Snake tried to pull them back, his internal alarm bells finally screaming. “No violence. We’re just telling you that you’re out of your league.” Victoria looked at the circle of five large men surrounding her. To anyone else, it looked like a pack of wolves cornering a rabbit. Miller and his friends were pale with fear. “Out of my league,” she nodded. “By the way, do any of you actually have combat experience?”
Tank laughed. “Are you kidding? I was a state champion wrestler three years running. I grew up on the mat.” “Wrestling,” Victoria noted. “Impressive. And the rest of you?”
Diesel puffed out his chest. “MMA. Three years in the cage. I know how to put people down.” Spider cracked his neck. “Street fighting since I was a kid. Never lost a brawl.” Rock didn’t say anything, but he showed his scarred knuckles. Snake smirked. “I use my head, but I hit hard when I have to.” Victoria looked impressed. “Wow. That’s a lot of ‘tough guy’ credentials.”
“But here’s the catch.” “What now?” Tank barked. “You’re in a training center for rookies. You have zero combat deployments. You’ve never been under fire. You’ve never looked death in the eye. So what gives you the right to decide who’s ‘worthy’ of the uniform?” The question hit home. The bullies stammered, unable to find a comeback. Snake’s eyes searched Victoria’s face, finally seeing the predator beneath the skin. “Who are you?” he whispered.
Bennett gave him a chilling smile. “Just a passerby. Curious about the Navy’s standards.” “I’m done with the riddles,” Diesel growled, losing his cool. “You asked for it. Now you’re gonna get it.”
