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Hell, if he’d just looked my way and cracked a smile I would’ve been shocked after this past weekend. But as Panther faced off with dear old Dad, I couldn’t help my pulse speeding up.
It was hot. Not only because it showed his loyalty to his partner, but also because Captain Hughes was one scary motherfucker.
“Malicious or not, it was inappropriate and immature, behavior unbefitting of one of our Elite trainees, and I would expect you to understand that.”
Uh…fuck. I guess this is probably where I should step in. “In all fairness, sir. Panther did point out quite…forcefully how inappropriate he found my actions that day.”
When the captain’s eyes came back to mine, I was sure he thought I should cower into my seat. But fortunately for me, nothing much rattled my resolve these days, not even the stoniest death stare I’d ever seen in my life.
“Did he now?”
“He did.” I looked back to Panther, whose face gave nothing away. “He was the ultimate professional. You should be proud.”
The captain’s cheeks flushed slightly and Commander Levy stepped forward to intervene.
“I think what Solo is trying to say, captain, is that they have all learned their lesson and it will never happen again. Isn’t that right?”
Okay, so maybe I should’ve gone with that. “Yes, sir.”
“Very good. Now how about we run through today’s brief and catch the captain up. I’m sure he’d like to see what you will be up to today.”
Well, that had been a nightmare class. Captain Hughes was a man of strong opinions, and after we went through the brief, he ended up scrapping the whole thing and deciding on a different course, a.k.a. whatever the hell he wanted.
And here I’d thought Panther was the strait-laced, by-the-book guy. Which he was, but not to the extreme degree his father was—at least not yet. It was clear why Panther stayed in line growing up with a guy like that, and I almost couldn’t blame him for wanting to kick my ass on the daily.
After a quick talk with Commander Levy, who encouraged me to not be so mouthy next time, I grabbed my notebook off the desk and headed out of the empty classroom toward the mess hall. My stomach had been growling for the last half-hour since the class had run over big time, but since the hop for this afternoon had been canceled because of Captain Hughes, I wouldn’t have to rush through lunch. It seemed everyone else had the same idea, because the halls were empty, but as I turned a corner I could hear angry voices, somewhat muted, and glanced around to see where it was coming from. A door was cracked up ahead, and I kept my footsteps silent as I headed down the hall, fully ready to eavesdrop on something juicy.
“How dare you defend that boy’s actions. He could’ve cost you your spot, and how do you think that would look? My son, expelled from the Elite?”
Oh, shit. I’d stumbled into Captain Hughes and—
“He didn’t mean any harm, and it won’t happen again,” Panther said.
“How can you be so sure? You heard him today. He’s a degenerate. He’s cocky and careless, and I won’t have you associated with someone like that.”
Gee, thanks, Captain Asshole.
“What does that mean?” Panther said. “I can’t exactly avoid him. He’s in my class—”
“But he doesn’t have to be your partner.”
Wait, what?
“I’ll speak to your instructors. You won’t win being stuck with Solo as your partner, so I’ll have them switch you. I don’t know why they paired you two together in the first place.” Captain Hughes’s voice brooked no argument, and I felt something twist in my gut. I wasn’t good enough to fly alongside his son? That was what he was saying?
I felt my anger rise, and I was this close to storming inside and letting him know exactly what I thought of his idea, but then Panther spoke up, halting me before I did something I’d regret.
“Absolutely not. I won’t agree to that.”
“Excuse me?”
“Solo is my partner for the duration of my time here, and I’d like it to stay that way. He may be all those things you say, but he’s also one of the best pilots I’ve ever seen. You want me to win? Then I need to be paired with the best.”
Holy fuck. My jaw practically crashed to the floor. I strained to hear the rest.
“That’s a mistake—” Captain Hughes started.
“Then let it be my mistake,” Panther said.
There was a long pause, and I wondered what was happening inside that room. Panther was no doubt getting one of those epic death stares from Daddy-o, and I had to admit that hearing him stand up to his dad was another mark in the fuckin’ hot category.
“Don’t cry to me when this all blows up in your face,” Captain Hughes growled, and then the door slammed open and I hugged the wall as he stormed out. Thank God he went the opposite way, because I had a feeling if he’d seen me in that moment, looks would’ve killed.
