Chapter 36

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t he sun was dipping below the horizon, casting long shadows over the dusty streets that screamed trouble was about to show its ugly face. I kept my group close, eyes scanning every darkening corner, every flicker of movement. It was about to get dark, and that was when things usually went to shit.

We were headed back to the vehicles when I saw a car rolling in from the same direction.

I raised a fist, signaling my team to halt. “Heads up,” I muttered into my comms, eyes glued to the car on heading straight for where we had our vehicles parked. “We’ve got company.”

As it got closer, I barked orders, coordinating my team to spread out, weapons ready. We circled that vehicle like wolves on a kill. It rolled to a stop, door creaking open, and we moved in fast. Before the idiot behind the wheel could blink, we had him surrounded.

“Hands where I can see them!” I shouted, stepping closer, my finger itching on the trigger.

The driver slowly raised his hands, and then I saw the face.

Pyro.

“Rogue, you paranoid prick, it’s me,” he panted, holding his hands up like I was gonna blow him away.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm the fuck down. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I asked, lowering my weapon but not sheathing it. “You’re lucky we didn’t paint the asphalt with your brains!”

The reckless son of a bitch, had the balls to smirk, dropping his hands. “I came in a rush,” he replied, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at the car.

I lowered my weapon, but not my guard. “And you couldn’t fucking radio in? We almost shot your ass.”

“Didn’t have time,” he said, nodding toward the trunk. “Figured you’d appreciate the fuel more.”

My team relaxed slightly, but the tension wasn’t completely gone.

“Alright, let’s—" I started, but then I heard another door slam.

I swiveled my head, the muscles in my neck protesting like I’d slept on a bed of railroad spikes, and almost had a fucking stroke.

“What the hell is she doing here?!” I barked at Pyro, who looked like he’d just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

The idiot opened his mouth to answer, but Red cut him off with a look that could freeze lava.

“I can speak for myself,” she said calmly, stepping further into what we had claimed as our territory.

Her confidence was infuriating; it was as if she hadn’t just walked into a potential deathtrap without so much as a by-your-leave or backup plan.

“I heard Pyro talking with Viper about the problems you were having, so I came to offer medical assistance to the people in the village.”

“You what?!” I snapped, barely believing my ears. “I told you to stay at the base.”

Red crossed her arms, glaring at me like I was the idiot. “And I told you, I go where I’m needed. These people need help, Rogue.”

I stared at her, my mind racing with a thousand curses and a dozen different ways this could go sideways. “You’re risking your life, and for what? To prove a point?!”

We’d moved off to the side, but the team could still hear. She stood there, not even fazed by my rage—if anything, she was feeding off it and I couldn’t tell which one made me more furious.

“I’m here to help,” she repeated, stepping closer, almost toe-to-toe with me. “If you can’t see that, then maybe you’re the one who shouldn’t be in charge.”

That hit a nerve.

I moved closer, my shadow falling over her. I was close enough to see the flecks of gold in her green eyes, to feel the heat of her breath. My hand, trembling with how hard I was keeping my temper in check, grabbed her chin, guiding her gaze to meet mine.

“You being here is a distraction. It’s a liability. And I don’t have time to babysit you.”

She recoiled as if I had physically struck her, but her expression hardened almost immediately. “Then stop thinking of me as a distraction!”

Her skin was soft under my rough fingers, and I felt a pulse of something beyond anger.

“You’re gonna get yourself killed, Red. You’re not a soldier.”

“And you’re not my keeper,” she hissed, her finger jabbing the air between us for emphasis. “Why can’t you understand that?”

As my thumb brushed her bottom lip, she let out a soft gasp, her lips parting, and suddenly everything went to hell. Fuck , her being this close was scrambling my head.

“Because every second I spend worrying about you is a second I’m not focused on the mission,” I scoffed, releasing her chin but not stepping back. “I can’t do my job if I’m constantly looking over my shoulder, wondering if you’re about to get your pretty little head shot off.”

She reached up, rubbing her chin where my fingers had been. “I’m not some damsel in distress, Rogue,” she insisted, her voice rising like she was about to start throwing punches. “I can take care of myself.”

She was doing a real number on my head. It made me sick to my stomach how much control she had over me without even trying. She didn’t have to lift a finger; just being within a ten-foot radius is enough for her to start fucking with my mind again. She was the sweetest poison, and I was the fool coming back for more, knowing full well it was gonna kill me.

And the worst part was that I craved the chaos she brought.

“You’re gonna be the death of me. You know that?” I heard myself say, the words wrenched from some deep, fearful part of me.

She crossed her arms, staring me down. “I’m trying to save lives. Including yours, if you’d let me. So maybe if you pulled your head out of your ass for once, you’d see that.”

We were practically nose to nose, the world around us fading into a blur of background noise. It was just us, and the electric charge that always buzzed when we were at each other’s throats.

Her green eyes were wide, alert, and damn if they didn’t make my heart do a stupid little flip.

“You wanna help?” I asked, the question almost catching in my throat. “Fine. But you stay where I can see you. You don’t move without my say-so. Got it?”

She didn’t back down. Not that I expected her to. Her eyes locked onto mine with that stubborn fire I got accustomed to. “I won’t do anything reckless. Just… don’t treat me like a liability,” she shot back, her words biting.

I wanted to throw an apology in there somewhere, but I bit it back. Not worth the breath. She was gonna do whatever the hell she wanted anyway, but I needed to hear her say it.

Despite her obvious irritation, she stuck close, just as I’d asked. The familiar scent of her shampoo—how did she always manage to smell so damn good out here?—was throwing me off. Focus, dumbass.

Pyro sidled up, grinning like the jackass he was. “So,” he drawled, “you two solve your little conjugal fight?”

I shot him a withering glare. “Very funny, asshole,” I muttered, not in the mood for his usual bullshit. Before I could tell him to knock it off, Red’s voice cut through the air.

“Does anyone else smell gas?”

Her words stopped me cold. The team shifted uneasily, eyes flicking toward the ground, the fuel, each other.

“Everybody freeze,” I barked, heart pounding, eyes darting around for any sign of a leak. “Nobody moves a goddamn muscle.”

Red, of course, had something to say.

“We need to clear the area. If there’s a spark—"

“I said don’t fucking move!” I cut her off, my voice sharp enough to slice.

She was right, but we didn’t know where the leak was, and one wrong step could turn this place into a fireball.

“One step in the wrong direction, and this whole thing goes up.”

Then it did.

From the corner of my eye, I caught a glint in the sky, something small but fast. And my gut clenched in that split second as I realized what it was—a makeshift bomb, flying right at us.

“Shit!” I barely had time to react. “Bomb!” I yelled, my body moving before my brain could fully process what was happening.

I lunged at Red, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her down hard. We hit the dirt just as the explosion ripped through the air.

The blast was deafening, the force of it slamming into me as I shielded her with my body. Everything turned into chaos—dirt and debris flying everywhere, the smell of burning fuel filling the air. My ears rang from the explosion, the heat from the blast searing my skin, but all I could focus on was Red beneath me.

Time slowed down. My body was pressed against hers, her chest heaving under mine. I could feel every inch of her, her breath coming in fast and ragged as she realized how close we’d come to getting blown apart. My head was spinning—partly from the explosion, but mostly from the fact that I was this close to her, in the middle of all this danger. The intensity of it all was fucking with my head.

“Rogue,” she whispered, her voice shaky, barely audible over the chaos still echoing around us.

I lifted myself up just enough to look down at her. My mind, always running a mile a minute, stalled for just a second, completely fixated on the fact that I had her right under me.

Her green eyes were wide, her lips parted as she stared back at me. My breath was heavy, adrenaline tearing through me like a wildfire, but for a split second, all I could think about was how goddamn close we were—her body pressed against mine, the heat between us, the way her hair fanned out on the ground beneath her.

I shook it off, burying the thought deep. Not now. Not fucking now.

“You okay?” I rasped, my voice hoarse, fighting to get the words out over the ringing in my ears.

She nodded, still looking a bit dazed, her hand instinctively grabbing onto my arm. “I’m fine,” she managed, her voice unsteady. “But the others—"

I pulled myself off of her, reluctant as hell, forcing my legs to cooperate even though they were shaking from the blast. Around us, the rest of the team was scrambling to their feet, coughing, and wiping the dust and ash from their faces.

The vehicle Red and Pyro had come in was nothing but a twisted heap of metal, the gas they’d brought with them now a burning memory.

“Come on,” I grunted, extending my hand.

She grasped it firmly, and I hauled her up, perhaps a bit too forcefully. She stumbled into my chest, and for a split second, I felt the softness of her body against mine. Fuck. Definitely not the time, Rogue.

Shoving all that bullshit aside, I scanned the wreckage. The acrid stench of burning fuel and melted rubber made my nose curl as smoke poured off what was left of the vehicle.

“Pyro!” I called out, my voice rough as I tried to get a read on the situation.

“I’m good!” he shouted back from somewhere behind me, but I could barely make out where he was through the smoke and haze.

The heat from the explosion was still thick in the air, making it hard to breathe.

That’s when I saw them—moving out of the village like shadows in the dust. Armed to the teeth, rifles slung over their shoulders, closing in on us. They weren’t moving fast, but they sure as hell weren’t taking their time either. I counted a dozen, maybe more. This wasn’t just some random group of assholes. They knew we were here, and they were coming for blood.

“Shit,” I hissed, my grip on Red’s arm tightening instinctively. “We’ve got company.”

My pulse ramped up, but my body went into autopilot. I turned to the rest of the team. “Incoming!” I yelled, trying to rally the guys.

Pyro and Viper were already in motion, pulling out their weapons, but I knew we were in deep shit. Outnumbered, outgunned, and they had us pinned down like rats.

“Red, stay behind me,” I growled, pulling her close and pushing her toward some cover—an old wall, barely standing, but better than nothing.

She resisted for half a second, her usual stubborn shit, but one look from me shut her up.

The first shot cracked through the air, snapping me out of my daze. I dove to the ground, the bullet whizzing past me, way too fucking close. Everything went from bad to worse in a heartbeat. My team scattered, trying to find any kind of cover they could. But it wasn’t enough—there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

Gunfire erupted from all sides, the sharp pop of AKs lighting up the village like fucking fireworks. I ducked behind a pile of rubble, yanking out my gun and returning fire, but it was like trying to piss out a forest fire.

“They’re fucking everywhere!” Pyro shouted, crouched down behind an old, rusted-out vehicle, firing off a few rounds.

I saw one of those bastards drop, but another two just took his place, moving in fast.

We were being boxed in.

Movement behind me. I turned just in time to see one of them charging at me, and I didn’t think—just reacted. I stood up, swinging my rifle like a bat, smashing it into his face. His nose crunched like stepping on a beer can, blood pouring down his chin. But the fucker didn’t stay down. He came at me again, and I tackled him, driving him into the ground, fists flying.

It was dirty, violent, and it felt damn good. My knuckles cracked against his face, over and over, blood splattering across the dirt. I didn’t stop until he was limp beneath me, his body twitching as I pushed myself off him.

But there wasn’t any time to enjoy it. Another fucker came at me, and this time, he was swinging a knife. I dodged, barely missing the blade, and slammed my fist into his gut. He grunted, but he didn’t go down. I followed up with an elbow to his face, feeling the impact in my bones, and he dropped like a sack of bricks. I kicked the knife out of his reach, but it didn’t matter—there were more coming.

“Fuck!” I shouted, wiping the sweat and dirt from my brow.

The heat, the gunfire, the chaos—it was all blending together, turning into one big blur of noise and violence. My team was still fighting, but we were getting overrun. We were fucked.

Red was crouched behind the wall, wide-eyed, but to her credit, she wasn’t losing her shit. I had to give her that much. She knew how to keep it together when it mattered.

“Stay down!” I barked at her, but I wasn’t sure if she even heard me over the gunfire.

I couldn’t keep an eye on her and fight at the same time, and that made my blood boil even more.

Another one came at me—this guy was bigger, nastier. He had a gun, but he was too close to use it. I ducked under his swing, grabbed his wrist, and twisted it hard until I heard the snap. He howled in pain, dropping his weapon, and I slammed my knee into his gut, then shoved him into the ground. I didn’t have time to finish him off before I was hit from the side, a heavy body slamming into mine and sending me sprawling.

I rolled, fighting for control, feeling the weight of someone on top of me. He had his hands around my throat, squeezing, but I managed to get my arm up, pushing his face away, trying to break his grip. My vision blurred for a second, my lungs burning as I gasped for air.

With a desperate swing, I smashed my fist into his temple, and his grip loosened enough for me to throw him off.

I scrambled up, grabbed my rifle, ready to finish him off, but Viper beat me to it—clean shot, right to the head.

“Thanks,” I grunted, out of breath.

“No problem,” he replied, reloading his gun.

No time to celebrate. Two more took his place, coming at me from both sides. I ducked under a wild haymaker, feeling the whoosh of air as it passed over my head.

Springing up, I drove my elbow into his throat. He went down gagging, but his buddy caught me with a solid shot to the ribs.

Pain exploded through my side. Fuck, that hurt. But pain was good. Pain meant I was still alive.

I retaliated with a vicious headbutt, feeling cartilage crunch as I connected with the bastard’s nose. He stumbled back, hands clasped to his face, blood seeping between his fingers. I followed up with a brutal right cross that sent him sprawling.

But we were losing ground. For every one we put down, two more seemed to take their place. We were being pushed back, corralled like cattle for slaughter.

A bullet whizzed past my ear, so close I felt the heat of its passage.

“Taking fire!” I roared, ducking behind the smoldering wreckage of our vehicle. “Find cover!”

The others scrambled to comply, but our options were limited. We were in the open, exposed, with hostiles on all sides. This wasn’t a fight anymore. It was a goddamn execution.

I popped up, squeezing off a few rounds. Two tangos went down, but it was a drop in the ocean. We were running out of ammo, out of options, out of fucking luck.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pyro wrestling with one of the fuckers, the two of them grappling for control of a rifle. Instinct kicked in—I charged, grabbed the asshole from behind, and threw him to the ground. Pyro didn’t hesitate—he grabbed his knife and jammed it into the guy’s throat, blood spraying everywhere as the body hit the dirt.

“Thanks, man,” Pyro grunted, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Don’t thank me yet,” I muttered, scanning the area.

We were still surrounded, and the numbers were against us.

A sharp cry of pain cut through the air, and my heart fucking stopped. I spun around, eyes locking on Red. One of the assholes had her pinned, his hand around her throat, the other holding a knife to her side. Rage like I’d never felt before exploded inside me.

“Get your hands off her!” I screamed, charging at him with everything I had.

I didn’t even feel the punches as I slammed my fist into his face, again and again. Blood coated my knuckles, but I didn’t stop until he was on the ground, unconscious or dead—I didn’t care which.

I pulled Red to her feet, my chest heaving with the effort. “You okay?” I rasped, my voice rough.

She nodded, her eyes wide with shock. “Yeah,” she croaked, barely holding it together. “Thanks.”

“Stay close to me,” I growled, turning my attention back to the fight.

Things weren’t getting any better—more of them were closing in, and we were running on fumes. We couldn’t hold them off forever.

As I moved to rejoin my team, I spotted something—more movement, coming from the edge of the village. Reinforcements. My stomach twisted, dread pooling in my gut. If they reached us, we were done for.

“Fuck this,” I muttered, looking around for any way out.

But there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. We were trapped, outnumbered, and running on empty.

This was it.