Page 18 of Brutal Reign
“Maybe I’ll hang out for a bit today, then, see you in action,” he suggests, waggling his brows.
“Dad.”
“River.”
I huff out a breath, folding my arms across my chest. “Do you have any idea how much shit I’d catch if my dad was hanging around during training?” I deadpan, arching a dubious brow. “I’m an adult now, it’s time to cut the cord. You need to give me space to breathe and live my life.”
My dad stares me down for a full minute, his jaw clenched tight and his expression unwavering. “Fine,” he grits out, heaving a sigh as he finally relents. “If anyone gives you trouble, though, I want you to call me.”
I roll my eyes again, shaking my head. “I appreciate your concern, old man, but I’ve got this.”
“Hey, who you callin’ old?” he grumbles.
I snort a laugh, stepping in to offer him another hug. He squeezes me a little tighter this time, seemingly not wanting to let go.
“I’ve gotta get in there,” I mutter as I squirm out of his grasp, stepping back and throwing a thumb over my shoulder as soon as I’m free. “They make us run laps if we’re late for training, and I wanna get a shower in before we start.”
He jerks a nod. “Be sure to call and check in, your mom gets worried.”
“Sure, it’sMomthat’s worried,” I tease, winking as I spin away to head for the gate. “Thanks for bringing my bike!” I call back to him over my shoulder, waving the keys in the air as I jog away.
The practice field is still vacant as I make my way across it, the chirp of the birds cutting through the eerie silence outside the squad complex. I push through the doors of the building and hang a left to enter the recruit barracks, and as soon as I do, I realize just how close I’m cutting it. It’s a flurry of activity inside, my fellow recruits already preparing to head out for the field. According to the big digital clock on the wall, I’ve got less than fifteen minutes to shower and change before I’m subjected to punishment laps.
Over my dead body.
Rushing over to my bunk, I stow away the keys to my bike, grab a change of clothes, and race to the locker room, pushing inside.
I waste no time in dropping my fresh clothes on the bench and stripping out of my sweat-soaked sports bra and shorts, toeing off my sneakers before heading to the closest shower. A dozen showerheads line the wall in the large, tiled space. Mightseem weird to the average human, but nudity is a part of life for shifters. None of us are fazed by showering together in the open space.
Still, it’s kinda nice to have the showers all to myself for once. As soon as the water heats up, I step beneath the stream, loading my palm up with soap from the wall dispenser and working it over my skin. I’d love nothing more than to relax my aching muscles under the hot spray, but I don’t have the luxury of time this morning. I refuse to run laps for being late.
The door to the locker room bangs open and closed a few times as the other recruits come and go, but I don’t pay them any mind. I just focus on getting clean, lathering up my hair and body before rinsing off and turning off the tap, winding my hair into a rope to wring out the water before spinning on a heel and heading to grab a towel.
Ordinarily, there are stacks of fluffy white towels waiting on the shelf beside the showers, but today, that shelf is conspicuously empty. For a second, I wonder if they all got used, but then I glance toward the bench and find that my clothes are gone, too.
Fucking seriously?
I don’t know who the hell is trying to play a prank on me, but I’m decidedly not in the mood. The worst part is, it’s not even agoodprank. We’ve all seen each other naked in the showers. I’m not humiliated, I’m fucking annoyed.
My bare feet slap against the tile as I stomp toward the locker room door, throwing it open and marching out into the barracks. Everyone inside snaps their heads my way when the door bangs against the wall, eyes going wide when they see me strutting down the row of bunks in all my naked glory, leaving a trail of water dripping in my wake.
It isn’t hard to pin down who the culprits are. Chandler and her friends titter to one another as I stride past them, pointingand snickering like fucking children. Rather than giving them the time of day, I just hold my head high, making my way down the long aisle of bunks toward my own while the other recruits gawk and look on.
“Nice tits, Jacobsen,” some idiot remarks, and I flip him the bird, calmly continuing my trek to my bunk.
Hayden steps into the aisle, her jaw going slack when she sees me coming. “What happened?” she squeaks as I approach.
I slow to a stop in front of her, folding my arms across my chest. “Chandler and her posse think they’re funny,” I scoff, rolling my eyes. “Seriously, they could’ve come up with something a little more clever, dontcha think?”
The guy who commented on my boobs whistles, still ogling me from the other end of the aisle and spouting off remarks about my body. Kendrick steps over from the neighboring bunk to block his view, politely putting his back to me.
I knew I liked him.
“Here,” Gus says, tossing a towel in my direction. “I already used it, but…”
“Don’t care,” I reply, snatching the damp towel out of the air and working the terrycloth over my skin. It’s better than nothing.
The heat of stares continues to burn into me as I dry off, none quite as potent as the ones I feel emanating from the opposite corner of the barracks. I know who it is before I even lift my gaze to meet them, and as soon as I do, I aim icy glares back at my former best friends.