Chapter 13 #2
“Me too,” Raptor said. “Teach me that jump. You’re a daredevil. I didn’t think you were going to manage to pull the chute.”
I chuckled, nodding to answer that I would. A few other jumpers piled in except for Axe and a guy called Firestarter.
What the hell? I was finished with my shower. If they wanted to continue, they’d need to pick the fight. I wrapped the towel around my waist, thinking about when Grace had watched me doing so. The look in her eyes had been… delicious.
I found Axe and Firestarter after they’d opened my locker, grabbing the jump bag I’d brought with me.
There were no words said, just laughter from the two of them as they picked through my items. Nope. I hadn’t spent a fortune on the items because I didn’t have the money set aside, but I knew what to do with every piece inside.
The last item Axe pulled out was my handheld hatchet.
“Now what the hell do you suppose Viper can do with this? A toy ax. The damn thing isn’t even sharp. Isn’t that funny?”
They knew I was watching, Firestarter more nervous than Axe was. I didn’t bother saying a word or picking another fight.
Axe finally tossed the hatchet into the bag, snorting as he pinned his eyes on me. Three full seconds passed before he turned and walked in the opposite direction.
I was silent in my approach, grabbing the tool and without second guessing myself, I tossed the hatchet, the blade moving right past his head and lodging in the wall only a couple of inches away.
Both Axe and Firestarter were stunned, Axe’s body stiffening.
At the same time, my attention was drawn to the doorway where the captain stood with Steel directly behind him.
And he was none too happy.
“Locke. Beckett. My office. Now.”
Steel glared at both of us, walking away before either of us moved.
There was nothing to say as we headed to the captain’s office.
“Close the damn door behind you.” The captain wasn’t in the mood to mince words. He stood at the window, his arms folded, his back heaving.
I closed the door and Axe and I stood as far apart as the room would allow.
The captain continued breathing and little else, but with every passing second, the sound grew louder and louder. And louder.
“What we do is dangerous. Highly dangerous. But do you know how many smokejumpers’ lives were lost last year?
Zero. Not one life lost and that was due to extensive training and teamwork.
What happened with William was an accident.
Not because of his lack of training, his lack of expertise or teamwork.
Or because he’d had an argument with a teammate.
None of those things were the reason. Blame Mother Nature. ”
Axe was clearly uncomfortable, moving from foot to foot.
The captain finally turned. “This team is like family. We always have been, which is another reason Will’s death affected all of us.
Every person. And I daresay that includes Viper, although it shouldn’t since he didn’t have the pleasure of meeting such an incredible man and Zullie.
And why? Because you chose to put him in the middle of something Viper had nothing to do with.
Not one damn thing. In doing so, you’ve put him and the rest of the team on edge, an edge we can’t afford. ”
Neither one of us said anything.
“Am I making myself clear?” he barked.
“Yes, sir,” we both managed at the same time.
The captain was still clearly frustrated.
“I don’t know how in the hell you found out about Viper’s record, Axe.
The only two people, other than Viper and Stoker Hansen from the forestry service, who were supposed to know were Landen Weaver and yours truly.
Yet one day after he walked through those doors, you threw his past into his face. I want to know how.”
Axe looked away until the captain beat on the surface of his desk. “Your office door was unlocked and his file was on the desk.”
You bet I was furious. When I started to say something, the glare the captain gave me kept me in my tracks and quiet.
“You looked,” Captain Daughtry repeated.
“Well, then.” He took several deep breaths, turning his attention to me.
“I don’t know what happened on the ridge this morning and I don’t give a shit.
I know the outcome when my face was almost split into two pieces by a hatchet.
So. We have a situation here. One I do not like.
Beckett, you’re suspended for two days without pay.
And I don’t want to see your sorry ass around here.
Go home. Talk with Kenzie and my guess is that she’ll set you straight. ”
“Captain,” he grumbled.
“Nope. Not a word. Not one. And you,” he continued, snapping his head toward me.
“You’re going to teach a class on your experience with jumping.
You shaved ten seconds off with a direct controlled landing.
Ten seconds could mean the difference in thousands of acres.
But… I want it step by step with no hotdogging. Got it?”
“Yes, sir.” I gritted my teeth, livid from the interaction.
“After that, the two of you are going to become bosom buddies. You will train together. You will jump together. You will fight fires together. Do I make myself clear?”
“For how long?” Axe snarled.
“For as long as I say. Now get out of here.”
Axe shook his head, grousing without looking at me while taking long strides out the door.
I turned around, uncertain how I felt.
“Viper. Wait.”
I’d expected that. Maybe this was when he told me I was fired. “Yes, sir.”
He leaned over his desk. “As you’ve already seen, the group is tight.
I’m not making excuses for Axe. He has his own cross to bear and I thought he was finished with self-doubt and the blame game, but I guess I was wrong.
However, he’s not the only one at fault here.
I don’t know the circumstances behind what happened with you and I don’t need to know.
What I do need is for you realize and accept that you could be one of the best smokejumpers this or any team has seen.
But you can’t get there with the boulder you have on your shoulder. Not gonna happen.”
I bristled and he raised his eyebrows.
“That’s what I’m talking about right there.
The anger. The insistence everyone blames you for every bad thing that’s ever happened.
Yes, you’re going to hear some shit. You were in prison.
You killed a man. However, only you can break the mold of allowing every comment to bother you.
When you can brush it off, no one will say a damn thing any longer.
Go find some joy. There must be something you’re looking forward to doing outside of work. ”
Exhaling, I mulled over his recommendation and the first thought that rushed into my mind?
Grace.
“Yeah, there is.”
He smiled out of relief. “Good. Then get out of here. Go home and find your soul. At least that’s what my wife tells me. I’m serious about the class. You’ll be coordinating that with Landen. I’ll have him come talk to you.”
“I’ll do my best, sir. Thank you.”
“Glad to hear it.”
As I walked back to the locker room, I was surprised that instead of getting continued shit from the men, a couple offered nods of respect.
The hatchet was missing, but I found it inside my locker on the top shelf.
Maybe the captain was right and it was time to begin chiseling the heavy rock weighing me down.
After I was dressed, I wasn’t interested in being confronted by anyone else, but I found Landen by my truck when I walked outside.
With a heavy sigh, I prepared myself for another lecture. “Mr. Weaver. I mean Landen.”
“Viper. I heard what you did today.”
My response was typical. I huffed, prepared to shut down so I didn’t need to explain myself.
“With the adaptation of a HALO jump. Now, given I’ve been jumping for a long time, I can tell you how dangerous the stunt you pulled was.”
As soon as my body stiffened, he moved closer.
“Wait a minute. Just wait a damn minute. However, the captain is right. We can incorporate the technique and cut our time.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And who knows, I’m an old guy in comparison but maybe one day I’ll do a higher altitude jump with you.”
The request surprised me. “That would be great.”
“Alright. We talk tomorrow. I want a class prepared by the end of the week. Enough time?”
“Enough time.”
“Excellent.”
He started to walk away and something possessed me to ask him a question. “Why did you quit being a smokejumper? I mean you train, but actively working in the field. I heard you’re a legend.”
“A legend. That makes me feel very old. The answer is that I have a family. And my wife couldn’t take the pressure any longer. My family means everything to me. And no, she didn’t ask me to quit. It was time. I wasn’t the same man any longer.”
“Understood.”
“Have a good night, Zullie.”
He also had no idea what that meant to me. “Thank you, sir.”
“Two things. For the love of God, stop calling me sir.” He moved closer, getting somewhat in my face.
But there was no animosity, no anger. Just a man telling a rookie a few things.
“One more thing and this is very important. Grace Monroe is my goddaughter. Her father, God rest his soul, asked me to look out for her. He did the day she was born and then again a week after 9-11 after we crawled from the rubble together. She’s like my own daughter. I understand you’re living with her.”
“Not… living. I mean cohabitating because she’s so kind and…” Holy hell. I’d never felt so tongue tied in my life.
He clapped me on the shoulder. “I get the meaning and that’s none of my business. Her safety and her happiness are. Don’t be cruel or hurt her in any way. If you do, I’ll know and trust me. You won’t like me if that happens. Are we square?”
“Yes… Landen. We’re square.”
“Awesome. Now, do me a favor and remind her about the damn carrot cake.”
As he walked away, I leaned against the truck. Maybe, just maybe I was going to like it here.