Chapter 32

32

DEAN

I closed my eyes and tried to get some rest on the flight back to Columbus. Technically, going to Washington could be considered disobeying orders and there was a strong chance I would get in trouble for it. I had neglected to inform anyone of my trip. It was only a matter of time before it got out.

Oddly enough, my thoughts on the worst thing that could happen had shifted. I had been pissed at getting stuck in Columbus, but now, I wasn't sure I wanted to transfer out.

As the plane descended into Columbus, my heart pounded with anxiety. Facing the consequences of my actions was inevitable. The minutes felt like hours as we taxied to the gate. I half-expected MPs to be waiting for me at baggage claim.

I walked through the airport, constantly looking over my shoulder. Just because they weren't waiting for me at the airport didn't mean they wouldn't be waiting for me when I returned to base. Or maybe I was just being paranoid.

I walked to my truck and turned on my phone. I was expecting a text from Sarah to let me know what happened. I hoped like hell her punishment wasn't too extreme.

As if on cue, my phone rang. But it was Mo. Bad news traveled fast.

"Fuck," I groaned.

It would be nice to ignore the call but delaying the conversation would just piss him off. This was a situation that had to be addressed head on.

"Hello," I answered, trying to sound casual.

"What the hell is going on?!" he roared through the phone.

"Mo—"

"A friend of mine calls me about an incident with Sarah and then I see a report you filed in Washington," he growled. "What the hell were you doing in Washington, Dean?"

"That's—"

"You were supposed to be in Columbus," he said, suspicion and anger clear in his voice.

I took a deep breath. "Sarah called me, Mo. What happened rattled her. I took my assignment to look out for her seriously, so I went to her because she needed me. I made sure she was safe, wrote the report, and now I'm back in beautiful Mississippi. There's no need to worry."

"No need to worry?" Mo barked. "My daughter just got in another fight, in front of personnel from all over the country. Her last name is Thomas but she insists on dragging it through the mud."

I frowned, feeling a snarling urge to protect her. "Sounds like you didn't get the full story, Mo. She stopped some psychopaths from waterboarding a fellow officer. Then they attacked her . I can't believe you're not calling for those guys' heads. What kind of father are you?"

I flinched the moment the words were out of my mouth.

"You listen here, you cocky little shit. The day I let you give me parenting advice is the day I get my fucking head examined. You think I don't care about my own fucking daughter?"

"No, of course you do, sir," I said quickly.

"You're out of line, Ryker. We're friends and you're doing me a huge favor, but if you ever question my parenting again, I'll pump your ass full of jet fuel and set it on fire."

"Yes, sir," I said.

"And for the record," Mo said. "I'm dealing with those cowards who put their hands on my little girl. That was the phone call before this one. I'm handling things."

"You wanted me to keep an eye on her, sir," I said.

"On base during training," he replied. "Out there on her own, she needs to learn how to keep her eyes on her own path. She's not a child anymore. She has no business inserting herself in other people's problems. It's going to be her undoing if she can't learn how to behave in this environment."

"I was proud of her," I said again without thinking, my words coming out before I could stop them.

"I think you're taking your assignment a little too seriously, Ryker. Keep her in line on base. The only person who needs to be proud of her right now is me. And she's slipping. She needs a reality check. That's your job. Got it?"

I gripped the steering wheel tighter, my knuckles turning white. "Yes. sir."

Mo hung up without another word. I thought back to last night, to how scared Sarah had been and how much she had needed someone to be there for her. She had stepped up in a way that made me see her not just as a trainee but as someone with real courage and integrity. Mo's anger and harsh words were unfair, but he was her father and my superior.

I had already pressed him further than I should have. I couldn't help myself. Her father was wrong about her and I wanted to make him see that. But the old man saw things in black and white. A fight was a fight. Disciplinary action was a stain on his good name, even though she had saved a fellow officer from torture.

Sarah deserved a medal, not a reprimand.

I made my way back to the base with a sense of dread. The tension between following orders and doing what I felt was right for Sarah pulled me in different directions. I pulled onto base, wondering if I would be stopped at the gate. They just waved me through, looking bored. I went to my house and again was relieved to see there wasn't an armed guard ready to haul me to the brig.

Maybe I wasn't in official trouble. Mo was furious, especially after I insulted him, but I supposed he didn't want to get the other brass involved. Or maybe he was just focused on Sarah's situation at the moment. I couldn't imagine what he must have been feeling when he heard she'd been attacked and landed in medical.

I went straight to the shower and changed into jeans and a T-shirt. I wasn't running away, but I also didn't want to sit around and wait to get hauled away. Mo was pissed. I wasn't sure how pissed he was and what he might do to punish me.

I headed straight to my bar. I needed a drink and some time to clear my head. When I arrived, I found Jude chain-smoking out back, as usual. He looked up, surprised to see me. He had a guilty look on his face and quickly dropped the cigarette and stomped it out.

"You're here earlier than usual," he said, eyebrows raised.

"I need a drink," I replied, already making my way inside.

Jude followed me in and poured me a beer. It wasn't five o'clock yet, but I didn't care. I drained the beer quickly and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Jude leaned against the counter, waiting for me to speak. I could tell he knew something was up.

"Well?" he asked when I didn't immediately spill my guts.

"I'm royally screwed," I said, finally breaking the silence.

Jude's expression turned serious. "What happened?"

I took a deep breath and told him about flying to Washington and everything that went down with Sarah. As I spoke, Jude listened intently, his eyes growing wider with each detail. By the time I finished, he looked genuinely concerned.

"Jesus, Dean. Mo's not just pissed about you going to Washington, is he? He's onto you and Sarah, isn't he?"

I nodded. "I don't know. He might suspect after how I spoke to him. He made it clear he's watching me closely."

Jude let out a low whistle. "That's bad, man. Really bad. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I had to be there for her, Jude. She needed someone, and I couldn't just sit back and do nothing. I've never seen that woman show any weakness. When she called me, she was broken. It got me. I would have moved mountains to make sure she was alright."

Jude nodded, understanding. "I get it. But you're walking a fine line here, Dean. If Mo finds out for sure, it could mean your career. And your ass."

"I know," I said, running a hand through my hair. "I just couldn't leave her there by herself. It wasn't like she was just having trouble with the survival stuff. She was attacked."

Jude poured me another beer and slid it over. "I get it, man. But you've got to be careful. Mo's not someone you want to mess with. And Sarah? She's reckless and she's his fucking daughter."

"I know," I repeated, the weight of the situation pressing down on me.

"Look, you did what you thought was right. And maybe it was. But now you've got to figure out how to navigate this without losing everything you've worked for and hurting Mo's feelings in the process. He's got the pull to destroy your career. You'll be riding a desk faster than you can blink."

I nodded, appreciating his words but still feeling the stress gnawing at me. "I just wish there was an easy answer."

"There never is," Jude said with a grim smile. "But you're a smart guy. You'll figure it out."

I took a long sip of my beer, mulling over his words. Jude was right. I had to be smart about this. I couldn't afford to let my emotions cloud my judgment. The infatuation I had with Sarah would fade—maybe.

"I'm not sure I'm as smart as I thought I was," I muttered.

"So, did she kick that waterboarding prick's ass?" Jude asked.

I grinned. "She broke one guy's nose. He was the guy that did the most damage."

"Was she hurt?"

I shrugged and took a drink. "She has some bruised knuckles and a black eye. Nothing she hasn't had before, but it was the mental anguish that rattled her. She's tough as nails but she's also loyal. She has a very strong sense of right and wrong. What she witnessed was wrong. Period. Sarah wasn't about to let it go unchecked. She saw a fellow officer that needed help and she jumped in without thinking about herself."

Jude chuckled. "She reminds me of someone."

"Yeah, yeah," I said. "She felt like shit that her friend got his ass handed to him. I think if they weren't just coming out of survival training, they would have had a better chance. It's bullshit those dickheads were pulling that shit anyway. Can you imagine what would have happened to us if we pulled something like that?"

"I think we would have been in pretty bad shape." He laughed. "Not from the fight but our CO would have torn us to shreds."

"Exactly." I nodded.

"Do you know what kind of disciplinary action she's facing?"

I shook my head. "I don't know."

"Is Mo going to step in?"

"I have no idea," I said. "Maybe. He's going after the guys she stopped, but he might be too mad to help her. Although I don't think she wants his help. She's one of the few people in this military that doesn't trade on her family name. If anything, she's embarrassed by it."

"But this time, she might need all the help she can get. Mo won't take what happened lightly."

I grimaced, the sinking feeling in my stomach growing heavier. "I know. I'm just worried about her. She's tough, but even the strongest can have a breaking point. If she gets booted from the flight training program, it will destroy her."

Jude nodded. "We all think that until we get out of the hustle of flying and realize there is life beyond jet fuel."

"Speak for yourself." I laughed. "Flying is in my blood. And for Sarah? Flying is everything to her. It's her passion, her purpose. Taking that away from her would be like taking away a piece of her soul."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," he said. "She might get grounded or have to reapply again if she gets booted from the program, but she'll be fine. That little troublemaker doesn't seem to be the type to let anything get her down."

I chuckled. "True. I think this might have been a wakeup call for her. She needed to learn the hard lesson that she isn't invincible. She should have followed protocol and notified a superior officer instead of fighting."

He nodded. "She did the right thing the wrong way. What a world. Well, I hope your girlfriend doesn't get in too much hot water."

"She's not my girlfriend," I retorted.

He grinned. "You want her to be."

I didn't have a response to that.

We spent the next hour talking about everything and nothing, the familiar routine of the bar bringing me some much-needed comfort stability in my stormy life. As the evening wore on, I couldn't shake the feeling that my problems were far from over. I wasn't sure what kind of trouble Sarah was going to be in. If it really was just cleaning floors for a month, I would say she got off easy.

If not, they might send her away from me, and my whole world would shatter.