“I need to go back to White Beach.”
“Again?” Weiss groaned. “What does Gutiérrez want this time?”
I swallowed. “I don’t know. Sorry.”
To Kim, I wrote back, I’m on my way there now.
“How long you think this is going to take?” Weiss asked.
“Don’t know. Why don’t you wait for me over at the E-Club, and I’ll text you when we’re done.”
“Eh. Sounds good. I was getting hungry anyway.”
I forced a laugh. “You’re always hungry.”
“And your ass is always getting called back to White Beach midshift, so I think we’re even.”
“Works for me.”
My phone buzzed.
I’m not off shift yet. Be there ASAP.
My stomach twisted and churned. Whatever it was, she wanted to discuss it in person. No point asking her to elaborate via text.
Weiss dropped me off in front of the precinct. I debated having a cigarette, but I’d already had half a pack today, mostly after we’d responded to a domestic call this morning. Whatever Kim needed would probably warrant the rest of the pack—might as well wait.
Inside, I found four of the guys chilling behind the desk, waiting for shift change.
“Hey, MA2,” Barkley said.
“Hey.” I took off my cover and gestured at the door. “When MA3 Lockhoff gets here, could you send her back to dispatch?” Seemed like as good a place as any to hang out while I waited, and Stanton didn’t usually show his face at that end of the hall. Better than sitting up here with these clowns.
“Sure thing.”
“Thanks.”
I stepped out into the hall and was about to head back to dispatch, but—
“Man, have you seen Lockhoff since she got back off leave?” Lee laughed. “Goddamn.”
“Yeah!” Barkley chuckled. “The Titty Fairy has arrived.”
This shit again?
All of them burst out laughing. My heart sank, and I backtracked, listening as they went on.
“I’m telling you, now’s a good time to tap that. No rubber or nothing.”
“Dude, you’re insane. I told you before, that girl’s been around.”
“I’ll bet her crabs have herpes.”
“There ain’t a raincoat I’d trust to go near—”
“Enough!” I snapped as I stormed back into the room. “What the fuck is the matter with you guys?”
They stared at me, eyes wide. Barkley’s jaw dropped.
“All of you,” I snarled. “Shut the fuck up about MA3.”
No one spoke. No one moved. They didn’t even blink.
“Here’s a thought: why don’t you all show a little respect for a fellow Sailor and a fellow MA. She’s one of our own, and all you guys are doing is—” My voice cracked, and even clearing my throat wasn’t enough to rein in my composure. “I’m telling you all right now, if I hear any of you talking like this about anyone in this command, I will make sure your ass goes to Captain’s Mast. Understood?”
Nobody spoke.
“Understood?”
“Yes, MA2,” they all murmured.
I turned around to leave and—
Stopped dead.
Stanton’s eyebrows rose.
I gulped. “Sir.”
“MA2.” He stepped back and gestured toward his office. “Why don’t we go have a little talk?”
My blood turned cold. “I . . .”
He inclined his head, the unspoken Is that a problem, MA2? sending my heart into my throat.
What else could I do? Tell him to go fuck himself? With four junior Sailors watching after I’d just handed their asses to them?
“Yes, Sir,” I muttered, and obeyed.
He followed me down the hall. Good God, that was a creepy feeling. He’d always made me uncomfortable, but now that I knew what he was capable of, I could feel him leering at me from head to toe. I’d never been so thankful for the unflattering uniform and my police belt. The less he could see, the better.
I stepped into his office, and when he closed the door, my stomach lurched upward. I forced it back, though, and forced myself to keep a neutral expression as I turned to face him.
He stood in front of the door—my only escape—and folded his arms. “You seem quite protective of MA3 Lockhoff.”
I took a breath. “She’s a junior Sailor, Sir.”
He laughed dryly. “Is that the only reason?”
“Do I need another reason?” I swallowed. “Sir?”
“Not necessarily. I’m sure she’s already told you the tall tale she’s spinning about what happened at Senior Chief O’Leary’s retirement—”
“You’re not bringing me to your side in this.”
“So you do know about it?”
My blood froze.
The corner of his mouth twitched as if he was struggling not to grin. “You’re a mandated reporter, MA2. You’re obligated to report a sexual assault if it’s reported to you.” He folded his arms. “Tell me, why didn’t you report it?”
I forced my voice to stay level, not daring to allow even the slightest tremor to let him know—think—he intimidated me. “Are you asking me to file a formal report stating that you sexually assaulted MA3 Lockhoff, Sir?”
“No, I’m not. I’m simply reminding you that you’ve known about this alleged ‘assault,’ and you’ve done nothing about it.” He stepped closer. “So unless you’d like to go to Captain’s Mast for dereliction of duty, I’d suggest you encourage your ‘friend’ to back down.”
I drew away.
His eyes narrowed. “And I’d be happy to add a fraternization charge to that if you’d like.” He raised his chin a little, glaring down at me. “Doesn’t look like you’re in a very good position, are you, MA2?” Before I could respond, he continued, “Especially when I’m hearing that MA3 Lockhoff has been staying with you rather than in the barracks, even though E4s aren’t allowed to live off-base. Do you know anything about that?”
“I—”
“Yes or no, MA2. Is it or is it not the case that MA3 Lockhoff has been staying at your apartment?”
Though my knees were starting to shake, I held his gaze and didn’t let my voice waver. “With all due respect, I’m not sure how that’s anyone else’s business, Sir.”
“It’s none of my business when one of my E4s takes it upon herself to live off-base in spite of a standing order?” He raised an eyebrow. “And a senior Sailor takes it upon herself to take her in, in violation of that order? That’s none of my business?”
I shifted my weight. “MA3 Lockhoff doesn’t feel safe on White Beach. Not here, and not in the barracks.” I coughed. “Sir.”
“And why doesn’t she feel safe, MA2?”
I held his gaze but didn’t speak.
He gestured over his shoulder. “Does it have something to do with what the other MAs are saying?” There was a note of concern in his tone, but I didn’t buy it for a second. He was trying to back me into a corner, I knew it, I just didn’t know where that corner was.
“What would you suggest I do, Sir? A fellow MA and junior Sailor doesn’t feel safe. So I—”
“So you don’t bother reporting it?”
“I—”
“And you honestly expect me to believe she’s just staying there because she feels ‘unsafe’?” He emphasized it with air quotes and a smirk. “You’d swear, under oath, in front of a judge and jury, that that’s the only reason she’s moved in with you since you two returned from your lengthy trip to Hawaii?”
My knees started shaking. Badly. I knew the Uniform Code of Military Justice inside and out, but under pressure, I second-guessed myself. Was he bluffing? Could he or a JAG attorney force me to admit under oath that Kim and I had a relationship?
I cleared my throat. “I told you. She’s staying with me because she doesn’t feel safe. That’s all I—”
“Doesn’t matter.” Eyes narrow, he growled, “If you value your career, I would suggest you put some professional distance between the two of you.”
I swallowed.
He took another step, and he was almost touching me. If I took a deep enough breath, we would touch. “Do you understand, MA2?”
My hip hit his desk.
Panic. Sheer terror. One shudder and I was back in Afghanistan. Inside a sweltering shipping container, an arm across my throat and a hand over my mouth, people talking and laughing outside with no clue what Hayes and Cunningham were doing to me.
“I asked you a question,” Stanton snapped, jerking me back into the present.
I shook my head, dragging myself out of that desert shithole and back into this air-conditioned circle of hell.
And the Devil himself was still staring down at me.
I gulped. “Yes. I understand, Sir.”
“Good. Now why don’t you set her straight before she causes any more damage?”
All I could do was nod.
He grabbed my arm. “This conversation stays in this room. Am I clear, MA2?”
I hated myself for it, hated the way I was shaking and terrified and couldn’t tell him to go fuck himself, but I just nodded silently.
He released my arm. “Dismissed, MA2.”
I would’ve loved to convince myself that I walked out calmly, that he never saw a hint of fear. I wanted to believe he hadn’t scared me, but my trembling knees and pounding heart refused to let me cling to that lie. Not even for a second.
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
Even if he didn’t have a leg to stand on, the fact was, Stanton had connections. A long reach. In the eyes of people who mattered, Kim and I were nobodies.
Someone brushed past me, and I would’ve kept going but Alejandro’s voice stopped me in my tracks.
“MA2.”
I turned around.
His forehead was creased with concern. “You all right?”
I avoided his eyes. A few weeks ago, I’d have told him everything. Now? I wasn’t sure how much faith I had left in our friendship. I wanted to believe he was on our side, but as things stood, I couldn’t make myself trust him any farther than I could throw him.
He reached for my arm, but I sidestepped him. “I’m fine.”
“Reese, what’s—”
“Oh, are we back to first names, MA1?”
He set his jaw. “Come on. Talk to me.”
“I’d really rather not.”
I didn’t wait for a response. I walked away, and he didn’t try to stop me.
I was halfway through my third cigarette when Kim pulled up. I was still jittery, my skin still crawling, but I’d calmed down a little. Hopefully enough that she wouldn’t notice.
I crushed my cigarette and stepped out of the smoke pit. “Hey.”
“Hey.” She smiled, but it was forced. “Thanks for coming. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.”
“Don’t worry about it. What’s up?”
She nodded toward the building. “Let’s go someplace private.”
I wasn’t thrilled about going back in there, but she didn’t need to know that, so we went inside, snagged one of the classrooms beside dispatch, and closed the door.
Forcing my rattled nerves to stay beneath the surface, I hugged myself and held her gaze. “What’s up?”
She mirrored me, folding her arms tight across her blue camouflage blouse. “I, um . . .”
“Whatever it is, you can tell me.”
She took a deep breath. “I can’t do this anymore. I need to report it.” She rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed. “If they charge me with a false official statement, then so be it. I’d rather make a false official statement than no statement at all.”
My gut wound itself into knots and dread prickled at the base of my spine. “What about the baby? The custody threats?”
Kim shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t . . .” She waved a hand. “I’m just exhausted. I can’t keep carrying this secret myself, and it needs to be on paper in case he does it to someone else. If . . . if that means he might have me by the throat for the next eighteen years, then . . .”
My stomach twisted again. Stanton’s voice still rang in my ears, the fear still crackling along the length of my spine. Could he nail us for fraternization? Misconduct?
“Reese?” She reached for my arm. “Are you onboard, or—”
“It’s not my decision.” I shifted uncomfortably. “If you’re ready to—”
“Not by myself. I need you, Reese.” She searched my eyes, hers wide with palpable desperation. “What’s wrong? You were encouraging me to report it, and now . . .” Her eyebrows knitted together.
I caressed her face, thankful she couldn’t hear the threats echoing through my mind just then.
And goddamn it. Goddamn him. He’d hurt her, and now he was threatening us both into silence?
Fuck him. Straight to hell.
I cleared my throat. “You know what? Let’s go get that motherfucker.”
A weak smile formed on her lips. “So you’re in?”
“Damn right.” I paused, and my momentary courage waned a little. “Except . . . who do you want to talk to?”
Kim’s shoulders sank, and her eyes started to well up. “I don’t even know. That’s the problem.” She waved a hand at the door. “I don’t trust anyone here except you. The SARC is Stanton’s golfing buddy. I . . . I don’t know.” She met my gaze again. “I don’t know.”
I gnawed my thumbnail for a moment. Then I dropped my hand and sighed. “I think your best shot is MA1 Gutiérrez.”
“I thought you didn’t trust him. You said he’s buddy-buddy with Stanton.”
I nodded. “He is. And I don’t particularly trust him right now, but I trust him more than I do anyone else in our chain of command. And if . . .”
Kim inclined her head. “What?”
I sighed. “He knows the UCMJ inside and out. If he doesn’t think you’ve got enough to pursue something against Stanton, or that this will blow up in your face, he’ll tell us. And then maybe it can stop at his level instead of coming back to bite you in the ass.”
“I don’t want it to stop at his level.”
“Neither do I. But if it’s not going to hurt Stanton, there’s no point in pursuing it to the point that it hurts you.”
Kim exhaled, swearing softly.
“I’m sorry, Kim,” I whispered. “I am so, so sorry.”
She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. “What do I do if Gutiérrez doesn’t believe me?”
I held her gaze. I wanted to tell her there were more options. That she had more allies. More channels. But she knew as well as I did that Alejandro was her best shot. Quite possibly her only shot, with no telling if he’d even take her seriously.
I shook my head. “That’s all I’ve got.”
“Ditto.” She pushed her shoulders back and cleared her throat. “I’ll cross that bridge when I get there, I guess.”
“Good idea.” I moved closer and wrapped my arms around her.
She hugged me and whispered, “You believe me, don’t you?”
“Yes.” I held her tighter, squeezing my eyes shut. “And whatever happens, I’ll be there. I promise.”
She drew back, and our eyes met. “Thank you.”
I cupped her face in my hands and pressed my lips to hers. God knew how the chips would fall, how far Stanton’s reach could really extend to make both our lives hell. But he’d already made them hell, and if I lost a stripe or my career for doing everything I could to keep Kim safe and sane—or for getting involved with her like this—then so be it. It was a long shot, but we had to try to bring this asshole down.
After a moment, we separated.
I reached for the door handle. “You ready?”
She shook her head. “No. But let’s do this. Let’s go get him.”
We held each other’s gazes for a moment. Then she nodded.
And I opened the door.