Page 223

David opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. “I’ll be honest. I’m not quite sure yet.”

Christian nodded, his attention back on his tablet. “Like you said, not ‘no’ but?—”

“Not what you wanted to hear,” David admitted, voice soft.

It wasn’t, not in the slightest, but Christian wouldn’t lose his mind over it. It tugged at his heart, weighing it down for the first time all day. Still, he could take comfort in not being outright denied.

Christian cleared his throat. “So, I imagine you want to discuss the finer details of the Gala on Saturday.”

David’s pale eyes searched his face before nodding. As Christian watched, the strained, almost pained expression on the general’s face faded, replaced by professional focus.

“Those from Command who accepted my invitation will arrive tomorrow at approximately 1300. We’ll need to make sure their temporary housing is up to par. We also need to ensure the catering company has confirmed the appointment,” General Winter began, looking over at his screen.

Christian nodded. “I’ve spoken with the company, but I’ll speak to them tomorrow evening to make sure everything is on track.”

“Good, I don’t want an incident like last year’s.”

“Not on my watch, sir.”

“Good. Now, a few other things have been brought to my attention. Let me pull them up.”

Christian nodded, waiting for the other man as he began to search for what he needed. It was easier to focus on the task at hand now they had settled the elephant in the room. The weight of the elephant had shifted to his heart, but at least he could focus.

So, that was something, at least.

DAVID

He could say with a hundred percent certainty that the annual Gala was not his favorite part of the year. It signaled the arrival and the culmination of the one aspect of his job he did not enjoy, politicking. David supposed it wasn’t strictly politicking, it was more showing off and saying all the right things. More presentation and pomp than wheeling and dealing, but he considered it the same thing when it boiled down to it.

He looked over the hall full of decorations, soldiers, and guests, all beginning to fill the tables and make their way toward the bar. The din started picking up, slowly drowning out the soft music playing in the background. That was about what he expected, and once all the formalities and speeches were over, he knew it would only get louder. After, would come the dinner, and then everyone would start drinking in earnest, assured that all would be well once they had a full stomach to soak it up.

General Nito glanced at David from a few feet away. Nito was one of the generals David had been slowly trying to convince to shift Philip away from his current position. It was an odd situation, as Nito was on good terms with Philip and David, and to lean one way or the other would show preference. Much like himself, Nito preferred to stay out of the political games of theirfellows if he could help it, which made the situation even more delicate.

“A little worried, David?” Nito asked with a crooked smile.

David shook his head. “Nothing to be concerned about. Everything is completely under control.”

Nito chuckled. “I remember last year?—”

“And the year before, and the year before that,” David added with a grimace.

The year before, the DJ mysteriously disappeared halfway through the Gala. It had taken more than an hour to hunt the man down. David was not a man known for his temper, but he had lashed out when he found out the DJ had been discovered in an unused room, apparently having a private party with a couple of female privates equipped with a booze and cocaine supply. David had never enjoyed having to punish privates personally and making sure someone was fired as he’d had to do that night.

Nito’s eyes slid to the tables being set up for the food. “No food poisoning this year, right?”

That had been the year before last, and David didn’t need the reminder. He still couldn’t figure out if that had been an accident, one of those things that happened, or a mistake on the catering company’s part. He hadn’t hired that company since, just to be sure, but the memory of a quarter of the attendees ending up violently ill was burned in his mind.

David frowned at him. “Everything is under control this year. We will not have any incidents.”

Nito chuckled. “You sure?”

“Yes.”

And he was, completely. Along with running an entire base, the added stress of juggling the gala arrangement usually left him fumbling. The same added stress had been thrown into the hands of previous assistants he’d had, with mixed and typically disastrous results.

“This year, I have help, and a great deal of it,” David said.

“That so? And you didn’t before?”