SEVEN
Cooper
When I heard her scream, I leapt into action, rushing toward her CHU. The lights were on, but I had no idea what was happening inside. Had she seen a rat or something?
The door burst open, and she ran outside. Max lumbered out right behind her, a sick and demented smile on his face. I slowed down, stopping near Jade.
“What’s wrong?”
“You need to teach your boy some manners,” she said, pointing at Max.
He smirked.
“What did you do?” I demanded.
“Nothing you don’t want to do with her,” he said, puffing out his chest.
I stepped forward, pressing mine against his. He stood a few inches taller than me, but I wasn’t afraid of fighting him in the least. Brain won over brawn all the time.
“What the fuck did you to do her?”
“Nothing happened,” Jade said, grabbing my arm with both her hands.
She pulled at me, but I didn’t budge, standing my ground.
“You like me, don’t you babe?”
Max patted her ass with his hand.
“Hey!” she said.
“That’s it you son of a bitch.”
I swung and punched him dead on the temple.
He growled and bent into a defensive stance, his fists up.
“Knock it off you two,” Jade cried.
“She’s right.” I lowered my hands.
“Too late for that, punk.”
He lunged, hitting me with an uppercut to the jaw.
“Why are we fighting?” I asked, not wanting to get into it with him.
“Because you need to know who’s the alpha around here.”
I dodged out of the way as he swung again, missing completely.
He threw his arms up as I punched again, hitting his forearm.
“What the fuck, guys!” Logan yelled as he ran toward us.
“Max needs to get the fuck out of here and not come back.”
I kept my hands up as I bobbed up and down, waiting for him to take another crack at me.
Logan stepped in between us. Jade stood stoic looking pissed as hell.
“All of you need to leave,” she said.
I stared at Max, daring him to make a move.
He put his hands down, grinning like an idiot.
“I’m out of here.”
As he approached the door, I stepped aside.
“That’s better,” Logan said, following him.
I hung back, looking across the sand at Jade.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
The other two men walked awake from the quarters.
She took a deep breath, shaking her head.
“I came because you were yelling. I’ll go.”
“No, wait,” she said, putting her hand on my arm.
“Yeah?”
“I’m leaving soon, and you seem to have little time for that romantic date you promised me. I need something to remember Afghanistan by.”
I smiled, my heart still racing.
“Fine. I’ll stop by tomorrow. If you need anything just yell. I’ll come running.”
“Clearly.”
“He won’t bother you again. I can promise that.”
She moved her hand away. I missed her touch.
“Have a good night, Jade.”
“You too, Cooper.”
I walked outside her CHU, closing the door behind me. The half-full moon had risen in the sky as I walked to the sleeping quarters I shared with Logan.
I saw Max standing outside the door. He punched his fist into the palm of his other hand and shrugged his shoulders a few times.
Do you want more? I’ll give it to you.
He tilted his head back and puffed out his chest. I stopped in front of him.
“We can’t be fighting over pussy, bro.”
“I’m not fighting over anything.”
“Oh, so you didn’t sucker punch me?”
He laughed.
“What do you want, Max?”
“I want to make sure you don’t open your stupid mouth to that reporter chick about what we got going on.”
“What you got going on,” I said. “I’ve told you I want nothing to do with it anymore.”
“And I’ve said you don’t have a choice in the matter.”
His chest bumped against mine as he stepped forward.
“Hey, Cooper,” Logan called from behind Max. “You coming in, bro?”
“I’ll be there in a second,” I said. “Me and Max have some stuff to work out.”
“Alright, man. No more of that fighting bullshit.”
“He said go inside!” Max yelled, not taking his eyes off mine.
The door closed. I concentrated on my breathing.
“Max, I mean it. I’m done. My tour is over soon, and I’ll be going home.”
“You’ll sign up again.”
“No, Max, I’m won’t.”
His lip twitched.
“Look, I won’t say anything to Jade or anyone else. I’m implicated in this mess myself.”
“Damn right you are,” he said. “Don’t forget that shit.”
“Go get some sleep. And cut down on the Steroids. That shit is making you crazy,” I said glancing at the door Logan had left open.
“Maybe, but I’m buffer than any mother fucker in Afghanistan.”
“Whatever, man. I’m going to bed. Lay off the reporter, okay? We don’t want any extra eyes on either of us right now. She’ll be leaving in a few days.”
“Yeah?”
“That’s what she said. Captain is sending her home.”
Max grinned.
“You had nothing to do with that, did you?”
He patted me on the shoulder.
“Later, man.”
I watched as he walked away to his CHU. Did I need to stay up all night and make sure he didn’t go back to mess with Jade? I decided against it. Instead, I laid in my bed and came up with something somewhat romantic for my date with the reporter.
With luck, I hoped to fuck her under the open sky on the foothills of the mountains. If nothing else, I would distract her until she left our camp and lives for good. Then I could get out of the smuggling operation. One step at a time, I told myself as I fell asleep.
One step at a time.