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Twenty-Eight
JACE
I’d never been nervous before, being called into the old man’s office. Then again, I’d never had this much at stake. Right now the halls seemed smaller, more claustrophobic. The subordinates milling around seemed busier than ever, like a bunch of worker bees buzzing around a big old hive.
“Ah, Sergeant Major.”
The general’s gravelly voice was pleasant enough, which I took as a good sign. But there was something else there too. Something in his vocal timbre that I’d never heard before.
“Please, come in and have a seat.”
I saluted and entered his office, sitting carefully in the chair across from him. General Burke didn’t seem overly formal, as he sometimes was. Nor did he seem overly friendly either.
In fact, he seemed somewhat nervous. And that made me feel worse than anything.
“You wanted to see me, sir?”
He waved a hand dismissively. “Relax, Jace,” he ordered. “I want none of this ‘sir’ stuff between us right now.”
I watched as the man spun in his chair to face the bar behind his desk. After the pop of a cork and some musical clinking he spun back again, this time returning with two glasses of 21-year, single malt Glenfiddich.
“Here.”
I was even more nervous than ever. And that’s because they were two veryfullglasses.
“We need to talk about something… difficult,” the general said. “Something that won’t be easy for either of us.”
I stared into the man’s blue-grey eyes, searching for answers. I could usually read him, but for the first time I was actually stumped.
“Are you denying my discharge request?” I asked respectfully.
General Burke sipped his whiskey and squinted down at me. Without saying anything, he bit his lip.
“Because if you are, I’d like to say—”
“Jace, I don’t know how to say this, so I’m going to just come straight out with it.” The old warrior sighed heavily. “Your wife is cheating on you.”
I was stunned now, too stunned to speak. Not only because I didn’thavea wife, but because the last thing I expected when I came in here was—
Oh.
Realization dawned all at once. I just sat there in the stone silence, blinking.
Oh SHIT.
General Burke had been studying my expression carefully. He shook his head, then pushed the glass of scotch whiskey even further my way.
“Drink, son,” he said gently. “That’s an order.”
I took the glass and finally brought it to my lips, moving slowly to keep from seeming too anxious. I figured the less I said the better, so I said nothing.
“Seems your wife was spotted at a local bar with someone else,” the general said solemnly. “Alloversomeone else by the sounds of it, and that someone happens to be your roommate.”
He looked at me pointedly, waiting for my reaction. I put on my best mock-wounded expression, and his gaze turned sympathetic.
“Now I know this might be hard to believe,” said Burke, “but I wouldn’t even bring this up if I hadn’t verified the source. But I know it likely comes as an even bigger shock hitting this close to home…”
I looked down now because I couldn’t look up, couldn’t face this man who’d been such a mentor to me. But my expression was all wrong. The general knew it, too.
