“Oh no,” she threw over her shoulder as she reached her steps. “You don’t get to call me that. Never again.” She marched up two of the steps and then paused, going still as a statue.

My feet froze to the very sand beneath them. I knew an approaching storm when I saw one, and she was a cat five hurricane spinning just off my coast.

Her shoulders rose slightly, and then she turned on her steps and advanced toward me. She was a storm all right, and I wasn’t sure I’d be standing after she released all the wrath in those eyes.

“You knew.” She flung the accusation from a few feet away, planting her feet and crossing her arms.

I swallowed.

“You knew I would shut you out the moment you told me you were a damned flyboy.”

“Yes.” This had just gotten so much worse for me.

“You know what happened, don’t you?” She seethed, her jaw clenching.

Fuck. My eyes closed momentarily with the realization that I’d lost this battle long before I’d come clean in the car. I took a deep, fortifying breath and found her staring at me with the kind of loathing that only broken trust could evoke.

“I know what happened to Will,” I admitted.

She blanched, her eyes flying wide, then narrowing. “Don’t ever say his name!” she cried, that finger coming at me again. “You don’t have the right!”

“Okay.” This was so far beyond bad that my stomach took up permanent residence in my feet.

“How dare you bring him into this!” Her finger trembled.

“Morgan, he’s already in this.”

She flinched and lowered her arm. “Who told you what happened? I know it wasn’t Sam. She wouldn’t do that to me.”

“No one told me.” I shifted my weight, hoping the motion would appease my need to cross the distance between us and hold her. It didn’t. “I saw the wings that day you had me get the registration out of the truck, and the name on those dog tags hanging from the mirror is the same one on the registration.”

“And you what? Googled him?” she fired back.

“Pretty much.” My lips pressed in a thin line as I nodded, knowing the gathering fire in her eyes was about to come right for me.

“How dare you!” Her hands dropped to form fists at her sides.

“I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t have, but you’d just had that anxiety attack and—”

“And you decided that my past was up for investigation? You wanted to see what had turned me into a neurotic shell of who I used to be?” she cried.

“I wanted to solve a mystery that I knew you wouldn’t explain. And I don’t think you’re neurotic. I think you went through something that you’re still recovering from.” I tucked my hands into my pockets.