That might be true, but as a kid, it had pissed him off to know his brother was the reason his mom cried in her room some nights and why their poor dad was at a loss for what to do to help her or their youngest son.
Hawk had tried talking to Daniel, told him how much he was hurting their parents. He’d mistakenly thought he could reason with him. Instead, his brother—who had been taller than him by that time—told him to mind his own fucking business, then swung on him. He’d ducked, Daniel came at him again, and Hawk defended himself, knocking his brother on his ass in front of his stoner friends.
Their relationship was never the same after that.
“One weekend, our parents were away and I was up in the mountains with my grandfather.” Hawk had been miles away, tracking a massive black bear, when his brother made the stupidest decision of his life. “Daniel found where my dad hid his truck keys and drove it to some party at an abandoned warehouse.” The keys were hidden because he’d taken the truck once before without permission. “Around five the next morning, the sun had barely broken the horizon, and Daniel was rushing to get home. Our parents were due back, and he knew he’d be in deep shit if they found out he took the truck. The fog was super thick that morning. He was speeding and totally missed a turn. He overcorrected. The truck went airborne and ended up wrapped around a tree.” His dad’s truck was older and wasn’t equipped with safety features like airbags or even crossbody seat belts. “Daniel was thrown through the windshield and ended up face-down in the river.”
She sucked in a breath, and her hand went to her mouth.
“My grandfather and I were actually heading home when a couple of emergency vehicles blew past us.” Their sirens sliced through the cool, early morning air, and their flashing red lights faded into the foggy mist as they sped away. “A few minutes later, we came upon the accident, and both of us immediately recognized the truck. We jumped out and ran past the fire truck and the ambulance. My grandfather threatened to knock out one of the firemen who tried to stop him. He’d have done it, too.”
Their boots slid in the mud when they skidded to a stop at the sight before them.
Hawk’s heart sank and his world permanently shifted when he recognized the buffalo tattoo on his brother’s arm.
“Daniel was face-down in the cold water.” His brother’s right arm and left leg were in unnatural positions, and his long, dark hair had been captured by the river’s current and floated and swirled around his head like snakes.
“Oh, Hawk.” She spread her hand across the center of his chest, directly over his heart.
Her touch soothed him and made it easier to continue.
“The autopsy found cocaine, alcohol, and meth in Daniel’s system.” Old regrets reared their ugly head. “I should’ve paid more attention to what was happening with him.”
As a result, his only brother and childhood best friend was gone. Stolen from them by a dangerous cocktail that had killed so many others before him.
“You need to give yourself a break.” Charlotte sat up and framed his face with her hands. “You were just a kid yourself, Hawk.”
“My mother cried every night for months, and my poor dad was battling his own grief and had no idea how to console her.” He’d taken on more jobs and spent a lot of time in his workshop. “I was so angry—at Daniel, the guy who sold him the drugs, at myself because I couldn’t help him.”
“Please tell me they found the people who sold him the drugs and alcohol.” Charlotte’s voice held a tinge of anger.
“They never figured out where he got the alcohol, but they did find the guy who provided the drugs at the party. He was eventually busted and sent to prison for trying to sell meth to an undercover cop.” Hawk, his grandfather, and his parents were all in the courtroom the day he was sentenced. “He’ll be in prison for a long time.”
“Prison is too good for people like that.” Her brows drew together.
He reached up and smoothed his thumb over her forehead.
“By the end of my senior year, I felt trapped and needed … something. Then one day I was walking up to my buddy’s sporting goods store to pick up a compound bow I’d ordered. There happened to be a Marine Corps recruiting office next door, and there was this tall guy inside, standing at the front window. His back was ramrod-straight, and he looked so sharp and squared away in his uniform. There was something about the way he was scoping out the parking lot—his alert readiness—that clicked something in my brain.” They’d made eye contact. He gave Hawk one of those quick dips of the chin that guys give each other, then returned his attention to scanning the parking lot. “So instead of heading into my buddy’s shop, I walked over to the recruiting office, went inside, and introduced myself. I spent a couple of hours listening and asking questions—so many questions—then he convinced me to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery.”
Hawk ended up getting the highest score possible—ninety-nine—and the recruiter’s eyes lit up. He said as long as Hawk could pass the medical exam at MEPS, the medical entrance processing station, and the IST, initial strength test, he could choose pretty much any career path he wanted.
“The decision to join had been an easy one.” Hawk wanted to use all of his years of tracking experience as a Marine forward scout. “I signed some paperwork, and two weeks later, I was on a bus, headed to Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California.”
“Oh, wow, that was fast.” Charlotte’s eyes widened. “How did your parents react?”
“They were surprised.” To say the least. “Up to that point, the plan had been for me to go to college to become an engineer and work with my dad at his firm.” Their reaction had been a mixture of understanding and sadness that he would be leaving home. Mostly, they’d been concerned for his safety. “I explained to them that I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself, to make a positive impact. The Marine Corps could give me that while allowing me to use my tracking skills. They understood it was something I needed to do.”
He was sure the prospect of losing their only remaining child must have been at the forefront of their thoughts, yet they told him they were proud of him, then his father clapped him on the back and pulled him into a powerful hug. He released him only long enough for his mom to join them.
“To have lost one child, face the very real possibility of losing another, and yet they still supported you.” Tears welled in Charlotte’s eyes. “They sound like truly incredible people, and I’d love to meet them someday.”
“They are, and you definitely will.” He thought back to his vision of them together. Was it possible that could become reality?
“Thank you for telling me about Daniel.” She blinked, and a tear streamed down her cheek.
“You’re so sweet.” He caught the tear with his thumb.
They leaned toward each other, their mouths met in the middle, and passion ignited between them like a flame to dry grass.