Blue Skies (18 page)

“All right everyone, suit up.”

Dismissed, the airmen stepped out of their uniformed line and headed for the locker room. Sydney attempted to steal one last look at her husband but instead her line of vision was blocked by Captain Trenese Post’s solemn figure.

“We need to talk,” Niecy said.

Certain she knew the subject Niecy wanted to discuss, Sydney turned away as a way of dismissing her. “There’s nothing to talk about.” She pushed through the ladies’ locker room and made a beeline to her locker.

“Oh, I think we have plenty to discuss.”

Sydney’s annoyance escalated as she rotated her lock’s combination numbers. “Look,” she began, straining to keep her voice under control. “I appreciate you wanting to protect me and all, but I’m a big girl and I can take care of myself.” Sydney’s lock popped open and she jerked opened the locker.

Sydney wrenched toward the Captain with her entire body burning for a fight. Before she could rip into the woman, Niecy held up her hands in surrender. “I’m going to take that as a ‘yes’, too.”

“I don’t give a flying f-”

“Did your new
lover
tell you about the pool he and the guys had on you?”

The censors in Sydney’s brain short-circuit and went blank. Next, her knees folded as she awkwardly collapsed on a nearby bench. “What pool?” she asked in a low voice of dread.

Niecy sat beside her. Though her features held compassion, there was a hint of ‘I told you so’ lining her eyes.

“Tell me everything.”

Jett didn’t realize he was humming as he suited up for the day’s exercise, but Weasel and Lt. Blocker were quick to point out the phenomenal to him.

“Was she that good?” Weasel asked, leaning against the locker next to Jett. “Any details you want to share?”

Jett’s mood blackened as he slammed his locker. “You better not be referring to what I think you’re referring to,” he threatened.

“Ooh.” The men chorused and more men gathered around.

“You know since you never actually tossed your money into the pot, you sort of disqualified yourself,” Weasel said. “Of course, after seeing you and Serious together at Rain a month back, I took the liberty of placing my money on you. Easiest money I’ve ever made. I guess I should do the right thing and split it with you. I mean, you did do all the work.”

The pool. I forgot about the pool.

“Look guys I was never serious about joining any pool.”

Weasel laughed. “Fine. More money for me.” He slid an arm around Jett’s shoulder. “But you could at least tell us whether the old ball breaker was even worth it. I bet double or nothing that Serious likes to be on top.”

Like a starved Lion released from its cage, Jett had Weasel laid flat on his back with his arm twisted behind. A little more pressure and the limb would have snapped like toothpick. “You’re never to talk about my
wife
like that again. You hear me, asshole?”

Happy to meet the challenge, Jett launched forward. However, the rest of the squadron grabbed both men and pulled them in opposite directions.

“I’ll get you for that,” Weasel hollered.

“Bring it on. Let him go!” Jett commanded.

“You two stop it,” Lt. Blocker barked. “You’re acting like a bunch of teenagers. We’re supposed to be suiting up for training. We don’t have time for this.”

When Jett realized Blocker was right, he stopped struggling. Fighting could easily get him kicked out of the program and he’d come too far to screw this thing up now.

Jett and Weasel glared at each other for a few minutes longer, but then snatched up the rest of their gear and marched out of the locker room. Though the quarrel was over, Jett remained upset about the whole incident. The voice in his head badgered and condemned his part in what happened.

Across the room, Lt. Johnson slammed his locker shut and stormed out. The fact was he had agreed to participate in the pool though at the time his intension was to keep the over testosterone charged jerks away from Sydney.

Would she see it that way?

Guilt and doubt pricked his conscience. He
knew
she wouldn’t see it that way. One thing was for sure; he would have to tell Sydney about the pool before another airman, mainly Weasel—or Johnson, dropped the bomb on her.

That would be disastrous.

Jett drew a deep breath. This was not the way to start a marriage. He headed toward his assigned hanger and caught glimpse of Sydney’s curvaceous figure as she walked toward the same hanger.

He waited until she spotted him before he made a two finger salute, but his feet slowed when he caught sight of her swollen eyes and angry face before she jerked her gaze away.

Jett frowned in concerned but in the next second noticed Niecy marching toward her. Niecy boldly met his gaze and shook her head. In that instant, Jett knew Sydney had already learned about the pool.

His heart sank at the realization that his marriage was in serious trouble.

Chapter 23

In a typical Red Flag exercise, friendly Blue Forces engage hostile Red Forces in combat situations. Blue Forces are made up of a variety of units from Air Mobility to Marine Corps. A Blue Forces commander who orchestrates the employment plan leads them. Red Forces are composed of Red Flag's Adversary Tactics Division flying the F-16 and provides air threats through the emulation of enemy tactics. They are often augmented with other U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps units flying in concert with electronic ground defenses and communications and radar jamming equipment.

Jett wasn’t in the sky more than ten minutes before the Red Force had a lock on his plane and eliminated him and his wingman from the competition. Sydney, apparently her concentration was better than his, and Captain Post went on to run perfect circles around the Red Forces and completed their mission.

By the time Serious Garrett landed her jet there was no question among the squadron on just who would complete the nine week combat training as Top Gun.

Meanwhile, Jett had returned to being that caged lion, pacing and waiting for the opportunity to tell Sydney his side of the story. However, Sydney went out of her way for the rest of the day to stay the hell away from him.

Desperate, Jett cornered her before she was able to slip back into the women’s locker room. “You have to tell her I didn’t make that bet.”

He huffed in frustration. He wasn’t going to get anywhere with her. He would be better off waiting for Sydney to calm down. “Just forget it.” He turned away.

Niecy raced around him and blocked his escape. “I never could figure out guys like you. Do you get some kind of high hurting women?”

Jett’s frowned deepened. Never in his life had he intentionally hurt anyone and he didn’t know how to go about explaining anything to someone who’d made up their mind without all the facts. “No,” he answered simply and stepped around her.

True, after Valerie ran off and married his brother he went through a period where he sought solace in other women’s arms. At no time did he lead anyone on. In the past, he’d made it clear he wasn’t looking for a relationship-but there was no shortage of women who thought that they could change his mind.

Jett tried to give Sydney her space but after three days and more than thirty calls to Sydney’s cell phone, Jett decided to hammer on his wife’s door until she spoke with him. Nearly everyone on her floor exchanged harsh words at the amount noise he kept up.

Sydney stood on the other side of the door with tears streaming down her face. For the past hour she kept her hand on the doorknob, but had been unable to summon the strength to actually open the door. The pain she was experiencing threatened to tear her into two.

She just needed more time to sort things out, but Jett was determined to rob of that time. If she opened the door, what would he say? What could he say?

He’ll deny everything, the voice in her head warned. It was the only thing he could do. If he denied it, what then? They were married for Pete’s sake. Was that part of the pool, too?

Sydney closed her eyes in anger as much as disappointment. With one burst of courage, Sydney wrenched open the door. “If you loved me how could you--?”

Jett flew into the apartment wrapping his arms around her and smothering her lips with a ravenous kiss. The fact she’d opened the door filled him with hope. For a few wonderful seconds, Sydney’s body went limp in his arms and she returned his kiss then pushed at his chest. When her efforts proved futile, she started swinging--first with open hands and then with tightly clenched fists.

Jett’s lips tore away from her sweet mouth so he could dodge her vicious blows. More than a few of her punches found their mark across his jaw and cheeks as well as his chest and arms. “Syd…Sydney...stop!”

“You asshole! How could you do this to me?” She landed fresh blows against his temples that literally had him blinking away stars. Before he knew it, they had fallen to the floor-him wrestling to pin her arms down and her trying to kill him.

“Sydney, you don’t understand. I didn’t participate in the pool.”

“Liar!” She swung again and hit him dead in his mouth.

Jett was almost certain the woman had three hands the way she kept landing blows after he was certain he had her pinned. “Let me explain.”

“What’s there to explain if you didn’t do anything?” she screeched.

He struggled with that one for a moment. “Okay, I should have told you about the pool but the truth of the matter is I’d forgotten about it.”

Sydney stopped struggling and Jett eyed her wearily. Was this a real truce?

“You forgot?” she asked; her chest heaved in exhaustion.

“I know that may be hard to believe, but it’s the truth. “Lt. Hawley told me about the pool nearly two months ago and well, I guess technically-or initially I said that I was in-”

“So you
were
in on the pool?” She freed her hands and another round of punches landed upside his head.