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Maybe if I hadn’t snuck out to hang with Paul and Aria, we wouldn’t have gotten into that fistfight that left bruises I’d had to pretend were accidental.
But none of that was okay. None of that was the root of the issue.
“Chase, listen to me. You didn’t ruin his career. He did. His actions are what caused these consequences. You were trying to do your job and be a good Marine, and someone who was supposed to lead you and make you a better one took advantage of his position and basically abused you. This is not your fault. It’s his.”
My young friend nodded but didn’t say anything.
My eyes zipped to Staff Sergeant’s and he nodded in approval of my message. Turning back to Chase, I gave him a little shake. “Do you understand?”
“Yes, Sergeant.”
“Good.”
Staff Sergeant cleared his throat. “Keep an eye out today, Paxton.”
“I will,” I replied.
“All right, head out to the maintenance meeting. You’re late,” he directed, jerking his head for the door.
“Rah,” we said as we left.
We exited the room with a thud of the heavy door behind us. I was about to turn to Chase to reassure him again when Roberts came charging through the hangar, eyes blazing with fury. “Mitchell, you little piece of crap.”
Anger lit me up from the inside as he grew closer, his steps echoing loudly through the huge space. I stepped in front of Chase and puffed out my chest. “Back off, Roberts.”
The hangar was empty since everyone was already in the morning maintenance meeting, but I knew Staff Sergeant Jordan was in the shop. If it escalated, all I had to do was grab him. This didn’t have to get to the point of violence. Especially because if I took a swing at this clown, my higher-ups would have no choice but to nail me for it. Zero tolerance meant just that, and I wasn’t going to risk my career for this dude.
“Are you kidding me, Paxton?” He sneered at me, his voice dripping with acid. “What, you don’t remember what it was like as a boot? This is how it works. You should have seen some of the stuff I had to do when I was in his shoes. My sergeant had me pushing my limits every day so I could be a better Marine.”
Understanding washed over me. Roberts was like this because someone else had made him like this. Well, the cycle ended here. He wasn’t going to turn Chase into the kind of Marine who could one day turn around and do it to someone else. Not that I thought he would, because Chase was a good guy. But what did I know? Maybe Roberts had been a good guy before his jerk of a sergeant had gotten ahold of him, too.
“That’s not how we do things here,” I said, standing my ground.
“Yeah, well, it doesn’t matter to me how you do things here, because I’m no longer allowed to be here, thanks to this whiny little pansy,” he spat, jabbing a finger at Chase. “They’re moving me to another squadron while they decide if I’m just getting knocked down a rank or if I’m getting non-rec’d.”
“Good,” Chase surprised me by saying from behind me.
Roberts moved before I could blink, shoving me to the side with one strong arm and pulling the other one back, ready to strike. I had less than a second to make a decision. Without hesitation, I reached out and caught his fist before it connected with Chase’s face, then threw my other fist forward, connecting with his nose with a loud crack. He stumbled back, blood pouring from his nostrils.
Movement registered in the corner of my eye. I turned to find Staff Sergeant Jordan standing in the doorway of the shop, having come out at the exact wrong moment. His chest heaved as he registered the scene before him and the blood drained from my head and face, leaving me dizzy. Actions had consequences. Violence had consequences.
I’d had two rules when I put my past behind me and joined the Marines. Number one, don’t act on my feelings for Aria. Number two, never use my fists in anger. I’d broken the first one and tricked myself into thinking it was a good thing, despite my long-held fears about turning into my dad. I couldn’t believe I was stupid enough to think of proposing to Aria. Paul might support us now, but nothing else had changed.
Now, I’d broken the second one right in front of the person who’d be forced to punish me for it. I knew he’d have to. I knew the second Roberts walked up that as much as I wanted to, I shouldn’t hit him. And yet, that was exactly what I’d done. Like I couldn’t help it. I’d been right all along. And I’d just demonstrated that there was something broken inside of me that could snap at any minute. Just like my dad.
