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In another situation, he’d break the gaze and, if she approached, brush her off. But he had two SEALs showing up, and he counted three women. It wouldn’t hurt for him to show interest, especially given that Rand had seen him kissing Diana on the sidewalk that night.
Petty Officer Third Class Bryce Albrecht was the first to arrive. White, single, and in his early twenties, he was six feet tall, built like a tank, and a promising sniper.
He was also perfect for enticing the group of women to their booth. Chris was too old to play the pickup game, and Rand was nearly as old. He had no doubt the blond pretty boy got all the female attention he wanted, but Rand’s looks were also the kind that intimidated, while Bryce had “easy lay” written all over him.
Sure enough, the women were checking them both out as they sipped their beers. “So what brought you back to the city?” Albrecht asked.
“I got antsy in my new place all alone. Fucking holiday season in a new area sucks. Decorated my tree and it brought back memories of my ex. So I decided to come back to DC. Take in some museums. Get laid.” He shrugged. “Drink beer.” He turned the question back on Bryce. “Why are you still here? I thought you were headed to Pennsylvania.”
The young SEAL picked up his beer and drank a long gulp, then set it down with a thud. “Got uninvited to spend the holidays with my girlfriend.”
“Ouch. What happened?”
“I might have fucked up.”
“Might?”
“Probably.” He sighed. “Definitely.”
The server returned at the same time Rand showed up.
A glance toward the bar and Chris again met the gaze of the pretty Black woman. He felt like a shit for not shaking his head to warn her off.
This espionage stuff sucked.
Rand slid into the booth next to Bryce, giving Chris his own side. After he was settled in with a beer and their server delivered a selection of small plates, Rand fixed him with a look. “Been an interesting few days as far as our last mission goes.”
“Yeah,” Bryce said. “Was waiting for you to get here to bring that up. Can you believe that shit? We risk our lives to save some chick, and now Uncle Sam is going to give her back?”
Chris appreciated that Rand didn’t mention that the last time they’d seen each other, Chris was making out with Diana on the sidewalk.
“It’s fucked up,” Chris said.
“You think she did it? Was colluding with the enemy?” Bryce asked. All at once, he seemed to remember who he was talking to. “You’re the only one who was there for both rescues. What was your take on her?”
Chris met Rand’s gaze. Did he need to confess he’d been with Diana on Thursday night? Would Rand admit to meeting her?
He decided to let the superior officer field the question, and just responded with a noncommittal shrug.
Rand took a sip of his beer. “Not our job to speculate. We just drop in and save the day.”
Bryce let out a laugh and raised his beer. “Amen.”
Chris remembered being that young. When the job was simple.
Be the hero.
That was before ops went bad. Before he lost teammates.
Bryce excused himself to use the restroom, and Rand fixed him with a look. “How’s Diana?”
“I fucked up.”
“You were pretty cozy the last time I saw you.”
“We were. I fucked up later.” He looked down into his beer like it held answers. “I questioned whether or not she saw Rafiq, and she bolted.”
“Wow. You did fuck up. Or maybe dodged a bullet.”
