Hearing Major Godinez speak about Alex in such adulterous, licentious ways caused my breath to hitch. He was none of those things, and if they had only known how much he had fought with himself to bypass me and keep going, they would know that this wasn’t patterned behavior for him. He was a good guy and an upstanding Marine. They knew nothing except what First Sergeant O’Hara had told them.

“Major Godinez, how do you plan to prove these accusations? Fraternization carries a lofty consequence, especially at the magnitude that you are describing.”

“Yes, it does, sir. And I would like to present to you signed affidavits from fellow instructors, Comm School staff, and students.”

The Sergeant briskly walked over and took the documents from Major Godinez. I had no idea they had gotten that many people to speak out against us, and now my heart was racing faster than my breaths could keep up with. The perspiration was covering me, head and hands, in between my legs and under my arms as well. I swallowed hard as Colonel Thompson looked through them, showing no expression and giving nothing away about the contents of each page.

“Furthermore, sir, I present the text message exchanges between Sergeant Cruz and Private First Class Bennett, to include photographs.”

The Sergeant walked over and took those pieces of evidence. More than anything else, that felt like the last straw. That would be the piece that would seal the deal, strip me of what little rank I held, and lock me away until they strapped a dishonorable discharge around my neck and sent me on my way. That thought paralyzed me. As hard as I had worked to move on and make something of myself, I was destined to be exactly what my mother had said I would be—a nothing. A nobody.

“Objection, your honor—”

“You will have your chance at rebuttal, Captain Hedlund,” Colonel Thompson reprimanded.

I looked over to Alex who had his eyes trained on Major Godinez, looking as if he wanted to punch him in the face and stomp him into the ground. I had seen that look before, and when Alex got it, nothing good came from it. Nothing at all.

“Your honor, a pair of Sergeant Cruz’s dog tags were found in the wall locker of Private First Class Bennett.”

The Sergeant walked over and took the zip lock bag containing Alex’s coveted dog tags. Alex twisted his head, cracking his neck as his moist, deliciously plump lips puckered into an angry pout. Captain Hedlund was given notes from Lance Corporal Nelson, something highlighted in yellow, pointing out something that put a gentle smile on his face. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but if it were a sign that we could be spared in some way, I couldn’t wait until he was able to speak.

“And finally, your honor, I have First Sergeant O’Hara’s sworn statement accompanied by a signed statement of understanding from Sergeant Cruz himself. He stood in the office of First Sergeant O’Hara and admitted to the charges against him.”

The Sergeant, once again, took the evidence and marched it over to Colonel Thompson, who looked it over, then looked back to Major Godinez.

“Is this everything, Major?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Um, your honor,” First Sergeant O’Hara called out, skidding his chair back and standing up. Major Godinez grabbed his shoulder and motioned for him to sit back down. He listened, shutting his mouth and taking his seat without so much as a peep. They exchanged a hushed but heated exchange as First Sergeant O’Hara pointed out something in a notebook and Major Godinez brushed it off.

I was thankful that they were done presenting evidence because from where I was sitting, I was drowning in my own shit, and there wasn’t any help in sight.

“Captain Hedlund, you may now present your argument,” Colonel Thompson commanded.

Captain Hedlund stood, taking a notebook from Lance Corporal Nelson and addressing the court.

“Good morning, Colonel Thompson. Major Godinez would lead you to believe that this is an open and shut case, given the evidence that he has presented in court today. Unfortunately, we have something called protocol that must take place when charging a Marine with a crime, and that protocol was bypassed.”

My ears perked up at the mention of protocol and things not going accordingly.

“Those sworn statements are he say she say and should be inadmissible in court. We have an innocent until proven guilty stance here, and my clients were guilty in the eyes of First Sergeant O’Hara and Major Godinez before they were given proper counsel.”

“I’m glad you have such strong conviction, Captain, but that is not evidence,” Colonel Thompson badgered.

Captain Hedlund raised a finger, then strutted further into the middle of the room.

“Case in point, Private First Class Bennett was attacked by a Private Allen in her barracks room on a Friday evening. Luckily, Sergeant Cruz was in the barracks and received word from the firewatch that there was an attack in progress. He rushed to the scene of the crime and was able to fend off Private Allen, saving Private First Class Bennett from an uncertain, but potentially fatal fate. The relationship in question stems from that incident.”

Potentially fatal fate…

I had never allowed my mind to wander to what could have happened to me had Allen not been stopped. He was much larger than myself, and was hell bent on destroying me—what that meant, I had no clue. Tears threatened to spill as I listened to Captain Hedlund speak.

Alex snuck a peek over at me as I gently wiped at my eyes. His face softened, and his eyes glistened as he took me in. The sordid tale of Allen—his abominable, animalistic behavior—and me was too much for both of us to take. It made sense. Whenever Alex heard of these events, he regressed back into someone unknown. He turned into a person who was incapable of dealing with the stresses of the situation, and now was no exception.

“I would like to add, your honor, that while my client, Private First Class Bennett, was lying in a hospital bed, struggling to recover from the attack, Sergeant Cruz, her instructor who had saved her, was led out by his Chief Instructor and Company Gunnery Sergeant and placed on barracks restriction without ever being charged with a crime, or read his rights. This is not the way we conduct lawful business in the Marine Corps. My client’s rights were violated, and it took me fighting the command to have him removed.”

O’Hara was squirming in his seat now, and Major Godinez looked less confident.

“While my client was placed on barracks restriction, his phone was confiscated, leaving him with no means of communication, and he had yet to be provided with counsel. The information removed from that phone is inadmissible in court.”

“We did obtain proper authority for the evidence we have presented in court, your honor,” Major Godinez challenged.

“That authority was granted after the fact, your honor. Anything taken prior to the given authority is an abuse of my clients’ right to privacy.”

“Surely, your honor, the severity of this crime, the given evidence, and the sworn eye witness statements warrants a further look.”

“We have to remain diligent and follow protocol, your honor.”

Colonel Thompson held up his hand, silencing both counsels. He was deep in thought, looking over the evidence presented, taking in the notes on what Captain Hedlund had countered with, then finally looked down to us on the floor and began speaking again.

“If there is no further evidence, I would like to take this back to my chambers to look it over before making a decision to carry on with the court-martial or dismiss all charges. Court will reconvene in thirty minutes.”

“All rise,” the Sergeant barked.

The next sound I heard was the pound of the gavel striking the wood block as the Colonel stood and walked out of the courtroom. Captain Hedlund looked cool and collected while Alex sat with an unreadable expression on his face. It wasn’t often that I couldn’t find a trace of emotion on his face, whether it is anger, lust, admiration, or a wicked combination of all three. He sat frozen, dazing off into space, probably feeling the same way that I was.

Lance Corporal Nelson opened a folder and showed the contents to Alex, lowly mumbling something to him as he finally allowed a faint smile to grace his beautiful face. Whatever was there had me intrigued, but I was stuck, frozen in my seat, afraid to move for fear that movement would seal my dreaded fate.

Captain Hedlund excused himself, and Lance Corporal Nelson followed closely behind him, leaving Alex and me sitting there alone, sitting in a pot of our own mess, barely on speaking terms and hoping for the best outcome for one another. I wanted so badly to touch him, to wrap my arms around him and kiss him with every ounce of passion inside of me. I wanted to be Alex and Cassie once again.

“Hey, Blondie…you okay?” he asked, that deep, husky voice breaking me from my thoughts.

“Yeah,” I breathed, hoping and praying that my lust wasn’t plastered all over my face.

A wry smile fixed on Alex’s lips, indicating that he could probably tell something was up with me, and it had nothing to do with the court proceedings. The cockiness he carried by nature couldn’t be stifled—not even in a courtroom where at any moment, a judge would walk through those doors and seal our fate. Alex didn’t seem to care. He was a walking enigma, keeping those around him on their toes, guessing what he would do next.

“Don’t sweat this shit. Regardless of what happens, I think Captain Hedlund has argued a good counter and those assholes are shaking.”