Page 51 of Mariposa
I should be.
“I don’t think he cares to watch his team lose. He went to the beach. Probably to smoke.”
So, he’s a fan of the Dallas Cowboys.
“Why is he such an ass?” I blurt drunkenly. A small burp hiccups out of me. There are three minutes left on the clock. His team could still win, and he won’t be here to see it.
My bouncing knee stops when I realize I said it out loud.
“Shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”
Booker’s lips curve into an unbothered smile as he picks apart a peanut shell from the basket between us.
“I’ve known him since we were teenagers. We’re not friends; we’re brothers, and I can tell you he may come off as a dick sometimes, but he has a heart of gold. If you need him, he’s there. You got a secret? He’ll take it to his grave. He’s saved my life countless times overseas, and I’ve saved his. Sometimes, some people thrive on being alone.Sometimes, the person you think is a monster is actually the one you want on your side.”
I chew the inside of my lip. “He doesn’t smile.”
“He’s been through a lot.”
“Are we talking about Kade? He’s such a dick.” The same woman on Kade’s shoulder cuts in, dragging the bar stool with her. She sits beside me, drumming her nails across the counter.
Wait, he didn’t leave with her?
My pulse rockets.
“Well, hello, Karen,” Booker says, avoiding eye contact.
“He’s not so bad,” I blurt. I don’t know why, but I become defensive. “The other night, I was attacked in the showers, and he took care of the situation immediately.”
Karen’s blue eyes darken. She stares at me aggressively before the bartender saunters over to her and takes her order.
A man comes over to Booker and slaps his shoulder in a friendly manner.
“Chaos. How have you been? I haven’t seen you here in a minute.”
It’s Max—the man with a prosthetic who thanked Kade for saving his life. He’s wearing an all-white shirt and dark blue jeans with a beer in the other hand. Booker gives me his back as they talk about their tour together in Latvia.
It’s clear to me that Max and Booker have a lot of catching up to do. The euphoric feeling of being inebriated has vanished, and the urge to apologize to Kade for acting recklessly takes hold of me.
Before I know it, I’m out of The Drunken Shell and crossing the street to the beach access right in front of the bar. At first, he’s nowhere to be found. So I keep walking toward the bridge over the water.
He’s there, his broad, muscular back facing me, smoking in the dark, watching the waves underneath the bridge between two tall wooden pillars. It’s a full moon, and it shines against him perfectly. The back of his hair is perfectly slicked back, with strands falling over his face. Curiosity knots and claws inside me. I should go back inside the bar before Booker wonders if I ditched him, but I need to apologize before we both go our separate ways. Yes, we’re assigned to the same duty station, but that doesn’t guarantee we’ll see each other again.
As I get closer, the detailed, mysterious tattoo of snakes and skulls on his triceps confirms that it’s Kade O’Connell.
“Master Sergeant?” I’m a few feet away from him now, but he doesn't move or acknowledge me. I know he’s able to hear me.
Graduation is done. Is he really going to continue this attitude with me?
“Master Sergeant?” I raise my voice higher so he can hear me better over the crashing waves. I can taste the salt water on the tip of my tongue each time the wind hits me. Electricity sparks and buzzes wildly the closer I get to him.
He keeps his eyes forward on the obsidian ocean, with his hands busy on something that’s not a cigarette anymore.
Then I hear him.
He’s counting.
Why is he counting?
