Darkness Torn Asunder by Alexis Morgan

that you sound just like me about ten years ago. I let a good woman walk away from me because I didn’t think she could handle living with a screwed-up ex-soldier.”
    “What happened?” Because if things had worked out for Dan, maybe there was hope for Emmett, too.
    “She found somebody else before I smartened up and got the help I needed. Last I heard, they had three kids and were doing well. She’s happy, and that’s all that matters now.” He stared past Emmett, clearly seeing something other than the scarred concrete wall. When he finally dragged himself out of the past to look at Emmett directly, he let out a deep breath. “I’m hoping you’re smarter than I was. My advice? Fix whatever is broken while you can. Women like Jana don’t come around all that often.”
    “And if I can’t fix it?”
    “Then you did the right thing by walking away.” He clapped Emmett on the arm before opening the door. “But there are a lot of support groups out there for people dealing with all kinds of issues, including temper management. Do yourself a favor and find someone who understands exactly what you’re going through.”
    Emmett stayed behind in the storeroom to give himself time to consider Dan’s advice. What he’d said made sense, even if Emmett didn’t need the kind of support group Dan had been talking about. However, there was one man who might have answers for him. He owed it not only to Jana but to himself to find out once and for all if Trahern and his buddy Devlin Bane had been bullshitting him about the whole Paladins thing.
    Before he could chicken out, Emmett pulled Trahern’s card out of his wallet, then sent a brief text. Can we meet tomorrow? I have questions. He hit send and shoved the phone back in his pocket on his way back out to man the bar. He was just starting to fill an order when he felt the phone vibrate.
    The message on the screen was short and to the point: 8 p.m. I’ve got answers.
    •  •  •
    Jana watched Emmett and Dan disappear into the storeroom. She had a feeling that she was going to be the topic of conversation once they shut the door. It would be better if Emmett would talk to her directly, but maybe Dan could get through to him. She hoped so, because she wasn’t sure how much longer she could keep coming in here if Emmett continued to ignore her.
    It hurt too much.
    She’d really thought that if she kept stopping by he’d eventually admit that he’d been wrong to give up on them so soon. Even given her firm belief in giving people a second chance or even a third or fourth, it had been three weeks. Somewhere along the line she had to accept that she wasn’t being patient but ridiculous. A woman should have some sense of pride.
    As she tried to come to terms with that, the door to the storeroom opened. Dan came out by himself, but he looked straight at her and winked. What did that mean? Had he gone to bat for her? Had he somehow convinced Emmett that he deserved more than the lonely solitude he seemed determined to accept as his due in life?
    Should she go ask him? No, too late for that. Emmett was back, too, and evidently still determined to act as if she were invisible. It was past time to go. She signaled the waitress and paid her bill. For once, Emmett didn’t immediately skedaddle for the other end of the bar to avoid her as she headed for the door. How pathetic was it that she took that as a good sign?
    “Good night, Dan. As always the burger was perfect.”
    The bar owner waved as he disappeared into his office. “Glad you liked it, Jana. See you soon.”
    When he was out of sight, she turned her attention to the man who was polishing the already shiny bar hard enough to wear off the finish, another sign that he was painfully aware of her.
    “Good night, Emmett.”
    She paused in front of him long enough to point out a small puddle of water right in front of him. “Missed a spot, big guy. See you soon. For some reason, I just can’t get enough of