The lieutenant commander frowned at Charles, then motioned for me to sit after I’d saluted them. “All right. Thank you to everyone for joining us on such short notice. Cantor, why don’t you tell us why we’ve been summoned here?”
He gritted his jaw. Unless it was my imagination, the man actually looked annoyed for having to be there.
Charles glowered at me with so much hatred I could almost taste it. The level of contempt was new, even from him.
“Where have you been, Dobbs?” he asked, folding his thick arms over his chest.
The officers sat behind a giant wooden desk, their leather-covered chairs wedged in tightly behind it. Blinds had been drawn over the windows, and a fluorescent light hummed quietly overhead.
The atmosphere in the stark white room was tense.
I glanced at the four officers sitting with Charles. All of them seemed as confused as I was.
“I’ve been at my place. Why?” I wasn’t trying to be obstructive or disrespectful. I just didn’t understand why he needed to know where I’d been.
“What about before that?” he snapped. “Where were you, say, yesterday?”
“Yesterday was the fourth of July. I was in the city celebrating. I don’t understand why that’s relevant.”
“I will decide what is relevant,” Charles said.
The other officers’ expressions turned quizzical. Even the lieutenant commander gave Charles a strange look, but he didn’t interrupt.
When he nodded at me to continue, I shrugged. “I’ve already answered the question. I was in the city. I wasn’t near the base or on a mission if that’s what this is about.”
Charles ground his teeth together. “Were you on the beach yesterday, Dobbs?”
“Why would that matter?” one of the superior officers asked, but it became clear to me in that moment what was going on.
Charles knew I’d been with Sofia. That had to be what was going on. “Yes, I was on the beach.”
There was no point in lying about it. It was quite obvious he already knew, but I also didn’t want to lie about it.
“My personal life is private, sir,” I said. “Why have I been called in because I went to the beach on the fourth of July?”
“That’s a good question,” another man murmured, but Charles either hadn’t heard him or just ignored him.
“Nothing about your life is personal or private at the moment,” he replied. His words drew more frowns and confused looks from his peers. “You’re under investigation for a series of very serious transgressions. Everything you do, everyone you see, and everywhere you go can be questioned for purposes of establishing whether you should be discharged or not.”
“With all due respect, sir, I—”
Charles cut me off with a wave of his hand. “Don’t speak unless you’re spoken to.”
I nodded my understanding, but my eyes narrowed to slits when they met his. The man was hellbent on destroying my career. Finding out about my relationship with his daughter had obviously just moved up the timeline.
Even so, I couldn’t find so much as a thread of regret inside for getting involved with her. Charles had been gunning for me for a long time. He would have eventually done whatever he was about to do anyway.
Sofia had become non-negotiable to me at some point. I would walk through fire for that girl. Facing a possible firing squad wasn’t going to scare me away from her.
“You were on the beach with my daughter, were you not?” Charles asked.
A round of surprised grunts filled the air, but still, no one intervened. I looked him right in the eyes and nodded once. “Yes, I was.”
Malice crept into his gaze, but the others behind the desk were too busy staring wide-eyed at me to notice it. His lips pressed into a thin line. “You’ve also been to the hospital here at the base, have you not?”
“Yes, sir,” I admitted, feeling unease tighten my gut. “I went twice to check up on Eden Phillips.”
“You are aware that you were not permitted on the base during your suspension?” he asked, but he already knew the answer.
I nodded anyway. “Yes, sir. However, I didn’t visit him in any official capacity. I merely wanted to check up on my friend.”
“Your friend who is recovering from injuries he sustained because of your petulance,” he remarked.
Red dots flew into my vision. My muscles stiffened, and my hands clenched into fists. “That is not correct, sir.”
“Did you hear any question there?” He cocked his head, still glaring at me. “There was no question. It’s simply a fact.”
“Now, Charles, we’re still investigating that matter,” another one of the officers said. “We haven’t even recorded Mr. Dobbs’ statement yet, nor have we had an opportunity to speak with Mr. Phillips.”
Charles cut his eyes to the side. “The investigation will continue, but under the circumstances, I believe Mr. Dobbs has proven that he can’t be trusted to stay out of it. Allowing him to move around freely jeopardizes the integrity of the evidence and the investigation.”
“Excuse me?” Shock ricocheted through my system. My eyebrows mashed together and my heart beat so fast it was just about thrumming.
An icy grin spread on Charles’ lips. “Statements have to be taken from all the soldiers who were involved. You’ve already attempted to tamper with Mr. Phillips’ evidence. You’ve even attempted to infiltrate my own home by using my daughter.”
“Charles, I don’t think that’s fair. We should—”
The officer was interrupted by a gleeful-looking Charles. “The decision has already been made. He’s going to the brig in Washington until the investigation is over.”
“That’s bullshit,” I burst out. “I haven’t attempted to tamper with any fucking evidence and I’m not trying to infiltrate your home.”
Was he insane?
“Sofia and I became friends. We’re also dating. Sort of anyway. She has nothing to do with the investigation and you have nothing to do with my relationship with her.” My insides twisted at the thought that she might buy into his rhetoric.
Charles’ borderline psychopathic grin spread wider. “A likely story. Your flagrant disregard of rules, including those relating to your suspension,
