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Brock lets his feet fall to the floor, ending up in a squat facing Maxen and wearing a guarded stare. Mouth open, ready to challenge his team co-leader, he’s beaten to the punch by a new voice joining the conversation.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Aaron snarls. He approaches the other two men, curiosity and maybe a little hostility tightening his features.
Maxen shrugs off the man’s attitude. “All women like compliments. Sadie has a disdain for being patronized. You guys are confusing the two. Worse than that, everyone here seems to have forgotten that she even is a woman. Sadie doesn’t want to be seen as one of the guys, equal in skill and strength. She wants people to recognize that the differences she represents are just as valuable to the PMCs as anything you or I bring to the table.”
“I have always respected her as a teammate in the Marines and here and have never doubted her unique abilities,” Aaron argues.
“I never said you did,” Maxen counters, beginning another set of curls. “I merely indicated that the men she’s known in her career are scared of her.”
Brock laughs. “Now, you’re just talking out of your ass.”
“No, I’m not. I’m guessing that all her career, Sadie has been surrounded by men that are either threatened by her or afraid to be seen as anything other than a supportive teammate. I swear to god, that woman is begging to meet someone that fully trusts her to watch their ass in a fight and then grab hers when the battle is over.”
Brock is no longer laughing. “Right now, I’m torn between respecting your insight and punching you in the throat for talking about a friend of mine like that.”
Maxen shrugs, unconcerned by his partner’s ire. “It’s just because you know I’m right.”
Aaron isn’t quite so ready to concede. “I don’t pussyfoot around Sadie, and I’m sure as hell not afraid of her,” he counters.
“Could have fooled me. You look like a spider hoping for the prey to fall into your web. That won’t work on Fate.”
Surprise and guilt color Aaron’s face red, and he turns sharply toward Brock, who’s wisely turned away, red staining his own cheeks. Aaron returns his glare to Maxen and explains, “The reason it looks like I’m not trying to nail Sadie is that I’m not. Sadie and I have worked together for eleven years. We’ve depended on each other to stay alive both in the Marines and after. She was a hell of a Raider and is a hell of a PMC. I have always respected her too much as a friend and teammate to do anything that would jeopardize her career or our friendship.”
Maxen nods solemnly. “You’re a good man, Grim. I’d feel the same way if I were in your shoes. So, it’s good that she and I aren’t on the same team.”
“Aww, hell,” Brock mumbles under his breath.
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Aaron demands.
Maxen racks his weights, winks at Brock, and walks away. Aaron glares at Maxen’s back before turning on his heel and heading back to theopposite side of the gym. Brock watches Sadie a moment longer, then swipes a towel over his face and tosses it in a bin.
Feeling like the walls are closing in on him, Brock rushes from the gym, hardly noticing when he knocks elbows with another operative on the way out. He ignores anyone else he runs into during his sprint to the locker room. Once inside, Brock steps up to the long row of sinks, splashes cold water on his face, and glares at his reflection in disgust.
After a moment, he braces his hands on the counter and drops his head. He’s fucked up, and he knows it. Brock couldn’t say when he fell in love with Sadie, but he knows the exact moment he realized it. It was on his birthday ten months ago.
Weeks prior, Aaron, Sadie, and Brock had discussed dream cars during a mission just to pass the time. During a surprise birthday dinner later, Sadie gave him a toy model of his favorite car. She even made sure it was the right color.
Brock proudly displays the model car in his locker, but it’s become a sad reminder of a missed opportunity. A car and a woman, he’ll never have. For the most part, he believed like Aaron and wouldn’t make a move on Sadie. Teammate or not, he kept his distance because Aaron is also his friend, and everybody knows Aaron is in love with Sadie. Everyone except for Sadie herself.
When it became clear to Brock that Aaron would never act on his feelings, Brock jumped at the chance to take an open leader spot on another team. With the ethical dilemma no longer an issue, he could finally ask Sadie out.
Fear kept him from doing it at first. If things didn’t work out, not only would Brock lose Sadie as a friend, but he’d also alienate Aaron for trying. So, in the last four months, he’s kept his mouth shut. And now, with Maxen publicly stating his intentions, it seems that Brock has likely missed his chance.
“I hope you’re happy, asshole,” Brock berates himself.
He pushes off the counter, dries his face, and lets the mask he wears slide back into place before walking back to the gym.
Sadie
“Last set, Sadie.”
I press against the platform, straining to push the two-hundred-pound weights outward using the muscles in my legs. The last two reps become even more difficult when Brock walks over and leans on the platform I’m currently trying to press. “Leg day before a sparring match,” he mocks. “Ouch. Looks like Spatch is teaching someone a lesson.”
“Shut up,” I groan as I lower the weighted platform for the last time. Brock laughs, taps my foot, and then walks back to the other side of the gym again. “You put him up to this, didn’t you?” I call out to him. “Need to get me good and tired, so you’ll have a shot at winning.”
His shoulders shake in silent laughter, but he doesn’t respond. I watch his retreating back, and Maxen’s words from last night come back to haunt me. Three men here would kill for one taste of your lips.
Maxen could have been spewing a bunch of bullshit, but what he said has made me hyper-aware and wary around the men I’ve worked beside for years. I’m now analyzing every gesture, spoken word, and physical show of camaraderie where before, these things were just a normal part of our working relationships here.
