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Her reason for leaving in such haste had far more to do with wanting to put some distance between herself and Clint as quickly as possible. Oh she knew him alright. The two used to date after all and she was pretty sure that he recognized her too. He seemed as arrogant and sure of himself as ever and she needed to get out of that room before Randall and Warrick realized something was amiss.
As such she determined then and there that she was going to get through this case as quick as possible. She had no desire to spend any more time with Clint than was needed, especially considering the way the two had parted last time they saw each other. With any luck this would be a cut and dry case and she would be finished with it before the week was out.
CHAPTER THREE
Clint didn't hang around Captain Warrick's office any longer than he had too. Captain Warrick he didn't mind so much, or at least as much as one can like a commissioned officer. But Randall was another
matter. Just being in the same room as him was gut wrenchingly painful. It had nothing to do with the fact the guy was trying to get him disbarred from the US armed forced either. It was really just that he was a terrible person that shouldn't be allowed to coexist with others... or at least that was how Clint saw it.
So even if that wasn't the case, Clint still made haste from Captain Warrick's office. Olivia Conway had exited the building less than thirty seconds prior and Clint really wanted to have a word with her.
Of course Clint knew who she was. How could he not? Not only did Olivia have the face of someone that you didn't forget overnight, she had always held a special place in Clint's heart. Clint wasn't the kind of guy to fall for or even develop feelings for the woman he was sleeping with. He just wasn't built that way... expect when it came to Olivia. He would never tell her this of course, but leaving her was one of the harder things he had to do and if it wasn't for personal reason, than he wouldn't have even considered leaving in the first place.
As such, it struck him as nothing but a surprise when he walked into that office and saw her sitting there. That initial shock was the real reason he had pretended not to know her, automatically slipping into flirt mode. But now that was passed and as a result he hurried from the officer in pursuit of her.
"Liv! Hey, Olivia!" He caught up to Olivia just outside the office, on the steps of the building. When she heard her name called, Olivia half stopped, half kept walking, as if undecided whether she should turn and talking to the Navy SEAL. But, as his voice boomed down the steps and across the yard, she really couldn’t ignore it.
"Hello," she said flatly as she turned to face Clint. Her stance was formal in nature, as if she were addressing a client, rather than an ex-lover.
"Hello?" he responded, smirking at her dry response. "I thought I would have at least warranted a semi-enthusiastic 'hey.' Or a even a hug and a cheek kiss?" he joked as he reached her.
"What's up?" Olivia asked. She was being short and to the point. Clint could feel the animosity pouring from her. Clearly she still hadn't forgiven him either.
"Oh nothing," Clint continued in his usual jovial manner. If there was one thing about Clint, he was hard to throw off. He had a level of self-confidence that wasn't easily dissuaded. "I just haven't seen you in four years. I thought maybe you didn't recognize me? You weren't very forthcoming in there."
"It would have been unprofessional if I had acted like I knew you. I'm assigned to assess if you broke any laws. I'm not here to catch up on old times." She spoke to him like he were a soldier and she were his commanding officer. Formal and direct.
"Ah... I see you haven't changed," Clint let out a sigh. He was disappointed by the way she was acting, truth be told. She had always been the serious type, putting work above everything else. He thought that considering their history, he may have warranted a different response.
"What do you want, Clint?"
"Honestly? I just wanted to catch up. I haven't spoken to you since the Academy. I thought you might want to get a drink with me? I'm in town for a few days and --"
"I don't think that's such a good idea. In fact I know it's not," she finished.
"The bad ideas are always the best ones," he joked again, reaching out and patting her on the arm. She instantly recoiled under his touch. Was she really still that mad at him? "I have to admit though, I was shocked to see you. I thought you were in intelligence? I had no idea you moved into legal?"
"I didn't," Olivia replied, letting out a sigh before stopping herself. It was the first emotion she had shown around Clint. "I was assigned to you for... for reasons between me and my C.O."
"Reasons? Is that what you call applying to the Navy SEAL training program – of course I knew. Every SEAL knows," he pushed when he saw the shocked expression on Olivia's face. "I'm surprised they didn't ask you to take leave. But I suppose being assigned to my dumb ass is just as bad?"
The reason for Olivia's assignment and current demotion was purely political. Roughly three months earlier she had made her Commanding Officer aware that she intended to apply for Navy SEAL training. Doing so would make her the first ever female Navy SEAL, assuming that she passed. Although it wasn't illegal, it was heavily frowned upon, making Olivia public enemy number one.
"Is there anything else?" Olivia asked in her predetermined short manner.
"No, I don't think so." Clint could tell that he hit a nerve with the Navy SEAL comment. "Just thought I should say hey. You look good Olivia."
To that Olivia offered a curt nod, turned and walked across the yard as fast and far away as she possibly could. The whole time Clint watched her go, a wry smile on his face. Yep, she was exactly as he remembered her to be. The whole uptight routine was an act, he knew it to be. Back in the academy he used to relish breaking through it. It was almost a game to him. Today though, she wasn't having any of it. Clearly old wounds didn't heal as fast as he had hoped.
But even with the way she was acting, Clint had to admit that his attraction for her hadn't faded. If anything it had only increased. What a shame then that nothing was to come of it.
CHAPTER FOUR
Olivia didn't usually go to bars alone. And when she didn't it definitely wasn't with the intention of getting smashed on vodka as a means to numb the pain and forget past worries. That kind of behavior was reserved for alcoholics and the clinically depressed. But there was nothing usual about that days events. In fact it was probably the worst day that Olivia had had in recent memory. As such, the moment she finished work, she made her way to the bar.
The bar was a naval one located only a few short minutes from where Olivia lived. She had never actually been there before, primarily due to the clientele. Naval bars, and indeed any military bar, were always teeming with drunk sailors, soldiers and marines. It was a testosterone fuelled environment where fights were encouraged and woman were seen as a life support system for what was located between their legs.
As Olivia entered the bar, she automatically concluded that this bar was going to be no different. Of the thirty or so patrons that filled the small space, twenty eight of them were male. Of that twenty eight, about twenty five were military and of those twenty five, twenty were drunk beyond comparison. The music was loud, the air stunk of whiskey and cigars and Olivia immediately regretted her decision to go there.
