Page 19 of Playboy

Playboy watched intently while quietly cheering Gabby on inside his head. The camera crew got an up-close shot of her as she got into position. She looked fierce and determined with her rifle at the ready.

Her first three shots hit the gray smoke barrels, and with every target she struck, the crowd cheered louder, making it known who they were behind. As soon as she fired the fourth shot, and a barrel released green smoke, the crowd went crazy.

“Yes!” Playboy cheered, pumping his fist into the air. The others around them were all cheering, clapping, and high-fiving Gabby’s teammates.

“What’s her score now?” Snow asked.

“It puts her half of a point behind Cruz,” Gabby’s teammate Blake confirmed.

“Damn! The last thing we all need is Cruz walking around with a bigger head. I hope the hell she can pull this off,” Bear said. None of them liked Cruz. Professionally, they dealt with him, but outside of work, they avoided him.

“If anybody can, it’s Gabby,” Adrian stated firmly.

Playboy liked the way Gabby’s teammates supported her.

“Has anybody hit the target in the final today?” Nails asked.

Adrian shook his head. “I don’t think so. It is really rough out there.”

“I don’t believe it. Look who just fucking showed up,” Tristan blurted out. Playboy could see that Tristan’s eyes were focused on two of the event officials talking to a guy dressed in Khakis and a polo shirt with the Coast Guard emblem on it.

“Who’s that?” Playboy asked, looking at Tristan, but it was Blake who spoke up.

“That’s Vice Admiral Alley from the Coast Guard Headquarters in D.C. He’s an asshole that has a vendetta against Gabby.”

“What the hell for?” Playboy asked, feeling a bit protective of Gabby.

Blake shrugged. “Nobody knows for sure. Everyone thinks it has to do with her being a woman.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Joker asked, looking pissed off.

“Ever since he got overlooked for a promotion that went to a female, he’s been known to disrespect women, especially if she is wearing a uniform.”

“That’s insane,” Playboy added, looking back at the guy as if trying to size him up.

Tristan nodded. “When headquarters restructured the Chain of Command, and our unit fell under Alley, Gabby became his target. Captain Graham tries to shield her from him as much as possible when he’s in town.”

Tristan looked in the direction where Alley stood with the officials talking to them. “Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if he asked them to rig the competition so she wouldn’t win.”

“No way. You mean he would rather see another branch hoist the trophy over his own?” Duke asked, looking disgusted at what he had just heard.

“Dead serious. I’m telling you. He hates her. Plus, he was furious that she won the vote to represent the Coast Guard today.”

Playboy couldn’t believe what he was hearing from Gabby’s teammates. How in the hell could someone in Alley’s position get away with something like that? He had more questions he wanted to ask, but before he could, the announcer’s voice came over the speakers, letting everyone know that the final challenge was getting ready to begin.

As the excitement was building throughout the large crowd, Playboy once again turned toward the jumbotrons. Even though his excitement matched the crowds, he was a nervous wreck. He tried temporarily pushing aside the information that Gabby’s team shared. But no matter how far he tried to distance himself from those accusations, the anger still simmered deep inside him.

Before he could dwell on it, a shot of Gabby and her spotter, James, was shown on the screens, and the crowd went crazy.One thing was sure. Regardless of the outcome, Gabby would come away from this event with enough followers to start her very own fan club.

The cameras then jumped to the speedboat that was pulling the target. The driver was hauling ass. Suddenly, the boat made a hard left, making the rope and barrel it was pulling whip around. A few seconds later, it turned back to the right. The boat operator repeated the same maneuver.

Playboy did not remember the others having this level of difficulty. Then he remembered Tristan’s comment. Had the Vice Admiral really tried to sabotage one of his own? There was nothing anyone could do at the moment. But if that were the case, someone needed to speak up.

The noise from the crowd lessened. Everyone was on pins and needles with their eyes glued to the screen, waiting for Gabby to take her shot. Playboy’s heart was racing from the anticipation.

Suddenly, the crack of the rifle split the air like a whip, and the barrel behind the boat exploded, sending splinters of wood and bright blue smoke into the air.

“She did it!” Playboy shouted as his and Gabby’s teams were cheering and high-fiving.

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