The Heart of a Hero Read Online Free PDF

thrived on. As soon as they walked in the door, she’d sought out a clerk and was currently engrossed in a conversation about outdoor lighting. At least it was supposed to be about lighting. He hadn’t thought that a terribly amusing topic, and they seemed to be chuckling a little too heartily. Somewhere in between laughs, he caught the word dachshund .
    “I was telling Javier how Reynaldo seems determined to hang out in your yard,” Zoe said when he approached. “He thinks Rey’s chasing chipmunks.”
    “My cousin had a dachshund,” the clerk said. “They’re big hunters.”
    “What’s wrong with the chipmunks in his yard?” Jake grumbled.
    The young man shrugged. “Where’s the fun in that?”
    Not in his yard, that’s where. “Got what I need,” he said to Zoe.
    The look she gave the clerk was apologetic, as if he were the one holding up the process. “Thanks for the suggestion,” she said, smiling. “But I’ll go with the single spotlight. Javier recommended I get a double one to better keep an eye on Reynaldo, but that might shine a little too brightly into your backyard.”
    She turned her smile on him, and Jake could practically see the sarcasm behind her expression.
    Suddenly they were interrupted by a pair of men in maintenance uniforms. Jake was about to tell them to find another clerk when he realized they weren’t there for hardware supplies. Their faces were pale and somber. “É Ernesto,” they said. “Está morto.”
    Morto. Dead. His body began to shake. There were more words. Accident. Car. Bits and pieces of an explanation that drifted to him from far away, like words whispered in a tunnel. Black closed in him, eating away reality.
    Get out. Take cover.
    No, no, that wasn’t right. Get to fresh air. He needed fresh air.
    Miles away he saw a doorway. And light. Light meant safety. There. Go there. His thoughts were thick and muddled as he staggered toward it, faintly aware of a bell ringing as he lunged toward the parking lot. The sea breeze burnt his lungs as he gulped one ragged breath after another. He made his wayacross the parking lot, toward the Dumpster across the street. He gripped the front bar, squeezing as tightly as his hands would allow. Stutteringly, his mind began listing his surroundings. Garbage. Blue Dumpster. Gray gravel. He tried to remind himself he wasn’t in that place anymore.
    “Jake? Jake?”
    A voice, soft and gentle, beckoned from the side of the confusion. He squeezed the Dumpster bar tighter, breathing in the stench of garbage, letting the pungency bring him back.
    “Jake?” Suddenly the voice was closer and he felt a hand on his shoulder. The touch was tender, soothing. It promised comfort. Peace.
    Somehow he managed to turn his head in the voice’s direction.
    “Are you all right? Did something happen?” Zoe was asking.
    The sympathy in her pale blue eyes did more than any grounding technique. Reality crashed back, reminding him where he was and why.
    Humiliation swept over him. “I’m fine,” he said, pushing off both from the bar and her touch. “I needed some fresh air is all.”
    “In front of a garbage Dumpster?” She forced herself back into his line of vision. “Was it those two guys? I don’t speak Spanish, but…”
    “Portuguese. They were speaking Portuguese, not Spanish.”
    “All right, I don’t speak Portuguese, either. Still, I could tell the news wasn’t good. The look on Javier’s face didn’t look good.”
    “A car accident killed their friend.”
    Her hand flew to her lips. “My God. That’s terrible. Did you know—?”
    “No.” His skin was clammy and cold. No, he didn’t know the man, but he knew the loss. God, but he knew the loss. I just needed air,” he lied again. “Stomach’s bothering me.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “I’m sure.” His reply was rougher than necessary, but he didn’t care. He could still feel the memory of Zoe’s hand on his shoulder. That the sensation remained made his heart