Damage Control (Valiant Knox)

by Jess Anastasi

  The seconds rattled by, and she glanced several times between the display and the passageway behind her, sure Steve would emerge any moment for a second try.

  An aftershock of panic rocked through her as various injuries started to ache. She wrapped an arm across her burning ribs, where she’d caught the chair as she went down, forcing herself to breathe slowly. She felt a trickle over her jaw and used her sleeve to wipe at the ooze of blood from a small split on her cheek where Steve had hit her.

  She should report this. She had to report this. But if she did, everyone would want to know why she’d been in the officer’s wardroom.

  Frustration pulsed through her, because she hated the idea of Steve getting away with it, even though he technically hadn’t done anything except knock her around a bit. But his confession that he’d done it before made a sick kind of fury twist up her insides. She burned to do something; she just didn’t know what. Her situation with Leigh and the fact that his career was on the line kept her hands tied.

  The transit finally chimed as it arrived and she started to step toward the doors, but froze as she realized someone was already in the car.

  Leigh stood there, hands clasped behind his back, waiting to get off the transit. Shock flashed across his features when he saw her, and he closed the distance between them in a few short strides, reaching out to pull her into him.

  “Mia! What the hell happened?”

  She grimaced as he grabbed her bruised arm in the exact same spot Steve had held her. For a second she clenched her jaw, indecision riding her. Part of her wanted to let everything gush out, knowing he’d make it all better simply by hugging her and telling her she was okay. But another part of her didn’t want to tell him the truth. Leigh was an honorable man, considering all that had happened between them, he obviously cared about her somewhat. She didn’t want him to go after Steve on her behalf, because that would only raise the suspicions about their relationship they were trying to avoid.

  Except Leigh didn’t deserve her lying to him. More than that, she couldn’t lie to him, she just wasn’t that sort of person.

  “Steve Robinson. He followed me up to the wardroom.” She wanted to ask if it had really been a poker game keeping him from arriving sooner, but she pressed her lips shut over the pointless question.

  An unholy wrath sparked in Leigh’s gaze the likes of which she’d never seen before. Truthfully, it scared her a little.

  “Did he—” He swallowed the end of that question, but she knew what he was asking. His gaze roamed over her and when it caught on her ripped shirt, his grip on her shoulders tightened a fraction, his features hardening with lethal rage.

  “He tried, but I fought him off.”

  An unmistakable relief passed over his features, his hands gentle on her shoulders. “Damn it, I’m sorry. If I hadn’t been late—”

  “Please, it’s not your fault. Just forget about it. I doubt he’ll be game enough to try again. I just want to get back to my room and get tidied up before anyone else sees me.”

  Leigh let her go and moved back, shoving a hand through his hair. “Forget about it?” His voice was hoarse. “He hurt you, and you want me to forget about it?”

  She reached out and grabbed his forearm. “It’s not worth it. He isn’t worth it.”

  His gaze focused on her with burning intensity. “But you are. You’re worth it. He’s not going to get away with this.”

  He stepped past her, but she grabbed his arm to stop him.

  “Wait, what are you going to do?”

  Leigh cracked his knuckles, the cold fury in his gray-blue eyes telling her the answer she feared.

  “Go back to your dorm, Mia. I’ll come find you when I’ve dealt with Robinson.” He gently pulled his arm from her grip and steered her onto the transit, then hit dorms on the screen and stepped out again. The doors slid closed, cutting him off from sight.

  Oh God, this was bad. Right in that second, she had no idea what Leigh might be capable of. She couldn’t let him kill Steve, even if the guy probably deserved it. She knew what she had to do, even though it was probably going to cost a lot. Maybe everything.

  Hand shaking, she accessed the transit screen and changed the destination. The short trip seemed to take forever, but finally she arrived on communal level and headed for the common room where Lieutenant Brenner, Sub-Officer Lawler, and Sub-Lieutenant Rayne were apparently playing poker. She just hoped they were still there. As she entered, she tried to keep her head down, but there was probably no way to disguise the state she was in.

  She reached the table where Lieutenant Brenner and Sub-Lieutenant Rayne were playing poker, though Sub-Officer Lawler wasn’t at the table.

  Lieutenant Brenner dropped her cards to the table when she glanced up and saw her standing there.

  “Wolfe, what the hell happened to you?”

  She took an anxious half breath, pretending she didn’t realize everyone in the room was staring at her. “Can we talk, but not here? It’s urgent—”

  She’d hardly finished saying the words before the lieutenant nodded at Rayne and the two of them stood, escorting her out into the passageway.

  “What’s going on?” Brenner asked, once they came to a stop.

  “You need to get up to squadron level, right now. Captain Alphin has gone after Steve Robinson and I’m worried he’s going to—” She couldn’t even finish the sentence; she’d never seen someone so coldly furious as Leigh had been before the transit doors had closed.

  “Is Robinson the one who did this to you?” Rayne demanded.

  “Yes, but it doesn’t matter right now; we have to stop Leigh before he does something—” She closed her mouth as soon as she realized she’d slipped up and used his first name. A flash of realization crossed Brenner’s face, before she glanced at Rayne with a grim expression.

  “Come on, Seb. Wolfe, you, too.”

  She nodded, guilt and acid-like trepidation burning through her that she’d given everything away. But if it was a choice between outing their relationship and stopping Leigh from doing something that could ruin his life in an even worse way, then there was no question. She followed Brenner and Rayne back to the transit, hoping they didn’t get there too late.

  Chapter Seventeen

  By the time Leigh reached the wardroom, his icy rage had worked itself into a hard lump sitting square on the middle of his chest. Didn’t matter if Robinson was still there or not, he would scour every inch of this ship until he’d found the bastard.

  As he went to step into the wardroom, Robinson came limping out, using the back of his hand to wipe the blood on his mouth. Cold satisfaction rippled through him. Looked like Mia had kicked his ass. But the guy still needed a hard lesson in manners.

  Robinson glanced up, eyes widening a second before Leigh closed the distance between them, grabbed a fistful of Robinson’s shirt, and shoved him up against the bulkhead. He hauled back, putting every ounce of burning fury behind the fist he smashed into the a-hole’s face. When he went for a second blow, Robinson threw an arm up to block him, and clocked him in the side of the head with an elbow.

  Although Leigh staggered slightly, the blow didn’t faze him. He took it and then went in for more, because if the guy was going to hit him back, that made this a fair fight. And never let it be said he didn’t fight fair.

  He caught the front of Robinson’s shirt, and this time when the guy brought his elbow up, Leigh blocked the hit and retaliated with a strike in the gut. Robinson doubled over as far as Leigh’s hold on him would allow. He half lifted Robinson and thumped him back into the wall.

  “What’s wrong, Robinson? Can’t fight back against someone stronger than you?”

  He hooked in a left punch, messing up the side of Robinson’s face that had been untouched. Leigh hauled back, intent on aiming for the bastard’s intact nose, but someone got hands under his arms and jerked him away.

  Robinson slumped to the floor, pressing a hand against the side of his face. />
  “He attacked me out of nowhere!” Robinson yelled, pointing a shaking finger at him.

  Leigh yanked out of the hold on him with a violent wrench, glancing over his shoulder to see Seb staring at him with an expression that landed somewhere between incredulous and horrified.

  Bren brushed by him and knelt down next to Robinson, grabbing his chin and tilting his head, apparently examining the guy’s injuries. Didn’t anyone care about Robinson trying to rearrange his teeth? Leigh worked his jaw back and forth over the ache as he glanced at Seb again.

  “For God’s sake, stop looking at me like that.” He turned away, his gaze homing in on Mia, where she stood near one of the ready rooms.

  Leigh stalked the short distance down the corridor and stopped in front of her. She started to retreat, but he latched a hand onto her arm to stop her from going anywhere. The rapidly forming bruise and blood smeared across her jaw made his rage bubble up all over again, but he locked his muscles against moving. Bren and Seb wouldn’t let him get near the sonuvabitch again anyway.

  “Are you all right?” He touched a finger to her jaw, tilting her head up slightly.

  She nodded, her expression determinedly calm, yet he didn’t fail to notice the wetness on the edges of her thick lashes.

  Though he’d told himself to detach, that he wouldn’t allow himself anything except the most impersonal contact in front of others, that hint of tears broke the last resolve within him. But instead of going back over to pound Robinson into a bloody pulp, he pulled her against him, wrapping her into a tight embrace. He felt her take one shuddering breath and then another, as though within the safety of his arms, she could let go of the composed mask she hid behind. He lowered his head, resting his lips against her hair, and squeezed her tighter for a second, hoping she got his silent message that everything was okay.

  “We need to talk.”

  He looked up to see Bren had stopped beside him, her gaze slowly moving back and forth between Mia and him.

  He had to let her go, but his arms weren’t willing to unclamp their hold on her. However, Mia shifted, gently pushing to put some distance between them.

  “I’m fine; you can go.” She stepped out of his hold and shot him a tremulous smile that was probably meant to be encouraging.

  Despite not wanting to leave Mia in the vicinity of the coward who’d just assaulted her, he trailed Bren a short distance along the passageway, not letting himself even glance at Robinson. Or hear whatever rubbish the guy was yacking at Seb. He didn’t quite trust himself not to lose it again if he laid eyes on the bastard’s smarmy face.

  Leigh shook his head at himself. What in the hell had happened to his much-prized self-control, to the legendary calm-under-fire persona of Alpha? Robinson touching Mia had been like striking the match that burned it all to the ground.

  Bren walked a few steps ahead of him, taking them over to the nearest ready room. As soon as they’d entered the hatchway, she rounded on him.

  “What the hell was that? You almost beat that recruit unconscious.”

  Leigh flexed his aching fist; a glance down at his hand revealed a busted knuckle. “Yeah, I did. That’s what I do when I find out a guy tried to rape a woman, no matter who he is.”

  Bren went rigid at his words. “Are you telling me that Robinson—”

  “No.” He blew out a hard breath. The image of Mia when the transit doors opened fired him up all over again. “Mia said he didn’t. But he could probably be charged on grounds of sexual assault. We might also be able to pin him with intent to rape.”

  Bren moved to lean against one of the desks. “This is a mess. Robinson is claiming he didn’t touch Wolfe, that you simply came up here and started attacking him without provocation.”

  Leigh threw out an arm in disbelief. “You saw her, the condition she’s in. There’s no doubt that he did something to her.”

  She rubbed the back of her neck in an agitated movement. “That’s all well and good, Alpha, but it’s her word against his, and you coming up here to beat the hell out of him isn’t going to help matters. You’ve probably only made things worse.”

  A frosty thread of apprehension crept through him. “What do you mean?”

  Bren shrugged. “Robinson wants to put in an official complaint against you. He says he never touched Mia, and you used excessive force in dealing with a simple misunderstanding.”

  “A simple misunderstanding?” He gave a short, disbelieving laugh. “I don’t think I misunderstood things when I stepped out of the transit and saw Mia all bruised and bloody. Jesus.”

  Was the bastard actually going to get away with this? He couldn’t even use the security feed as proof—he’d had it turned off earlier for the planned meeting with Mia, which wasn’t unusual when classified or sensitive material was being discussed.

  Bren speared him with a weighted look. “Leigh, we’ve dealt with some serious crap over the years, but I’ve never seen you lose it like that before. What is going on with you?”

  “Nothing is going on with me.” Leigh dragged a hand down his face, groping for his equilibrium. Once this got back to Commander Yang, there’d be any number of people taking a closer look at things, and if they discovered even a hint of what happened between Mia and him—

  The consequences were too numerous and thorny to even consider. God, could he have screwed things any better for himself?

  “It’s her, isn’t it? Mia. That’s why you lost it. If it had been any other female member of the crew, yeah you would have been pissed. But what I saw in there…you were possessed.”

  He glanced at his XO. No point saying anything when the truth was probably written all over his face.

  “I’ve known you a long time, and I couldn’t help but notice the way you’ve been looking at her in the last few days.” She held up a hand. “I’m not judging. I’d started wondering if the heart in that chest of yours would beat for anything other than duty. I’m not going to mention this to anyone, despite what happened just now. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that she’s fifteen years younger than you, and under your command. I know you’re smart enough not to let anything happen between you and one of your subordinates.”

  Ah, hell. He didn’t deserve Bren’s loyalty and couldn’t bear to look at her right then.

  “You are that smart, right, Alpha? Please tell me you haven’t been fooling around with one of the recruits entrusted to your care. Are you trying to commit career suicide?”

  “I haven’t been fooling around with Mia,” he managed to say with a straight face and perfect amount of sincerity.

  No, he hadn’t been fooling around with her, but he sure as hell had made love with her. Twice.

  Bren blew out a sharp breath and then stood. “Thank God. Then we can totally contain this.”

  “As long as Robinson is out of the program, I don’t care.”

  Bren sent him an unimpressed look, but before she could answer, the ready room door opened. Seb and Lawler walked in, followed by Commander Yang.

  This had gone up the chain already? Despite the pulse of trepidation pushing through him, Leigh decided to take it as a good sign. Things would be taken care of quickly and quietly, which meant minimal trauma for Mia.

  “Captain Alphin, you’ve made a mess out of this.” Commander Yang crossed the room with his usual uneven gait and paused to lean an elbow on the lectern. “There are protocols when it comes to this sort of thing, and I don’t remember beating the hell out of the alleged perpetrator being one of them.”

  “You have my apologies, sir. I lost my head for a minute. It won’t happen again.” Especially once he didn’t have to see Robinson’s smug face any longer.

  “You better make sure it doesn’t, because even though I’m sure you’re hoping otherwise, Recruit Robinson will be staying in the FP program for the time being.”

  The fury he’d been working to tamp down snapped out of its restraints and tore through him with a dash of incredulity to round it out. �
��Sir, you can’t allow Robinson to remain in the program after what he did. What kind of message does that send—”

  “And what kind of message would it send to have my CAFF beat the crap out of a recruit before booting that recruit from the program? I’ve spoken to both Wolfe and Robinson and I’m getting two completely different versions.”

  Leigh grabbed in a long breath, using the cool air to stuff the antagonism back down. “Sir, how many years have you known me? When I tell you that Robinson assaulted Wolfe, then you can take that to the bank.”

  Yang sent him a faintly sympathetic look. “I know, Leigh. But this isn’t about whether or not I trust in you. This is about what will hold up if it went as far as a court martial. You didn’t see the assault take place. It’s her words against his. And if you didn’t realize, Steve’s father just happens to be Admiral Richard Robinson.”

  Leigh swore. “Of course he is. Someone who is that big an a-hole wouldn’t be just anyone’s kid.”

  “I don’t think the admiral will take too kindly to his son getting the spit beat out of him by a superior officer who also happened to be his CO,” Yang continued. “And personally I don’t need a visit from that kind of brass. So yes, despite my own opinion on the subject, Recruit Robinson will be staying in the program until such time as he washes out on his own, fair and square.”

  Leigh rubbed the back of his neck, where agitation burned high. “So that’s it then. He puts the moves on one of the female recruits against her will and gets off totally free?”

  Yang straightened from the lectern and crossed his arms. “Robinson has received a behavioral warning from me personally, and will need some kind of attitude adjustment, which I’ll leave up to you and Lieutenant Brenner to impart. Robinson will own whatever responsibility you bestow upon him until the end of the program, or he drops out. Hopefully that should take up too much of his time for him to even think about any out-of-hours activities.”