Free Broken Barriers (Barriers Series Book 4) by Sara Shirley Page A

hers. “So, you’re Drew. I’m Cole. It’s about time we finally met.”
    I stood there literally in shellshock. I didn’t hear a single word that she said. I was still transfixed on this stunning woman standing before me. She giggled as her eyes stared at our hands. “…Soooo, Drew. I’ve heard some rumors about you.” She giggled once more before looking back up at me. My mouth opened, but nothing came out until a slap on my back broke me from my stupefied state of mind.
    My hand snapped away from hers abruptly, and my body went rigid as a pole. My blood was suddenly hotter than the fire in front of me. It happened so fast that not even I could understand what was going on.
    My right hand flew over my left shoulder and wrapped around the hand on my opposite shoulder. Cole stumbled back a couple of steps with a loud audible gasp of shock. I turned sharply and managed to get the arm off me and pinned curtly behind his back. My other forearm wrapped around his neck, and I pulled tightly. Years of college wrestling and Marine Corps defensive training had been instilled in my mind for so long that I didn’t think before I did anything anymore.
    I felt a couple of other hands upon me, and I knew the guys were saying words, but I didn’t have a clue as to what they were saying. I heard the girls’ voices around me, fearing my actions as the guys managed to get me to release my grip on whom I saw was Everett, and my arms dropped from the body in my grasp.
    Everett turned and shook his arm and rubbed his neck before coming back over to me. If I were curious as to what those two other Marines could do as bouncers… Well, I had just found out. Once it all processed, I felt as though an apology just wouldn’t cut it. I went into immediate defense mode with Josh the other day and again just then. I looked at Everett’s face, assuming that I’d see anger, or better yet, scorn. Instead, I saw understanding and proof that he’d been where I had just gone.
    With slow and calculated steps, he approached me and stood at ease in front of me. With one look, his arms crossed in front of him, and I heard the words that had been spoken to me so many times before. “You better lock that shit up, Marine.” His voice was demanding, but sorrowful. Then with a slight tilt of his head, he softly said, “I’ve been there. I should have known before I approached. That’s all on me, and I’m sorry. But, trust me when I say that shit won’t fly around here, so get your head in check and work that shit out. Copy that?”
    My lips formed a thick line, and I nodded in understanding. I was FUBAR—Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition—and I needed to find some help. When I returned, Veterans Services really didn’t offer me much. If I said I was FUBAR, they would have committed me on the spot and probably said I suffered from PTSD or some shit like that. I most likely did have all the symptoms for PTSD, but they said it was just Adjustment Disorder. Plus, I wanted out. I didn’t want to be probed by USMC doctors and therapists any longer than necessary. I needed to be done with the Marine Corps. The shit I went through during my deployment: the convoys, the IEDs, the constant state of awareness and fear… Someone behind a desk with a piece of paper on the wall wasn’t going to help me with that shit. I needed someone who had been through the same as me. With one look at Everett, I could tell he knew.
    He reached out and rested his hand upon my shoulder. “Dude, you ever want to hash that shit out…you know where to find me. I know exactly what’s going on in there.” He pointed to his head with his finger. “Trust me. Get it all out. You’ll sleep better at night if it’s no longer bottled up.”
    With a final slap on the shoulder, Everett backed up a couple of steps. As I glanced around, everyone’s eyes were pinned on me. This was something I’d never get used to—the judging and the soft whispered voices of those who thought