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Chapter 1

Kelly stood at Zane’s side behind a barrier at the bus depot of Cah to read hiet past his own butterflies to analyze his companion’s state of mind

It had been six way to their plane Six long, lonelyZane had woken everyto hear horrible news about the men he considered friends, and not a day had passed that Ty hadn’t been on his mind

The call Zane had lived in fear of receiving had never cole satellite call fro hi hojust weeks before Christmas, the best present Zane could have asked for

Kelly had admitted to much the same type of existence as they’d driven there frole to keep hisbesides the fact that he wasn’t there to help protect them

“You nervous?’ Zane asked him

Kelly took a deep breath, nodding “I’ve never been on this side of it”

“Is it any easier on the other side?”

Kelly glanced up at Zane, shrugging “Not really You sit there with all your buddies, men who’ve been your world for months, years You think about the people at home, wonder if they’ve h everything that could have changed, and the nerves start building Even the s can hit you like a hauys break down and cry because their wives got a haircut”

“That why you made me shave?”

Kelly grinned and nodded as the first buses began to pull in Nerves skittered through Zane as tired Marines in ruan to trickle into the tented areas where faan to tremble “God,” he said under his breath

“The first ship holds seventeen hundred ht be here awhile,” Kelly warned

And they were An hour and a half later, they were still standing behind the roped-off area, witnessing reunions, waiting Zane atching a man eet his attention Zane scanned the crowd alht of

He only saw one familiar face, and it wasn’t the one he was desperate to lay eyes on “I thought they’d be out together,” Zane one He’d bolted and hopped the barrier, taking off at a dead sprint through the celebratory crowd

Zane laughed as Kelly cut a swath toward the unsuspecting Marine Nick was striding through the crowd of young sailors and Marines, nodding as they saluted hi and lean in his uniform, hair shorn close and face clean shaven He hadin photos, and he walked with a change in his gait, like hea limp

Zane hustled after Kelly, but he couldn’t keep up People parted for Kelly, sliding out of his way like they kneasn’t going to let them slow hi hugs, hopped around a few children too tiny to get out of the way It was probably those erratic movements that caused Nick to spot him in the crowd