get it out.” The stranger smiled, and its genuineness warmed Gia. Luke needed all the friends he could get with a rape charge being bandied around the way it was. “We’re all rooting for you, sir. Don’t be surprised if the whole battalion is at the appeal.”

“You’re fighting the dismissal?” Gia squeaked out the question. Goddammit, no one told her
anything
.

Luke sighed, but said, “Get back to the base, Steven. No need for you to get in trouble for doing me a favor. I’ll see you around.”