Read Online BROKEN by Kimberley Reeves - Free Book Online Page B

make those .  S he understood it was because they often discussed the missions they’d been on , or the one that was coming up.   But he hadn’t done that the entire time he’d been here and there were only two conclusions she could draw from that.   Either he and Mitch had a falling out and weren’t speaking , or worse ; Mitch had been killed.   She prayed it was simply a disagreement between the brothers because she just couldn’t bear the thought of him not only losing Mitch, but trying to cope with it on his own.
    Feeling helpless and frustrated, Jessie seriously considered coming right out and demanding that he tell her.  No, she quickly dismissed the idea.   She couldn’t do it , no matter how much she wanted to know what was really going on with Kincaid , especially since she'd promised to be patient and wait until he was ready to confide in her.   Still, he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to do that , and in spite of how well they got along and how happy she was with the way their relationship seemed to be growing stronger, Jessie couldn’t help feeling it would never be quite right as long as he kept shutting her out.  
    As she stood there contemplating how to get him to open up, her eyes strayed to the closet.   A memory stirred, and before she knew it she was standing inside peering guiltily at his duffle bag.   The day she’d come into the bedroom and found him standing in the closet, Kincaid told her he was looking for the pocket watch his brother had given him.   She hadn’t given it much thought at the time because she’d been too concerned that he didn’t remember it was always kept in the top dresser drawer.   But now she was certain he had been putting something inside the bag and had to wonder if he’d only been trying to distract her by saying he was looking for the watch.  
    Casting a quick glance at the bedroom door, Jessie knelt down beside the bag and slowly pulled back on the zipper.   Empty .   With a disappointed sigh, she started to close   it back up again when something caught her eye.   Leaning closer, she could see the bottom lining of the bag seemed to be uneven , as if something was tucked beneath it.  
    She hesitated for several minutes before curiosity won over the rush of guilt.   Jessie carefully pried the corner up and reached beneath, pulling out a hard bound journal.   Her hands shook as she opened it up and started to read.   The first entry was dated three months before she and Kincaid   met.
    This journal was presented to me by my mother who says I internalize too much and insists it will be therapeutic to write down the things I can’t or won’t talk about.   So, where do I begin?   Do I start by admitting I’m a total mess, that the drawbacks of being a Special Ops agent are now battling the rewards?   I tell myself I can handle it, but it gets harder with each mission.  
    My men and I are damn good at what we do, but being the best doesn’t always mean we’re successful.   There are things that are simply out of our control, and that’s what eats at me.   Those missions that failed, the men who have lost their lives trying to save someone else, the innocent victims who paid the price because we couldn’t reach them in time .  
    Sometimes it feels like my head is going to explode because I can’t get the images out.   So I drink.   I t old Mitch and my parents that I discovered this quiet little island and that it helps me regroup to be off by myself.   But the truth is, I hide out in sleazy hotels and drink until the images disappear.  
    I drink until I can’t remember anything; day and night have no distinction.   Mitch tells me he loses himself in the first small town he comes to and that the peace and quiet heals him.   But I wonder…is he drinking too?
    Jessie blinked back the tears.   God, he sounded so lost, so lonely.   She’d had no idea about the drinking binges.   Kincaid never had anything stronger than an