by C. C. Brown
“I’m on my way.”
He hung up and I sat down on the bed, pulling Cassie down with me and resting my head between her tits. She rubbed the back of my head, easing the slight hint of tension out of my body.
“Alex, I can’t stay out tonight.”
“Sure you can. We’ll get you covered here.”
“No!” she yelled, catching me off guard. She pulled back, and our eyes met, two sets of shocked eyes staring at one another. “I mean, I’m just so nervous about everything. I don’t understand how you can have all of this shit hanging over you and yet you still want to break rules.”
“Because it’s you, Cassie. Because no amount of fucking rules can contain what I feel for you.”
She stood and grabbed a bag and threw some of her belongings into it. I laid back on the bed, watching her every move as the worry from everything that was happening took hold of her and made her a nervous wreck. I hated what I was seeing—how the carefree Cassie seemed to be long gone, and was replaced by this nervous figure, moving about, like she was constantly on eggshells. She wouldn’t say much, and it was killing me. I hadn’t thought when I finally got the chance to see her that she’d be so on edge.
“Cassie, tell me how I can help you through this. I hate watching you look so damn frazzled.”
She looked at me and sighed. “I don’t know that there is anything, Alex. I just want to see all of this go away. I just want you to stop pretending that you’re a man of steel and acknowledge that you’re in deep shit. I want you to start caring about this predicament that we’re in.”
I sat up in disbelief. “Let me remind you of something. I was a hard ass from the day you met me and I will continue to be one. I won’t lay down for anyone. That bastard thinks he’s going to get me, and I’m going to make his pansy ass work for it. I’m not compromising myself or what we have to get off the hook, Cassie. If he’s going to punish me, he’s going to punish me, the real Alex, not some dickless prick who cowered because he was afraid.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but there was a knock on the door.
“That must be Riley. Let’s get out of here.” I walked over to the door and opened it, meeting the cold, lifeless eyes of First Sergeant O’Hara.” I froze as he glared at me, willing me to do the same. There was a female Sergeant with him, one I had only seen before, but didn’t know personally.
“Well, why am I not shocked by this? You get your freedom, and this is the first place you come?”
“May we help you, First Sergeant?”
“No, Sergeant Cruz, you may not. I am here to see Pfc. Bennett.”
Cassie stepped forward, looking sickened by his presence and ready to vomit. “I’m right here, First Sergeant.”
“I can see that, Pfc. Bennett. I will make this short and sweet. I came by to offer you one more chance to clear yourself. I sat thinking, long and hard, about what adverse paperwork could do to a young Private First Class, and it’s not pretty. You’d be booted out of the Corps after your first enlistment, for failure to promote. You have to see why I’m trying to offer you a way out.”
I looked to Cassie who looked to me, worry staining her face. Was she considering what this motherfucker was offering her? A twinge of sickness hit me as I stood there, praying to anyone who would listen that Cassie wouldn’t go for whatever he was about to offer her.
“Now, Pfc. Bennett, I can get you on a NJP and move you along your way. Anything more would be damaging to your career, and I see a bright future for you. Think about you, Bennett. You need to put yourself first.”
“Do I, First Sergeant?” she asked, her eyes narrowing at him. “Because from everything that I have been taught, thinking about yourself undermines morale, it hinders the ability to perform successfully, it’s frowned upon.”
“These are different circumstances, Bennett. Now, I don’t have all fucking day. Either you sign this form, and we move you right along, or I take you down with Cruz, and believe me, I will gut you both if it comes to that.”
Cassie looked from O’Hara to me, then back to O’Hara. “You want us, you’re going to have to work hard for us, First Sergeant.”
I exhaled, thankful that what I had said only minutes earlier had sunk in and she had turned around and used it on him. His always anger-filled face contorted into full-on rage as he turned and snatched a folder from the hands of the Sergeant with him.
“Private First Class. Bennett, you are being charged with fraternization. You have the right to remain silent. Any statement you make may be used as evidence against you in a trial by court-martial. You have the right to consult with legal counsel. This legal counsel may be a civilian lawyer retained by you at your own expense, a military lawyer appointed to act as your counsel without cost to you, or both. Do you understand these charges and your rights?”
“Yes, First Sergeant,” she answered, in a defiant tone filled with malice.
“I’ll need you to sign this charge sheet, acknowledging that you understand the charges laid out against you.
Cassie walked over to where he stood, then took the folder and pen from him and hurriedly signed her name to it. First Sergeant O’Hara took it back from her, then handed it to the Sergeant before turning back over to where Cassie stood.
“I know you’re young, but you need understand the ramifications of what you’ve just done. This will be one of those times where you look back and wish you had used better judgment.”
“I’m well aware of what I’m doing, First Sergeant.”
A sinister gleam shined in his eyes. “Oh, you don’t even know the half of it,” he harshly whispered. “Good evening to you both.”
He and the Sergeant turned and walked for the door, opening it to Riley standing on the other side. “Well, Sgt. Riley. It’s nice to see you.”
“Good evening, First Sergeant.”
“I’ll need to see you in the morning, first thing. We have more talking to do.”
Riley’s face went red, like he’d been caught. “I’ll see you in the morning, First Sergeant,” he nervously replied.
First Sergeant O’Hara and the Sergeant walked out of the room without so much as a glance back. I was proud of Cassie but weary of Riley. The way he responded didn’t sit well with me, and a sick feeling was beginning to settle in my stomach.
“You guys ready to go?” he asked, not making much eye contact with me or Cassie.
I studied him for a minute, seeing the nerves that were frying on the inside. He looked everywhere but at me, frequently wiping away at his forehead. This motherfucker had a shit ton of explaining to do.
“Yeah we’re about ready. Cassie’s just been charged, so we need to get away from this fucking place.”
“I’m really sorry, Cassie.”
What the fuck was he sorry for? I didn’t want to spend another minute in that barracks room. The aura of the place was draining, angering and depressing me in one fell swoop, and carving out the truth from Riley was only going to make it that much worse. I needed to get us out of here, for my sanity as well as for his safety.
“We’ll worry about all of this shit later. Just get me and Cassie out of here.”
He nodded his head, then turned for the door.
I grabbed Cassie’s bag and took her by the hand, whispering in her ear, “I’m going to get to the bottom of this. Don’t fucking worry about it.”
I kissed her cheek as she nodded gently. I could tell she wanted to let it go and not worry about it, but the betrayal that came along with a Riley confession was going to sever ties. I didn’t want to see another brother go, but if what I was suspecting was true, Riley would become just another fucking Marine to me, only after I’d had the opportunity to beat a shred of loyalty back into his fucking body.
Chapter 4
Cassie
I sat quietly in the back seat as Riley drove us off base and to the house. The air was thick and hung low, suffocating us as we barreled down the road with nothing but sparse desert scenery
passing us by. The elephant loomed large in the truck, and I wasn’t sure if Riley was afraid to broach the subject, or if Alex were trying hard to hide his anger. Either way, neither of them were doing a good job of whatever they were trying to do. I hung out in the backseat, hoping and praying that our hunch was not true because I didn’t want to see what was to come if it were.
“Hey, man,” Riley awkwardly spoke, trying hard to break the silence. “What you heard in there with First Sergeant—”
“Riley, not right now. Cassie just got released from the hospital.”
Alex’s hazel eyes never met with Riley; he just stared out the windshield as the veins in his neck continued to bulge. The tension in his body filled him from head to toe, and from his clipped response I could tell this was something I really was in no mood for.
Riley finally turned on the radio to try and drown out the silence. I Hate Everything About You by Three Days Grace came blaring through the speakers, making Riley glance into the rearview mirror at me. Our eyes met with trepidation, and he swallowed, then went back to focusing on the road. I wanted the song to end because it could have been the anthem for the truck at the moment and that was not a comforting feeling.
Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, we pulled up in front of the house. It was so good to see it, standing damn near alone in this hot, barren desert. After being found out, I wasn’t sure I’d ever see it again.
Alex helped me out, then whispered in my ear, “Go inside. I’ll be there in a minute.”
The intensity in his eyes as I pulled back and looked at him shook my nerves. Alex was hot-tempered and would easily fly off the handle, and I wasn’t interested in seeing him get into a fight with the one guy who’d had our backs during our relationship—or had he?
I kissed him but didn’t walk away lightly. Each step felt like cement blocks had been strapped to my feet and I was forced to lug myself inside. I hated what I knew was about to happen. It seemed that the bad just kept getting worse, and I began to wonder if it would ever end.
I looked back to find Alex leaning against the truck expressionless as Riley walked around to where he stood, rubbing the back of his head. A queasiness settled in my stomach, and I couldn’t take looking at the scene any longer, for fear that I might puke. Alex believed in loyalty, and for Riley to turn was pretty much a cardinal sin in his book.
I turned the knob and walked into the house, feeling slightly better at seeing the familiar interior and a sense of calm coming over me. I wasn’t sure what would become of whatever was happening outside, but for a moment, I was met with peaceful silence, and a small smile flittered across my face.
Just as I was turning to head to Alex’s bedroom, I heard footsteps come walking from the other direction, making my hairs stand on edge and my heart begin to race. The last time I had been caught from behind, I ended up the hospital, and I was determined that I would never be caught off guard again. My fists clenched, and I turned ready to swing on whoever was unfortunate enough to come after me, but stopped when I noticed a red eyed Natasha.
“Cassie,” she called out, her voice low and broken. She looked as if she had been crying for quite some time. Not only were her eyes blood shot red, but her face seemed a little puffy. Something was definitely wrong.
“Hey, Nat, what’s wrong?”
Her eyes shut. “Everything…everything is wrong.”
I reached over to hug her just as Alex and Riley came barreling into the house.
“Come here, Cassie,” Alex gruffly commanded. I didn’t like his tone, so I stood firm where I was, suspiciously eyeing him. “Cassie—”
“What? What’s your problem?”
“Alex, I’m so sorry. I had no idea,” Nat cried as tears raced down her cheeks again. For a tough, tatted-up, bad girl, she was crying as if her cat had died. I knew this had to be bad.
“You’re fucking sorry, Nat? Really?”
“Alex, it was a simple mistake,” Riley said, coming to Nat’s defense.
“A simple mistake? Nothing is simple here, Riley.”
“Will someone fill me in, please?” I asked, annoyed that I seemed to be the only member of this party who was still completely clueless.
Alex slowly walked over to where I was standing, then brought out his knife hand, rigidly pointing it in the direction of Nat. “Natasha is our rat. Can’t you smell the stench coming from those bloodshot eyes?”
I turned and looked at Nat. Her sad, regret-laced eyes confirmed what Alex had just said.
“I had no idea it was wrong,” Natasha said as Riley walked over and comforted her.
“How did this happen?” I asked, still in disbelief that of all of the people we were worried about, Nat was flying under the radar and had been our undoing.
“Yeah, I’d love to hear this fucking story,” Alex, chimed in with a sinister undertone that gave me the chills. When he wanted to be mean and intimidating, he could pull it off with ease.
Nat sniffled, trying to regain her composure as she set off to tell her story. “Well, this guy came into the tattoo shop, and he was asking for that depraved looking bull dog that Alex has on his calf. We got to talking about the tattoo and exactly what he wanted, and where he wanted it, then he asked if I’d ever done this one before. I told him not that exact one, but that I had seen it on my friend, Alex. He asked me if it was Alex Cruz and I told him yes, then I asked if you guys were friends. He said yes, so I figured he was a cool guy.”
“How the fuck did Cassie come into this?” Alex asked, growing impatient.
Nat nervously moved her hair behind her ears, then shot a glance over to me before continuing. “We just kept talking, and he was saying how you were one of the bad asses in the school house and how so many people looked up to you, but that you were also a hard ass and not easily approachable. I joked and told him that his girlfriend, Cassie, easily broke that down, and he was a puppy dog when she came around. He started asking more questions about this girlfriend, and I told him.”
“What did you tell him?” I asked.
“I just told him that you were a tall blonde and a Marine. I told him you hadn’t been in for very long and how much fun you were.” She turned to Alex and me and faced us head on. “He acted like you guys were busy, but long-time friends. He was saying he couldn’t believe you’d found a hot girl and hadn’t filled him in. I had no clue he would run and tell anyone, and I certainly didn’t know that I wasn’t supposed to say anything.”
“I know,” Riley said, pulling Nat back while trying to comfort her.
“What the fuck is this guy’s name? What did he look like?” Alex asked through clenched teeth.
“Um, I think he said his name was Scott or Scotty, or something like that. He was tall with blond hair.”
Alex’s eyes tightly closed as he ran his hand over his head. Whatever was behind Scott or Scotty, it wasn’t good.
“That’s Sgt. Vernon, Alex.”
“I fucking know who it is!” Alex yelled, completely losing his composure. “I fucking hate that guy. Hate him.”
Nat’s tears returned. I couldn’t blame her. Seeing Alex fly off in a fit of rage like that would make anyone weep. “I’m so sorry, Alex. I had no idea. I would have never—”
“It doesn’t fucking matter now. It’s out. I’m sure he ran back and ran his mouth. It wouldn’t take long for him to figure out who this “tall, blonde Cassie who hasn’t been in for very long” was.”
“I’m lost,” I threw out, feeling as if everything were going over my head once again.
“Sgt. Scott Vernon works at the schoolhouse in the Admin section and hates Alex,” Riley said, trying to clarify things. “He—”
“That’s enough, Riley. I’ll tell my own fucking girl about my personal dealings. You need to reign in yours.”
Riley let go of Nat and took a few steps over to Alex, stopping directly in front of him. “It was an honest mistake, Alex. She had no idea that she wasn’t supposed to speak about her friends and
how awesome they are. Damn, come off your high fucking horse. She had no idea that you were breaking fucking rules.”
“And you never thought to fucking fill her in?”
“No, why would I? I wasn’t the one fucking my student. I wasn’t paranoid.” He looked over to me, as a slice of regret pierced through his eyes at the choice of his words.
“So that’s how you see it, too? Me just fucking a student.”
“You know that’s not what—”
“I don’t fucking know anything anymore. I don’t know who has my back and who doesn’t. Who is looking to be the next whistleblower so they can get in good with First Sergeant to get that next good fit rep and move up the ranks. I don’t know who the fuck was jealous of my promotion selection and would do anything to get it for themselves.” He stopped and moved even closer to Riley. “I don't fucking know anything anymore.”
I swallowed hard, unsure of what to do or say, but knowing that standing here and allowing this to build would absolutely lead to nothing but trouble. Accusations and true feelings were spilling out all over the floor, leaving a friendship hanging in the balance. I knew Nat didn’t set out to tell on us. Hell, she had no idea that it was a bad thing in the first place, but Alex was not so forgiving. He wasn’t even willing to listen to reason. He was stuck in tunnel vision, seeing only one thing, and that one thing was that Nat had run her mouth, to a supposed enemy, and that gave First Sergeant O’Hara the ammunition he needed.
“Well, it is just some guy at a tattoo parlor’s word against ours. That’s not solid evidence.”
I looked from Alex and Riley, who had since each other breathing room, and over to Nat.
“He came in to see me.”
“Who did?” I asked.
“That O’Hara guy.”
My heart sank. Alex began pacing, one hand rubbing the back of his neck while the other lay clenched at his side.
“He came in and asked for me specifically. I had no idea who he was and started asking me questions. He said Alex was getting promoted, which I already knew, and that the schoolhouse wanted to invite his friends to a party for him afterward. He asked me if I knew of anyone that should be there and I said yes, his girlfriend, Cassie.”