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“Prank or not,” I said through my teeth, “it caused twelve thousand dollars’ worth of damage.”
At that news, Red’s hand flew up to cover her mouth. “Tyler.”
I rubbed a hand over my jawline.
“Tyler, how old are you?” I asked, hoping against hope that he was still young enough to be treated as a juvenile.
“Eighteen,” he replied, and my heart sank.
That meant he’d face the full consequences of his actions. Not that seventeen would’ve gotten him completely off the hook, but it could’ve helped. At this point, with how mad that country queen was and how much that dress cost, I had a feeling he’d either do time in an actual cell or be forced to work on the chain gang.
“Listen,” I said, looking between him and Red, “I don’t wanna do this, but I have no choice. I have to detain you until the local officers arrive.”
Red’s eyes widened, and she stepped forward. “Is that even legal? Who’s authority?—”
“Red,” I cut in, trying to keep my voice steady, “right before I came out here, Laney hired me as security. She did it so I’d be allowed to detain whoever did it.”
She stared at me for a moment, her lips pressed together in a thin line, clearly unhappy with the situation. Then she crossed her arms over her chest, looking like she wanted to argue further. Thankfully, she seemed to be out of points to make. Either that, or she needed a minute to come up with more. I didn’t have time to find out.
“Look, I know this is tough for both of you,” I said, my heart aching despite the fact that I barely knew them. “But I’m just doin’ my job. It’s not personal.”
“It’s personal to me,” Red whispered, her eyes pleading with me. “He’s my brother. Can’t you just let it slide? I swear, I’ll?—”
“I can’t,” I said quietly.
I hated that we were both still wearing the stupid masks, but I was oddly grateful for it at the same time. It meant I didn’t have to see the full picture of the pain in her eyes, and she couldn’t see how close I was to backing down.
She’d go for the kill, I was sure of it.
The tension hung heavy between us as I stood there, knowing that whatever fragile connection we’d had was now shattered. And though every fiber of my being wished I could give her what she’d asked for and just walk away from this mess, I knew I couldn’t.
It wouldn’t be right. It wouldn’t be fair to Laney after she’d just paid me to handle this, and it wouldn’t be fair to the woman whose dress Tyler had ruined.
Plus, I couldn’t imagine showing my face when I returned to work next week with this hanging over my head. I’d just been promoted. How was I supposed to lead my junior Marines, shaping them into the kind of officers who didn’t pick andchoose when to do their jobs if I’d done the same thing while on leave?
“Ah, come on. Haven’t you ever heard of givin’ a guy a second chance?” Tyler asked, attempting to crack a smile, but it wobbled on the edges.
I shot Red a look, and she pursed her lips. Then she surprised me by grabbing my arm and starting to pull me away from her bother. “Whoa, hey?—”
“Just gimme a sec without him hangin’ on every word,” she said, still tugging on my sleeve.
Turning back to Tyler, I pointed at him as I let his older sister lead me to the railing. “Stay put.”
He nodded, sticking his hands in the pockets of the fancy costume he’d likely borrowed for the event.
When we were alone, I cut right to the chase. “Believe me, I get it. You’re just lookin’ out for him. But—spoiler alert—I’m a military police officer, and I see young Marines get into trouble all the time. The worst ones are the ones who are used to gettin’ breaks instead of facin’ the consequences of their actions.”
“Tyler’s not like those guys,” Red insisted, not even commenting on the big reveal of my job title.
It made me a little sad, to be honest.
“He just needs a little guidance and support,” she went on. “We can help him turn his life around.”
I shook my head, keeping my voice firm but gentle. “I’m sorry, Red. It’s not my job to parent Tyler or decide whether he deserves a break. He made a choice tonight to commit a crime, and now he’s got to face the music, just like everyone else.”
“Like everyone else?” she shot back, her anger flaring. “You can’t be serious. You’re talkin’ about my brother here. This isn’t some random kid you picked up on base. This is myfamily.”
“Exactly,” I said, trying to keep my own emotions in check. “It’s notyourjob to protect Tyler from himself either. You’vedone what you can for him, but at some point, he has to take responsibility for his actions.”
