Cate could hardly see straight, she was so angry. She slung the weapons onto the table and stalked over to the locker where the rags and other tools were kept. But instead of opening it and getting out a cleaning kit, she punched, then kicked the metal door, evoking two loud CLANGs. Completely frustrated, she turned her back to the locker and slammed back against it, her weight rattling the door even more.
She let fly a string of obscenities that would make a sailor blush. She knew she was at least partly to blame for the blow-up between her and Jon, but she didn’t want to admit it. It was easier to blame him.
How DARE he? He flirted with her all afternoon, got her all hot and bothered, then had the nerve to yell at her for doing her job??? What a self-righteous fucking asshole! She growled again in frustration, then leaned away from the locker. And now she had to clean the damned weapons by herself.
As she stepped away from the locker, Cate saw Danny standing in the doorway, his arms crossed and a stern look on his face. Cate snorted and stomped over to the table that held the guns. “Don’t fucking start with me, Danny…” she warned him icily. She snatched up the Glock Jon had used and started to take it apart, her hands moving rapidly of their own accord as she fumed.
“Well THAT was a pretty spectacular display of stupidity.” Danny said sarcastically, ignoring Cate’s warning. “What the hell were you thinking?”
Cate shot him an evil glare as she laid out the pieces of the Glock on the table. “What the hell was I thinking? I was thinking that my student wasn’t paying attention and was shooting like shit. So I tried to correct his mistakes.” She gave a derisive snort. “But apparently Big Rock Stars don’t make mistakes. And they sure as HELL don’t want anybody to point them out.”
“Oh really?” Danny strode over to the cleaning table, where Cate had begun to wipe down the Glock, refusing to look at him. “Did it occur to you that you are the reason he was shooting for shit? He did fine with the qual, but then you started leering at him and grabbing him during the PPC, and all of a sudden he didn’t know which way to point his fucking gun. OR his dick!”
Danny raised his eyebrows at Cate when she looked up at him. He could see from her expression that she knew he was right, but there was no way in hell she would admit it. He continued. “And then you fucking lay on top of him and rub your tits on his back? Jesus, Cate! It’s a wonder he could fucking walk, let alone shoot!”
Cate’s fury exploded. She dropped the Glock’s barrel on the table and spun to face Danny. “What the hell are you talking about? I did EXACTLY what I would do, and have done, for any other student with that same problem!” She was yelling now. “You’ve seen me correct students like that before! Hell, I’ve seen YOU drop down on a student and do the same damned thing!!!”
Danny rolled his eyes but stood his ground. “Oh, give me a fucking BREAK, Slick!” he snarled back at her. “You know damned good and well that Jon isn’t a student – he’s a VI-SI-TOR,” Danny drew out the syllables to emphasize his point. “And a VIP Fucking Guest of the Director, at that! Don’t give me that self-righteous ‘I’m the teacher’ bullshit.”
He paused and took a breath. “You know, it would serve you right if he complained to Floyd -- or straight to the Director -- and asked for a new Training Officer.”
Cate’s lips pressed together in a narrow line. Shit, I didn’t think of that… She was ready to fire off a tart “Who Fucking Cares?” but Danny cut her off. “You’re lucky he’s hot for you, and the last thing he wants to do is get you kicked off this detail.”
“Oh PUH-LEASE.” Cate retorted, trying to cover her concern. “Yeah, Jon Fucking Bon Jovi is hot for ME. Sure, he flirted with me a little, but I betcha he flirts with every woman he meets.” Cate turned her attention back to the Glock. Danny didn’t need to read in her face that the “flirting” line had already been crossed.
“Cate, he’s not just turning on the Rock Star charm. He wants you.” Danny’s voice was matter-of-fact.
“Oh, shut the fuck up.” Cate snorted.
“Why else would he spend a half hour in my office this morning, talking about you? Cate, he actually asked me – straight out – if you and I were a couple. He wanted to know if he had any competition. For you.”
Danny watched Cate’s profile closely. He saw her nostrils flare and her eyes widen slightly. “Christ, the guy is so fuckin’ head-over-heels infatuated with you that he can hardly think. And he asked me for advice on how to get you to let your guard down.”
Danny’s voice gentled a bit. “He wants to get to know you, Cate. He’s not looking for a one-night stand. He wants to take you…I don’t know, out dancing, shit like that. He’s got it bad for you, Slick. And you do for him.”
Cate’s heart leapt into her throat. Danny would never lie to her. They had always enjoyed a relationship of total, sometimes brutal honesty, and there was no reason for him to lie to her now. But despite the surge of excitement she felt at Danny’s disclosure, she was still seething over her confrontation with Jon.
“Yeah, well maybe this time the mighty Jon Bon Jovi isn’t gonna get what he wants,” she retorted. “I am a professional, I am going to do my job to the fullest and best of my ability. And if that means stomping on his precious fucking rock star ego, then so be it. If he doesn’t like it he can hit the road.” Cate turned a steely glare at Danny.
Danny had finally had enough. “Cate, you can be so fucking stubborn,” he growled. “You are a damned good cop and a fucking great teacher. Most of the time you’re right. But sometimes you take that self-righteous ‘I’m a professional’ bullshit too damned far. And sometimes…” He glared at her. “…you’re just a Bitch.”
Cate’s head jerked up and she looked at Danny with wide eyes. She felt like he had slapped her across the face. They stared at each other for a long moment, Danny seeing the shock and confusion in Cate’s expression.
God, she could be so infuriating! Danny let out a long, exasperated sigh. “See ya tomorrow,” he said, then turned his back on her and walked out the door.
Cate stared after him, dazed. Her brain struggled to process what Danny had just said, about how Jon really felt about her. She also felt a sharp pain in her heart at Danny’s harsh words. It wasn’t like they had never fought before; over 20-plus years there had been far worse arguments than this one. But this time his rebuke stung.
Cate knew it was because Danny was right. She was being a bitch. The shitty thing was, Danny knew exactly why she was acting the way she was, probably even better than she did. After all, he had always been the one to pick her up and put her back together again when her life fell apart. And for some reason he was pushing her toward Jon, ready and willing to pick up the pieces once again when the time came.
Cate stood there for a long time, cleaning the Glock and trying to sort through her feelings. Finally she gave up. She locked the M-16s in the lockers, telling herself she would clean them tomorrow. She reassembled the Glock and locked it away. Then she secured the armory, set the alarm, locked up the range, and headed for home.
She let fly a string of obscenities that would make a sailor blush. She knew she was at least partly to blame for the blow-up between her and Jon, but she didn’t want to admit it. It was easier to blame him.
How DARE he? He flirted with her all afternoon, got her all hot and bothered, then had the nerve to yell at her for doing her job??? What a self-righteous fucking asshole! She growled again in frustration, then leaned away from the locker. And now she had to clean the damned weapons by herself.
As she stepped away from the locker, Cate saw Danny standing in the doorway, his arms crossed and a stern look on his face. Cate snorted and stomped over to the table that held the guns. “Don’t fucking start with me, Danny…” she warned him icily. She snatched up the Glock Jon had used and started to take it apart, her hands moving rapidly of their own accord as she fumed.
“Well THAT was a pretty spectacular display of stupidity.” Danny said sarcastically, ignoring Cate’s warning. “What the hell were you thinking?”
Cate shot him an evil glare as she laid out the pieces of the Glock on the table. “What the hell was I thinking? I was thinking that my student wasn’t paying attention and was shooting like shit. So I tried to correct his mistakes.” She gave a derisive snort. “But apparently Big Rock Stars don’t make mistakes. And they sure as HELL don’t want anybody to point them out.”
“Oh really?” Danny strode over to the cleaning table, where Cate had begun to wipe down the Glock, refusing to look at him. “Did it occur to you that you are the reason he was shooting for shit? He did fine with the qual, but then you started leering at him and grabbing him during the PPC, and all of a sudden he didn’t know which way to point his fucking gun. OR his dick!”
Danny raised his eyebrows at Cate when she looked up at him. He could see from her expression that she knew he was right, but there was no way in hell she would admit it. He continued. “And then you fucking lay on top of him and rub your tits on his back? Jesus, Cate! It’s a wonder he could fucking walk, let alone shoot!”
Cate’s fury exploded. She dropped the Glock’s barrel on the table and spun to face Danny. “What the hell are you talking about? I did EXACTLY what I would do, and have done, for any other student with that same problem!” She was yelling now. “You’ve seen me correct students like that before! Hell, I’ve seen YOU drop down on a student and do the same damned thing!!!”
Danny rolled his eyes but stood his ground. “Oh, give me a fucking BREAK, Slick!” he snarled back at her. “You know damned good and well that Jon isn’t a student – he’s a VI-SI-TOR,” Danny drew out the syllables to emphasize his point. “And a VIP Fucking Guest of the Director, at that! Don’t give me that self-righteous ‘I’m the teacher’ bullshit.”
He paused and took a breath. “You know, it would serve you right if he complained to Floyd -- or straight to the Director -- and asked for a new Training Officer.”
Cate’s lips pressed together in a narrow line. Shit, I didn’t think of that… She was ready to fire off a tart “Who Fucking Cares?” but Danny cut her off. “You’re lucky he’s hot for you, and the last thing he wants to do is get you kicked off this detail.”
“Oh PUH-LEASE.” Cate retorted, trying to cover her concern. “Yeah, Jon Fucking Bon Jovi is hot for ME. Sure, he flirted with me a little, but I betcha he flirts with every woman he meets.” Cate turned her attention back to the Glock. Danny didn’t need to read in her face that the “flirting” line had already been crossed.
“Cate, he’s not just turning on the Rock Star charm. He wants you.” Danny’s voice was matter-of-fact.
“Oh, shut the fuck up.” Cate snorted.
“Why else would he spend a half hour in my office this morning, talking about you? Cate, he actually asked me – straight out – if you and I were a couple. He wanted to know if he had any competition. For you.”
Danny watched Cate’s profile closely. He saw her nostrils flare and her eyes widen slightly. “Christ, the guy is so fuckin’ head-over-heels infatuated with you that he can hardly think. And he asked me for advice on how to get you to let your guard down.”
Danny’s voice gentled a bit. “He wants to get to know you, Cate. He’s not looking for a one-night stand. He wants to take you…I don’t know, out dancing, shit like that. He’s got it bad for you, Slick. And you do for him.”
Cate’s heart leapt into her throat. Danny would never lie to her. They had always enjoyed a relationship of total, sometimes brutal honesty, and there was no reason for him to lie to her now. But despite the surge of excitement she felt at Danny’s disclosure, she was still seething over her confrontation with Jon.
“Yeah, well maybe this time the mighty Jon Bon Jovi isn’t gonna get what he wants,” she retorted. “I am a professional, I am going to do my job to the fullest and best of my ability. And if that means stomping on his precious fucking rock star ego, then so be it. If he doesn’t like it he can hit the road.” Cate turned a steely glare at Danny.
Danny had finally had enough. “Cate, you can be so fucking stubborn,” he growled. “You are a damned good cop and a fucking great teacher. Most of the time you’re right. But sometimes you take that self-righteous ‘I’m a professional’ bullshit too damned far. And sometimes…” He glared at her. “…you’re just a Bitch.”
Cate’s head jerked up and she looked at Danny with wide eyes. She felt like he had slapped her across the face. They stared at each other for a long moment, Danny seeing the shock and confusion in Cate’s expression.
God, she could be so infuriating! Danny let out a long, exasperated sigh. “See ya tomorrow,” he said, then turned his back on her and walked out the door.
Cate stared after him, dazed. Her brain struggled to process what Danny had just said, about how Jon really felt about her. She also felt a sharp pain in her heart at Danny’s harsh words. It wasn’t like they had never fought before; over 20-plus years there had been far worse arguments than this one. But this time his rebuke stung.
Cate knew it was because Danny was right. She was being a bitch. The shitty thing was, Danny knew exactly why she was acting the way she was, probably even better than she did. After all, he had always been the one to pick her up and put her back together again when her life fell apart. And for some reason he was pushing her toward Jon, ready and willing to pick up the pieces once again when the time came.
Cate stood there for a long time, cleaning the Glock and trying to sort through her feelings. Finally she gave up. She locked the M-16s in the lockers, telling herself she would clean them tomorrow. She reassembled the Glock and locked it away. Then she secured the armory, set the alarm, locked up the range, and headed for home.
It always hurts more when your best friend calls you on being a bitch, than if some stranger does it especially when you know it's true!
ReplyDelete