“It’s stuck,” Isaac’s voice shook.
Zane had the insane urge to comfort him, but before he could say one word, Isaac was gone, racing for the second SUV.
He didn’t move until the vehicle faded in the distance.
“You okay?” Ethan grimaced.
“No.”
Isaac
He’d been waiting about an hour.
What the fuck was taking Zane so long? They’d arrived back from Arizona over two hours ago. Every minute that went by, he could feel Maddox’s annoyance increase.
The captain sat behind his desk and Isaac had been standing at attention since he’d entered.
“At ease, Sergeant,” Maddox growled, finally glanced up from the file he was reading.
“Thank you, Sir.” He spread his feet apart and hooked his arms behind his back, releasing the tension in his spine.
“In fact, just sit in the god damned chair,” Maddox said with a dark look.
Isaac didn’t argue. He sat in one of the two chairs in front of the captain’s desk.
The clock ticked on the wall and sweat gathered in his armpits and soaked his shirt. He was dying of thirst, but didn’t ask for water. Ten long fucking minutes went by before there was a knock on the door.
“Enter!” Maddox snapped, and Zane stepped into the room.
The soldier shut the door and took two steps into the room and stood at attention.
Isaac went to stand up, but Maddox lifted a hand. “Sergeant Thorne, stay sitting and relax.”
His breath stuttered, but he stayed put, not willing to challenge the look in Maddox’s eyes. The man was more pissed than Isaac could ever remember him being.
“You, on the other hand, Master Sergeant, can stay standing.”
“Yes, sir,” Zane said abruptly.
Maddox closed the file he was reading. From this angle, Isaac could see that it was his personnel file and his heart sank. The captain finished with a notation and then tucked his file away into a drawer before pulling out another one. This one had Zane’s name on the front. Maddox slapped it open loudly in the room and started writing.
Thirty fucking minutes went by before Maddox closed the file. Of course, he hadn’t been writing the whole time, but he’d managed to work on his computer between making notations.
Zane hadn’t moved, not even to reposition his body. It was a test of wills on Maddox’s part and Isaac suspected that Zane got the message that Maddox wasn’t one to be fucked with.
Maddox took a deep breath and began. “I don’t care what’s going on in your personal lives, but when it affects the running of my team and puts our unit in danger on a mission, it boils my fucking blood.” The words were measured out slowly, each one over pronounced, the last few said through the captain’s teeth.
Isaac gripped the arms of the chair. Fuck. Was Maddox going to toss them off the unit? He could do it. Of course, he’d have to answer to Colonel Cobalt later, but if Maddox said they were out, then they were out.
Fucking Zane! Creating problems where there was none. The guy wanted the kiss buried, check, but why did Zane pick a fight about it? Perhaps it was time to get a new partner. Obviously, they didn’t work.
But they did work. They worked as partners. They were in sync every single way except for the way he wanted them. So the fuck what? Suck it up and deal, he sighed.
“I separated you two for a reason. I could see the storm brewing and made an attempt to thwart it. While you do have the authority to switch partners in the field, Master Sergeant, you don’t have the right to hash out your personal shit on a goddamned mission!”
Isaac wanted to jump to Zane’s defense, but he kept his mouth shut other than to shift in his chair. He shifted, uncomfortable sitting while Zane stood at attention.
“Something to say, Sergeant Thorne?” Maddox glared at him.
“I do, Sir,” he responded.
“Then say it.”
“Zane and I work very well together. We had a misunderstanding earlier. It won’t happen again. I’m willing to forget it and move on if Zane is.” He kept his gaze on Maddox’s across the desk.
Maddox studied him so long that Isaac shifted in his chair.
“What do you say, Master Sergeant?” Maddox’s razor-sharp eyes snapped to Zane.
“I’m sorry. I fucked up. I brought up a personal matter that shouldn’t have been brought up on a mission. It won’t happen again.”
“It fucking better not happen again or next time, you’ll be in the colonel’s office instead of mine.”
“You have my word,” Zane rasped.
“Mine too,” he said over the lump in his throat. He couldn’t have gotten out another word to save his fucking life.
He tried not to read into Zane’s “personal matter” comment but he couldn’t. Did Zane think the kiss a mistake? Of course, he does. The only thing he could do now was to make damned sure he stayed on his side of the line.
“Stand up, Sergeant Thorne.”
He shoved to his feet and stood at attention. Not exactly next to Zane, but close enough.
“Face each other,” Maddox ordered.
Isaac turned to face Zane, he had to tip his head a bit to meet the soldier’s gaze.
Zane’s eyes were a dark green turbulence of emotion that he couldn’t decipher, and he knew his own eyes were filled with sorrow and regret.
“Promise each other that you’ll figure out what the hell is going on, but never again on a mission.”
“I promise,” he murmured.
“I promise,” Zane said.
“Now get the hell out of my office,” Maddox muttered.
Isaac pulled open the door and stepped out into the hallway. He sat his back to the wall and leaned his head back, taking in a deep breath.
Zane closed the door and stood silently.
“We fucked up big time,” he said.
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” He wiped at the sweat on his forehead. “You think he’ll pair us together?”
“If we keep to our word, maybe.”
“Okay then, let’s do that.” He shoved from the wall and walked down the hallway. Zane
