A Soft Touch

Chapter Seven

Sloane sat in the basement of his father's house with a glass of brandy held loosely between his fingers. He lifted the glass and swallowed the harsh liquid, leaving a burning sensation in his throat. He placed the glass back down on the wooden makeshift table.

As soon as he woke up that morning, he dug out his old chess board and brought it to the basement. He'd crafted a small table out of an old wooden tote and a piece of ply board placed on top to create a hard surface. Two old dinner chairs that he found in the dark corners of the basement served their purpose and instantly he had a place to just enjoy a game of chess.

The old half empty bottle of brandy had been hidden in the back of his closet, obviously untouched for years. Sloane had spotted it while putting his things away. He had immediately taken it upon himself to sample some of it while enjoying his chess.

Playing chess was one of the few things he had loved doing when they were set up at camp. Rather than writing letters as the rest of the marines did, he played chess. For the most part he didn't have anyone to write to anyways. He often played by himself rather than with an opponent which was just as rewarding.

He focused on the chess game set out in front of him. He was able to map out what the next moves would bring inside his head. He made his move and then turned the game board around, making the opposite side face him so he could play a continuous game.

"Bit early for the brandy there Sloane," Liam said from his spot, perched on the staircase to the basement. The unexpected voice should have startled Sloane but instead he looked as if he had known he was there the whole time.

Sloane always had this was of being able to know when something was amiss. It was like a six sense that always guided him right. Liam couldn't remember the last time his little sense had been wrong about something.

"It's never too early for brandy, Liam," He announced with a satisfied grin, the brandy just starting its effects. "Care to join?" He asked nodding his head to the empty chair opposite him.

Gratefully, Liam took him up on the unsaid offer. He sat down on the wooden chair and stared at the chess board plotting his next move. Sloane was one of the hardest people to beat in chess. He was the best and had no trouble beating any of his fellow marines- including their superiors. Although they often laughed it off it was clear they didn't like losing to him.

"It's only eleven. Not even noon," Liam notified him smugly, lifting a piece and moving it forwards.

"Are you a lightweight Private?" He asked him, lifting an eyebrow in amusement. He moved his own piece forwards and captured one of Liam's pieces causing him to swear softly.

"Of course not," he denied wishing desperately they would drop the subject. He wasn't the best at holding his liquor, but he could hold his own with even the best of drinkers. They didn't survive the deserts on water alone.

"Well then I'm sure you wouldn't mind a shot... or two," Sloane told him with a small smirk.

He picked up the bottle of the amber alcohol and looked around for something to pour it into. He came into luck when he spotted an old tumbler sitting on his dad's work bench. He blew into the cup to get the dust out of it and poured a shot's worth of the brandy into it. He slid the tumbler across the table to Liam.

"Thanks," Liam said dryly. He picked up the glass and tossed back the foul liquid. His face pinched at the taste, but he didn't complain.

"You're welcome," Sloane said turning his eye back to their ongoing game. "So, what do you want?" He asked never taking his eyes off the game board. Liam cursed inside his head at Sloane's rather annoying intuition.