Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

TRISTAN

L ater that day, I’m in the office, trying to get my mind right as I make arrangements. Tank has twisted something up in me. For as long as I’ve been a Marine, I never thought another jarhead would sell me down the river like that. In hindsight, there were signs, especially with how willing he was to take my guns off me. He wasn’t trying to help me sell them. He was trying to disarm me.

A knock comes at the door. “Sir?”

It’s Miles.

“Come in,” I call.

He walks in awkwardly, his hands intertwined, staring at the floor. Miles has always been somewhat socially awkward. Maybe that’s why I’ve often felt a connection to him, though things have been stilted since Maya came along.

“Sir,” he says again. “I wanted to clarify something about Maya.”

He’s half my size, thin, and clearly untrained. Yet, with all the savagery in me, hearing him say her name is almost enough to turn me into a madman.

“Okay …”

“I had a crush on her,” he goes on. “I won’t lie, but I’m not good at flirting. I’m not very good at talking to people. I was just trying to be nice, but now I feel like a perv. I’m not. I promise. I just … I don’t know.”

His voice wavers. I look at him closely. I’m almost sure he’s telling the truth, but after the Tank stuff, my instincts feel off.

“Are you over your crush now?” I ask.

“I’ve actually got a date next week,” he answers with a small smile. “That’s why I’m here. I wanted to tell you, and if you want to fire me, I get it.”

“You didn’t molest her, Miles,” I say, just the thought making me sick. “You didn’t assault her. She just didn’t want to be touched by you. You apologized. She accepted. Just don’t do it again.”

I shouldn’t even add this last part. After giving the envelope to my Maya—no, just Maya—the last thing I should care about is if somebody hits on her, employee or not. But it’s not like I can just flip a switch and stop giving a damn.

“You’ve always been a good dog handler, Miles,” I go on, “and a good person. Do you want to make this up to me and the home?”

He nods eagerly. “Yes, please.”

“Pull an all-nighter and watch the home. Tell me if there are any problems.”

“Uh, sure,” he replies.

This is the difficult part. “But I won’t be able to pay you.”

“Being forgiven is payment enough!” he declares, then turns to leave.

I lean back in my desk chair, closing my eyes and taking measured breaths. A large part of being a Marine is ignoring what I want and doing the right thing, but even after just half a day, my body is longing for Maya, roaring out for her. We were supposed to be have our date, dammit. Get to know each other.

Is there a world where we can be together?

Maybe, but it means the Mob has to die. Maybe Tank, my brother, will have to go, too, if it comes to that.