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He waited until she had before he laid into Jack. What the hell is going on, Gordon?
Nothing, sir.
It didn t look like nothing to me. When Jack remained silent, the commander addressed Trey.
Williams, would you like to fill me in?
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Trey
No, sir. I mean there s nothing to be filled in on, sir.
So you re going to tell me you two beat the hell out of each other after every mission?
Trey kicked at the floor with the toe of his sneaker. He didn t exactly beat the hell out of me, sir.
The commander raised a brow. No, I suppose he could have hit you harder if he really wanted to. I m
going to assume your little show out there was a one-time event. Am I right or wrong?
Right, sir. Jack and Trey spoke in unison.
McAfee.
Carly jumped. She had been eyeing the water cooler and deciding if she could take the pill without
anyone noticing when he called her name.
Yes, sir?
Good job. Go home.
Sir?
Go home. The two heavyweight champions here can take care of the paperwork and the debriefing.
If I need you for anything, I know where to find you.
Thank you, sir.
He smiled. Thank you, McAfee. Oh and remember, not a word to anyone.
A bitter laugh burst out of her before she could stop it. They wouldn t believe me if I told them, sir.
But no, not a word.
She couldn t wait to be on the other side of the door and away from them all. Being the third side in
this little triangle was more than she could deal with right now. Glancing from Jack to Trey, she got out of
the office as fast as she could.
It would feel very good to get home. Time to start getting things back to normal, though she had a
strong suspicion she d never feel normal again.
*
Trey gladly handled the mission follow-up without Carly. Having her there would have taken more
mental capacity than he had after the night they d spent together doing everything except sleeping. Of
course, Jack was still there right next to him like the living breathing personification of his own conscience.
A constant reminder he d not only stepped across the line with Carly, but had also trampled all over Jack s
toes in the process.
To Jack s credit, following the initial punch he d thrown he d acted pretty much normal as he and
Trey waited on line with the rest of the team to turn in all equipment they d been issued for the op.
Then came the paperwork the bane of the existence of every man and woman in the US military.
Trey sat at his desk with a form in front of him and a pen in his hand, but being prepared with the necessary
items didn t get the papers filled out any easier.
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The task was simple enough. He was going to have to write an account for the expenses he d charged
to John Smith s credit card for things like the rental car and the taxi, but he d barely filled out his name
because he wasn t really there. Instead, his mind was at Carly s.
Jack sat at the desk next to him, scribbling away. He looked down at his own nearly blank page. This
was going to take a long time at this rate.
He sighed and Jack glanced up at the sound. That paper s not going to fill out itself while you stare at
the wall.
Trey laughed. I guess I didn t take whatever speed writing course you did.
It seemed he and Jack were just going to forget about the obvious and go back to being friends even
though his jaw still hurt like hell. The bruise was already starting to show but it didn t matter if getting it
out of his system had helped Jack get over what he d seen. He owed Jack that much.
You just need the right motivation, that s all. The sooner I get done, the sooner I can go get a beer.
That captured Trey s wandering attention. No wonder Jack was in such a hurry to finish his
paperwork. He was anxious to get to Carly. Trey bit the inside of his cheek to try to stop himself from
asking the question, but it came out anyway. You going to Carly s?
Yup. Jack s single spoken word carried far more meaning today than it normally would. He was in
fact telling Trey he was still going after Carly, no matter what had happened in Kosovo.
His stomach clenched. Maybe you should give her a little time. It s been a tough couple of days.
Jack narrowed his eyes. Are you going to ask Carly out?
Trey frowned. Me? No, of course not.
Jack raised a brow. Why not?
I don t need the distraction of a girlfriend right now.
Glancing down, he tapped a finger on Trey s blank report. You look plenty distracted to me already.
For a man who talked like some country hick, Jack could be really perceptive sometimes. He was
dead-on this time and Trey had a feeling his distraction wasn t going to get any better either, particularly if
Jack ended up dating Carly.
He shook the unpleasant thought off.
Yeah, well. It s been a tough couple of days for me too. Trey sighed and then dropped the pen.
Look, Jack. I have to say this. I m sorry. I m sorry it had to happen and I m really sorry you had to see it.
Jack shook his head. I know, Trey. You had to. Matt explained it to me. It was his idea and it saved
Jimmy, so how can I hold it against you?
The first time had been Matt s idea and necessary, but the second time? That incident was all Trey
and the guilt over it nearly overwhelmed him as he took in the sincerity of Jack s expression.
I m fine. We re fine. Jack waved a hand to indicate the two of them. And I m sorry I punched you.
It s just& no stud likes to share his filly, you know?
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Trey
Trey wouldn t have worded it that way exactly, but& Yeah, I know.
Finish that up. I ll wait for you. Arms folded, Jack leaned against his desk.
Trey shook his head. No, you go ahead. I think I m going to try to stay out of her face for a while.
Things have been a little awkward since we, uh, were, um together.
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