Page 73 of Close Quarters

“When you say words.”

“Argued. Better?”

“Yeah, no, I got that. What I meant was, how bad?”

“Bad.”

Reno grunted. “Leon, tell me you didn’t almost get your ass in trouble trying to keep me here.”

Leon’s eyes darted to Reno before he took a deep breath. “Look, what happened in that conversation isn’t important.”

“That’s a yes,” Reno sighed, rubbing his hands together. “That was really fucking stupid, Leon.”

“He appreciates it,” I added quickly, making Reno roll his eyes.

“Yes, fine, whatever, that,” he said, pushing me away lightly. “I appreciate it. But it was still fucking stupid.”

Leon eyed him, raising a brow. “Look. I know you have a few issues.”

“A few?” I wondered under my breath, earning a look from Leon and an elbow in my side from Reno. “Hey, ow! What, you’re the only one allowed to be a dick?”

“Let the man have his little heart-to-heart moment,” Reno muttered to me, and I laughed at the exasperated expression on Leon’s face.

“But your self-worth problems don’t come into consideration when I’m making decisions for myself,” Leon told him. “If you want to say you’re not worth it, fine, do that. Do it all you want. But that isn’t going to change the fact that I stood by my decision even before we saw you were willing to try to make it here. And it clearly hasn’t stopped Elliot from working to get to know you better.”

“I think he’s trying to tell you that when it comes to whether or not you’re the judge of your own worth, maybe you’re not,” I said with a smirk as Reno glanced between us, almost nervously.

“I’m telling him my decisions are mine alone, and I stand by them. I saw plenty of potential in you, Reno, and you’re finally proving me right. Maybe it’s time you start paying attention to the good shit you do and not just the bad,” Leon said. “And maybe the two of you might just make Tier Two soon.”

“Wait, what?” I asked, head snapping to him, mouth falling open. “Seriously?”

“You’ve been here almost a year,” he told me, and then he glanced at Reno. “And it might take a little longer with you, but to say that Mona and Mr. Isaiah are impressed with both of you is an understatement.”

“No one’s gone up in under a year,” I protested.

“And?” Leon asked with a shrug.

And…I didn’t know. That should have been the perfect argument, but apparently it wasn’t.

“Uh…” I began.

“Did you take your evening meds?” Leon asked me.

“He took them before dinner,” Reno said. “Are you trying to find an excuse to go to the clinic? You know, you’re both Tier Ones, you can just?—”

“And we’re done with this conversation,” Leon said abruptly. “Think about what I said…and get back to your cabin.”

“I’m just saying,” Reno said, giving Leon the kind of smile he generally reserved for me whenever he managed to find something that got on my nerves and fully intended to get his own back. “It’s as easy as?—”

“Good night,” Leon said, turning away and marching off.

“Use protection!” Reno called after him.

I stared at Leon’s retreating back long enough that Reno started walking away, forcing me to dart after him. “What the fresh fuck was that about?”

“Someone has a major crush on our resident poster boy for the clinic,” Reno said, as smug as he would have been if he’d gotten one over on me.

“Poster…Reed?” I asked a little loudly and repeated quietly. “Reed?”

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