Page 68 of Under Pressure

“I don’t know”—a deep-voiced man stepped into the garage—“but you could have told me what was going on with you.”

Delta’s eyes snapped up, observing his chief halting on the edge of the concrete, his arms tight across his chest. They stared each other down for a second before Delta rose to his feet and squared himself to Warren.

“Get the fuck out of here,” Delta spat at the man he’d served too many tours to count with—the man who’d betrayed him.

“You’ve been hiding.” Warren’s accusation was clear, and he was standing tall behind it. “You’ve been running from the truth.”

Delta stiffened, ready to fight. “That wasn’t your fucking truth to tell, was it? I told you I was going to tell her—on my terms, in my own way.”

Warren cocked his head, as if wondering whether Delta was serious. Colleagues, friends—the two of them weren’t afraid to have it out.

Delta’s expression grew ice cold as his chief stared him down. He said nothing else, his muscles contracting with the urge to punch.

“You’ve got orders to rotate out at the end of this week, after your ceremony.” Warren pushed the conversation forward. “You are still planning on going, right?”

“I don’t care,” Delta dismissed, grabbing a rag off his workbench and turning his attention to cleaning up his Harley.

“Well, she came to the base because she cares, for some fucking reason,” Warren argued, approaching the Harley to get into Delta’s space. “Why didn’t you just fucking tell her?”

Delta refused to reply, grumbling cutting profanities under his breath.

“She cares so fucking much. She’d do anything for you. That much is clear. But you’re such a goddamn asshole that all you do is push her away.”

“I was trying to protect her,” Delta roared back, snapping fiercely at his friend. The thought of his son rang through his mind.

I had to protect them both.

From me.

“The way I saw her leave yesterday, it doesn’t look like she gets that,” Warren challenged, hitting on what Delta knew to be true.

“You know what? Stay the fuck out of my affairs.” Delta spun.

Like brothers, they fought when they needed to—and Delta had no qualms with fighting him now. Eye to eye, Delta and his chief exhaled the need for violence.

“You’ve got this weird thing going on, man,” Warren scoffed. “You don’t have to be so fucking alone. We can help you, buddy. She can help you.”

“No, she can’t—unless she’s trying to get herself killed.”

Delta snarled and threw his rag to the side, back at his workbench. He hated it—but the choice had already been made for him.

“You’re not as bad as you think you are.” Warren held strong.

Delta let out a vicious laugh.

“I’ve changed. See it?”—he dropped onto his bike, gripping the steel—“I can’t be with her, let alone my goddamn son.”

“Your…son?”

Delta stopped, reaching for the ignition, turning on the roaring engine. “Forget it. She’s better off without me. They are both better off without me. There’s only one place I belong now.”

“All I hear is you saying that you are better off without them,” Warren countered.

Delta spat out, “So what if I am? All I’ve ever done is use her.”

“No.”

Delta turned, his face dead serious, “I did. I used her. And I fucking knew what I was doing the entire time.”

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