To Mom, who always said I could.
To my favorite soldier, Dad, who always said
I could do it better.
To Lisa, who always said she could do it better. Grin.
To Billy. Not one soldier marching around my imagination
could occupy the place youâve secured in my heart.
To Granny Nellie and Aimee. I could not have done this
had you not stepped in while I went MIA from my Hide-N-Seek posts to write.
To Mag, Eno and Randa. I love you to infinity.
Ready or notâ¦here I come!
To my editor, Melissa Endlich, for handing me
this dream in the form of a contract.
To my agent, Tamela Hancock Murray of Hartline,
for seeing promise in my work.
Thank you, Lord, for remembering our dreams
even when we feel theyâre long lost.
I love you all beyond what words can express.
âSure you wanna do this, Montgomery?â Fellow U.S. Air Force Pararescue Jumper Nolan Briggs asked above the engine hum.
âIâm sure.â Joel shifted away from the window as the luxury jet broke through wispy Southern Illinois clouds on descent to the one place on earth he never wanted to see again.
Refuge. The irony made him snort.
Nolan leaned close enough for Joel to inhale toxic doses of mafia-strength garlic. ââCause if you donât, weâll handle it.â
Teammate Manny Peña joined Nolan in the passenger aisle. âYeah. Nobodyâll know if you donât make the jump, dude.â
Joel fastened a gaze on his well-meaning friends and fellow PJs, and aimed a thumb at his sternum. âIâll know.â
And so would that kid.
âItâs gonna be tougher than you think,â Nolan said.
Hardest mission of his life. Especially on a cold Friday in September. Joel laced his boot. âNah. Piece of cake.â
âRight. Like running a catering service with an Easy-Bake.â Manny clicked the overhead bin open.
âNo sweat.â Joel tugged his chute pack from under the seat.
âNot a drop,â Nolan agreed. âBut the offer still stands.â
âHe asked for me. I canât let him down, guys.â Joel retrained a determined gaze on the small town peeking up at him. Recognition of his old neighborhood clogged his throat. He clenched his jaw against a surge of unwanted emotion. He looked away from familiar landmarks. âIâll be fine.â
As long as he steered clear of that house, and the uncle whoâd destroyed his family, heâd be fine.
A chorus of unconvinced faces stared back at Joel when he looked up. A torrent of vulnerability rushed through him at their perception. He torqued his gaze out the window. True. They could do this without him and spare him the pain.
Except for one thing.
He tugged the letter out of his chest pocket. Unfolding it, he eyed the elementary attempt at cursive.
My nameâs Bradley. Iâm eight and I have cancer. My teacher called Dream Corps who said I should write a letter about my wishes since doctors say I might not get a transplant in time. I want to meet a Special Forces soldier more than anything. Well, almost anything. Having a family would be nice. I heard a PJ grew up in my town. It would be awesome if heâd come see me but I know heâs kinda busy with wars and rescues and all. Anyway, if you find him, tell him heâs my idea of a heroâ¦
Words blurred. Joel blinked, refocused and read: Thinking of soldiers who fight terror helps me be brave and fight mine. If me and God win our cancer war, I promise to plug my nose and eat my stinky call of flower so I can grow up strong and come help the soldiers win theirs. Love, Bradley Tennyson. Refuge, IL U.S.A.
Joel folded the letter Dream Corps had forwarded to him. He crimped along the crease and came back with blue fingertips, probably from one of those messy erasable pens. He rubbed fingers on a hanky, but the ink didnât come off. Weird, since it had transferred from the paper with no trouble.
Ink imprinted his hand, but scribbled wishes stained his heart. Family. The very word stung. Joel couldnât help the little guy with one, but he could make the other a reality. No matter how hard the next hours proved to be, Joelâs discomfort in coming back to the site of his most painful childhood memories would be a speck of dust compared to the earth of hurt this kid faced.