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 he plane captain gave Justice the all-clear sign to cross the flight deck. Throwing her duffel over her shoulder, she jogged toward the tower rising up from the starboard side of the vessel. Her ankle twinged from her embarrassing fast-rope rollout, but she forced herself not to limp.

 She and Morris joined a Marine Gunnery Sergeant wearing jungle utilities and a billed cap.

 Count on a Gunnery Sergeant not to have cracked even the merest hint of a smile in the near vicinity of his face. Normally, Justice adopted a strict, no-stick-up-the-butt policy about men, but the sergeant’s decision not to laugh at her mistake had just earned him status as her new drinking buddy.

“Ma’am.” He saluted her. “Gunnery Sergeant Walck.”

 “Gunnery Sergeant.” She returned the salute. “Ensign Hayes.”

 They watched the Special Missions Seahawk helicopter land and spin down.

 Glinski, Ketchup, Willie, and Pete emerged from the aircraft and jogged across the flight deck with duffels slung over their shoulders.

 Pete’s gait seemed extra buoyant, and when he joined their threesome, Justice saw why.

 That top-ten ass in all the state… He was laughing it off.

 Willie, on the other hand, had opted for a live-to-see-my-next-birthday choice about his reaction to Justice’s fall; he was checking her out first.

 He took one look at her expression and kept his face straight.  

 As the Grail Knight in The Last Crusade said to Indiana Jones, “You have chosen wisely.”

 Pete, blind to anything but his own good time, didn’t let up. “For her next trick, Ensign Hayes is going to trip over nothing, then look behind her to see what she tripped over.

 ”The Gunnery Sergeant’s left nostril lifted. Apparently, laid-back jokester was not his preferred language.

 Justice secretly sent Walck a hug emoji—something she’d never done in real life, but this moment seemed perfect for it.

 “Sirs.” The sergeant saluted the two pilots. “The skipper is on the bridge at present and will meet with you at his quarters prior to noon chow. A stateroom has been assigned for Lieutenant Robbins and Lieutenant Wojno to share—the room next to the six-man. Ensign Hayes will bunk with our female meteorological officer, First Lieutenant Tesarik. Tesarik is on duty right now, as well,” the sergeant added, aiming the comment at Justice. “You can meet her in the wardroom at chow.”

 “Roger that,” Justice said.

 The sergeant turned back to Pete. “Do you require assistance finding your stateroom, sir?”

 “Nope,” Pete answered, adding an extra pop to the P. “Been around the block a few times, Gunny, thanks.

 ”It was up for grabs who was more annoyed with Lieutenant Pete “Bingo” Robbins right now.

 “Yes, sir,” the sergeant responded tightly. “I’ll check your crew into their racks.” His nod included Ketchup, Morris, and Glinski.

 The three enlisted men followed Walck through a personnel door.

 Justice followed Pete and Willie through the same door, but they went in a different direction, traveling down a corridor that smelled like being inside the Tin Man’s oil can: empty of oil, but still stinking of it.

 They walked a maze of corridors—Justice trying to catch the bulkhead numbers—and finally ducked through a steel portal labeled “Officer Country.”

 Several Marine Corps pilots passed them in the corridor, then several more. All wore severe haircuts—more skull showing than hair—walked like their flight suits still had the coat hangers stuck in them, and smirked derisively at their Navy group.

 The U.S. Navy was way underrepresented on this launch pad for Marine Corps Expeditionary Forces.

 One Marine knocked shoulders with Pete on the way by, snickering, “Nice haircut, squid.

 ”Pete gusted a long sigh. “My restraint may not be rock-solid over these next few days.

 ”Justice rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t know restraint if it walked up and took a huge shit on your face.”

 A muffled sound came out of Willie.

 Pete glanced over his shoulder at her. “My, how cranky,” he drawled. “I didn’t peg The BUD/S Woman as the type to get rattled over a little turbulence."

 A little? Had this man been on the same flight as her? That was a lot. And who cared, anyway? No matter how much it’d been, the bumpy ride totally fucked up Glinski.

 Pete should know that, the dick. Justice growled.

 Willie sped up.

 “What the hell, Willie?” Pete called after his buddy. “You’re running from her?”

 “I happen to hold the firm belief that she’s stronger than either of us, Bingo.

 ”To prove Willie’s point, Justice slammed past Pete, making sure to knock into him good and hard with her duffel.

 “Very mature,” he said.

 Maybe not, but satisfying all the same. She powered down the hallway, and Willie scurried ahead through the next portal.

 “Willie!” Pete shouted, exasperated.

 The next passageway contained the officers’ staterooms.

 Their group arrived at one labeled First Lieutenant Tiffany Tesarik: Justice’s quarters.

 She threw open the door, confirmed the space was empty—yes, her roommate was on duty—then flung her duffel bag inside. Whirling back around, she yanked Pete’s duffel off his arm and hurled it at Willie.

 He stumbled back a step.

 “Time for me to hand you your ass, Robbins, you fucking dick.

 ”Pete’s mouth tilted into a lazy lean. Widening pupils squeezed out the gold of his irises in sort of a carnivorous look, like a lazing wolf who’d been happily roused to the task of eating his daily maiden.

 Reaching over to Willie, Pete patted his trusty sidekick on the shoulder. “Don’t wait up,” he said and sauntered into Justice’s stateroom.