“Who was that?”

“A friend who’s still in the service. She called from a base overseas to tell me one of our CST sisters was KIA yesterday. Gail was on a mission, and the team came under fire. She took five bullets.” A sob escaped her mouth.

“I’m so sorry.” Meaningless words were not enough, but he had no idea what else to say. Her pain ripped through him. After a minute of crying, Alice pulled back her emotions.

“Her body will be flown back to the States for burial.” She leaned forward and cupped her head in her hands. “I’ll need time off to go to the funeral.”

“Take all the time you need.” He had no problem with her leaving but didn’t want her going alone. “I’ll come with you.”

Straightening, she shook her head. “You don’t have to do that. Gail’s won’t be my first military funeral.”

He firmly held her hand, which felt like ice. “You’ve done so much for me. Let me do something for you.”

“You don’t have to…”

“I want to.”

She lifted her gaze, and a single tear fell, landing on his hand covering hers. Micah used his thumb to wipe off the dampness from her cheek. Seeing her hurting gave rise to a fierce protectiveness—a feeling stronger than anything he’d ever felt. Unfortunately, his physical strength couldn’t fight off her grief. He’d need to dig deeper. “I know you’re capable of taking on the world, but what I’m saying is, from now on, you don’t have to do it alone.”