24.5

“Can you leave us alone?” the Captain orders the corporals, who exit the office and take their positions outside the door.

Damn, damn. This is getting worse and worse. My body tenses, preparing to deal with the unknown threat. I’ve known the man in front of me for over six years; his expression at this moment is the same as before sending us into combat. As if he hated what he was about to do, but it was his duty.

“When we spoke, you told me that you checked the work history of recruits, that you preferred those who were recommended but also evaluated other veterans who applied for the program, correct?” He places his cap on Kyle's desk and turns to face us.

“Yes, sir,” Kyle agrees. “Any problem?”

“This is related to the three recruits you asked about, right?” I ask, and his attention focuses on me.

“What do your instincts tell you, Hellhound?” the question is his answer.

“They have uncontrolled rage, but many veterans who have been in combat have it; it's a symptom of post-traumatic stress,” I say. “I even pointed this out to Thorne, but nothing in their history was suspicious.”

From my peripheral view, I see Kyle nodding.

“After Seth reported his concerns, I reviewed their evaluations, but nothing out of the ordinary. Sir, what’s this about?”

“Can I see their files?” Captain Williams requests. “I need to be sure; I might be wrong, but the case I have in mind is hard to confuse.”

Kyle doesn’t respond and walks to the desk, unlocks the computer, and enters the passwords to open the folder. They are all encrypted for maximum data security, a courtesy from a friend of ours who lives in London. After a few clicks, he turns the monitor towards the Captain, who leans in to read. By the speed with which he switches from one file to another, he knows what he’s looking for.

“The documents they gave you were fake,” the Captain declares, standing up. “Derek Hill, Alan Walker, and Mark Carter were dishonorably discharged from military service. I have to admit they did a great job covering their tracks. If I didn’t know the truth, I wouldn’t have suspected; the service records presented are real operations.”

“What was the reason for the discharge?” Raffi asks, his tone venomous. There are only four ways to get a dishonorable discharge: murder, manslaughter, sexual assault, or desertion.

“They raped students at the school they were supposed to protect,” the Captain declares with a grimace, clear repulsion in his voice.

It takes me a second to absorb his words.

Students.

Children.

Ants seem to crawl under my skin; I feel that part of me made of hate open its eyes and clench my fists. I focus on my breathing, forcing the beast to go back to sleep.

When I can pay attention again to what’s around me, I realize I’ve missed part of the conversation. Rafael is by my side, closer than before, and Kyle is saying something to the Captain.

“Are you okay, man?” Raffi murmurs, and I just nod my head.

“Everything’s under control,” I reply through clenched teeth.

“We’ll take care of it, sir. Thank you for letting us know,” Kyle says. “We have no interest in having such people associated with our company; we’ll also improve our recruitment process.”

“I’ll leave you to handle this then; I’ll send the email with the documents as soon as I leave.” The Captain nods. “It was a pleasure to see you again.”

“Likewise, sir,” Raffi says.

“Safe travels, sir,” I say, opening the door for him, and Kyle accompanies him to the elevators.

My friend returns to the room and heads to the drinks table in the corner of the office.

“How did those sons of bitches get through?” he complains, pouring himself some whiskey from the decanter.

“You tell me,” Raffi retorts.

“Are you implying this is my fault?” Kyle asks, looking at us.

“Of course not, but I don’t understand any of this. That’s why I’m not in charge of admissions.”

I walk over to the table, serving myself a drink as well. The liquid burns my throat but does nothing to quell the memories of a decaying wooden house and the screams of a girl in the middle of the night. The beast opens its eyes again, ready for action. How did we let these worms deceive us? “It doesn’t matter how they did it,” I say, filling the glass once more. “We’ll improve our system, but we need to deal with them now.”

“We only have one option…” Kyle begins, but I interrupt him.

“I disagree.”

The blonde sets his glass on the table and comes over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“I know, brother, but we can’t act impulsively. Today, our only option is to fire them for cause, as they applied with false documents. Believe me, I’d like to do something different.” He removes his hand as I turn to face Raffi, who steps closer.

“Thorne is right, Seth. We can’t throw our lives away because of them; we’re not vigilantes.”

I hate it when they’re right. I down the glass of whiskey in one go, hoping the drink will feed the monster craving retaliation.

“I hate that they might get away with this,” I murmur, staring at the floor.

“I didn’t say they’d get away with it,” Kyle says, drawing my gaze to his, and I notice the mischievous glint. “We’ll leak the news to the press. Nobody knows what happened because the court-martial is a separate system, but we’ll make it public knowledge.”

“We’ll spread it to all our damn contacts in the industry so they can’t get a damn job anywhere else, brother,” Raffi adds.

“I hope that’s enough! Let’s wrap this up,” I say, finally removing the tie. “Do you want me to call them in?”

“It’s better if Raffi does it; we don’t want any lawsuits due to possible accidents,” Kyle responds, and I shrug.

“The class ends in five minutes; you better hurry.”

“I’m on it,” Raffi grumbles and leaves.

“Are you okay?” Kyle asks, nodding at my clenched fists, which I’ve returned to without even realizing it.

“I’d be better if I could flay them for what they did,” I reply simply, and Kyle smiles before picking up the phone to call the HR department.

Ten minutes later, I’m leaning with my arms crossed against the glass wall behind Kyle’s desk when Raffi enters, accompanied by Derek, Alan, and Mark. From their calm expressions, they are clearly unaware of the difference in posture my friend emanates. His face is a serious mask, far removed from the smiling guy I had breakfast with; it’s the face of the Reaper.

“Sit down,” Kyle orders, his voice cold.

My stomach churns at the mere sight of them, and as if that’s not enough, every time I blink, I see the house where I grew up, and it’s a superhuman effort to stay anchored in the present. Even the feeling of the air against my skin seems to provoke the sensation that something is crawling there.

They comply, their eyes following Raffi, who stands by my side. The dark wood of the table acts as a barrier, separating us from the scum.

“I won’t take up much of your time,” the blonde begins. “The three of you were called in because it came to our attention that the documents used for your hiring were forged. This constitutes a breach of contract.”

“That’s a lie,” Derek complains, and his friends back him up.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, you lied, and that’s why you’re fired.”

“What do you think we did?” Alan asks.

“I don’t think anything. Did you really think you could hide three dishonorable discharges for misconduct for long?” Kyle retorts, and I see the three worms turn pale.

“You disgust me and dishonor the uniform,” Raffi hisses beside me.

“You will be escorted out of the building, and your badges will be revoked,” the blonde informs them as a knock on the door signals that the security guards are already in place.

The three stand up, Derek places a hand on the table and leans forward, his eyes burning with hatred.

“This isn’t over. You can’t kick us out like dogs.”

“Never would we kick dogs,” I reply.

I avoid moving, fearing I might not be able to stop myself from slamming his head into the table.

Alan grabs his friend’s arm, pulling him toward the exit, but he shakes off Alan’s grip and throws one last angry look at us before storming out, slamming the door behind him. Kyle picks up the phone and dials the extension for the front desk.

“Zach, make sure to collect their credentials and notify that they’re no longer welcome in the building,” my friend requests.

I absently rub my neck.

“Seth?” Raffi calls me, and I slowly turn my head toward him. “Man, I was thinking about adding a few more lines to the tribal on my arm. When do you have time?”

“We can go today if you want,” I reply, feeling a wave of relief wash over me as the restlessness leaves and anticipation takes its place.

Tattooing was like therapy, only better. It was like finally reaching that spot on the middle of your back that’s been itching for minutes and scratching it. When I tattooed, I could drown out all the memories and quiet the impulses to break things or people that the beast inside me demanded.

“Everything okay here, Thorne?” Raffi asks the blonde.

“Yes, I’ll call if I need anything. You two can go,” he dismisses us with a wave of his hand.

“I’ll meet you at Tristan,” Raffi says.

“Thanks, man,” I reply, and he smiles, giving me a pat on the shoulder.

“Anytime.”

***

Two hours later, I'm tracing the outline of one of Raffi's new patterns when our phones vibrate on the table beside me.

My friend grabs his phone and shows me the message in the group chat.

Brooke: Someone slashed my car tires, can one of you pick me up?

A message from Kyle arrives just as I’m reading the first one.

Kyle: Go back to your office and lock the door. I’m on my way.

Raffi: We’re on our way.

I type a reply while getting up and putting away the supplies, and beside me, Raffi is also getting ready.

“How did they find out about Brooke?” my friend asks as I throw the gloves in the trash.

“You mean, besides the fact that she’s with us every Friday at the club? Or from what happened last week between her and Ky on the dance floor?”

“Shit!”

“Yeah, but she’s okay. It was smart of her to let us know, even if she doesn’t know why. We should have warned her to stay alert anyway. She’s now more integrated into our lives.”

He nods and heads to his car, and I get into mine. My fingers grip the steering wheel, and I feel the anger coursing through my veins. I really hope these assholes didn’t think threatening us through Brooke was a good idea.