“And… What did he say?”
Why the big secret? She always tells me stuff. Why keep this from me?
She chews her lip a little, looking up at me with a guilty expression. “I’ll tell you later. I want to wrap my head around it a little more.”
Fine. If that’s how she’s going to be. I shrug, like I don’t give a fuck either way. I don’t really care what’s going on with Mason but I do care that she’s keeping secrets. I don’t like that at all.
To ease the tension that has seized my muscles, I look out over the green pastures, spotting Cade screaming at Hayes to pick up the gun. I’m on my feet in an instant.
“What’s he doing to Hayes?” I’m defensive. I don’t know much about Hayes but I do know he’s a good guy. I can’t imagine him doing anything to deserve being yelled at like Cade is now.
Anniston stands up beside me, shading her eyes to see where I’m looking. “Oh.”
“Oh?” I repeat. What the fuck isohfor an answer?
“He’s trying to get Hayes to overcome his fear of guns. He was a sniper in the Marines.”
That makes absolutely no sense. He’s scared, but he handled one for years? “Explain, please. That makes it sound like Hayes is a crazy.”
Anniston sighs, turning away from the guys. Is it hard for her to watch Cade scream at him, too? She sits, patting the spot next to her. “Has Hayes ever told you why he was homeless?”
I shake my head. We don’t talk about that shit. Usually, if I want to know something, I grill Cade until he breaks and tells me just to get me to shut up. I know Hayes was in the military and homeless. All Cade said was that he made a hard decision and now lives with the consequences. I didn’t care at the time, so I moved on.
“Hayes was the top sharpshooter in his class. He was whisked off to duty soon after he graduated high school. His older sister confided in him through letters that she was in an abusive relationship and didn’t know how to get out. Hayes went wild, went AWOL and returned home. He confronted the boyfriend and packed his sister’s stuff. When they went to leave, the guy grabbed Hayes’ sister, started choking her right there in front of him, saying the only way she was leaving was in a body bag. Hayes pulled his weapon. Told him to let her go and then…he shot. Killed him with a single shot to the head. The neighbors heard the gun go off and called the police.”
My head is swimming with this information. Hayes killed someone? That’s pretty fucking awesome. Go Hayes. If that were Ans, I would have popped his ass, too.
“He served ten years. He was eighteen years old.”
“So, he got out and had no home? Where’s the sister?”
Ans shakes her head. “I don’t know. He won’t say. Maybe he’s ashamed and doesn’t want to face her or something.” She shrugs, unsure. “But, he won’t touch a gun. He shakes and it’s almost like PTSD when he gets close to one. Cade’s been helping him at his request. Hayes wants to hold one again but it’s like his body physically recoils when he sees a gun. Some days, Cade tries being comforting and other days he’s his commanding officer. So far, neither work.”
I nod and stand, checking on them. Cade is still barking in his ear. After the story I just heard, I am in no mood to continue to watch this.
“I want to play Call of Duty again. I’m going to get Hayes. You don’t mind, right, Commander?”
She sees through my bullshit, knows I feel sorry for him. The question is, will she call me out on it?
She eyes me suspiciously. “I guess so. Tell Cade I said it’s okay.”
With a terse chin jerk, I head slowly down the steps. I don’t look back to see the stupid smile I bet she has plastered on her face. I did not just grow a fucking heart for these guys.
