Monday morning finally came. I'd spent all day Sunday gathering up everything Riley had found on Ruiz and double checking it all, making sure that everything was lined up perfectly for me to bust her ass and get rid of her once and for all.

I'd tried calling Cassie, but as expected, she didn't take any of my calls. I felt like she was long gone, but I wouldn't allow myself to give up, so I kept trying. Jensen never came home after our fight, which was fine by me, but I couldn’t be sure he hadn't gone to the higher-ups and run his fucking mouth.

I left before Riley, blazing the streets trying to get to base to take care of my growing list of problems. I parked my truck and ran to the barracks duty hut, speaking to the Pfc. on duty.

"I need you to get Pfc. Angelica Ruiz for me."

He sifted through the duty book and found her name, nodding as he stood and walked out of the building. The sergeant on duty with him looked at me questioningly, probably wondering why I was in such a hurry and why I had a bruise on my left cheek. Fucking Jensen.

"I need the secondary room," I told him.

He handed me the key to that room.

"And you didn't see me here," I roughly told him, frowning my face and peering into his eyes.

He looked like he understood, so I backed up, giving him space to get back to doing whatever it was that he was doing.

I walked to the secondary room, taking a seat in the chair at the table that sat facing the door. So many scenarios ran through my mind on what I would say to her when I got her into the room. I wanted to rip her a new asshole. I wanted to break her down. I wanted to fucking destroy her.

The Pfc. knocked on the door then opened it, standing there with Ruiz by his side.

"Come on in, Ruiz."

Her eyes shot open, and I could smell the fear radiating from her body. It was a welcomed sign to me. It gave me the green light to pounce.

When the door closed and we were left alone, I stood and swiftly made my way over to her, standing directly in front of her, and laying into her.

"I fucking warned you. I fucking did. You decided to interject yourself in matters that do not concern you."

She swallowed fast and furiously.

"Why the fuck did you think you could go around spreading lies, telling Pfc. Bennett shit that never happened? Did you think I would just let that shit slide?"

"I… I'm sorry." Her feeble voice was uncharacteristic for what I had grown to know of her.

"You're sorry?" Her apology further pissed me off. My knife hand came out—all fingers extended and joined with my thumb along the side—as I used my whole hand to point in her face.

“You have the fucking audacity to spread a fucking rumor about a NCO and think there will be no consequences. Then you stand here and give me this bullshit apology. Who told you I slept with Castillo?"

She stood stunned, not moving and not speaking. Her silence was grating my nerves. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the paper with the heading Humboldt County. I unfolded it and shoved it into her face, making her painfully aware that I knew all about her and the skeletons in her closet.

"You want to fuck with me, I'll fuck with you. How the fuck did you get into the Marine Corps with this assault on a peace officer with a deadly weapons charge?”

Her eyes bulged as she took in the evidence in my hand that could do her in.

“It means you fucking lied about it, and you had a shitty recruiter who didn't check thoroughly. Or maybe he did, and you both lied about it. Either way, this constitutes a fraudulent enlistment and could land you in the fucking brig right alongside me."

I pulled the paper from her face to see a tear falling from her eye.

"You tell me who the fuck told you about Friday, right now. I'm so far gone that if you ran and ratted on me, I wouldn't even give a fuck, but I'm bringing all of you down with me. You understand that?”

She swallowed hard again as another tear fell.

"Castillo," she whispered.

"What was that?"

"Castillo. I overheard her talking to Cpl. Collins."

"Castillo said I fucked her Friday night?"

"Yes."

I should have known. The way she tried to play things off on the phone Saturday morning was too easy going.

"How did this come about?"

"I was in the gym kickboxing. She was working out with Cpl. Collins and they were talking kind of loud. I heard everything she said.”

"And you ran back and told Bennett?"

She nodded her head.

I couldn't have been more thrilled that Ruiz was singing like a canary. To know that Leti had probably orchestrated all of this was fucking infuriating, but didn't come as a shock. She was conniving when she wanted to be. I was only now realizing it.

"Your assault charge stays between me and you as long as you keep your fucking mouth shut, you understand that?"

She nodded her head furiously.

I walked over to the door and pulled it open, motioning for her to step outside. When she did, I quickly shut the door and pulled out my phone.

Me: I need to see you. This shit is getting cleared up today.

To my surprise Cassie responding immediately.

 Cassie: There is nothing to clear up, Alex. You've made your bed, now sleep in it.

Me: I'll make you see me if I have to. But I'd much rather you do it on your own accord.

A few minutes passed before my phone buzzed again.

Cassie: Where are you?

Me: Secondary room. Go the back way.

I took a long, soothing, sigh of relief that I was finally getting to see her again. I was fully prepared that she was probably going to come in hostile, but that didn't matter to me. I just wanted to see her, to smell her, to touch her.

A couple of minutes later, she was pushing the door open and sneaking in. Her cammie pants and her green t-shirt clung tightly to her body, accentuating what I had fallen for and, unfortunately, had been missing.

"Sit down," I softly ordered.

She looked reluctant to do so, but finally moved over to the table and pulled out the other chair, taking a seat while glaring at me. The whiff of her vanilla smell tickled my nose, causing me to inhale deeply. I had missed it, and I could have sat enthralled in the light, sweetness of it for hours.

"I know what's going on. Castillo spilled everything to Collins, Ruiz heard it all and came to you, rubbing it in your face."

"So you fucked her. Who cares how I found out? You did it."

"I didn't fucking sleep with her." My voice was growing low and harsh, not what I wanted when speaking to her. I quickly caught myself. "I did not sleep with her. I made a huge mistake, but I didn't fuck her. I'm being completely honest with you."

"Okay. So since we’re on honesty, and you say you didn't fuck her, what happened?"

I looked into her cold, lifeless eyes. I owed her everything she wanted and more. Taking a long hard swallow, I finally blurted out, "She sucked my dick. But I stopped her after a couple of minutes. I couldn't go through with it."

A hammer went straight to my stomach with the admission of what I had stupidly allowed to happen outside of The Tavern. Her eyes closed tightly, and she exhaled. I wanted her to say something, anything. Even if she was going to tell me how fucking filthy and disgusting I was, I needed to hear it come from her.