Meeting one’s ex-husband was never going to be a Kodak moment, but this was perhaps more than usually awkward, bearing in mind my cheeks were still flushed from screwing Sebastian in an office about 40 yards away.
But David’s next comment took me by complete surprise.
“I’ve enjoyed reading your articles, Caroline. They show great insight into all this.”
He gestured around him to indicate all things military. Compliments from David were rare. Very rare.
“Thank you very much,” I said, as my eyebrows rose up to my hairline. “I’m… flattered.”
I thought David was going to say something else, but what he saw over my shoulder made him lose his composure, and a familiar expression of haughty disdain transformed his features.
“I see you’re still with him,” he said coldly.
I knew immediately who he was talking about, of course.
“I must say I’m surprised, Caroline.”
I felt the heat of Sebastian’s furious glare as he came storming over.
Military protocol demanded that he salute a superior officer, even one from another service, and David was Navy, not the Marine Corps. Instead, Sebastian shoved his hands in his pockets, with deliberate insolence.
David frowned, but just when I was sure he would insist on his dues, he simply ignored Sebastian and looked back at me.
“Good to see you, Caroline. You look lovely tonight. I hope you enjoy the evening.”
And he strolled away, greeting a few people as he moved through the room.
“What the fuck were you doing talking to that asshole?” snarled Sebastian.
“What are you doing making it so damned obvious that you care?” I shot back, angrily.
“Why aren’t you wearing your ring?” he said, sounding hurt.
I guess he’d been too busy fucking me over a desk to notice before.
“I am wearing it – just not where anyone can see it. But right now I am so furious with you: all you’ve done is make it absolutely necessary for me to go to my ex-husband and beg him not to tell anyone about us. Have you any idea how that makes me feel, Sebastian? Do you? Because he’s the last person I’d want to ask a favor from.”
“I’ll handle him,” said Sebastian, arrogantly. “I’ll…”
“You’ll do nothing,” I hissed. “Absolutely nothing, do you hear me? Now leave me alone: you’ve already attracted enough attention tonight.”
I walked away, leaving him standing, his expression wounded, angry and defiant.
I forced myself to smile politely as I moved through the crowd, but inside I was fuming: Sebastian wasn’t particularly risking his own career, but he was damn well risking mine – again. Who the hell did he think he was?
I made myself concentrate: I was here to meet the unit commander that I’d be embedded with, a Captain Ryan Grant. In all likelihood he’d resent having a journalist assigned to him; as far as he’d be concerned, having some hack looking over his shoulder when he was trying to do his job, was nothing more than an irritating, additional worry. I just hoped he’d behave with polite tolerance rather than make my position more difficult. At least I knew that someone senior to him had made the decision to give me access, which meant I shouldn’t have a problem with open hostility. I hoped.
I’d been informed that I’d be seated next to him at dinner: I could wait until then for introductions.
First, thanks to Sebastian’s ridiculous territorial display, I had to go and grovel to David. I hated the fact that he’d handed David the power to ruin my career with a few, quiet words in the right ear.
My former husband was standing talking to an Army Major when I walked up.
“Hello, again,” I said, blandly.
He blinked, looking surprised, then politely introduced me. I was taken aback when he used my professional name: that was decent of him.
We chatted casually for a few minutes, before the Major was claimed by a colleague and moved away.
“David,” I said, taking a deep breath, “I won’t insult your intelligence: I’m here to ask you not to reveal what you know about me and Chief Hunter.”