There You'll Be (Begin Again 1)

By Dawn Brower

Carly Gallagher doesn’t make mistakes. Until one day she makes one that causes the death of someone she cares about. She would turn to the man she loves more than anything—if he were free to love her in return. Phillip Morrison’s life turned upside down the moment he met Carly. Everything he thought was right turned out to be the exact opposite. He has to make a lot of choices but, one thing is clear: he loves Carly and he has to find a way to claim her. Chaos runs wild through their lives, and just when it looks like they have a chance to be together—fate has other plans. Traitors, friends, and enemies—it becomes hard to decipher which is which, and trust becomes a luxury they can no longer afford. They have to fight not only for the love they both share, but their very lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dawn Brower
• Release date: Aug 27, 2017
• ISBN: 9781370133697

Book preview

Dedication

This book is for everyone who has adopted a pet and fallen in love instantly. My dog, Bella is a huge part of my family. One we never thought to have, but she is the brightest part of every day. It is amazing how much our fur babies become so integral to our lives. I am thankful each day she found a place in our hearts.

PROLOGUE

Carly Gallagher strolled into her office and tossed her phone on her desk. How could this have happened? The operation should not have gone down the way it had. Everything had been planned down to the last detail and yet... Images of an explosion flashed before her eyes. Logan was dead. There was no turning back time and saving him. Her misjudgment had cost him his life.

Carly...

She turned toward the sound of her name being called out and frowned. She didn’t want to deal with him either—her partner, Phillip Morrison. He was tall, several inches above six feet, and his red-orange hair cropped short, military style. Go away, Phil. His big beefy frame took up the entire expanse of the entrance to her office. He probably wanted to tell her it wasn’t her fault, but she knew better. It had been her call to make, and at the time she’d believed it was the right one. How wrong she’d been...

I’m not going to do that, he replied. You’re going to shoulder the blame for this and we both know that nothing could’ve been done to prevent...

She interrupted him and said forcefully, Do we? Carly stormed over to his side and glared up into his light blue eyes. Are you sure about that? Because I’m not. There had to be something that we could’ve done to stop it from happening.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. A sign of affection that shouldn’t be broadcast in the FBI offices, but Carly couldn’t make herself care. It was a comforting gesture, nothing more. Phil would never make any actual advances on her. At one point in her life she had hoped he would—to no avail. She’d given up on a real relationship a long time ago.

It was an accident, Phil said soothingly, his soft voice in direct contrast to his large size. Looking at him no one would be able to tell that he had a gentle side. Only Carly had the pleasure of seeing it. She wasn’t entirely sure why he let his guard down around her, but in moments like this one she was grateful for it. Once the investigation is done you’ll see that.

She doubted she’d ever see it that way. Logan Crane was her best friend, and one hell of an operative. They’d gone through training together and he’d always had her back. It should’ve been a routine mission. She still couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong. He’d gone into the building with his dog to search the perimeter. They were looking for a missing girl, and Logan’s search dog, Spike, was one of the best. Spike was a beautiful golden retriever. Somehow the dog had survived the blast and had been transported to a nearby animal hospital for treatment. Carly had no idea what would happen to the dog. She hoped he survived its injuries. Logan had loved that animal and treated him like a part of the family.

The investigation would take a while. There was a lot of rubble to sift through and they still hadn’t located Logan’s body. The dog had come running out whimpering, but Logan had been nowhere to be found. Everyone assumed the explosion killed him. A part of Carly was hoping they were all wrong, but she couldn’t see how he could have survived it. The dog only lived because he had run out before the explosion went off.

The investigation will tell me exactly what I already know, she scoffed. Logan is dead. The rest is just details. Information she’d demand on any other case. This one was different though. She should hand it off to another agent to take care of. I can’t do this right now.

She tried to push past him but there was no moving Phil when he was dead set on staying in one place. He was a boulder too heavy to lift and she was fighting a losing battle. Carly beat against his chest and he stood there taking each blow. He brought his hands up and captured her wrists with them. Stop, he said quietly. This isn’t helping.

Nothing I do will, so what difference does it make?

You’re breaking my heart, he replied. I want to do something to make it better.

There’s nothing that you could do that would ever make any of this all right. So do me a favor and don’t even try. She blew out a breath. Please let me by. I want to go check on Spike.

They’ll let you know what’s going on with the dog, Phil said. Why don’t you go home and rest. It’s the best thing you can do for yourself.

That was the last thing she wanted to do. If she went home she’d stare at the walls and drown in the silence. Home wasn’t anything other than a place to lay her head down when she was weary. With the emotions currently running through her it would feel more like a tomb.

No, she replied. I’m going to the vet to check on Spike. Carly glared at him. Don’t try and stop me.

I’ll go with you, he volunteered. You shouldn’t be alone.

That’s sweet. She smiled at him reassuringly. I’m fine. I don’t need you hovering over me.

It would be nice if she could give into the urge to wrap her arms around him. Phil had been her partner at the FBI for several years. They’d been assigned together as a special team that investigated espionage. Through the years they’d brought down a lot of criminals. She suspected they’d do several more together too. They made a good team. Phil probably knew her better than most, but even he didn’t have a clue what her deepest darkest secret was.

She loved him.

Her feelings for him had grown day by day until she couldn’t deny them any longer. She kept them buried deep down inside of her because Phil wasn’t free to love her. He was married to someone else and it was wrong of her to even think of him as something other than her partner. He’d be horrified if he knew how she truly felt about him. She was his friend and partner at work—nothing more. So she couldn’t drag him down the path she was currently going down full-throttle.

Don’t argue with me, he said gruffly. I’m going with you and that’s final.

Go home to Addison, Carly said softly. "She’s probably worried about you. The explosion has been all over the news all day. You