Page 21 of Metal & Mud

Sabby closed her eyes, remembering the tender way Logan had held her, the way he'd made her feel both desired and respected. Whatever happened next, she knew one thing for certain: she wasn't just another conquest.

Now she just had to figure out what to do about it.

* * *

11

LOGAN

Carter's dusty boots appeared by the right front tire as Logan slid underneath the second L-ATV truck of the morning. He rubbed his hands on his uniform to improve his grip.

"Yeah, I've got the maintenance checklist ready," Carter said. "Do you see any fluid leaks or wet spots in or around?—"

"Goodman!"

Logan jerked at the sound of his name, momentarily grateful he was under the newer, higher clearance vehicle. With the old HUMVEEs from basic training, he'd have probably brained himself.

"Down here!" Logan pushed out from under the vehicle to see First Lieutenant Parker approaching. He climbed to his feet and stood at attention. "What's up, sir?"

"With me," Parker said. "Carter, you can get this beast by yourself for a bit?"

"Uhm, yeah. No problem, sir," Carter replied. "Take your time, we'll get it done either way."

Logan exchanged a glance with his roommate, who shrugged as Logan followed the lieutenant across the motor pool. In a secluded corner of the fenced area, Lieutenant Parker turned to him.

"I was just up at battalion HQ, and I'm going to do this unofficially before anything formal comes. Hopefully we can cut this off before it becomes an official headache."

Logan's internal alarms went off. Lieutenant Parker was invoking unofficial channels—the sort of behind-the-scenes maneuvering that could either save your career or end it. The fact he was doing this at all meant trouble.

"What's going on, sir?"

"Battalion got a call this morning from Garrison Command," Parker said. "A National Guard lieutenant called up, saying he got jumped by an active duty guy Saturday night at the bowling alley."

Logan kept his face impassive. "Oh."

"Now, he didn't have a name, just a description. 'Bout six feet tall, black hair, heavy metal t-shirt. Said this guy tried to start shit in the parking lot."

"The fuck I did!" Logan growled before shutting his mouth. "I mean?—"

"Luckily, there's no security camera footage at the bowling alley," Lieutenant Parker said, pointedly ignoring Logan's outburst. Chastised, Logan let out a long breath, and when he was silent, Parker continued. "Garrison doesn't worry about it since there's nothing classified in a bowling alley."

Logan nodded, hearing what Parker was saying without him saying it. "So... what now, sir?"

"Well, that depends on what you and I talk about right now," Parker admitted. "Apparently this guy doesn't know that you're active duty. Because this guy's looking for someone to be arrested and court martialed."

"You've got to be... fine," Logan growled, taking a deep breath and regaining control of his emotions. "Yeah, it was me and this guy. How'd you know?"

"How many other six foot tall metalheads with black hair were stuck on post over the weekend? Especially ones that didn't get back to the barracks until two in the morning?" Parker's eyebrow arched. "I want to know what happened."

Logan nodded, knowing he'd already said enough to get himself in trouble. He had to lean on Parker now if he was going to avoid major trouble. "Okay, sir. So, I went to the alley. Sergeant Carson said it was pretty much the only thing open on post late at night."

"Late's a relative term, but go ahead."

"I gave him my keys like he told me to, and walked. When I got there, I ordered a burger, fries, and a pitcher of beer. I wasn't planning on tying one on, but it was warm, and a pretty decent walk from the barracks."

"And how much did you drink?"

"About two thirds... throughout the whole night," Logan said. "So maybe the equivalent of four or five beers over the course of four hours. After putting in my order, I found out it was karaoke night. I sat back and listened to the performances."

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