
Levi is on the island where he used to seek sanctuary as an orphaned teen. After falling, he considers how his life changed from the time when used to frequent the island.
EXCERPT
He could have called his uncle anytime during his enlistment, but he didn’t. Pride kept him from making the call. If he contacted Roy, then he’d asked about how he was doing in the Army.
The Army itself wasn’t too bad. The strict discipline, the routine, even knowing what to expect on most days, gave him a feeling of stability and belonging. It gave him a purpose when Angelique left him, taking his enlistment bonus with her. Roy warned him that the dark-eyed beauty bore him no love. His initial response was the man had no clue what love was since he was a lonely, bitter old man that no woman chose to love.
Wincing, he remembered the shock on his uncle’s face. He could have hit him with a two by four and not done as much damage. Roy managed to say, “You’re wrong,” before turning away.
At the time, he thought he meant he was wrong for marrying Angelique. Yeah, Levi would admit now that his uncle was right. A letter from an anonymous friend tipped him off. Angelique ran through his pay as if water while he awaited orders in a desert hellhole. That part wasn’t unexpected. Besides, he wanted to take care of his wife. He liked the idea of someone waiting for him to return. He’d idealized the woman giving her traits she did not possess.
As the only civilian in the recruitment office, Angelique had access to enlistee information. Roy insisted she knew who got the better enlistment bonus. Levi’s hefty bonus for enrolling in explosive ordinance job specification could have inspired her sudden love for a man five years her junior. The fact she took off with another man using his enlistment bonus only confirmed Roy’s theory.