Battle It Out

nose with him. At that moment, the cloud cover moved from the skylight, and sun glinted down on Isaac’s blond hair, like a painting, beautiful and stunning.
He gave a brisk nod, but didn’t move. Here was his chance. Every muscle felt frozen in place.
Isaac took several steps away and then turned back with a frown. Something made Isaac march back toward him.
“Why now?” Isaac snapped.
The man came right up into his space, pushing forward, glaring into his face as if he wanted to take a bite out of him. Did he? Want to take a bite?
“What?” he croaked.
“Why take a ride with me now and not before?”
Ride? It took him a moment to catch up. He opened his mouth to respond, but his gaze was caught on the shape of Isaac’s mouth. Had his lips always been that full? When Isaac stepped back again, he fisted the man’s shirt and yanked him back.
“What the hell?” Isaac gasped.
And there in the dimly lit hallway he did it.
He leaned forward and pressed his mouth to Isaac’s lips.
The kiss lasted about two seconds before Isaac shoved him away. His back slammed into the hallway. Isaac held the back of his hand against his mouth and gazed at him through wide eyes.
He felt a sense of amazement and disappointment. Amazement that he’d had the balls to kiss Isaac and disappointment that the all too brief kiss had ended.
Isaac’s mouth opened, gaped, then closed. Zane waited with his heart lodged in his throat for Isaac to say something, anything. The man swallowed and spun around to hurry down the stairs.
Shit! Air. Fuck, he suddenly needed fucking air. He charged down the stairs after Isaac and shoved open the apartment doors to drag in huge gulps of fresh outside air, getting away from the damp, musky stench of the apartment hallway. That must be what made him lightheaded. With a pounding heart he placed his hands on his thighs, bent forward, and slowed his breathing.
“Going to pass out?” Isaac snarked.
He closed his eyes against the effect that voice had on his insides.
“No,” he returned roughly.
“What, no comeback?”
“What?” He frowned.
“Here’s the part where you adamantly tell me you’re straight.” Isaac’s tone was full of goading.
“Let’s go,” he snarled through his teeth, refusing to take the bait.
“Right.” Isaac’s look was filled with bitterness, his face was closed off, like a shutter slammed shut over those flower-colored blue eyes.
“You two okay?”
He missed a step when a cop drew near and he lifted a hand to ward off the sunlight.
“We’re fine, officer,” Isaac said quietly. “Need anything else from us?”
“No, the statements you gave are good. We’ll call Sergeant Savage if we need anything further,” the cop said.
Isaac hurried toward his SUV and Zane hustled to catch up. He didn’t want to get left behind and be forced to call a car. And by the look on Isaac’s face, there was a real good chance of that happening.
The drive back to base started out quiet, but then Isaac flipped on the radio, and any chance of having a conversation went out the window.
Not that he wanted to have a conversation. He did, but then he didn’t. What the hell could he say? Hey, I suddenly decided to acknowledge that I’m bi sexual and I like you? That sounded so fucking lame.
His phone buzzed and he gratefully tugged it out of his pocket. “It’s a text from the colonel. We need to meet him back at Greene’s house.”
Other than tossing him a look, Isaac remained silent as he took the next interchange and the freeway that would take them back to the cracked and cratered home of Sergeant Joshua Greene.
“I wonder why he doesn’t have Maddox and River do this,” Isaac muttered.
“I don’t know,” he murmured, staring out the window at the passing houses.
They spotted Liam waiting on the weed clustered sidewalk when they drove up. Isaac flipped the lock on the SUV with a chirp. It wasn’t a nice neighborhood.
Liam didn’t say a word when they drew near. Instead, the colonel jumped up the steps and pounded on the door.
“Open the fucking door, Greene.”
With a loud crack, the door yanked open.
“What the fuck do you want?” Greene appeared, wearing the same shirt and boxers, a cigarette dangling from his hand.
“Don’t speak to the colonel like that!” He stepped forward ready to knock the drunk back on his ass.
Liam slapped a file into his chest, and Zane had just enough time to grab it before Liam was pushing his way inside the house.
“Is that legal?” Isaac whispered, gazing after the colonel.
He lifted his shoulders with an I don’t know and followed the colonel inside.
“Get cleaned up,” Liam snapped at Greene.
“Fuck you!” Greene growled, stamping out his cigarette in a saucer before he snagged up a half empty bottle of whiskey. The liquid sloshed around in the bottle.
Liam advanced on Greene and yanked the bottle from the man’s grip and slammed it down on the table. The scuffle that took place ended in the hallway. It was no small feat with the size of Greene, but Liam was one tough son of a bitch. Zane swore the wall cracked beneath Greene’s weight when Liam manhandled the guy down the hall.
Moving swiftly to the entryway, he stared down the hallway after Liam, who tossed Greene into what appeared to be the bathroom. A moment later, running water could be heard.
“I’ll fucking kill you,” Greene’s raspy choked cry came from the small room.
“Hush,” Liam ordered.
“I mean it, Liam.”
“Be quiet.” Liam’s voice had softened.
Harsh sobs came from the room and Zane held Isaac’s eyes across the short distance.
He swallowed, the broken and harsh cries coming from the bathroom turned his throat tight. He slowly opened the folder and Isaac moved closer.
“Christ.”
“What?” Isaac peaked at the papers.
“Greene has a silver star of valor,” he whispered, his eyes stinging.
Isaac gently took the file from his hands.
“He saved three men, but lost half of his unit in a roadside bombing,” Isaac murmured.
It was a soldier’s worse fucking nightmare.
Where