Chain of Command

by HelenKay Dimon

  He pivoted coming around to her side but his arms stayed locked around her. “You want to try shooting? We can go for the first row. The targets are eight feet away.”

  He’d run through safety tips and described each part of the gun. Next came lessons on sighting and stance. It looked like they were finally ready to actually fire. She wasn’t sure if she should be happy or sad to lose the husky sound of his voice as he talked about a subject he could explain without thinking. “Depends, are you going to stop touching me?”

  He froze for a second then his arms dropped. “I plan to touch you all night, everywhere, but around guns we stay focused.”

  A logical response and the right one. You didn’t play with weapons. She knew that. But he was so damn adorable being all teacherlike in his jeans and short-sleeve T-shirt. He handled the entire explanation with precision, staying calm and being clear. She could see the marine running through every inch of him. The way he held his body. The utter confidence that his every direction would be followed.

  Made her think maybe she gave up on military men too fast. “Yes, sir.”

  “That’s better.”

  “I thought you might like that.”

  “Too much.” His attention strayed for a second as a truck pulled up and stones crunched under the tires in the gravel parking lot. Then it was back on her. “I’ll show you how much once I get these clothes off you again.”

  She’d count down the minutes until that happened. “You know I am all about pleasing you.”

  The corner of his mouth kicked up. “You have so far. I am very pleased.”

  “Smartass.”

  “He’s been called worse,” one man said as he stepped up behind them with another guy at his side.

  Sawyer’s mouth broke into a full smile. “Hailey, this is Marcus, Jason’s brother.”

  Marcus nodded as he shook her hand. “The older and better one.”

  She saw the resemblance, only Marcus was a bit taller and trimmer. He had dark, almost black hair and chiseled features. Very handsome in a clean-cut American boy kind of way. He possessed more of a runner’s body though the biceps peeking out from under his tee suggested he could lift her, her house and her car all at the same time.

  But she liked his face. There was something less road weary in his eyes than in his brother’s. Sawyer told her about Jason’s marriage implosion and tendency to play the role of the clown of the group. Sawyer tagged Marcus as more serious. Right now she couldn’t see the distinction, but why not play along. “Clearly.”

  “I like her already.” Marcus winked then put a hand on the other man’s arm. “And this is Will.”

  She half expected to hear he was someone’s cousin or...no, wait. The vibe between Will and Marcus definitely did not say cousin. “Are you related to someone around here?”

  “In San Diego?” He shrugged. “My parents and two sisters.”

  “Speaking of smartass,” Marcus mumbled under his breath.

  “Will is still in the navy. Marcus just got out,” Sawyer said, pointing from one man to the other while she shook Will’s hand.

  Military, of course they were. They all shared the military gene. Lean and muscular, fit with a could-be-in-a-recruiting-video attractiveness. Will had the blond hair, blue eye thing going on but they all had that look. The confidence. Hell, they all wore about the same outfit—faded jeans and form-fitting tees...not that she was complaining.

  She turned to the only one of the group who flipped her switches. “Do you know anyone who’s not military?”

  “Other than you and my sister?” Sawyer wrinkled up his nose as if he were really contemplating the question. “Not really.”

  There wasn’t really anything Hailey could say to that, so she didn’t try.

  Marcus jumped in. “Will plans to hang around once we get our gun range up and running.”

  Ours, which meant Marcus was part of the company, just like Jason was. And Will, who stood close to Marcus. They didn’t touch but a certain energy zipped between them. She read people. Liked to watch them and build stories in her head. Theirs was not hard to imagine.

  “You don’t get enough practice shooting on the job?” she asked Will.

  He shrugged. “You can’t have too much practice.”

  She guessed that pretty much summed up all of their views on the subject. “Not sure I can argue with that.”

  “Don’t try.” Sawyer took the gun out of her hand and released the magazine. Checked the chamber, ran through the whole quick safety check, before pointing it toward the ground. “What are you two doing here?”

  “We were going to go for a run on the eagle course.” Marcus pointed at the trail behind him on the far side of the parking lot opposite the range. “Then we’re off to the gym.”

  With a hand over her eyes to block the sun she could squint and make out the dirt trail as it wound its way up a substantial hill and disappeared into an area of overgrown trees. She guessed that amounted to a few miles straight up. Sounded like overkill to her. Add in a second workout after and she thought these two needed help. “I can’t think of a way to make your afternoon more awful. Maybe an afternoon marathon for fun?”

  Sawyer laughed. “Add in practice maneuvers and you’ve described their days as SEALs.”

  That news left her a little breathless. “You are?”

  “Retired.” Marcus hitched a thumb in the direction of his chest then pointed to Will. “He’s still in.”

  “Impressive.” Marine special ops, SEALs...it was as if she’d stepped into a fantasy world of rescuers. Not her usual thing but she had to admit having all that might right there made her smile.

  “Way more impressive than being a marine.” Will sounded so sincere as he delivered the comment.

  Sawyer exhaled all long and dramatic. “I’m holding a gun.”

  Since she could almost see the testosterone fly, she guessed she’d walked into the middle of an ongoing feud. “I bet you’ve had this argument before.”

  “No.” Marcus shook his head. “No argument. Just a fact about who’s better.”

  “Wow, okay.” She couldn’t help it. She liked them all. Every single one of them. One of them made her insides go all squishy and her knees weak, but the joking and comfort level they shared in being able to rib each other opened her eyes to the other parts of Sawyer’s life.

  Will elbowed Marcus. “Don’t embarrass the guy in front of his date.”

  Now that was interesting. She glanced over at Sawyer. “Is that what I am?”

  He didn’t panic or stutter. He shrugged. “The term works for me.”

  Marcus looked around. “Way to go all out on impressing the lady, by the way. Nothing sexier than heading out to the desert to fire guns.”

  “Someone broke into her property.” Sawyer dropped that little bomb then stopped talking.

  The amusement faded from Marcus’s eyes. “What?”

  That fast Will snapped to attention. It was as if he stood up straighter. Grew more intense as his gaze drilled into her. “Are you okay?”

  The wall of protectiveness smacked into her and had her stepping back. “It was just the fence and—”

  “Broken on purpose.” Sawyer took out his cell and showed them the photo he took of her fence this morning when he insisted they do a walk-through. “The wire was cut.”

  “What the fuck?” Marcus looked at the photo then flicked his thumb over the screen to scroll through a few more.

  “Do you need help repairing it?” Will asked.

  “Sawyer fixed it.” The conversation had almost run away from her. Even now tension spun around them as they took turns looking at the photos and grumbling.

  Sawyer had made the same noise when she showed him the spot. Launched into a lecture about motion sensor lights as he needled her into calling the authorities. The sheriff had arrived, talked with Sawyer, and gone. There would be a report. She knew that meant nothing, but Sawyer taking a half hour to repair the hole then checking
almost every other inch of the fence meant everything. She planned on showing her appreciation as soon as she took his pants off tonight.

  Will made a face as he swore under his breath. “Still...”

  “What?” she asked when he didn’t finish the sentence.

  He spit it out. “It’s disturbing.”

  They closed in, forming a sort of protective ring around her. The range had emptied out right as they arrived and stayed that way. No one else was out there, so maybe it was in their collective nature to see a threat. Close in, rescue, fix. That described Sawyer and seemed to cover his friends, too.

  Marcus nodded. “It’s a good thing he has you out here, learning to shoot.”

  She loved the concern but it looked like they could all use a lesson in women-can-do-things-too. “Learning?”

  “Isn’t that what’s happening?” Marcus asked.

  “Not really.” She nodded to Sawyer’s hand and was surprised he offered her the weapon without complaining. Even turned over the magazine and saved her the renewed safety lecture.

  She loaded the weapon and turned around. Used the sight to aim and shoot. Six rapid-fire rounds dead center into a target on the third row. Having made her point, she turned around and released the magazine again.

  “Nice,” Marcus said as Will nodded in agreement.

  Sawyer checked the chamber as he accepted the offered gun back from her. “You said you couldn’t shoot.”

  More assumption jumping but she noticed the slight smile. If he was angry or felt like she challenged his manhood, which she certainly didn’t mean to do, he hid it well. “No, you did.”

  “Dumbass.” Marcus didn’t even bother trying to whisper his comment that time.

  “Why didn’t you stop me?” Sawyer snorted. “Knowing you can shoot just makes you hotter.”

  With anyone else the boldness, right out there in front of people, might make her uncomfortable. With him, the words struck her as true to who he was. He felt something and expressed it, not to make her squirm but to be honest. She admired it. Found it pretty sexy actually.

  But then she found almost everything about him sexy. Even the military He-Man thing was starting to work for her. “I didn’t mind the way you were teaching me.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “You mean holding you.”

  The spell weaving its way around them snapped when Marcus butted in. “Kids, let’s keep it clean.”

  With a hand on Marcus’s back, Will guided them a few steps away. “I think we should go.”

  “Right.” Marcus and Will shared a look before Marcus turned back to her. “Have fun.”

  Then they were off, as quiet and determined in their exit as they had been in their entrance. Hailey watched the easy comfort between them. Will threw the keys across the hood and Marcus caught them. In, and after a wave, gone.

  Sawyer stepped into her line of sight. Filled up the entire space in front of her, even blocked out a bit of the sun with those broad shoulders.

  “Anything else you want to tell me?” he asked.

  “Nope.” She wanted to ask about Will and Marcus but guys could get touchy about their friends. She’d only known Sawyer a few days but already believed she could read him. Still, there was no reason to cause a battle.

  “Who taught you to shoot?”

  They’d found a much safer topic. This one she could handle. “Rob.”

  “Figures.” Sawyer nodded as he steered them back toward the gun case.

  “He was supposed to be in a safe zone. In Afghanistan, I mean. “ The words popped out. She hadn’t even known they were stuck in her mind until they started spewing out of her. That emotional wound still brought a stabbing pain straight to her chest whenever she let her mind wander there and now was no different.

  He took his time unloading and checking the weapons before securing them. “Inside the perimeter of the tactical operations center.”

  “Right...wait.” It took her a second to realize that Sawyer had said something more than the usual. Forget all the friendly words and coded messages. He talked like he was reading a report...or reliving it.

  “That’s the official name.”

  “That’s more information than the military has provided during twelve months of asking and inquires.” Sawyer’s hands moved in a blur of constant motion as he shifted items around in the container until she touched his arm and forced him to look at her. “I thought you said you weren’t there.”

  He turned to face her. “I wasn’t.”

  “But?” There was more in there. She could tell by the way he stared at her but stayed silent. “Sawyer, just say it.”

  “I. Was. Not. There.”

  Then she got it. The light bulb clicked on and she was surprised not to hear music. “But you saw it happen. You know the details.”

  He opened the case’s lid then shut it again. “We should leave. Or we can shoot, if you want.”

  “Sawyer.” She tried to inhale but the tension in the air choked her. They’d gone from light and flirting to near suffocation.

  He froze. “Don’t do this.”

  “We already have enough things we don’t talk about. We don’t need one more.”

  “Maybe but...” He drummed his hands against the lid until the thumping echoed around them. “Not now.”

  “What does that mean?” When he didn’t answer she tried again. She needed his attention and for whatever horrific memory had his features drawn up so tightly to go away. “The fact that you weren’t there is what put that look on your face, right?”

  “What look?” He focused on her then. The starkness showed in his eyes and in the tension pulling at the edges of his mouth.

  “Pain.” There was no other word for it and even that one seemed too tame to her right now. It oozed out of him and she ached for him.

  The silence pulsed between them. In the distance a dog barked and a warm wind blew over the still property. Neither of them moved.

  “We have a limited time on the range before—”

  She put her hand over his and stopped him from lifting the case’s lid again or playing a new tune. “And I’ve proven I can shoot, so we’re fine. Well, I am. I’m thinking you’re not.”

  He sat down hard on the table with his long legs stretched out in front of him. “This will change everything.”

  He meant between them. He didn’t say it but she heard it just the same. “You need to say it.”

  “You don’t—”

  “Sawyer, I do.” She wasn’t even sure what they were talking about but she did.

  With a sharp exhale, he started talking in a tone that matched the desperation etched on his face. “A supposed friendly came in. He announced he had a bomb and started shooting and...”

  She’d waited so long to hear this story, but now she wanted to hear it not for her but for him. All she wanted in the world was for him to keep talking. She knew instinctively that peppering him with questions was the exact wrong way to go. She settled for touching her hand against his leg and almost sighed with relief when he grabbed on, sliding his fingers through hers.

  Quiet minutes ticked by before he began talking again. “Rob drew the gunfire. He made himself a target. Got the gunman to focus on him so others could escape the direct line of fire and a few could get a better position to take the guy down.”

  It sounded so different when he said it from how she played it in her head. She saw men hiding and leaving Rob alone. Let her anger over their cowardice fester. But Sawyer described chaos, the kind where living was a matter of pure luck.

  Sawyer drew in a huge gulp of air. “When the banging and yelling stopped, Rob and the gunman were both on the floor. Rob dead and the other guy bleeding out. Men rushed in. Someone got the bomb and got it out. It went off but away from people. There was this fireball.”

  He described it as if he watched it and with each word her perspective shifted. After so much secrecy, she’d begun to create conspiracies in her head. They all broke down now. />
  A sob caught in her throat and she pushed it back. “They told us his actions were heroic but wouldn’t provide details.”

  “They can’t. Maybe they shouldn’t.” He tugged her in closer.

  She stepped between his legs then fell against his chest. Let the warmth of his body heat hers as she rested her head on his shoulder. “We deserve to know what happened and why. See if there’s some way to prevent a similar disaster in the future.”

  “Hailey, I know every detail and it does not make Rob’s death any easier or give us a road map to prevent another incident like it in the future.”

  “That makes me feel sick.” Gnawed at her, tore at her insides.

  “Me too.” Sawyer whispered the words against her hair. “Hold onto the memory of his tremendous sacrifice and be humbled by the lives he saved.”

  For a few minutes she just balanced there, letting her weight sink into his. Letting him hold her up as a fresh shock of sadness rolled over her, but this time mixed with a shouting pride.

  The Rob that Sawyer described was the man she knew. The man who would step in and save others. The man who saved her and who Kat said made everything right in her world the minute he stepped in it. A good man lost too soon.

  Hailey roused herself long enough to think about the other good man. The one who walked into her life and who clearly had not figured out how to forgive himself for not being everywhere at the same time.

  She lifted her head and stared at Sawyer. “Is that what you are, humbled?”

  His fingers clenched against her back then loosened again. “Why aren’t you angry?”

  “You think you could have saved him.” She knew to her bones that’s what he believed. The thought he tortured himself with over and over again.

  Before knowing him, she likely would have blamed him too. Assumed he was out somewhere instead of by Rob’s side where he should have been when the end came. Jumped to conclusions. Lumped him in with the faceless “others” she tagged as being responsible for her loss. But now she knew things were not as simple as she once believed them to be. The information she didn’t have about what happened that day painted a different picture. One where everyone but one man was the victim.