“Is that why he’s not in the Army anymore? Because of his kidney?” Gabe asked.
He expected her to say yes, but Alice shook her head. “No. It wasn’t his injuries.”
Gabe waited, but Alice didn’t say anything else. She picked up the mug again and this time she took another drink, then stared at the half-empty cup as she turned it around and around in her hands. “Our house burned down when Jake was five,” she said suddenly. “He probably didn’t tell you about that either, right? Of course not,” she said when Gabe shook his head. “I honestly don’t think he’s ever told anyone.” She threw Gabe a mild glare. “And if you so much as breathe a word about it to him, I’ll kill you and bury you in the backyard.”
Gabe nodded. “I promise I won’t tell him.”