“A gift from Uncle Bodie?”

Bodie heard a chair squeak and could picture his friend sitting at his desk. Lukas had transitioned into civilian life without issues. Bodie was glad, and hoped he’d be able to find the same sense of peace in the civilian world. At iSecure, he’d start with smaller jobs, mostly guarding celebrities or politicians, as he continued to recover. When Lukas felt he was ready, he’d move to the more secretive jobs the company didn’t advertise. Governments and the mega-wealthy came to them seeking their services for high-risk situations. Bodie could do babysitting bodyguard jobs while he honed his body back to full capacity and placated Lukas. What a joke, when his friend knew the things he’d done and was capable of.

“On the reference you’re needing, this an undercover job?”

Since he hadn’t told Sarah why he was there in case she refused his help under those circumstances, he supposed he was undercover.

“Yes.” His tone warned Lukas not to push. He’d rather his friend not know he’d gone soft and was helping Sarah because she’d once made him a quilt. Lukas had already teased him about the quilt having super healing powers as his friend had witnessed the change in Bodie after its arrival.

Maybe the quilt did have something special in its stitches. Beneath the fabric, he’d felt comfort. No, that wasn’t right. He’d felt the need to do something, to be something. For the first time since his injury, he’d felt he had a reason to heal, spurred by the idea that there was something out there waiting on him.

Seeing the quilt, he’d had flashbacks to when he’d been five years old and taken his only out-of-state trip with his mother. He’d stared out the window in awe at picturesque barns with painted quilts on them surrounded by lush green fields as she’d driven them through Georgia for his grandmother’s funeral. They’d packed a few of his grandmother’s belongings to bring back to Texas, including a raggedy old quilt that Bodie had slept beneath on the drive and countless times thereafter.

Touching the quilt from Sarah had taken him back to when, wrapped in that tattered quilt, he’d watched old war movies while downing a bowl of cereal and dreaming of being a soldier to fight for justice for all.

Sarah’s quilt had reminded him of who he’d been, of who he’d wanted to be, and why he’d needed to quit wallowing in gloom.

Like a magic cloak, he’d wrapped it around him to ward off darkness and it had worked.

“Fine,” Lukas agreed, interrupting Bodie’s trip down memory lane. “You got it. You know there’s no one I’d trust more. How’s my dog?”

“You mean my dog, and he’s good.”

Lukas laughed. “A good traitor. Must have sensed our family was expanding yet again and decided he wanted to keep to the bachelor life.”

“Must have.” Bodie scratched Harry’s scruff while the dog looked up at him with his one blue eye and one green eye. Harry’s expression was one of pure adoration.