Major Beck returned from finding Goetz hanging from a tree at the New Bern town line with a number of troops and entered the Sherriff's office. The anger that was coursing through him evident in the way he carried himself. He would not, could not be blatantly ignored.
The site of Heather in Jake's arms however caused him pause. There was something about this woman that had caught his attention from the first moment he saw her. Coincidently, she had been in his arms then as well. He knew why. He just couldn't bring himself to admit it. He saw his wife in her.
Her hair was almost the same color and they shared a lot of the same qualities. Intelligence, beauty, the willingness to stand up and do what's right. But especially they way she always seemed to put everyone else before herself. Claire had done that for him. Through every hazardous deployment, every transfer, every bump in the road. Now he could not be there for her. He just prayed that some Army Major was doing the same for her.
He eased his tone toward Jake, in an effort to still be able to keep Heather's respect.
"We have a problem, Jake."
The glare the Major sent Jake's way was enough to let him know that the slack that he had been given was all used up.
Heather knew that if she were going to survive Constantino's bounty she may very well need both of these men to do so.
"Major, do you have a moment? I need to speak to you, it's urgent. Please?….Major, I…."
"In my office." Beck's reply was short and to the point. Heather hesitated for a moment and was caught off guard by the tone of the Major's voice when he commanded "Now!"
Heather nodded and headed towards his secure office. Beck then turned his attention to Jake. "You sit in that chair and don't you move." He then turned to his Lieutenant, "If he moves, shoot him."
Jake held Beck's glare all the way to his seat. He could not afford to back down now either. He would not let Stanley pay for a revenge that was rightfully his.
As Beck closed his office door behind him, Heather looked through the shades at Jake sitting, surrounded by guards with automatic weapons trained on him. Beck then made his way over to the window and closed the shade. Whatever she had up her sleeve had better be good. For both their sakes.