Katie turned her wrist a fraction of an inch adding more pressure to the point she was holding and Douglas went down to one knee on the ground with a wuff of breath.
“Katie?”
Duval reached out his hand and touched her shoulder.
“I believe he gets the point.”
Katie leaned over and turned her head to look him in the face. “Do you, Ranger Douglas? Do you get thepoint?”
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His cheeks and forehead were red and sweat was beading on his skin.
“Kate?”
His sister shifted and released his arm, standing up and stepping back.
Douglas didn’t recover quite as quickly as Katie did, but Duval suspected he was trying to school his features before lifting his face so others could see it.
“Duval, I thought you were done for the day.”
Duval turned to the side and looked at his boss, Major Weston Cooper.
“West. I was just leaving when I saw Ranger Douglas here,” he gestured at the man who was slowly rising to his feet, “with my sister.”
With a pained groan, Douglas got up to his feet, with his right hand rubbing at his left forearm. “I was trying to be hospitable.”
Katie turned to look at West and pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. She turned the screen outward and Duval saw what West did.
The Voice Recorder App that was still recording.
As she turned her head and her hand toward Douglas and while his bright red skin blanched to a panicked white, she clicked it off.
“I recorded his helpful suggestions. While it likely doesn’t sink to the level of sexual harassment, I believe your commanding officer would take a dim view of repeated dating invitations when you’ve been told in no uncertain terms that I am not interested.”
“You would be correct, Miss King,”
West nodded and pulled out his phone. “Would you be willing to airdrop that recording to me and I’ll see that Major Jimenez reviews it.” West looked up into the corner of the room. “And the security footage in the room.”
Katie nodded and with a few swipes of her finger sent the audio file to West. “I can stay and write out a statement,” shebegan and Duval knew that West understood where she was going.
“Duval can show you an online form to write your statement, but you don’t have to stay here and do it since we already have evidence,” he lifted his phone, “in hand.”
Katie relaxed and sighed. “Good, because I need to drag my brother to the homestead. Our mom needs his help.”
West took a step to the side to let them by.
Duval followed his sister into the hallway and with his glaring eyes told the other Rangers who were looking at her to turn away.
Most of them agreed, the others? He made note of it to have a ‘chat’ with them later.
He didn’t ask her any questions until they stepped outside into the late afternoon sun. “So, what’s so important that it couldn’t wait until Sunday dinner at Mom’s house?”
Katie lifted her chin to give him a look straight into his eyes. “You mean the Sunday dinner that you’ve missed three times in a row?”
Before he could summon up an answer, she waved it away.
“Mom will take you to task on that. What we need you for is something completely up your alley.”
Before he could ask what she was talking about she took out her phone, unlocked it and opened her photo gallery.
