“Impossible.”
Chapter 9
Dutch
Dutch watched Alegria with Mantis and came to a decision. Whether either of them could admit they wanted him to, he had to walk away and give them a chance to see what was so obvious to him. They loved each other, and the only thing stopping them from falling into each other’s arms was her relationship with him.
He would’ve been better off leaving before he even saw her. That way, she could be pissed off at him instead of sneaking glances his way every now and then with a guilty look on her face.
There wasn’t a time he could remember when Alegria had looked at him the way she was looking at Mantis now. Everything between them had always been easy, up until they fought. Even then it was the depth of the passion they had for each other that made their disagreements so volatile.
His chest hurt when he thought back on how it was when they’d make up. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other, and while they did their best not to make him feel uncomfortable, then, like he was doing now, he’d make up some excuse why he had to leave.
He took his phone out of his pocket and sent a message to Doc. There must be some kind of op that would require his help.
No matter what the mission was that Doc came back with, Dutch would accept it. It didn’t matter how dangerous. Even if he got hurt, it couldn’t possibly feel worse than what he was experiencing right then, watching Mantis and Alegria fight the overpowering attraction they shared.
Chapter 10
Mantis and Alegria
The sadness Mantis saw and felt was something he could empathize with. Back when he was still in the Air Force, he’d need
ed surgery for a hiatal hernia. Even though it had been done laparoscopically, it took him longer than he’d anticipated to get back in the cockpit.
At the time, he’d been air wing operations officer and was required to deploy with his squadron whether he could fly or not.
The medical officer’s reluctance to clear him, he’d said, was due to his fear that Mantis wasn’t recovered enough to perform the anti-G straining maneuver, or AGSM, while in the aircraft. Not having adequate body strength in his abdomen meant he’d be unable to perform the maneuver, which could result in a G-force induced loss of consciousness, otherwise known as G-loc.
For several days, he was unsure when he would be cleared to fly again, if ever. The idea that his career as a fighter pilot might come to an abrupt end had terrified him. Flying defined him, as it did Alegria.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, not knowing what else to say.
She shrugged one shoulder and tried to put on a brave front, but he saw right through it.
“What are the two of you so deep in conversation about?”
“Alegria was telling me about her neuropathy,” answered Mantis. As soon as the words left his mouth, he caught the look that told him she hadn’t discussed this with Dutch.
His friend didn’t react other than to look into Alegria’s eyes. “It’s rough,” he murmured.
“There’s a program at NYU I’ve been researching,” she said, looking back and forth between them. “They’ve had promising results. Although no one will be back until the beginning of the second semester, in mid-January.”
“That’s not so long away,” Mantis encouraged.
“How long has it been since you’ve flown?”
Alegria’s question was rhetorical. He got that. He also recognized that it wasn’t very many hours ago he’d been anxious to get back in the air, and soon would be.
“Sorry,” they both heard Dutch mutter, looking at his phone.
“What?” Alegria asked before he could.
“A message from Doc. Would you excuse us for a minute?” he asked Mantis, already maneuvering Alegria away.
He watched them walk toward the restaurant’s entrance, and then moved seats so he was closer to Shiver and Darrow.
“Evidently everyone has a mystery,” she said, scowling at her brother, who didn’t respond. “Doesn’t it get tiresome?”