You can’t watch your own back.

Private Investigator Avery Reynolds leads the charge to expose Tampa's supposedly “extinct” mob. The crime boss responsible for her foster brother’s death is within her grasp—until she hits a wall in the form of Ethan Bridger, a Coast Guard veteran who unknowingly derails her sting operation. When the elusive “Big Eddie” comes out of hiding, he targets their mutual friends about to tie the knot.

Avery sets aside her angst toward Ethan to focus on ending the crime boss’s reign of terror. But working together exposes her trust issues and his PTSD stemming from a comrade's tragedy. When Avery goes solo into a prisoner exchange operation, she discovers her vulnerability too late—and must lean on Ethan and the God she thought had abandoned her. But will that help reach her in time?

Who’s Got Your Six?

As the only girl among my siblings, I grew up a tomboy. My two brothers and I played with cars, not dolls, and I remember having to ask a friend how to play “house” because I really had no clue. I was, however, familiar with GI-Joe, John Wayne, and Tarzan. Phrases like “I’ve got your six” made sense to me.

In Watch Your Back, Avery Reynolds is a private investigator who would certainly know that phrase means to have someone else’s back. She would also make sure to protect her colleagues and clients; but in her heart, she doesn’t trust anyone to truly watch out for her. Abandoned by her parents at seven and having lived in and out of foster care, she’s fiercely independent because she’s had to be. Now, she keeps even the people in her circle at arm’s length.

Turns out, she does have someone watching her back, the very villain she’s on a quest to bring to justice for the murder of her foster brother. Modern-day mob boss “Big Eddie” doesn’t take kindly that his Hollywood star Valentina Russo received a life sentence thanks to Avery’s work. Now, he’s out to “pay his debts” to her and her friends responsible for Russo’s sentencing. The question is, will Avery learn she needs others—and the God she thought had abandoned her—before her independent streak costs her everything?

The truth Avery needs to learn is that we can’t watch our own backs because we were never meant to. The Bible says, “Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 NKJV).

As the mom to a young toddler, I’m no stranger to the stubborn nature within each of us that cries, “Me do it!” From a young age, we want to solve our own problems, be independent, and exert our autonomy. If you don’t believe me, come join my family for dinner and watch my toddler protest about eating his favorite meal—for absolutely no reason other than that he wants to be the ruler of himself.

But we were never meant be our own independent islands. Similar to how I know what is best for my toddler, God knows what is best for us. The Bible tells us, “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). 

I certainly don’t deny the very real hurt that comes from being abandoned or disappointed by others. Watching her parents walk out of her life scarred Avery in a very real way. But equally real is the never-ending love of God. He’s been waiting for—and reaching out to—her again and again, despite her rebuffs toward Him. God doesn’t quit on her even though she’s quit on Him.

Have you been hurt by others? Have you believed the lie you can’t trust anyone to “watch your six”? Scripture says, “The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry” (Psalm 34:15). If you’re God’s child, He sees you, hears you, and loves you. And He’s always got your back.