Chapter 61
After the battle, the 448 returned to base. They turned Cortez over for interrogation and imprisonment. Afterward, they visited medical to have their wounds patched up. Went back to their barracks. Ate. Showered. As the one in charge, Ortiz had to deal with being pulled into meetings. The others felt bad for their leader, but glad they were able to stay behind in the barracks and rest.
Hazard was on the couch, his feet up in Ice’s lap. He was exhausted, but in that wired stage where he was still too keyed up to sleep. Ice sat with his head resting on the wall behind the couch, eyelids at half mast, a hand absently rubbing Hazard’s calf. Jax lounged in the armchair, wearing a tank top to keep from aggravating the wound on his arm with long sleeves.
Hazard made a mental note to change the bandage on his friend’s gunshot wound soon. They were watching TV, lazily offering letters for the Wheel of Fortune word puzzle when someone loudly knocked at the door.
“I swear if that’s somebody with another mission for us I’m going AWOL,” Hazard tiredly grumbled.
Jax got up to answer the door. Hazard twisted around to look and see who was there. A trio of soldiers from the military police stood outside their barracks. What the hell were they doing here?
“Please step aside, Corporal Jackson,” the one in front said.
A confused frown creasing his brow, Jax stepped aside as ordered. All three of the MPs came in.
“Captain Anderson and Corporal Mitchell.”
Hazard swung his feet to the floor and stood. Ice stood as well.
“You’ll both need to come with us. Please get dressed in your uniforms.”
“Why?” Hazard asked.
“You’re being taken into Legion custody.”
Hazard’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “For what?”
“Fraternization.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Jax exclaimed.
“We are,” the MP answered Jax without turning around. “Soldiers, please get dressed.”
Hazard looked at Ice. Ice nodded.
Still shocked, Hazard went into his room. He quickly changed out of his sweats and into his uniform and boots. He and Ice returned to the common area at the same time.
“I’ll let the captain know what’s going on,” Jax said.
Hazard could only nod. He and Ice were escorted from the barracks, one MP in front of them, the other two behind. They trekked across the base to the cluster of buildings behind HQ. The MPs marched them up to a small one-story building. The brig.
“What’s going to happen?” Hazard asked after they were processed in.
“You’ll both be brought before a judge’s panel. There will be a trial and the consequences will be decided there.”
This was serious. His heart lodged in his throat, Hazard turned to Ice. “I’m sorry. This is my fault. If I had never —.”
Ice shook his head, cutting him off. “No. This is not your fault. It’s no one’s fault.” He reached up to cup Hazard’s jaw. “We were inevitable,” he whispered.
“Let’s go, Captain.” One of the MPs gripped Ice’s arm and pulled him away.
“You too, Corporal.”
Another MP took hold of Hazard. The MPs started to pull them in opposite directions. Hazard looked back over his shoulder as he was led away. Ice did the same.
“I’ll handle it,” Ice said before he disappeared around a corner.
Hazard frowned. Handle it? What did that mean? Unfortunately, he wasn’t going to get an answer right now. The MP took him to a small jail cell. Hazard stepped inside and the door closed behind him with a secure clank . Still in a daze at the whirlwind of the past ten minutes, Hazard sank down on the single hard bunk in his cell.
This was all his fault.
* * *
Tired but satisfied, Sam walked out of the debriefing. She’d reported everything she had on Cortez. If he had any more Vengeful Claw members waiting to start an uprising, that was for intelligence to figure out. Now, she was ready for a rare steak, a hot bath, and sleep.
In the midst of the people bustling back and forth in the hall, she spied Jax coming toward her. His face was passive, not giving anything away, but she detected the upset in his scent. Besides, she knew only trouble could have dragged him out of the barracks after the hell of that mission.
“What’s wrong, Corporal?” she asked when they reached each other.
He jerked his head to the side, indicating they should speak privately. Ortiz led the way to an empty room. They stepped inside and Jax closed the door.
“Ice and Hazard were taken into custody by the MPs.”
“ For what ?” She held up a hand stopping Jax before he could answer. “Actually, let me guess. Fraternization?”
“Yes.”
“Damnit,” she angrily swore. “I had a feeling this would happen but I hoped they wouldn’t do it right after we returned from taking down Cortez.”
“I’m sure they timed it that way on purpose,” Jax said.
“Undoubtedly.” She thought for a moment. “There are a lot of moves I need to make to get them out of this.”
Jax crossed his arms over his chest. “Whatever you do, I’ve got your back. Ice and Hazard are our teammates and I don’t want our pack broken up.”
“Good. We’ll show them a solid front. I’m going to go and talk to some people. See who we can get on our side.”
“Good luck.”
Sam nodded. They were all going to need it.
She went to Lieutenant Colonel Gibbs first. He already knew what had happened. Clearly pissed at the way the situation had been handled, he gave her the name of the officer who’d ordered her men arrested. A Lieutenant Colonel Lynn Kelly. After receiving Goodman’s guarantee of support, Sam went straight to Kelly’s office.
The office was of a size befitting her rank. The walls and shelves were filled with commendations and pictures of Kelly with important people. The colonel herself sat behind a large, gleaming wood desk. She wore camo fatigues with her rank pinned over her left breast. Her makeup was modestly applied, enhancing her strong features, and she had her thick, dark blonde hair pulled up in a tidy bun.
“Major Ortiz. I was expecting you.”
Sam got straight to business. “Then you know what I’m going to say.”
Kelly leaned back in her chair. “Do I?”
“Arresting Captain Anderson and Corporal Mitchell is a mistake.”
“I don’t see how. Those two flagrantly broke the rules. They will have to suffer the appropriate consequences for their actions.”
“And what would those consequences be exactly?”
“More than likely a period of time in jail, followed by reassignment to different units.”
“Like I said, this is a mistake. Ice and Hazard are not the first shifters of different ranks I’ve seen fall for each other in the military. Those soldiers left. Do you want to lose Ice and Hazard too? Because that’s what will happen. If you try to separate them, make them choose between each other and the Legion, they will choose each other. And they will leave.”
“I don’t believe that. They may have feelings for each other but they will reconsider when their careers are put on the chopping block.”
Ortiz shook her head. “With all due respect, ma’am. They don’t just have feelings for each other. They’re mated. They’ve exchanged mating bites.”
“And they did so without prior authorization, which is also against regulations. That’s another mark against them. They’re supposed to be focused on serving their country. Instead, they’re caught up in unnecessary and distracting romantic entanglements.”
“That’s what you don’t get about shifters. We’re not meant to have loose associations with our teammates. When we’re bonded as a pack, we’re stronger. And personal relationships, including those of a romantic nature, help build those pack bonds. When we feel the pull toward our mate we can’t ignore it. It’s more than casual dating. The wolf within us won’t settle until we’ve acknowledged that pull and claimed that person as our mate. Having our pack members and our mates at our side settles the wolf within us and lets us give our full focus to the job that we do.”
“The US Legion cannot simply allow shifters to run amok, fucking whoever they want and then when they get caught, claiming their wolf made them do it to get out of trouble. There are fraternization rules for humans too, Major Ortiz.”
“I’m not saying shifters should have a free for all. What I’m saying is when a call to mate happens between two soldiers of unequal rank, instead of trying to force them apart, put structures in place to ensure that the two can continue to serve together without disrupting their unit.”
“Major Ortiz, you yourself benched these two soldiers when you had an issue with them during a training exercise.”
“They only had an issue because they were trying to stay away from each other in order to follow the rules. It wasn’t working. It made them both miserable and ruined their focus. Once they accepted their bond, they were back in the game sharper than ever. I’ll remind you that the 448, Ice and Hazard included, just rescued the entire shifter council from a mass assassination attempt with zero loss of life. And we took down the mastermind of that plot twenty-four hours later. Does that sound like a group that can’t do their job because of romantic entanglements?”
Kelly was silent for several moments. “You’ve made some good points, Major Ortiz,” she finally said. “However, I’m unable to make a decision regarding this on my own. The summary courts-martial will make the final call. You’ll be allowed to make your points again with them.”
“I know you will be asked to speak during the trial. Will you speak for or against my men?”
Kelly stared at her, her gray eyes sharp and considering.
“I will speak for them, Major.”
Sam’s shoulders loosened with relief. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“You’re welcome. Dismissed.”
Sam left Kelly’s office and headed for her own. She had an important call to make.