Chapter 1

ONE

REMOTE VILLAGE IN THE HINDU KUSH MOUNTAINS OF AFGHANISTAN,

NEAR THE TAJIKISTAN BORDER

THURSDAY, 4:00 A.M.

"Time's up. Hostile vehicles spotted. Approaching in less than five minutes."

Caleb Styles nodded to his fellow Army cyber intelligence analyst, Lazlo Thomas, without taking his eyes from the screen in front of him. "And…done. I just uploaded the last software patch. Time to get out of here." He powered off his laptop, shoved it in his backpack, and followed Laz out of the makeshift tent that served as a command center for the Army outpost.

Not that he could miss the man's dark curly hair with a length that tested the boundaries of Army standards. Caleb preferred his dark-brown hair trimmed with military precision, never knowing when he'd be called into the field on trips such as this.

"Slow down a bit, would you?" Caleb caught up and matched Laz's warp-speed pace. Dirt swirled around his feet, the moonlight illuminating the path through the camp. He matched two steps to every one of Laz's long strides. Despite Caleb's six-foot fit and toned frame, Laz had a good four inches on him.

They walked past four other identical brown temporary structures used to house a contingent of soldiers and supplies. Men hustled, preparing to help defend the nearby villages from the impending Taliban forces.

"Sorry, I'm not slowing down until there's plenty of space between us and the Taliban."

"Yeah, I'd like to get out of here before the fighting erupts." Even though they'd both made it out of basic training alive, Caleb spent most of his days behind a computer screen, keeping cyberterrorists from taking down the Army's system. It meant being in the field on special assignments on occasion to make sure communications hadn't been compromised.

Laz slowed to a normal pace. "I can only imagine the kinds of torture devices the enemy would use on intelligence analysts if we got caught here."

Caleb glanced at his friend through glasses fogged from the sweat dripping from his brow. Despite being shielded by mountain ranges on both sides, in the valley, sweltering temperatures ruled the day and night. Even in October.

"Don't worry," Caleb said. "I'll do everything in my power to get you back to base so you can ship out. I know you've got a girlfriend back home. Ready to propose yet?"

Laz's pearly whites lit up under the moonlight at the mention of his girlfriend. What would it be like to have someone waiting for him back home? The trajectory of Caleb's life didn't include a wife and kids. However, one glance at Laz's face, and for a second Caleb reconsidered.

But he'd never been able to risk his heart for a chance at happiness.

"You know," Laz said in a singsongy cadence, "I heard the Rangers have made a special trip to pick us up. And do you know who made it out of Ranger School in one piece?"

Oh, he knew all too well.

Juliette Montgomery.

Caleb would have elbowed Laz in the ribs if the man hadn't been moving at the speed of a cheetah. "You just had to go there. Juliette and I will always be friends. There are lots of Rangers in the area. I'm sure she's?—"

"Caleb?"

His heartbeat ticked up at the sound of his name from the voice he knew instantly. He slowed and turned.

"Jules." His basic training days came flooding back to him. They'd partnered up on many assignments, partly because most men didn't want to be on duty with a woman. But the other part of him had volunteered because he'd enjoyed spending time with her.

Juliette stood with three other men, dressed in fatigues. Despite her petite five-foot-three stature and shoulder-length dark-blonde hair, she looked every bit the part of a warrior.

Her golden-brown eyes twinkled in the moonlight for a fraction of a second before going into soldier mode. "No time to catch up. We've got to move." She motioned to one of the three vehicles, and just like that, they were a team again, as if no time had passed since they'd last been together.

Caleb and Laz helped hoist supplies, duffel bags, and weapons into the trunks of the vehicles, as four aid workers were also being evacuated because of the expected danger.

Once loaded, Laz, Caleb, and Juliette took the middle of the three-car caravan. Laz took the front passenger seat, leaving Juliette and Caleb in the back seat.

"Buckle up," Juliette said. "Our driver is Sergeant Hank Williams, better known as Hank the Tank. He's got a lead foot. That's why we're in the second car. To slow him down." The bucket car seat looked like a child's dollhouse chair when Tank's muscular frame slid under the steering wheel.

"Better watch it, Hazard Pay ," the driver said, adjusting his mirror to smirk at Juliette.

"They still call you that?" Caleb tried to stifle a laugh but it came out as a snort. Laz joined in. "At least some things never change."

Juliette folded her arms. "One crazy stunt in basic training and I'm branded for life."

"That one stunt solidified your career as a soldier," Caleb said. "Four armed men had you trapped. It was game over. That would have sent most men packing."

Caleb had cleared the path for her but couldn't get to her in time. He hadn't expected Juliette to rush into enemy lines like a bullet shot from a gun.

Laz laughed. "I watched you take down those guys headfirst. The look on their faces was priceless. No one saw that maneuver coming."

Caleb remembered the day with perfect recall, thanks to his eidetic memory. "To this day, soldiers still refer to that as the Kobayashi Maru. You know, where Juliette changed all the rules to get herself out of a jam."

Juliette groaned. "You and your Star Wars references."

" Star Trek . When are you going to get that right? Captain Kirk changed the rules of the test?—"

Juliette and Laz burst into laughter. "Some things don't change," Juliette said. "You still drone on and on about sciencey techy stuff that most of us can't comprehend."

"We all learned our lesson after that stunt." Laz turned his neck to look in the back seat. "Never underestimate Juliette Montgomery."

Caleb glanced at her. They always fell back into that comfortable rhythm as if no time had passed. "Jules can hold her own, that's for sure."

Tank chuckled and turned to look at Caleb. "Well, that and no one calls her Jules ."

Heat crept up Caleb's neck. Had he overstepped? She'd worked and fought her way through Ranger School, a feat very few women accomplished. Maybe she had changed.

"I'll allow it, Tank," Juliette said. "We go way back. And Caleb has pulled me out of trouble too many times to count. He's earned the right to call me Jules ." She caught Tank's eyes in the rearview mirror. "But you two better not try it."

"Never." Laz saluted her and watched out the windshield. Tank put the car in gear and hit the gas to follow the lead car.

Caleb longed to take a deep breath that didn't consist of dirt and diesel, but this was just the start of their journey to the Tajikistan border. While not far, their destination meant crossing through the mountain pass on roads that barely qualified as safe for a bicycle, let alone a three-vehicle caravan filled with people and supplies.

"So, what brings you all the way out here?" Caleb shifted in the cramped back seat so he could talk to Juliette over the grinding of tires against the earth and rocks below. "Since when are Rangers doing extractions?"

She nodded. "We happened to be in the area on another assignment when we got word that the fighting had shifted and were called in to help with the evacuation. But I could ask the same of you. Even though I'm sure you can't tell me about it, given your super secret clearance level."

"Looks like both of us are doing what we love. Congrats on making it through Ranger School."

She smiled. "I had plenty of practice with all those overnight duties we pulled in basic. I mean, we had some good times on patrol. Hanging out and dreaming of our futures while patrolling the camp—it wasn't all work."

His dreams had always included her. Maybe one day he'd have the courage to tell her.

A bump threatened to send him airborne except the seat belt locked him in place. He grabbed the steel handlebar on the side of the Humvee to steady himself. They climbed higher up the mountain.

"How is your niece?" Juliette asked. "Ivy, right?"

"Ivy's a handful—super smart. I went home last month to see my sister. Tessa will need to stay on top of things with that girl. Already skipping grades."

The sunrise backlit the mountains, changing their dark shadows to splashes of light and color. A bright spot in an otherwise dreary brown, never-changing setting.

Kind of like being in the presence of Juliette. She added a hint of adventure and mischief to his usually quiet and introverted life. Most of his time was spent in front of a screen, not jumping out of planes on dangerous missions like Juliette.

"Whoa, hang on folks." Tank's booming voice rose above the rush of wind outside the Humvee. The car in front slammed on the brakes, and Tank skidded their vehicle close to the edge of the road.

Caleb looked out Juliette's window and stared at the murky blackness below them. The space between them and the edge of a cliff shrank to a few feet. Juliette morphed into warrior mode, her hand reaching for the M16 perched in a rack behind them. "Why did we stop, Tank?" Her eyes flickered between the side window and the front seat.

"Looks like something in the road. I don't have a good feeling about this." Tank also reached for his gun, and Caleb rested his hand on the butt of his sidearm.

The whistle of the rocket-propelled grenade hit Caleb's ears before the blinding light of the explosion lit the darkness. The car in front of them burst into a fireball, sending shrapnel flying into their car.

A chunk of Humvee door hit the front of their vehicle with enough force to knock them closer to the ledge. Tank stomped on the brakes, but the car spun. The front of their vehicle teetered on the edge of the cliff and then took a nosedive.

Metal creaked and Juliette screamed. The vehicle skidded down the side of the mountain. The seat belt dug into Caleb's shoulder, but it was the only thing keeping him from hitting his head on the roof.

Boom.

The car collided with…something. What was it? Dust poured into the cabin, so thick Caleb couldn't see inside or out. Someone coughed. He reached out his hand to feel around the back seat and connected with Juliette's hand. She squeezed back.

"Nobody move," Caleb said. "We must have hit a tree or rock that broke our fall." At least they were upright, but his side of the car had taken the brunt of the crash. He tried the door but it wouldn't budge.

He needed to make sure everyone survived. "Everyone okay? Call out."

"I'm alive," Juliette replied.

A grunt sounded from the front seat. "I—I'm alive but hurt." The voice was Laz. "I'm pinned under the dashboard and can't move my leg."

Tank didn't reply. The smell of diesel burned Caleb's nostrils, and the vehicle let out a slow groan. They needed to move. Now.

A seat belt unbuckled. "I'm going to go out the door and get Tank and Laz out. You get ready to jump out when I have them."

"Jules, no. If you move, we might fall. It's not safe." If a rock was blocking their fall, it might not hold them for long. "We're not done falling."

Caleb's gut clenched at the sound of the opening door.

"I have to get them out. I'm the lightest in the car. We have to try."

From Caleb's vantage point, he saw nothing but the sun rising outside the front windshield. Out the window, he saw the outline of the boulder that had slowed their descent down the mountain. The boulder was the fulcrum and their car the seesaw. "Be careful, Jules. We're still in danger of dropping some more."

Once the dust settled, he could see the front seat. Tank wasn't moving, and a streak of blood trickled from his forehead down his cheek. The door scraped.

"I'm out," Juliette called back. "We crashed into a rock, but it kept us from going over the side of the mountain. It's steep."

More daylight lit the sky, and Caleb watched Juliette hold on to the vehicle for support while she made her way to the front.

She reached through the glassless window of the driver's side door. "I can't find a pulse. I'm heading around to Laz. We've got to get them both out of here?—"

Rocks and pebbles tumbled down the side of the mountain, causing the Humvee to shift. Juliette lost her footing and slipped out of his sight with a yelp.

Smoke filled the cabin. Caleb crawled through the back seat and went out Juliette's open door.

"Please, Lord, let this rock hold us," he whispered.

He maneuvered his way to the edge of the rock.

"Jules!"

"I—I'm stuck." He followed the sound of her voice and saw her clinging to a tree branch. Her speech slurred and a gash on her forehead seeped blood.

A pop sounded from behind him, and he turned to see black smoke pouring from the engine. Not a good sign. The car might explode.

He had to save both Laz and Juliette.

"Laz, you have to get out."

"Can't move, bro. Save Juliette. Get her out of here. I'll be all right. I'm sure help is on the way."

His lie cut to Caleb's core.

One of his two friends could die here tonight.

Caleb sent up a prayer and committed to his choice.

He lowered himself off the rock and down toward Juliette's position. The tree branch was her lifeline, and that head wound was still bleeding. He grabbed her arm just as she let go, and strained to lift her. When he got her into his arms, he said, "Wake up, Jules. I'm never going to leave you behind."

* * *

A bright light blinded Juliette. A lightning bolt of pain sliced through her even as a voice pulled her out of her slumber. She cracked her eyelids open and flinched.

"Juliette, you're awake," an unfamiliar voice said.

"Where—" She cleared her throat. "Where am I?" Her mouth tasted like she'd swallowed a gallon of sand.

"Don't try to talk," the man said. "I'm Doctor Sharipova. You're in the hospital in Tajikistan. You've been in a coma for two days after you hit your head when you slid down that mountain."

A steady beep brought some clarity to her thoughts.

The mountain. Caleb. Laz and Tank.

Why was she always the first to rush into danger? And she'd been the one to need a rescue. If only she'd gotten Laz and Tank out of the car.

Instead, she'd fallen.

"Juliette? How do you feel?"

"Tired" was the only word she managed to push out of her burning throat. A whiff of antiseptic cleaner sent her gag reflex into overdrive. She forced her eyes open and squinted at the man in scrubs standing next to her bed.

"Caleb?" One-word questions would have to suffice for now, until the fog lifted from her mind.

The doctor glanced at the nurse, and she whispered something Juliette couldn't hear. The graying man with thick eyebrows and a stethoscope around his neck flipped through pages on a clipboard. "It looks like your friend sustained some third-degree burns. After pulling you to safety, he assisted two others from the burning vehicle."

She tried to sit up but didn't get very far. "Are they all okay?" The nurse held a cup of water while Juliette sipped.

Images of Caleb lifting and carrying her up the side of the mountain assaulted her memory. His words echoed through her soul. I'll never leave you behind.

The doctor consulted his clipboard again and frowned. "I'm sorry to report that Sergeant Williams didn't make it. He had massive internal bleeding from some shrapnel."

He flipped another page, his somber expression making Juliette's pulse spike. "And Lieutenant Lazlo Thomas died during surgery from extensive bleeding from a severed femoral artery. Doctors did everything they could to stop it, but in the end, his injuries were too severe."

A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. She and Tank had gone through Ranger School together. And Laz?

No. No. No. She swiped her face. This wasn't happening. Caleb couldn't lose Laz, one of his closest friends.

And this was all her fault.

"Am…am I okay?" All she needed to know was if this would send her home. Because the best way for her to cope with the loss of two friends would be to get back to work.

She heard the creak of the chair as the doctor sat, and she braced herself for more bad news.

"Your injuries were extensive. A concussion, broken arm, and we had to perform surgery to repair some internal bleeding, but there shouldn't be any long-term damage. However, we discovered something else."

His heavy sigh indicated the good news was about to come to a crashing halt. "While you were at the hospital, we performed a biopsy. I'm so sorry to tell you that the tests show you have breast cancer. It's an aggressive tumor at stage three. The recommended course of action is that you return to the United States to begin treatment."

Cancer? She'd rather be a Ranger, dying a hero's death. How could her own body do her in?

Another whirring machine woke her up. The room was dark, and the doctor had left. She used every ounce of energy to swing her legs over the bed and stand. She moved her gauze-wrapped arm and winced. The pain reminded her to take it slowly.

Caleb consumed her thoughts. She wouldn't rest until she saw Caleb for herself. She clung to the IV pole like a crutch and hobbled down the hall, wishing for pants, but with her arm, she'd never be able to get them on. So she'd parade around the hospital in a white-flowered polyester gown. At least it covered everything.

A few nurses shot her quizzical looks, but they didn't stop her, so she moved forward. She stopped in the hallway at the door with the white markerboard that had Styles written on it.

She should have been able to get both Laz and Tank out of the car. Instead, she'd slipped and tumbled down the mountain. And Caleb had had to save her over rescuing the others.

And now? She was being sent home to save herself.

Juliette pounded her fist against the wall holding her up and fought the onslaught of tears. Her job was to serve and protect others, and she'd put her team in jeopardy and lost.

Her body ached and her head throbbed, but it was the broken heart that might kill her. In one enemy attack, she'd lost two friends. Was she just supposed to go home and wallow in the abyss of loss? Everything within her wanted to pick up a gun and fight more battles, take vengeance for Laz and Tank.

Instead, her own body was attacking her.

She composed herself for Caleb's sake and cracked the door open. Caleb rested in the hospital bed, his shoulder in a sling. His pale color matched the stark white sheets. She closed her eyes and remembered his powerful arms scooping her up to safety.

At the expense of Laz and Tank.

Caleb was the hero. And as much as she wanted this man by her side while she faced chemo, oncologists, and enough drugs to run her own pharmacy, Caleb had a future.

And it didn't include her drama. He'd already paid the price when he'd had to rescue her over Laz. He didn't need to take on her problems.

She shook her head. "You deserve a future that doesn't include taking care of me." Her whisper bounced off the beige walls of the square room, sounding louder than it should have.

Cancer was her battle. She refused to be a burden to anyone. Especially Caleb.

Her decision solidified in her mind but not her heart. Because she'd always have a tender spot for Caleb.

She held her head high, left Caleb, and walked back to her room. She'd check out and be on the first flight home.

Alone.

Caleb might never leave her behind, but she had to leave him. For his own good.