I drove Eversman home to his apartment building. Which was brick, tall, and full of single Ranger men.

I put the car in park and looked over at him, "Aight, you have a problem."

He just looked over at me.

So I continued, "T'night Sanderson and I have some shootin to do. Well leave round eight, it usually takes us bout three hours ta qualify. Now I ain't gonna help you past this, aight? Sanderson is my best friend. So it'd do ya good to get on his wife's good side. Bring her food."

Eversman stared, "You want me to bribe his wife?"

"It ain't briben. Hell everyone brings her food. Now get outta my car fore someone gets ideas."

Eversman sighed and unhooked his belt, he waved and closed the door with a slight slam.

Later that night……

I felt like shit for helping Eversman out. Even though Sanderson was being a pain in the ass, vaguely resembling a man I was forced to cohabit with. But I put up with him so I would get nookie.

But Eversman had put Sanderson in a particularly fowl ass mood.

Not only had he ignored every single traffic law on the trip to the range, I put a seat belt on. Something Diana had been on my ass to do more often. She would have been proud.

Sanderson put the car in a parking spot at about thirty miles an hour, my damn heart almost exploded. I reached over and grabbed his shirt. "Give me the damn keys fore I shoot your ass."

Sanderson pretty much threw the car keys at me.

"Look man, you can't control who yo sister falls in love with….maybe Eversman is what she needs. Ya know, a…..fling. You seen the way he looks at'er, like she's a goddess," I offered.

Sanderson quietly told me, "They eloped."

"Huh?"

"A week ago…..they eloped," he repeated.

Oh boy, well, that was a shocker.

But Sanderson wasn't finished, he squeezed the wheel tightly and continued, "They met a few days before the divorce was finalized, you know she was actually thinking of reconciling?"

I shook my head, but could believe it. She'd gotten married young, hadn't finished high school so she could stay at home with the baby. Which was partly why Sanderson was so protective of his baby sister.

"I thought she was finished with she caught that STD from him," I asked.

"Yeah well, he apparently had been talking things over with her. Going to therapy and shit." Sanderson growled.

Therapy, what a joke. It was like my Momma always said, 'Once a cheater, always a cheater. A leopard don't change his spots.'

Very carefully I asked, "Maybe it's good she met Eversman."

Sanderson finally looked over at me, "She's hardly twenty five, a mother, just divorced a few weeks. The last thing she needs is to get married again."

"Or reconcile with the baby's daddy."

Sanderson narrowed his eyes at me.

"Look man, everything happens for'a reason, aight. Now, they're in love and all that good shit, you wanna push'er away by beatin him with'a bat, fine. Just don get all pissy with me, aight? They're married. Married. Whiln't you start encouragen her ta gett'er GED? Find out what Eversman intentions are, in a public area preferably."

Sanderson didn't say a word.

I pointed my finger at him and grabbed my bag from the floor, "You're startin to really gett'on my nerves. I don't I need another McKnight in my life."

He thought it over, I could see the wheels turning in that head of his. So I climbed outta the car and went to shut the door, with the keys in hand. When Sanderson moaned, "Why do we have to qualify again? We qualified last month."

With a grin I leaned down into the car, "Cause we got a new base commander darlin who obviously can't read the files from last month."

Sanderson made a face and fell back against the seat.

"See ya inside sweetpea," I told him.

The locker room….

I made my way through all the Delta's in our section of the locker room. Almost eighty men, minus Sanderson. I walked past two fully dressed guys ready to go qualify.

Some were in towels.

Some still had street clothes on.

While a couple were naked as a bear in the woods.

I noticed a few tattoos I hadn't noticed before, but didn't do a double take. I made my way to my locker and dropped my bag on the bench, carefully. Not wanting it to go off.

"Hey Hoot, you got some extra hollow tipped rounds?"

I didn't look up to see who asked, instead I nodded, "In my bag", concentrating on my locker, what the hell was my locker combination? Whoever it was opened my bag and dug through.

My clothes were in the damn locker.

So I asked, "You know what my combination is?"

He shrugged, "How the fuck should I know, ask Sanderson."

I groaned and fell against my locker, then shouted, "Mark!"

Across the locker room he answered me, "WHAT!"

"I Can't Get In My Locker!"

"Hold On Hoot! I'm Coming!"

Oh that sounded wonderful in a locker room. I fell down on the bench, watching my bag get dug through, once he found my box of rounds he stole a handful then patted my back. "Thanks man."

I grunted in response.

I heard Mark yell, "Yo Jeff, bring these to Hoot."

Fowler walked behind me, I knew because he always wore the fucking aftershave that smelled like church. So when I heard, "Bout the most action you're gonna get is in here after the wedding," I knew who to beat.

But I didn't get up, I wouldn't beat him over that, besides Diana got annoyed when I went to the E.R. twice in one night. Instead I told him, "Nah, my woman wasn't too fond of the locker room."

My comment drew a couple looks.

Randy opened his locker from behind me, "Maybe she just didn't have the right shower buddy?"

Now no one was hiding their interest. I was gonna have to kick his ass. But I wasn't about to talk shit about his woman, I felt sorry for her, she had to sleep with Fowler after all. So I commented offhandedly, "Least I have a shower buddy. Must get lonely in the showers by yo'self."

Randy shoved me, almost shoved my ass off the damn bench. Naturally I got up and spun around, I saw his first fist and blocked that, then kicked him in the stomach and sent him back into the lockers.

I hopped over the bench, just as he moved, catching his breath.

Fowler then came at me, his first fist caught me in the jaw, I ducked to avoid the other, and then shoved his half naked ass away from me. I punched him right in the face! Hurt my hand in the process.

Sanderson walked by us on the other side of the bench, "Come on Fowler, cut it out. I'm not driving you to the hospital."

While Fowler and I baited each other and then fought. It was just a game between us that commonly sent one of us to the infirmary or hospital. Fowler just rubbed me the wrong damn way.

Fowler flipped Sanderson off, had it been any other day, Sanderson would have let it go. But he was in the mood to fight. I watched as Sanderson dove over the bench at Fowler like a damn gazelle!

He hit Fowler once with his fist, and then began to bang his head into the locker. Numerous times.