Then he looked away first.
Emma noticed.
“That was better.”
Jake frowned.
“What?”
“You let him keep his face.”
The words hit him.
He looked back at Daniels.
“I didn’t realize I was doing that.”
“I believe you.”
Jake seemed surprised by the answer.
“You do?”
Emma nodded.
“People can get used to power without noticing what everyone around them starts doing.”
Jake absorbed that.
“That doesn’t excuse it.”
“No.”
He looked toward Briggs.
“Did he know that too?”
Emma followed his gaze.
“Probably.”
Jake sighed.
“And he just stood there.”
“He was watching.”
“Apparently that’s his favorite hobby.”
Briggs called from across the gym.
“I can still hear you, Turner.”
Several soldiers laughed.
Jake raised both hands.
“See?”
Briggs shook his head.
Emma laughed softly.
The sound seemed to surprise Jake more than anything that happened on the mat.
He looked at her.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“That was definitely something.”
Emma picked up her water bottle.
“You’re still talking too much.”
Jake stared at her.
Daniels made no effort to hide his laughter this time.
Jake turned.
“Daniels.”
The specialist froze.
Jake let the pause stretch.
Then he smiled.
“Carry on.”
The tension broke.
The entire corner of the gym relaxed.
Emma watched Jake recognize the difference.
Respect had not disappeared.
The soldiers still followed his rank.
They simply no longer seemed afraid of choosing the wrong expression.
Jake looked back at Emma.
“That fast?”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“Nothing important changes that fast.”
His smile faded.
“Right.”
“You embarrassed people before today.”
Jake looked down.
“Yes.”
“They’ll remember.”
“I know.”
“You’ll have to give them something else to remember.”
He nodded.
“That sounds harder than a round on the mat.”
“It usually is.”
Jake looked toward the painted boundary.
“Would you train with me again?”
Emma considered the question.
He added quickly.
“Without the circus.”
She glanced around.
The soldiers were still close enough to hear.
Jake noticed.
“Okay, terrible timing.”
Emma smiled.
“Maybe.”
Jake waited.
“That isn’t a no.”
“No.”
He looked relieved.
Emma raised one finger.
“But next time, you listen before you start performing.”
“Deal.”
“And nobody gets turned into a demonstration for the room.”
Jake nodded.
“Deal.”
Emma held out her hand.
Jake looked at it.
For a fraction of a second, the entire afternoon seemed to narrow to that simple gesture.
He took her hand.
No gloves.
No crowd management.
No threat.
Just a handshake between two soldiers standing beside a training mat.
Jake released it.
“Carter.”
“Yes?”
“I still want to know what’s in that folder.”
Emma looked toward Briggs.
The instructor was pretending not to listen.
Emma looked back at Jake.
“No.”
Jake sighed.
“Worth asking.”
“You already know enough.”
He nodded slowly.
“More than I knew this morning.”
“That’s usually the point of training.”
Jake gave her a sideways look.
“Now you’re definitely teaching.”
Emma picked up her tape.
“No.”
She started walking toward the trash bin.
Jake called after her.
“What would you call it?”
Emma stopped.
She looked back.
“Paying attention.”
Then she dropped the used tape into the bin.
Jake remained beside the mat.
Around him, Fort Liberty’s combat gym continued moving.
Soldiers trained.
Daniels laughed.
Briggs watched.
Nobody waited for Jake’s permission to breathe.
Jake looked down at his left foot.
His heel was lifting again.
He lowered it carefully.
Across the room, Emma noticed.
She said nothing.
Briggs noticed too.
He also remained silent.
Jake looked toward them.
For once, he did not need either of them to confirm that he had corrected himself.
He simply settled his weight, squared his stance, and returned to the mat.