9. Hallie

9

HALLIE

H allie wakes to the soft morning light filtering through the tent's thin fabric. Beside her, Kaia sleeps peacefully, her dark curls splayed above her head, her face serene. For a little while, Hallie simply watches her, drinking in the sight like a parched traveler stumbling upon an oasis. There's a sense of contentment settling deep in her chest, a warm peace she's never experienced waking up beside previous girlfriends.

Is that what Kaia is? My girlfriend?

A creeping nervousness pinches at her chest. She has no clue how she would go about asking her. If she even should.

Whatever it is that has blossomed between them is far from what Hallie expected, and she doesn't know how they could even make it work without risking their positions at the station.

As if she's sensed Hallie tensing, Kaia stirs, her eyelids blinking slowly as she wakes. Hallie reaches out, gently brushing a stray curl from Kaia's cheek, marveling at the softness of her lovely glowing brown skin.

"Morning," she whispers, her voice tender in the quiet of their secluded escape.

Kaia opens her eyes fully, a sleepy smile spreading across her full lips. Without a word, she leans in, capturing Hallie's mouth in a soft, languid kiss.

"Morning," she murmurs, her hand coming up to cup Hallie's cheek. Hallie melts into the touch, into the warmth of Kaia's body pressed against her own.

They stay like that for a while, trading gentle kisses and caresses, hands drifting across the curves and planes of each other's bodies. It's a different kind of passion than the sweaty tangling of the night before, but somehow far more intimate.

Hallie feels like she could stay here forever, wrapped in Kaia's arms, the rest of the world and its problems left far beyond the arid desert.

But soon enough, the loud rumble of Hallie's stomach breaks the spell. Kaia throws her head back with a laugh, a bright, joyful sound that makes Hallie's heart skip a beat.

"How about breakfast?" she suggests, sitting up and stretching her arms above her head. Hallie watches, mesmerized, as the muscles in Kaia's back flex and ripple beneath her smooth skin.

They settle themselves on the ridge again, nibbling on their scant supply of protein bars and sipping coffee from a thermos. Kaia nudges Hallie's shoulder playfully.

"You know, I don't think we spent very much time admiring the stars last night," she teases, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

Hallie nearly chokes on her coffee, a warm blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Oh, really?" she sputters. "And whose fault is that?"

Kaia's grin widens. "Hey now, I didn't hear you complaining, Lieutenant."

Hallie huffs a low chuckle, the easy banter flowing between them feeling as natural as breathing. It's entirely new to her, this effortless connection. She's spent so long building walls, convincing herself she didn't need anyone, fueling her soul with pure ambition and independence. But with Kaia, those walls seem to be crumbling at an almost terrifying rate.

Once they've packed up the tent and started the hike back down the ridge, Hallie is firmly in her head. The two of them settle into a comfortable silence, and she takes the opportunity to try and sort through the swirling emotions that are starting to feel too big to fit inside her ribcage.

She can't help but keep stealing glances at Kaia, thinking about how easy it is to be with her, how she seems to understand and accept every part of her, even the parts that have always driven other women away.

Kaia recognizes the intense commitment Hallie has to her career. Hell, Kaia's own dedication could rival hers.

A creeping heat coils low in Hallie's stomach when her mind wanders to how Kaia also seems to enjoy her dominant side once they're naked together, her fiery demeanor banking ever so slightly when Hallie starts calling the shots.

"What are you smirking at?" Kaia's question snaps Hallie out of her silent musings.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I was just remembering how much you liked taking orders last night."

Kaia scoffs, though the twitching in her cheeks makes it clear she's fighting back a smile.

"Only from you, Lieutenant. No one else."

They descend once more into their lighthearted banter, trekking at a leisurely pace beneath the morning sun. As they approach her waiting truck, a thought begins to take shape in Hallie's mind, a question she's been too afraid to ask herself in recent days.

Could Kaia be the one I've been holding out for? Could we be in this for the long run?

But even as the dream begins to take shape, Hallie feels a sense of unease tugging at the edges of her mind. She can't ignore the risk they're taking, that screwing it up could bring everything they've worked for crashing down around both of them.

The next few weeks pass in a blur of heated glances and sweaty nights. Whenever they can, Hallie and Kaia find ways to be together, whether it's a stolen kiss in the locker room or a long night in with takeout and action movies.

They're always careful at work, always looking over their shoulders, never getting too close where their crewmates might spot them. But even so, Hallie can't shake the growing sense of paranoia that comes with each passing day they have to hide their relationship.

Her fears rise to the surface with a vengeance one morning at a routine crew meeting. While all of their colleagues are gathered in the same room, Hallie notices a few sidelong glances and whispered remarks between a few of the rookies as they eye Kaia perched on the edge of a desk at her lieutenant's side.

Their crossed arms aren't even close to touching but, once she notices the looks they're getting, Hallie tries and fails to focus on the captain's speech.

Her mind is spinning with worst-case scenarios.

She imagines the rumors spreading like wildfire, the knowing glances and snide remarks. She sees herself losing the respect of her superiors, her crewmates, the authority she's worked so hard to earn.

Worst of all, she pictures Kaia's career going up in flames, all because her lieutenant couldn't keep her hands to herself.

After the meeting, Hallie marches towards her office, trying to calm her racing thoughts. That's when she hears it—a snippet of conversation between two of the rookies lingering in the hallway. "You've seen the way they look at each other in training. Think Montgomery is tryna fuck her way to the top?" one of them murmurs, his voice low.

"Maybe," his companion responds, "Hell, I might try it if I thought Hunter was into dick."

They both stride round the corner out of her sight, sniggering with every step. Clearly, they didn't think to check who was walking behind them.

Hallie's blood runs cold, fear gripping her lungs in a vice.

Desperate to quash the rumors before they can take root, Hallie makes a decision. She needs to be harder on Kaia in front of her fellow recruits, to create the illusion of distance between them. It's the only way she can think of to protect their careers, to keep their relationship from becoming a public spectacle.

With a heavy heart, Hallie squares her shoulders and heads towards the training ground, wishing she could have a moment to warn Kaia before launching her plan into action. She knows it won't be easy on her, knows that every harsh word and critical comment will feel like a knife twisting in her gut.

Hallie can only hope that Kaia will forgive her, once she has a chance to explain.

She strides out into the training yard, her heart pounding in her chest and a slight sweat spreading across her brow that isn't entirely down to the burning, Nevada sun. She spots Kaia standing slightly apart from the other recruits as usual.

For a moment, Hallie's resolve wavers.

She doesn't want to give the male rookies any more reasons to sneer at Kaia. Criticizing her publicly could tear down the hard-won respect she's steadily built over the past weeks of excelling in every training session.

But Hallie is convinced she has no other choice. She can't give any of them any more reason to think she praises Kaia's performance just because they like to take each other's clothes off behind closed doors.

Steeling herself for a tough morning, Hallie claps her hands, drawing the attention of the group. "Alright, listen up!" she barks, her voice as sharp and commanding as always. "Today, we're going to be running drills on team communication and coordination. At this point you should be working together seamlessly, like a well-oiled machine. Understood?"

A chorus of "Yes, Lieutenant!" rings out across the yard.

Hallie nods, her jaw tight. "Good. Let's get started."

She divides the recruits into pairs, assigning each a series of tasks designed to test their ability to work together under pressure and communicate clearly. The first exercise involves navigating a makeshift maze, with one partner giving verbal directions to their blindfolded crewmate.

"Remember," Hallie calls out as the recruits stumble their way around obstacles, "clear, concise communication is key. Your partner's life is in your hands."

She watches Kaia like a hawk, her chest swelling with pride when she completes the exercise perfectly, both listening and instructing with admirable precision. Hallie opens her mouth to praise Kaia's guidance of her blindfolded partner, but quickly snaps it shut when she remembers she needs to be looking for an opportunity to tell Kaia off.

Next, the teams must work together to carry a heavy training mannequin through an obstacle course, simulating the challenges of maneuvering a victim or equipment in a real-life rescue.

"Keep the load steady!" Hallie shouts, watching as the rookies struggle to maintain their grip. "If you drop it, you start again from the beginning."

As the day wears on, Hallie commits to singling Kaia out at every turn. She criticizes her form, her speed, her decision-making, pushing her harder than she's ever pushed anyone before. Soon, her voice grows hoarse from shouting.

Kaia, for her part, takes it all in her stride, gritting her teeth and pushing through the pain, determined to prove herself, as always. But Hallie can see the confusion in her eyes. The hurt. The silent question hanging between them,

Why are you doing this to me?

Hallie's chest aches with every harsh word, every biting comment. She hates herself for what she feels she has to do, for the way she tears Kaia down in front of her team. For the first time in her career, Hallie starts to resent her role as the tough, uncompromising lieutenant.

The last drill of the day is a high-stakes simulation of a multi-level building fire. The recruits must work in teams to locate and evacuate trapped civilians, coordinating their efforts and maintaining constant communication throughout the operation.

Hallie watches closely as Kaia and her teammate make their way through the smoke-filled structure, calling out to each other as they search for survivors. For a moment, it seems like they might actually pull it off without a hitch.

But then, just as they're about to make their final exit, Kaia appears to disagree with her partner's instructions, ignoring his call and taking a wrong turn instead. The mistake costs them precious seconds in the race against the clock.

Hallie takes a deep, levelling breath before she storms over to Kaia as soon as the exercise is complete, her fists clenched at her sides.

"Montgomery, what the hell was that?" she demands, committing to her performance. "You nearly cost your team the whole damn scenario. Do you even want to be here? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you think you should be running the whole department."

Kaia's eyes flash with hurt, eyebrows drawn together in obvious confusion.

"Of course I want to be here," she snaps back, her voice trembling a little. "I've worked my ass off to be a part of this crew."

Hallie's heart clenches at the raw pain in Kaia's voice. She wants to reach out to her, to tell her that it's just an act, that she's sorry. But she can't. She can only pray that one harsh dressing-down is enough to convince the rest of the rookies that she isn't playing favorites.

Instead, she narrows her eyes and takes a step closer, her voice dropping to a low, menacing growl. "Then you better start acting like it. Because right now, you're not just letting yourself down. You're letting your team down. You're letting me down."

Kaia's eyes widen at Hallie's brutal words. For a moment, Hallie thinks she might break, thick lines of moisture gathering in those warm, brown eyes. But then, something shifts in Kaia's expression. Her jaw tightens, and her eyes harden with resolve.

"You've made your point, Lieutenant," she bites back, her voice steady and calm. "It won't happen again."

Hallie blinks, taken aback by Kaia's sharp response. Before she can say another word, Kaia turns on her heel and storms off the training ground, leaving a stunned silence in her wake.

She can feel the eyes of the other recruits on her, can sense their confusion and unease as they shift on their feet, waiting to be dismissed. But she can't bring herself to care about whether her plan had the desired effect. All she can think about is Kaia, and the look of betrayal painted across her face before she'd turned away.