Devastate Me novel Chapter 2

"Come on, boy." Colt led the shepherd into the center, and they were immediately surrounded by men and women, nearly all of them recovering from injuries, both physical and mental.

One man missing an arm from the elbow down had a big goofy grin on his face as he knelt to rub the dog's head. "Hey there, Noah. You're a good boy, aren't you?"

Colt gave the man a nod. "Hey, Charlie. How's the arm?"

"Wouldn't know. It's still somewhere in Afghanistan." Charlie laughed. "But seriously, the phantom pain is lessening now."

Colt looked at the other men and women who were crowded around the room. Each and every one had something they had sacrificed for their country. For some, the cost was physical. For others, it was mental. Colt had his share of scars like all the rest, but he'd suffered more emotionally in the end. While Colt didn't have night terrors or ever worry about hurting anyone near him, he had enough bad memories and nightmares to last him a lifetime. Yet at the same time, he knew he was luckier than the men and women here.

Colt unclipped Noah's leash and stood back, letting the therapy dog do his thing. Noah walked respectfully up to each veteran he encountered, sniffing their hands and letting the people pet him. There was a quiet nobility to the dog, as though he knew just how much his gentle, healing presence meant to the bruised and battered souls here. It made Colt proud to be Noah's owner. Not that he viewed Noah as property. They were a two-member unit. A family.

"Hey, Colt." Nancy, a former army sergeant, came over to him. These days, she helped run the VA center and took care of everyone like a mother hen. She offered a smile that made Colt relax. She was beautiful, with dark skin, rich brown eyes, and a head of tight black curls that reflected her natural excitement for life by the way they bounced on her shoulders.

"Hey, Nance, how's things?"

"Not bad." Nancy chuckled as Noah licked an older veteran's face enthusiastically. Then she turned back to Colt. "I heard from Dean."

Colt's entire body went rigid with fury.

"He was asking about you," Nancy continued carefully. "Wanting to know how often you came to the center."

"Wish I could say I give a fuck," Colt growled.

"Colt, I know what happened between you. I know it was bad, but you can choose to let it go, you know."

"When a man comes home from war, he doesn't expect to find his fiancée in bed with his best friend."

Colt wished more than anything that he could erase that memory. He'd come home from the naval base, exhausted, still recovering from a knife wound he'd gotten three weeks before. He'd dropped his bags on the floor and headed into the bedroom, only to find Talia with Dean, his best friend and fellow Navy SEAL. And they weren't talking over a cup of coffee while waiting for him.