Page 25 of The Infinite Light of Dust

Karina immediately began to panic. “What are you talking about? Why would he—”

I held my hand up between her and the soldiers. I didn’t want her temper to get her in trouble when these boys were so fucking obviously eager for escalation. I could tell by the way the shorter one had a fucking smug smirk drawn across his ratlike face. I could sense an instigator from a damn mile away. The patches on their ACUs let me know they had never been in combat, so of course they were thirsty for action . . . and for blood.

“You two should go home,” I calmly told Elodie and Karina. I knew damned well that my girl wasn’t going to listen, but I hoped her friend would convince her.

“No fucking way am I leaving! What do you need to talk to him about? And where is my brother?” Karina’s voice traveled through the quiet station.

“They arrested him,” Elodie sobbed.

“Arrested him for what?” Karina shouted.

One of the MPs stepped toward her, and every bit of my self-control flew out of the tiny station. I blocked him from getting so much as an inch closer.

“Give me some info. What grounds did you arrest him on? What are the charges, if any, that have been filed? Why hasn’t he been able to call his next of kin yet?”

The two of them squirmed where they stood, looking at one another for guidance, then to the clock. “We brought him in for complaints of assault. We need to drug test him before we even start the discussion of release.”

“Drug test him? He’s not a soldier yet. You have zero authority to piss test him. Who’s your commander?”

“He’s almost here. You need to wait. Sergeant or not, you’re not our boss.”

I held my breath, taming the growing fire inside of me. Karina and Elodie’s stress felt like it was blasting off them and through me. It was so hard to not react to the smug assholes, who from their point of view were just doing their jobs. But arresting Fischer didn’t make any sense. He hadn’t done a damn thing. The tiny bit of rational thought I had kept me quiet.

“Dad! What’s going on?” Karina rushed toward her father as he strode into the room where we all waited. He was wearing his ACUs and boots. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen that man in his uniform outside the Middle East.

“They said Austin’s been detained but wouldn’t tell us why.” Her voice was frantic, but her father’s face stayed as still as stone.

“Calm down, Karina,” he said. Elodie’s shoulders shook with a sob. She was wearing the same clothes as last night. “You two—” Her dad pointed at the two soldiers and wagged his finger for them to follow him. “With me.”

“Dad!” Karina shrieked, but was ignored.

I went to her, whispering for her to try to calm down a little. I hated that her feelings were valid, but if she continued to show emotion, whatever the hell was going on was only going to get worse.

The two soldiers and Lieutenant Fischer huddled for a minute or two before Karina’s father approached us.

“Your brother will be fine. We got a report that he was high, so once we drug test him he will be free to go. That is”—he eyed Elodie, then me, then his daughter. There was a tiny flicker of menace in his gaze, more so than the usual asshole he was—“if he passes.”

“But he’s not in the Army, how can they arrest him on post? And why are you here? He didn’t do anything! If anyone should be arrested, it’s Phillips, he had a gun, Dad—”

Lt. Fischer held his hand up to stop Karina from continuing. “Enough. You keep getting yourself involved in situations that you shouldn’t. We also got a report of an assault.”

His beady eyes homed in on my busted hands. I tucked them into the pockets of my sweats and kept my expression flat.

“But fortunately, the victim doesn’t want to press charges.” He kept his eyes on me. “So I suggest you take my daughter home and keep her there. I will deal withmyson how I see fit.”

“Sir.” Elodie finally spoke. Instinctually, I tried to shield her from getting close to Karina’s dad. “He—”

Karina had told me her father was fond of Elodie, but the way he was looking at her told me otherwise.

“Austin doesn’t do drugs and he barely drinks anymore. He is trying really hard to do right in his service,” Elodie explained to him, her hands at her chest like a prayer.

“Martin.” He didn’t acknowledge her and spoke directly to me. “Take them home.”

In my head, I told him to fuck off, to for once in his pathetic life give his daughter the attention and love she needed, to stop being such a fuckhead to his son, who was trying to do his best. In reality, I did exactly as I was told.

“It’s best if we go.” I put my arm around Karina and watched as her father’s eyes burned a hole in me. “I know you don’t want to, and I’m sorry for pushing this, but—” I lowered my voice. “You know your dad better than anyone, and the best thing we can do is go home.”

“I can’t.” Elodie shook her head. “This is because of me. I know it.”

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