Page 37 of Finding Kenna
Slate growled, surprising everyone.
They all looked over at their friend.
“You don’t approve?” Midas asked.
Slate shrugged. “Just don’t think it’s safe for a woman to be driving around to strangers’ houses by herself.”
“I agree,” Pid said.
“Me too,” Midas added. “But no one said she’d be by herself, and one thing I’ve learned after getting to know Ashlyn through Lexie is that she isn’t someone you say ‘you can’t do that’ to. It makes her dig in her heels and become more determined than ever to prove you wrong.”
Aleck heard the note of warning in his teammate’s voice, and wondered if it was aimed at Slate. He’d just opened his mouth to say something sarcastic, because that was what he did, when their conversation was interrupted by a deep voice from behind them.
“Well, well, well, Smart Aleck’s gone and got hisself some pats on the back.”
Sighing, knowing exactly who was behind him in the hallway, Aleck turned to face the sailor who’d been a pain in his ass ever since the man had arrived on base.
Kylo Braun.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Pid asked the other man.
“I’m just congratulating the big bad SEAL on tackling an unsuspecting civilian and causing a ruckus,” Braun said.
Aleck crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the other man. Kylo had taken an immediate disliking to Aleck the first time they’d met. They’d all been on a company run, and a little girl hadn’t been paying attention and had dashed out into the street, right in front of an approaching SUV that was driving way too fast.
Braun had yelled, “Watch out!”
Aleck had acted. He’d barely gotten to the child in time, diving for her and snatching her out of the way of the approaching vehicle with inches to spare. He’d gotten a hell of a case of road rash out of it…and a commendation from the base commander.
Aleck suspected Braun was embarrassed he hadn’t tried to do anything, even though he was closest to the girl. It probably didn’t help that he’d most likely gotten a rash of shit from the other guys in his platoon. From that moment on, Braun had taken it upon himself to be a thorn in Aleck’s side.
“Thanks,” Aleck said, even though he knew that wasn’t what Braun wanted to hear. He’d done his best to stay away from the man, especially after reading his service record. He wasn’t supposed to have it, but an envelope had appeared at his condo one day and Aleck hadn’t been able to resist reading it.
Somehow, Baker Rawlins had gotten wind of Braun’s antagonistic attitude toward Aleck and had taken it upon himself to get a hold of his records. Baker wasn’t someone Aleck ever wanted to cross. The man was spooky as hell, and could get just about any information he wanted on anyone, as evidenced by the packet on Braun that had appeared on his doorstep.
Apparently, Braun had tried out to be a SEAL but hadn’t made it. He’d been cut fairly early in the process, hadn’t even made it to BUD/S. He’d failed the psychological assessment, which wasn’t exactly a surprise. The man was a bully who hated not being the center of attention.
The fact that the SEAL teams on base definitely got preferential treatment probably didn’t sit well with him. Regardless, Braun went out of his way to cause trouble for the teams whenever he could, and for some reason, he’d singled out Aleck for his own special brand of attention.
“Give it up,” Mustang told him.
“Give what up?” Braun said not so innocently. “I’m just congratulating a fellow sailor on a job well done.”
“You’re pissed that once again, Aleck is out there doing good for the community, while you sit around with your thumb up your ass, wishing it was you getting the attention,” Jag said in a low, deadly tone.
Jag wasn’t usually the first one to jump into a verbal confrontation. Not when they were on a mission and not here at home, on base. But he was the first one to act if one of his teammates was threatened. Aleck wasn’t sure why he was suddenly worked up over this asshole, but he had a feeling if something wasn’t done, the situation could get out of control.
“I appreciate the kudos,” Aleck said, stepping between Jag and Braun. The last thing they needed was a physical altercation, even if the other man was doing his best to provoke one of them into it.
“You’re an asshole,” Braun hissed, his true feelings finally coming out. “You think you’re all badass and better than anyone else just because you’re a SEAL.”
“No,” Aleck retorted. “I’m not better than anyone else because I’m a SEAL, but I’m definitely more observant than the average sailor. I’ve been trained to be that way. And if that means I’m in a position to help a little girl, or a grown woman who’s being harassed, you better believe I’m gonna step in. When’s the last time you stood up for someone else, Braun? You should try championing other people rather than tearing them down. I think you’d find it makes you a hell of a lot happier.”
“Fuck you,” Braun said, his eyes narrowed. “I would’ve saved that girl, but you pushed me out of the way so you could get the glory.”
“See? That’s where your thinking is fucked up,” Mustang said. “Aleck didn’t put himself in danger because he wanted a pat on the back. He did it because it was the right thing to do.”
“Whatever,” Braun said with a roll of his eyes. “You better watch your back. One of these days someone’s gonna expose the fact that you’re not a superhero, and you’ll come crashing down to Earth.”
