Zhukov's Dogs by Amanda Cyr Page B

of the bench, turning toward him. “Hey, I’m talking to you! What the hell happened to just leaving the governor a surprise?”
    “That was the plan,” Val said, still refusing to look at me.
    I didn’t care the conversation was making Val uncomfortable. I’d just put my life on the line because of him, so I deserved an explanation. “Yeah? Well, then why’d you go off and try to kill his son?”
    “Tristan… Tristan used to be one of us,” Val admitted. It surprised me he was opening up without a fight. His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, and his fingers drummed on the underside of the bench. “We trusted him. None of us suspected he was spying on us for his dad.”
    “Funny. You don’t strike me as a very trusting person.”
    The drumming of his fingers paused. Val opened his mouth, suggesting he was about to say something, only to reconsider at the last minute and shut it again. It took several seconds to finally get the words out. “That’s his fault.”
    The deliberate avoidance of eye contact, the idle fingers, stiff shoulders, and weighty implication carried in those three words told me one thing. Val was gay. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye, probably expecting some kind of reaction other than the indifference I exhibited.
    A small number of the dogs I worked with were gay, if not openly then presumably. Personally, it didn’t bother me. Amongst the older generation of officers, though, there had always been a certain stigma associated with homosexuality in the military, which kept anyone from really talking about it.
    “Don’t worry,” Val said, waving one hand at me dismissively while the other began tapping on the bench again. “You’re not my type.”
    Despite his efforts at nonchalance, I could tell the conversation was still making him uncomfortable. I smiled a little to try and assure him his sexuality didn’t trouble me. “So, pompous pricks like Tristan are your type?”
    “No. He was just the first and… Yeah, you know how they are.”
    “Yeah. I mean with girls, yes,” I said, not so subtly hinting at my own preference. “My first was kind of a bitch. Second and third were, too.”
    Val rubbed his hands together with a small, humming noise of thought. There was that silence between us again, only now, it was the kind which left me wondering what I’d said wrong. I heard the train coming down the tracks and started to gather my things when Val said, “Don’t forget your purse.”
    “It’s… Oh forget it.” I was too cold and tired to argue. All I wanted was to shower the stench of the canal off and fall into the crappy bed waiting for me back at base. I threw the bag over my shoulder and folded my coat under my arm. As we approached the platform, I noticed Val’s fingers drumming behind his back.
    “What?” I asked.
    Val’s brow scrunched. “Huh?”
    “You do that.” I gestured to his tapping fingers and then mimicked them with my own. “This. You always do this when you’re thinking about something. What’s on your mind?”
    From the slight scowl on Val’s face, it was clear he didn’t appreciate the way I analyzed him. I had a ticked off quite a few people by pointing out their nervous habits. Aiden had punched me for it once or twice. Fortunately, Val just sighed. “I’m sorry for dragging you into that back there.”
    The way he said it made me feel like I’d be the big bad guy of the night if I didn’t forgive him right there. He seemed to have enough problems without adding my scorn to the list. “It’s fine. Just try to fill me in on the entire plan next time,” I said.
    “I will, I will.” Val laughed tiredly as the monorail pulled into the station. The doors slid open, and he emptied a pocketful of change into the toll box so we could board. The worn, plastic chairs might not have seemed welcoming when I rode this train earlier, but this time, they looked as nice as a luxury recliner upholstered in warm corduroy. I collapsed