Justice Burning (Hellfire #2) by Elle James Page B

you.” He opened the passenger door and held it. “We don’t even have to talk, if you don’t want to. That’s fine by me.”
    Her brows dipped, and she studied him for a moment before finally climbing into the cab. “Thank you for not pushing it. And for the ride.”
    “You’re welcome.” He closed the door and shook his head as he rounded the front of the vehicle and climbed in. As he pulled out onto the highway, he glanced her way.
    Phoebe stared out the window, her bottom lip snagged between her teeth.
    “You don’t have to worry. I promise not to grill you,” he said, shifting his focus to the road ahead. He fought to keep from asking her all the questions running through his mind. The woman was an enigma. What made her run away on the day of her wedding? Did her fiancé have an affair with one of her bridesmaids? Or was he abusive?
    Nash’s fingers curled tightly around the steering wheel.
    “Have you lived all your life in Hellfire?”
    Her voice was soft, slipping across him like a caress. Nash nodded. “All except my time in college and the military.”
    She shot a glance his way. “You were in the military?”
    He nodded. “Six years. I joined straight out of college.”
    “Why?”
    His chin rose automatically. “I consider living in this country to be a privilege, not a right. I wanted to give back for all I’ve been given.” Nash could feel Phoebe’s stare burning into him.
    “Did you fight in the war?”
    Jaw tightening, he nodded. Fought, killed and watched his troops and friends die. At the ripe old age of twenty-seven, he’d lived a lifetime.
    “I don’t think I’ve ever actually met someone who has served.” She shook her head, a sad smile lifting the corners of her lips. Her hand touched his arm. “Thank you for your service.”
    He glanced down at the slim fingers on his arm and then returned his attention to the road.
    “Was it hard?” She let her hand drop to her lap. “Being in the military and away from your family, that is.”
    He shook his head. “When you’re in a unit, your peers are your family. You’d fight and die for them.” Although, the hard part was watching them die.
    “You must have loved them.”
    His eyes stung. Nash had pushed those memories as far to the back of his mind as he could since he’d left the army. His time in Afghanistan seemed like another life. He’d been a different person than the one he was now. Images flashed through his memories of the men with whom he’d served—many of whom died in the final battle that ended his career and gave him a banged-up knee.
    “Why did you leave the military?”
    “So it’s okay for you to ask me questions, but I can’t ask you any?” he bit out. “I left because they kicked me out. Otherwise, I’d still be over in some hellhole, fighting for my life and the lives of my men.”
    “Kicked you out?” she persisted.
    “Medically retired, due to an injury.” Thankfully, they weren’t far from Hellfire. In a few short minutes, he’d drop her off, and he wouldn’t have to answer any more of her questions.
    A long pause stretched between them and Nash thought Phoebe had given up on her interrogation.
    “You lost some friends, didn’t you?”
    He slammed a palm against the steering wheel, feeling as though she’d ripped open a wound in his heart. “Yes, damn it!” He’d lost too many.
    Her soft, “I’m sorry,” spread over him like warm butter, melting into his pores, slowly calming him. His grip on the steering wheel loosened and he eased up on the accelerator.
    Phoebe glanced his way again. “You get around pretty well.”
    His knee twinged, the familiar burning sensation flaring whenever he thought about it. Since they’d replaced the kneecap, the joint worked pretty well. But it would never be the same as before he’d been hit. The muscles and tendons were still getting used to the replacement. He’d been lucky enough to live to get that new knee. So many of his men hadn’t had