Page 18 of Sparks Fly

“Only from you, Lieutenant. No one else.”

They descend once more into their lighthearted banter, trekking at a leisurely pace beneath the morning sun. As they approach her waiting truck, a thought begins to take shape in Hallie’s mind, a question she’s been too afraid to ask herself in recent days.

Could Kaia be the one I’ve been holding out for? Could we be in this for the long run?

But even as the dream begins to take shape, Hallie feels a sense of unease tugging at the edges of her mind. She can’t ignore the risk they’re taking, that screwing it up could bring everything they’ve worked for crashing down around both of them.

The next few weeks pass in a blur of heated glances and sweaty nights. Whenever they can, Hallie and Kaia find ways to be together, whether it’s a stolen kiss in the locker room or a long night in with takeout and action movies.

They’re always careful at work, always looking over their shoulders, never getting too close where their crewmates might spot them. But even so, Hallie can’t shake the growing sense of paranoia that comes with each passing day they have to hide their relationship.

Her fears rise to the surface with a vengeance one morning at a routine crew meeting. While all of their colleagues are gathered in the same room, Hallie notices a few sidelong glances and whispered remarks between a few of the rookies as they eye Kaia perched on the edge of a desk at her lieutenant’s side.

Their crossed arms aren’t even close to touching but, once she notices the looks they’re getting, Hallie tries and fails to focus on the captain’s speech.

Her mind is spinning with worst-case scenarios.

She imagines the rumors spreading like wildfire, the knowing glances and snide remarks. She sees herself losing the respect of her superiors, her crewmates, the authority she’s worked so hard to earn.

Worst of all, she pictures Kaia’s career going up in flames, all because her lieutenant couldn’t keep her hands to herself.

After the meeting, Hallie marches towards her office, trying to calm her racing thoughts. That’s when she hears it—a snippet of conversation between two of the rookies lingering in the hallway. “You’ve seen the way they look at each other in training. Think Montgomery is tryna fuck her way to the top?” one of them murmurs, his voice low.

“Maybe,” his companion responds, “Hell, I might try it if I thought Hunter was into dick.”

They both stride round the corner out of her sight, sniggering with every step. Clearly, they didn’t think to check who was walking behind them.

Hallie’s blood runs cold, fear gripping her lungs in a vice.

Desperate to quash the rumors before they can take root, Hallie makes a decision. She needs to be harder on Kaia in front of her fellow recruits, to create the illusion of distance between them. It’s the only way she can think of to protect their careers, to keep their relationship from becoming a public spectacle.

With a heavy heart, Hallie squares her shoulders and heads towards the training ground, wishing she could have a moment to warn Kaia before launching her plan into action. She knows it won’t be easy on her, knows that every harsh word and critical comment will feel like a knife twisting in her gut.

Hallie can only hope that Kaia will forgive her, once she has a chance to explain.

She strides out into the training yard, her heart pounding in her chest and a slight sweat spreading across her brow that isn’t entirely down to the burning, Nevada sun. She spots Kaia standing slightly apart from the other recruits as usual.

For a moment, Hallie’s resolve wavers.

She doesn’t want to give the male rookies any more reasons to sneer at Kaia. Criticizing her publicly could tear down the hard-won respect she’s steadily built over the past weeks of excelling in every training session.

But Hallie is convinced she has no other choice. She can’t give any of them any more reason to think she praises Kaia’s performance just because they like to take each other’s clothes off behind closed doors.

Steeling herself for a tough morning, Hallie claps her hands, drawing the attention of the group. “Alright, listen up!” she barks, her voice as sharp and commanding as always. “Today, we’re going to be running drills on team communication and coordination. At this point you should be working together seamlessly, like a well-oiled machine. Understood?”

A chorus of “Yes, Lieutenant!” rings out across the yard.

Hallie nods, her jaw tight. “Good. Let’s get started.”

She divides the recruits into pairs, assigning each a series of tasks designed to test their ability to work together under pressure and communicate clearly. The first exercise involves navigating a makeshift maze, with one partner giving verbal directions to their blindfolded crewmate.

“Remember,” Hallie calls out as the recruits stumble their way around obstacles, “clear, concise communication is key. Your partner’s life is in your hands.”

She watches Kaia like a hawk, her chest swelling with pride when she completes the exercise perfectly, both listening and instructing with admirable precision. Hallie opens her mouth to praise Kaia’s guidance of her blindfolded partner, but quickly snaps it shut when she remembers she needs to be looking for an opportunity to tell Kaia off.

Next, the teams must work together to carry a heavy training mannequin through an obstacle course, simulating the challenges of maneuvering a victim or equipment in a real-life rescue.

“Keep the load steady!” Hallie shouts, watching as the rookies struggle to maintain their grip. “If you drop it, you start again from the beginning.”

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