Page 2 of Twins for the Secret Prince (Even More Babies #8)

EVA

E va stood, arms crossed, and watched the new recruits as they ran past, completing their tenth lap of the perimeter.

She watched as Private Sully slipped in the mud, not for the first time.

And then, also not for the first time, one of his fellow recruits turned and offered him a helping hand.

Eva was proud of the female recruit who’d prevented Private Sully from falling face-first in the mud, but she sighed nonetheless at the pattern that was already being established.

Part of her wanted to pull the female recruit aside and put a word in her ear about how difficult it was going to be for her in the military.

She wanted to tell her it was unlikely to change; she’d go on lending a hand up to men at every turn.

Not only would she not be recognized for it, but those same men would crawl over her to positions of power. Positions that she deserved.

A woman in a man’s world. Eva had accepted, after almost ten years in the military, that it would always be this way.

But it didn’t mean she had to like it. And, when she saw history repeating itself over and over, she couldn’t help but feel the onus was on her to try to change things.

She knew that she’d failed to change much, if anything, all these years later. And it stung.

“Sergeant Bailey? Lieutenant Marshall wants to see you in his office.”

Eva saluted her fellow sergeant as he stepped into her place, hoping he didn’t see her flushed cheeks.

When he’d called her name, for one terrifying second, she’d had the feeling someone had read her mind and was about to mete out punishment for her mental insubordination.

But she knew that was ridiculous. She could be as rebellious in her thoughts as she wanted to be.

And she often was. It was an effective coping strategy.

She knocked once, sharply, on Lieutenant Marshall’s door and waited for him to tell her she could come in. He didn’t invite her to sit down, but she could tell by his relaxed body language that she hadn’t been called to see him for any wrongdoing.

“How are the new recruits, sergeant?” he asked as he straightened a stack of papers on his desk.

“Doing well so far, sir. Some were a little rough around the edges when they arrived, but they’re already showing signs of improvement.”

“Good to hear. If anyone can smooth out rough edges, it’s you, sergeant,” he said, nodding his head and looking her directly in the eyes.

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.”

“I called you in to let you know that one of the senior officers is stepping down. Imminently. That means there will be a promotion available to sergeant major. I have made it known that I believe you to be an excellent candidate. But nothing is handed to us on a silver platter, as you know, sergeant.”

“Yes, sir,” Eva said, trying to stay composed as her stomach flipped at the news.

“Let’s just say more than a few eyes will be on you in the next few weeks, looking to see whether you are up to the challenge. Work hard and show what you’re made of, and I believe you’ll be in with a good chance of becoming sergeant major.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you for your support, sir.” Eva stood even straighter, her head held high.

“It’s over to you now, sergeant. Show me, and more importantly, the senior officers, that my faith in you is well-placed.”

Eva gulped, fighting the feeling of panic building in her chest. She put on her best look of self-confidence and said, “Yes, sir. I’ll prove to you and the senior officers that I’m not just capable of being an excellent sergeant major, but the best sergeant major Alaska has ever seen.”

“Very good, sergeant. You’re dismissed.”

Eva saluted the lieutenant and walked quickly along the corridor away from his office and shut herself into the nearest bathroom stall.

She punched the air, both with pleasure that her commanding officer had suggested her for promotion and out of frustration.

How could she work any harder than she already was?

She was burning the candle at both ends, working long hours, making sure to stay as physically fit and strong as she possibly could, and now she had to do more ?

She didn’t know how she was going to do it, but she’d have to find a way.

She would find a way, she knew, because she always did.

Being a female officer required levels of strength, stamina and ingenuity that were almost superhuman.

The word made Eva smile. Yes, that was how she was going to do it, she decided.

She’d be even more superhuman than usual. Super- duper -human.

Back outside, she resumed her post and watched the recruits as they completed their last lap of the morning’s run. Although she’d planned to give them a break and take them inside, out of the rain, for some training, Eva decided to start proving her mettle immediately.

“I know that some of you will be hoping for a rest, but that’s not going to happen.

You’re my squad, and my squad is always the best at drills.

You’re not going to be the exception. And the only way to be the best is to do drill training at every opportunity.

This is your chance to show me how far you can push yourselves. ”

It wasn’t lost on Eva that she was more or less echoing the words of the lieutenant, and she knew, in some ways, she was taking out her frustration on the squad.

But she didn’t accept anything less than perfection, and that meant pushing them.

She glared at the recruit who’d slipped in the mud, whose face showed just how unhappy he was with her plan.

“Anyone who doesn’t want to do drills is welcome to go back to the barracks, where you can pack your bag and leave the base immediately,” she said. “Is that understood?”

Eva watched as the young man’s sullen look turned to one of fear, and she decided at that moment to keep the pressure amped up on this particular recruit.

She had to whip him into shape by the afternoon, when she knew some of the senior officers would make an appearance to check up on the recruits.

If she had any weak links in her squad, it would make Eva look like a weak link, and she wasn’t about to let that happen.

For the next hour, she shouted herself nearly hoarse as she put the recruits through their paces.

To their credit, they rose to the challenge, not once grimacing or muttering under their breaths as she demanded more and more of them.

Even Private Sully took it on the chin, showing that he was as determined as the others.

When drill training was over, Eva called her squad together and said, “I don’t hand out praise easily, but I have to say that what I saw here this morning is impressive.

I have no doubt that this squad can be the best we have here on the base.

I want you to report back here at thirteen-hundred hours today, where you will do even better than you did this morning. And that’s an order. Dismissed.”

She watched as they walked away, their bodies showing signs of fatigue but also pride.

That was Eva’s way — apply pressure and expect nothing less than the best, but let them know when they had done well.

And her squad of new recruits had done very well indeed.

Now they just needed to keep up the high standards to help Eva demonstrate that she was worthy of the promotion.

On her way back into the base, she heard someone call her name and turned to see First Lieutenant Derek Armstrong walking towards her. With him was a very tall, perfectly fit and perfect-looking man in uniform with piercing gray-blue eyes, striding towards her with assured confidence.

“Sergeant Bailey, I would like to introduce you to Sergeant Pete Billings, who has just joined us from an overseas posting.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Sergeant Billings said, holding out his hand. Eva took it and felt a tiny jolt course through her body.

“Likewise,” she said, holding his look.

“Sergeant Billings will be in command of the other squad of new recruits.” Turning to Billings, Armstrong added, “No one gets our recruits ready for action as quickly or as thoroughly as Sergeant Bailey.”

“That sounds like a challenge,” Sergeant Billings said. Eva saw the competitive spark in his eye.

“Drill’s at thirteen-hundred hours,” Armstrong said, in a tone that suggested he was enjoying this rivalry already. “I guess we’ll see which squad is best out there.”

Even as Eva told herself there was no contest because her squad was always the best, she said magnanimously, “It’s not a fair contest when this is your first day with your squad.”

Sergeant Billings made a show of looking at his watch. “That gives me less than two hours to get them into shape. Challenge accepted.”

Armstrong shook his head, smiling. “I should warn you, Sergeant Bailey. Sergeant Billings has steel running through his veins.”

“Good to know,” she said, not breaking eye contact with the new arrival.

“And there’s something else you should both know,” the first lieutenant said.

“It’s not just your squads that are in competition with each other.

You two will be going head-to-head for the promotion to sergeant major.

I think it’s fair to say that the senior officers will be keeping tabs on both of you over the next few weeks. ”

“Good to know,” Eva said again through gritted teeth.

“Yes, very good,” Sergeant Billings said. Although the corners of his mouth turned up in a slight smile, there was no mistaking the icy determination in his voice. If there was any doubt before, Eva knew he was declaring himself her direct rival.

“See you at drill,” Eva said, continuing to give him her best stare-down look.

“It will be interesting,” he replied as he and the first lieutenant walked away.

Eva strode to her office and had to stop herself from slamming the door behind her.

Instead, she punched the air several times to release some of the tension she’d been holding onto.

Typical, she thought. One minute she was told she was being considered for promotion, and the next, she was introduced to a newcomer who was up for it too.

Not just any newcomer — a man . A man whose very bearing suggested that he was used to getting his own way. A man whose amused expression told Eva he thought he had nothing to worry about, because the promotion was as good as his.

How many times had she seen the same thing happen?

She’d lost count of the number of men who had waltzed into the job she had her eye on and had been working diligently and tirelessly towards.

Although she had accepted that it was the way of life around here, it didn’t mean she had to like it.

And she most certainly did not like the way Pete Billings had looked at her like he was a superior being who was completely unfazed or threatened by her.

She’d show him. She had to show him. Her squad would be the best; there was no question in her mind about that.

Not just at drills but at every aspect of their training.

That would make her the best. Although it was generally accepted on the base that no one trained new recruits as well as she did, she wouldn’t allow Sergeant Billings to steal any of her thunder. No way.

For an instant she saw his piercing eyes and felt the current of electricity run through her body as she remembered the touch of his hand.

No, no, no, no , she told herself sternly.

You are not attracted to this man. He is your competition.

Do not let any other feelings enter into it. That’s an order.

She closed her eyes and let the memory of the very first time she’d been passed over for a promotion hit her with its full force.

Not one but two of her male peers had been promoted to the rank of private second class while she remained a lowly private.

Never mind that she had coached and mentored both of the men, who’d joined the squad after she did.

Although they were not lazy, they didn’t have her exceptional work ethic, and to say that she carried them was not an exaggeration.

If they recognized it, they didn’t outwardly acknowledge it.

And anyway, Eva wasn’t looking for praise.

She did it because they were her fellow squad members and it was the right thing to do.

The day their promotions were announced, they both wore such smug looks of self-entitlement that Eva wanted to scream.

Neither of them even had the decency to look at her, never mind thank her for helping them rise in rank.

Even worse, they both used their new status to remind Eva that she was of a lower rank than they were.

Every day, she had to suck it up and pretend she didn’t notice.

Every day, she had to push herself harder and harder in the never-ending hope that her superior officers would notice her.

Every day, she cursed being a woman in a man’s world.

The worst days were when she questioned why she had ever joined the military in the first place.

But, slowly, a callous had grown over the wound, and she’d come to see that being forced to work twice as hard as the men for less than half the recognition only made the reward sweeter when it did finally come. She knew how hard she worked and what she was made of.

She heard Armstrong’s voice, saying that Pete Billings had steel coursing through his veins. Well, Eva had ice and fiery lava in her veins. No matter how strong Sergeant Billings thought he was, Eva knew she was stronger. She’d have quit years ago if she wasn’t.

She was a force to be reckoned with, and she knew it.

“Watch out, Sergeant Billings,” she whispered. “You don’t know who you’re up against, and I’m not going to lose.”