My lip began to quiver, and I made a conscious effort to stop it, not wanting to show any signs of guilt or weakness.
He turned and walked out of the room. I could hear him speak to Alex, grumbling, “I’ll need to see you in my office in ten minutes, Sergeant.”
“Roger that, First Sergeant,” Alex replied, then strolled back into the room.
First Sergeant O’Hara stalked away from the room, hitting the ground hard as he set off on his mission to destroy everything that we had tried to conceal. My stomach hurt more than any other part of my body. I felt as if I were trapped inside of an ever expanding balloon that was nearing its bursting point. The walls were closing in, and I felt it deep down in my gut—we were so close to being busted.
The nurse walked back into the room. There was no doubt in my mind that she had deliberately stayed away until First Sergeant left. She sat the water down, looking curiously at me. I thanked her and turned to Alex, hoping to get a sense of what he was feeling at the moment.
He wasn’t feeling anything. He was just as nonchalant as he was before First Sergeant had arrived. I wanted to understand it, but I couldn’t. The thought of whatever was about to go down in that office terrified me, and I wanted him to be even a tad bit concerned.
“Hey, why do you look like your cat just died? You get to stay in Twentynine, did you hear that?”
My frustration couldn’t be contained any longer. I didn’t understand him. I was losing my shit on the inside, and he was calm as could be.
“Alex. You are about to face the man that could very well destroy us—destroy you.”
He moved swiftly over to me, staring those engulfing honey colored eyes at me.
“First Sergeant O’Hara is a man of great integrity, so he’ll do whatever it is he has to do. If that means he destroys me, then he destroys me, but he will never destroy us. Ever! You understand that?”
His vigor and the passion burning through his eyes calmed me, making me realize that his concern was not in what could happen to him, but what could happen to us. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck as he leaned down. Tears trickled down my face as I watched this man, who was so dedicated to the Corps, cast it aside because of his blinding love for me. It was overwhelming, and at the moment, too much to take.
“You better get over there and see what he wants.”
He pulled back, wiping my tears away. He kissed me, then turned and walked out of the room, leaving me in a conflicted and convoluted mess. I was thrilled that Alex was devoted to me and willing to put everything on the line, but I was also depressed that having everything with me meant having so little with the Corps. I lay back in my bed and turned on the TV to try and drown out the damaging thoughts. There was no way that Alex would escape this meeting unscathed, and I only hoped that our love was enough to overcome the outcome of it all.
Chapter 33
Alex
The drive over to First Sergeant’s office was short and quick. I didn’t give myself much time to think about whatever it was that he was going to say. When I got out of my truck, I was ambushed by one troubling thought that hadn’t factored into my thought process since all of this had unraveled—Cassie. I knew that the gauntlet would be brought down on me, but I didn’t know how far they would push it with her, and the only sickness I could feel since all of this started was where she would be when all of the dust settled.
I walked up to his office, confidently striding through the corridors, almost eager to know what he wanted to do about all of this. There was no way I’d be coming away unmarked, and I was ready for it, but I was also ready to lessen the blow for the girl that meant more than anything to me. I knocked on the door, then turned the knob and walked in, coming face to face with a steely eyed, First Sergeant O’Hara.
“Come on in, Sergeant Cruz,” he greeted, his voice low and clipped.
I walked in, standing at attention as he stood and walked around his desk, standing in front of me.
“At ease, Sergeant. Take a seat.”
I sat down in the chair situated directly in front of his desk. He took his seat, pulling out a notepad and skimming over some notes before looking up to me. The ice from his cold, hard stare began circling the room, knocking my hardened demeanor and concerted effort to remain unfazed by all of this off of the high horse I had placed them on.
“I’m very sorry to have this happen within your class. Private Allen is currently in the hospital, on twenty-four hour watch, and as soon as he is better and discharged, he will be transferred to the brig awaiting court martial and subsequent discharge. You have my word on that.”
“Thank you, First Sergeant.”
“As for Pfc. Bennett, her orders have already been cancelled, and she will be reassigned here. We will need her for the investigation into the sexual harassment as well as the assault.”
His eyes lowered as the walls came closing in, encasing us in the small bubble that held trapped, stale air. He was calculating whatever he wanted to say next, and my breathing picked up, anxiously awaiting the venom that was sure to come spewing from his mouth.
“As far as the investigation into the circumstances of last night, some new revelations have come to light, and I am here to put you on fucking notice.” His mouth curled, almost like a disgusted sneer. “I knew there was something up when I saw Pfc. Bennett by your office door a couple of days ago, but I didn’t follow through. Shame on me.”
His jaw hitched, clenching his teeth his teeth in the process. “So I am going to ask you one fucking time, and one fucking time only. Is there anything you want to go ahead and tell me before I blow this shit out of the water?”
I sat stoic, trying to remain calm and level headed. There was no way I wanted to sit here and admit to First Sergeant that I had committed the ultimate sin as an instructor, but the longer he stared at me…into me… into my soul, I felt compelled to give him what he wanted.
A flash of clarity swept through me, putting Cassie back in the forefront and remembering that unleashing all of my indiscretions would put her on the chopping block, and her well-being meant more to me than my own. So rather than allow him to force a confession out of me, I stuck to my original game plan, even though he was making me sweat with whatever it was he already knew.
He stared at me, his face growing more rigid by the second and fixing into a tight scowl. He finally made a move, wiping his mouth before speaking again.
“You want to play hard ass, Cruz? Go right ahead, but after digging, and speaking to those around you both, your fucking secret is out in the open, and I am going to drag your ass down as far as I can take you.”
His voice went lower, mixed with a deadly concoction of disgust and malice. “You’re a motherfucking predator, using your position of authority to prey on students. I’m going to make a fucking example out of you, and when I’m done you’ll wish you had exercised a little more restraint with your extra-curricular activities.”
He sat red-faced, glaring at me.
My heart was beating so fast I thought it might explode. As badly as I wanted to play it off, I knew what the aftermath would be, and as much as I had prepared myself for it, I hadn’t prepared myself enough. Sweat began coating my brow, my hands, my entire body. My breathing labored, crushing my chest as I tried to hold it in. He was looking for a moment of weakness and, even though it was oozing through me, I wasn’t about to give it to him.
My ego had taken a beaten while my nerves were being severed by the sharp tongue lashing insults at me. A predator I was not, but how was I going to plead my case with him? I wasn’t sure exactly what he had on me, but from where I was standing, he had enough. Now, I just had to keep calm and make him do the excess legwork to actually prove all of it.