Page 117 of Promises in the Dark

I watched her struggling, holding her breath, knowing this was already way past her breaking point. The seconds ticked by, feeling like fucking hours.

When she finally tried to come up for air, Raven was right there, shoving her head back down like some kind of sadistic freak. Before I even had time to think, I moved. Instinct kicked in.

I stormed over, grabbed Raven, and shoved her away from Red with a force that surprised even me. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I yelled, pushing her hard enough to make her stumble back.

Red surfaced, gasping and coughing, water pouring off her face like she’d almost drowned. She was struggling to catch her breath, still panicking, and I moved next to her, placing a hand on her back, trying to steady her without being too obvious. Her eyes were wild, but she was breathing. Barely, but breathing.

Thank God.

Raven straightened up, glaring at me like she wanted to kill me. But I didn’t give a shit. My focus was on Red, who was still bent over, coughing up water like she’d just come back from the dead.

“I’m training her to survive, Lieutenant,” she spoke with indignation. “Sometimes survival means pushing past your limits, even if it hurts.”

I shot a murderous glare at her. “Pushed, not drowned, you maniac!” I roared back, still fuming.

“She needs to learn—” she started, but I cut her off.

“Learn what? How to get drowned by a psycho drill sergeant?” I snarled, stepping closer to her. “You could have killed her!”

The whole place went quiet. Medics and trainees alike stared at the scene, wide-eyed. Nobody moved, nobody spoke.

Red was still coughing and I turned my attention back to her, my anger not fading but shifting focus.

“You okay?” I asked, forcing myself to soften my question.

She nodded weakly, though she was still struggling to catch her breath. “Yeah, I’m... I’m fine,” she croaked between coughs.

Yeah, right.Finemy ass. But she was tough. Tougher than most gave her credit for.

“Training’s over,” I announced, loud enough for everyone to hear, and I didn’t give a single fuck about Raven’s authority. “Anyone got a problem with that, they can take it up with me.”

I squared up to her, ready to throw down if she dared to disobey my orders. “And if you pull that shit again,” I warned her, my voice deadly calm, “we’re gonna have a serious fucking problem.”

Red’s safety was non-negotiable.

Raven sneered, her gaze scrutinizing me like she was trying to figure out what the hell my deal was, but she didn’t say shit. There was a flicker of something—suspicion, maybe—before she schooled her features into a mask of indifference.

“Yes, sir,” she surrendered, looking like she wanted to say something more, something biting. “But don’t undermine me again, Lieutenant.”

“Then don’t give me a reason to,” I snapped back, my eyes never leaving hers.

She wanted to argue, but one look at my face must have told her it was a bad fucking idea. She just nodded stiffly, her mouth pressed into a thin, angry line.

I glared at her one last time before turning my attention back to Red, offering my hand to help her up.

“Let’s get you out of here,” I told her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.

We managed to take three steps—just three fucking steps—when the shouting started.

“We need all medics over here, now!”

There was no rest for the wicked, it seemed.

Chapter 32

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Red didn’t hesitate, didn’t falter.

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