“You were more than willing to abandon them. Again.”
“Survival of the fittest.” I ran my tongue over the back of my teeth. “You read our reports. If we had kept standing there waving those flamethrowers around, the bugs would have killed us or the fire. Neither option sounds too damn pleasant, so I chose life.”
“And yet you theorized why those insects reacted the way they were. Probably would have deciphered it sooner if you had any patience, then maybe you would have formulated a plan that didn’t put Lilea’s life on the line.”
He feigned to have a lot of faith in me, and that was irritating. My voice came out clipped. “Maybe. Maybe not. Regardless, that ain’t my job. So, what discipline will fall upon me today, Captain?”
“None.”
“None?” I repeated, thumbs tapping against my legs, counting, waiting in a silence that dragged and dragged. “My, my, aren’t you in a good mood this evening?”
“I’m no different from usual. I see no reason to discipline you because you will face the consequences of your actions without my intervention.” He gestured at the door. “You’re dismissed.”
That was disappointing, but I hauled myself out of the chair. My steps were slow to the door, waiting for Roys’ inevitable last word. He would have something to say, to go on about my lack of patience again, call me a coward, something of the like because that was how he truly felt.
I reached the door that slid open after registering my presence. An empty hall greeted me, but there was an itch, one I couldn’t scratch, that couldn’t be ignored.
Roys smirked when I stormed over to slam my hands on the desk.
“The fuck are you doing?” I snarled, giving him a once-over, then the room, half expecting a wall to disappear to reveal the whole troop watching our interaction for giggles. Something was amiss, and it was prodding my brain. “Why bother bringing me in here for a thirty-second conversation leading nowhere?”
“It’s mandatory for captains to speak to their officers individually after such an event, either for questioning, discipline, or support. You don’t require any of that, so you’re dismissed.” He gestured at the door again. “If it sets you at ease, I’ll be calling the others momentarily. Lilea especially needs support right now.”
The bastard was contagious, because my eye twitched. “Fuck you.”
“If you are trying to ease your guilty conscience by talking back to me, it won’t help. I suggest you talk to Lilea.”
He was practically using my words against me. It was a fair play, I’d give him that, but he was far too smug about it, and I would fix that.
I cut the space between us, leaning in and enjoying how he retreated. “Should you be pissing me off considering our little escapade in the caves?”
Finally, I got a reaction out of him — that twitch in his eye. The world returned to as it should be; me annoying him. That warmed the fire in me, adding fuel to a sputtering tank. His eyes narrowed, making them ever so dark, like they were in the cave, and the memory had me licking my lips. Roys noticed, his eyes betrayed him with a glance.
“That little escapade was a mistake that I am sure you already have or are waiting to collect on,” he replied, maintaining his signature frown. Honestly, for him, it was less a frown and more of a natural state of being.
“You think so?”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you had contacted Corporate already to get me reassigned. They’d take time, but I am waiting for the order.”
I didn’t miss the twitch in his fingers. The urge for a fix. The candy on his desk that he couldn’t get without me noticing — that would be like admitting defeat to him, so I stalled a second, a moment longer.
“It’s nice knowing you’re worried about it, that I’m on your mind,” I whispered.
“Not necessarily you.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” I glanced at the box. So did he. “Is that why you let me stay at the habitat afterward? Hoping some kindness would keep me placated?”
“I let you stay because we survived a horrible ordeal and you are bad enough with a full night’s rest, let alone exhausted.”
“Does that make the third time you’ve shown care for me? Aw, sweetheart, you’re going to make me blush.” I laughed at the disgusted face he pulled. “Here I thought you were feeling shy after avoiding me for over a week.”
He scoffed. “I have nothing to be shy about. Feeling stupid, yes. We were riled up, scared, and you got what you wanted. Congratulations.”
“Thanks, but actually, I’m not all that interested in reassigning you, even if every moment you’re tempting me to change my mind.”
That had him tilting his head, curious and suspicious. Always suspicious. That twitching finger of his tapped to an erratic beat.
“What’s stopping you, then?” he asked.
