Page 144 of Better Late Than Never

I shrugged. “Tobias used the same hookup apps I did. And a lot of the people on those apps are local. I know for a fact he was an asshole to at least one local—I just don’t know if it crossed any lines, you know?”

She made an unhappy sound but didn’t comment on whether that would be an issue for him or for the base. She did take Isidoro’s number, though, after I texted him to see if he’d be willing to talk to her. His response loosely translated to,Fuck yeah, I’ll tell her everything.

I had no idea what would come of that, but either way, Tobias’s career with the DoD and his time in Spain were likely over. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Commander Whalen was finally done with me around 1600, but my day wasn’t over yet.

No, I had a summons to the office of Captain Tucker, the hospital CO. The one member of the brass Ihadn’tseen yet today.

And when I walked in—oh, that wasn’t good. Connor was already there.

Heart pounding, I took the empty chair beside him in front of her desk.

She peered at both of us for an uncomfortably long moment. Then, “I understand there was an altercation between you and a civilian contractor, HM1.”

I nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Mmhmm. And afterward, you specifically requested to see Lieutenant Commander Marks”—she gestured at him as if I’d forgotten he was there—“for medical attention.”

My face warmed, which made the bruise throb even harder. “Yes, ma’am. I did.”

“I see.” She took off her glasses and met me with a hard look. “Lieutenant Commander Marks and I have already had a discussion about the two of you fraternizing.” Her eyebrow arched. “The man who assaulted you, HM1, has made multiple accusations about you two having a romantic or sexual relationship. And now, when you’re assaulted by this individual, you go straight to him and refuse to speak with anyone else.” She inclined her head. “I’m sure you can see how this paints a picture I can’t ignore.”

I swallowed. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Mmhmm.” She gestured at Connor while keeping her gaze firmly fixed on me. “So I need you to tell me how I should be interpreting that picture.”

Blood pounded in my ears. Connor and I had, fortunately, gotten our story straight before he’d gone to make the call to the MAs.

“I understand the accusations, ma’am,” I said. “But he’s made similar accusations about any man he’s ever seen me with. It’s… That’s just kind of how he is.”

“And why is this?”

I hesitated, my stomach winding itself into knots because I hated showing this card. “The man who assaulted me is my ex-boyfriend.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Is that right?”

“Yes, ma’am. We… had a volatile relationship that ended badly. He’s been harassing me ever since. Lieutenant Commander Marks…” I paused for a deep breath. “Very few people at this command know that I’m gay. Lieutenant Commander Marks is the only one I felt safe going to about this because he’s the only one who knows I’m queer.”

“I see.” Captain Tucker’s eyes flicked toward Connor. “Is this true?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “HM1 Barlow told me about the issues he had with the man in question. When he realized that I’m also queer, he felt comfortable enough to confide in me.”

She glanced back and forth between us. “This doesn’t help the allegations of the two of you fraternizing.” Her expression hardened. “Especially not after you originally told me it was an arrangement for HM1 to help you with your Spanish.”

Oh, fuck…

Connor didn’t miss a beat. “He did do that. But there was also what I’ve just described.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Yet you withheld that information when we spoke previously.”

“That’s correct.” He didn’t sound the least bit contrite, and he gestured at me. “I withheld it because I was not at liberty to disclose HM1’s sexuality without his consent.”

That actually seemed to hit its mark, and some of the suspicion in her expression ebbed in favor of surprise. She recovered, though the hostility had eased slightly. “There is still the issue of an unacceptable level of familiarity between the two of you. I can’t have heterosexual officers and enlisted meeting outside of working hours for?—”

“With all due respect, ma’am,” Connor broke in evenly, “people like us haveveryfew options for community at commands like this. Very little in the way of support from people who understand some of the unique challenges we face.” He gestured at me. “While we’ve kept our relationship professional and appropriate, I did avail myself to HM1 as a safe confidante when it came to those challenges.”

I almost whistled. He wasn’t technically lying, apart from keeping our relationship professional and appropriate, but good God, could he smoothly spin the truth into something the Navy would find palatable.

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