Proof Of Life: An MM Hurt Comfort Romance (Scars And Stripes Trilogy Book 1) by Raquel Riley

Author:Raquel Riley [Riley, Raquel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-03-21T00:00:00+00:00

The heat and smoke coming off the grill smells like charred meat and it’s making my mouth water. I grab two beers out of the cooler and pop the tops off, handing one to West.

“Let’s have a toast while we wait for the guys to show.” He accepts it and taps it against my bottle. “Here’s to hoping this barbecue goes a lot smoother than the visit with my mother did.”

West scoffs, a sarcastic little fragment of a laugh. He's remembering the disastrous luncheon, where my mother definitely broke down in tears over his leg and his future, and then worked herself into a near panic attack over the state of my body and future. I can’t even tally how much I owe him for that, for sticking by my side, and treating my mother with kindness.

An hour later, the deck is packed with old friends and some new ones. Anytime guys from base get together, they’re always going to drag along stragglers, anyone who was left behind without plans, and they’re always welcome. And then you have the Base Bunnies, or Tag Chasers, the guys' temporary girlfriends. West sits in the corner with his head down, trying to avoid making conversation. I’ve overheard him dodge a few questions already, and the more alcohol these guys consume, the looser their tongues become.

Adrian Milieu, a guy from my old barracks, sits down next to West. I’ve got my eyes on them, listening in on the conversation as I flip burgers.

“What’s that?” Adrian asks.

West is flipping a coin. He catches it and traces the eagle with his fingertips. “Challenge coin.”

They’re a dime a dozen. We earn challenge coins for all kinds of things—advancement in rank, completing challenges, and meeting goals. I squint, trying to make out which one he’s holding. Fuck, he must have pulled that from his wallet. It belonged to Micah.

“What’s it stand for, freedom?” I don’t know if Adrian is trying to be clever, or if he’s just drunk, but he’s pissing me off because he’s pissing West off.

“Freedom,” West scoffs, like the notion is absurd. “Fuck freedom. We’re only free to an extent. It could be taken from us at any time. It stands for brotherhood.” West stares Adrian down with a look so cold it could ice his beer. “Brotherhood means more to me than freedom. Brotherhood could make me cross an ocean, crawl through a desert, or fight in a war I don’t believe in.” His icy gaze tracks me and locks on. “Brotherhood is what makes me choose life every day when I would rather not. It's a powerful motivator.” He returns his gaze to Adrian. “And it’s something that can never be taken from me.”

Another tweedle-dumb must have overheard because he chooses an excellent conversation starter. “Yo, the eighty-second is getting deployed. It’s just a matter of days before we get our orders.”

Enough is enough. I tap the metal spatula against the side of the grill to get everyone’s attention. “Hey, everybody listen up. We’ve got two rules here if you want to stay.

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