Page 72 of Men of Fort Dale: The Complete Series

Of all his job obligations, personally meeting with specially picked soldiers was one of his favorites.

It allowed him to interact with the men and women who had their boots firmly on the ground and worked with the rest of the base.

Part of it, he knew, was nostalgia. Seeing the younger generation as they learned to navigate the world was fascinating.

It also didn’t hurt that interacting with the younger military members allowed him to glimpse the changing ways of military life he might miss perched too high up.

“No offense, sir, but I’m sensing a ‘but’ somewhere in that explanation,” Oscar said.

And therein lay the problem. He’d hoped to bring Oscar into the fold, placing him beneath Philip and inching him into the man’s position. The problem was Philip was still being stubborn and dragging his heels.

“Then, why am I here?”

Like he’d tell the man there was little more to the problem than politics.

Soldiers like Reyes kept their heads down and away from the constant politicking and maneuvering that happened so often in the upper echelons of the military.

David himself had been just like that when he’d been younger, and while he hadn’t lost that attitude, necessity had forced him into the game all the same.

Damn it.

“Because once matters have settled, the position will become a vacancy,” David promised.

The large man raised a brow as though expecting to hear something else.

The truth was David wanted to lay the entire story out to him and let the man make an informed decision.

The problem with politics was that David couldn’t be sure he could trust everyone.

While he had high hopes for the sort of person Reyes would be if he was given a chance to take Philip’s place, David would have to wait before indulging the man’s curiosity.

Oscar nodded. “Yes, sir. But that still doesn’t tell me why I’m here now.”

Direct. He liked that.

David nodded. “You’re here now because there’s no point wasting away at home or your family’s home. While we’re waiting for the vacancy to open up, I can easily find something for you to do. For the moment, I’m sure you can help out here in the office.”

“Pure desk work,” Oscar said, his voice tight with disdain.

He could remember the first time he’d been placed into an administrative capacity and how much he’d hated it.

David had sworn up and down he would never be any good at pencil-pushing.

Yet, despite that, he’d found a way to make it work.

A good administrator in the military was a good leader, and a good leader could take the shittiest circumstances and make them work in their favor.

Considering Reyes had already proven himself a capable field leader, David hoped he would find a way to navigate the safe, though not necessarily peaceful, deskwork.

General Winter chuckled. “You’ll get used to it, and it’s a perfect place to be if you’re going to learn how things work around here. It’ll give you a feel for working Stateside. We’re a little less chaotic here.”

“Not sure I know what to do without a bit of chaos,” Oscar said.

“You’ll find plenty. As much as we in the military like to make a big fuss about regimen and order, we’re still people, and chaos follows in our wake. Perhaps by working at the center of it, you’ll have a better idea of what you’ll need to do once I can put you in your proper chair.”

If there was anything he’d learned about juggling everything on the base, it was that he was never short of chaos and confusion.

Everywhere he looked, something demanded his attention or his direct intervention.

Maybe with Reyes eventually at the helm of Operations, David might be able to take a breath.

To his relief, Oscar let out a sigh and gave a nod. “Yes, sir. When do I begin?”

“You can start in a few days. Give yourself a chance to look around first and rest after moving across the country.”

“Yes, sir,” Oscar said.

David smiled, checking his screen. “Ah, right, and just as a formality, do me a favor and report to the clinic on base as well. I require all newcomers to go in for a check-up, no matter how recent their last examination was.”

“Yes, sir,” Oscar said with a curt nod.

It was as good a time as any to end the conversation. Reyes had been dragged across the country and was expected to settle in quickly. Having been the one to order that and follow it up with unsettling news, David felt he owed the man a break.

David stood. “Then I think that about covers everything. You’ll have a couple of days to find your feet, maybe see the sights a little. But I’ll need you in here on Monday at 0700, got it?”

Oscar stood, snapping a salute. “Yes, sir.”

David motioned toward the door. “Dismissed.”

With that, Reyes walked out, a noticeable limp in his step.

David stared at the door thoughtfully, hoping he wasn’t pushing things too far.

Philip had enough sway with Command through his connections that David was already pushing his luck trying to move the man to another position.

Reyes had only recovered from his injuries over the last few months, and there was no telling what his mental state was like after being half-blown to hell.

If David’s decision blew up in his face, Reyes might pay a higher price than everyone else.

“Hell,” David muttered.

His door opened, and Christian walked in, frowning down at a tablet. “Why am I expected to order some fancy keyboard and have it here and ready to use on Monday?”

David eyed him. “Normally, people warn me before they walk into my office.”

Christian looked up. “And why is it being delivered to this office instead of somewhere else?”

David sighed. “Because you’re getting an assistant.”

Christian narrowed his eyes. “I told you, I don’t need the help.”

Yes, he had, several times as far as David could remember. Honestly, with how quick Christian was to refuse help and how adamantly he’d been sticking to it, David wondered if he hadn’t struck a nerve by suggesting it.

“Well, good for us both because this isn’t necessarily about helping you. It’s about helping the man who just left my office and me,” David told him.

“No offense, but how does my getting an assistant help you?” Christian asked, a wounded note in his voice.

David smiled. “You’re doing the work of three people, and then some probably. Trust me, this isn’t because you’re not doing your job well.”

“I wasn’t thinking that,” Christian said, though the relief in his eyes betrayed his thoughts.

David pointed to the door, “Close that if you would.”

Christian did so. “What’s going on?”

“I hope to place Reyes directly under Philip...as a second in command. It will give him a good feel for the job, and more likely than not, Philip will pass a great deal onto Reyes.”

“Which makes him look bad and Reyes better.”

David winced. “I don’t want...to ruin Philip’s career or have him demoted. There are plenty of positions somewhere else that would suit him far better. And I firmly believe Reyes has the potential to perform the role quite well.”

“So, not so much ruin him, but make Reyes look better.”

David nodded. “If I wanted to ruin Philip, I could. But this isn’t about that, and never was.”

“Wait, what dirt do you have on Philip?”

David blinked, realizing he’d let information slip. Damn, what was it about Christian that drove David to forget himself so easily?

“Don’t worry about that. That’s between Philip and me.”

Christian huffed. “Well, that’s no fun. You can’t tease me with some delicious tidbit and leave it a mystery.”

“I can when I shouldn’t have said anything to begin with.”

Christian continued to stare at him with a frown.

David would never admit it, but he honestly couldn’t take the frown seriously.

Something was endearing about his subordinate, a man over twenty years his junior, trying to stare him down.

As much as he knew it would ruin Christian’s attempts if David called it cute, there was no way he was saying it.

Christian sighed, giving up. “Alright, so what am I supposed to do?”

“Order the keyboard for him and have it here overnight so you can look it over. After that, get him going with his setup and teach him how to do your job.”

“And how does that help?”

“It gives him something to do, which he’s been without since he woke up in a hospital months ago. It also gives us time to allow Philip to stop being so stubborn about having someone else in his office with him.”

Christian raised a brow, smirking. “Us, huh?”

David frowned. “What?”

“You said us, not you.”

David blinked. “Well, I suppose I did. You are apparently included because you casually brought yourself into this little mess.”

And unlike Reyes, who was an unknown, David trusted Christian.

Christian smiled. “I take it the keyboard is for Oscar.”

“Yes. I looked into it, and this one came highly recommended. I doubt you’ll need to learn much, as it’ll mostly be him who needs to use it. However, it wouldn’t hurt you to ensure it works and everything is ready for him. I’m having him come in at 0700 on Monday.”

“I really hope this isn’t your way of trying to drive the man crazy. If you had any idea what kind of shit comes through that elevator half the time, you might rethink putting someone else out there.”

David chuckled, opening his messages again. “I’m sure Reyes will be just fine. He’s dealt with his fair share, and you’ll be there to guide him. If anyone can make sure he finds his feet and can handle whatever madness this place can throw, it’ll be you.”

Christian hummed. “Not sure if that’s a compliment or a criticism.”

“It was meant to be a compliment, but the more I think about it, the more it begs the question as to whether you’re completely sane,” David said with a small smile.

“Right, so a compliment,” Christian said.

“Yes, I suppose it would have to be, wouldn’t it?”