Tension

As Vaas feels his head throb and his body ache, he wonders if he underestimated his meek partner. He can't say he didn't deserve it; his mouth, before he gotten wiser and met Hoyt, would've always landed him in sticky situations. He backed a lioness into a corner and got shocked when she attacked and left behind scars.

Or, in his case, a bruised up face and body that almost tore the flesh desperately trying to heal.

Anika took over after Dominique's meltdown, keeping the questions short and sweet while remaining cold towards Vaas. Not that he cared; she wasn't as ruthless as Carmen, entertaining as Dominique, or even charismatic as Mike…

Mike, Mike, Mike. Dead by Colonial Fuck. What a pathetic way to die. Even Vaas would've let him die with some dignity.

Anika is talking now, her big words and boring rhetoric sounding like a Charlie Brown cartoon. Wah-wah-wah-wah-you should've talked to us-wah-wah-Dominique's feelings-wah-wah…

All white noise and static to Vaas' ears.

He stopped listening after Dominique's feelings; he's still sore about her playing Rocky with his face, torso, and legs. As far as he's concerned, her feelings are irrelevant unless she's on her hands and knees begging for forgiveness…

Hands and knees…

Fuck.

Now isn't the time to have thoughts that travel south.

"Vaas." Anika's voice snaps Vaas out of his thoughts. She's staring at him hard, hands on her hips.

"You hear a word I just said?" she asks clipped and cool, hand clutching his jawbone. Who knew her nails were this sharp…

"I heard you loud and clear."

"What did I just say?"

Why do women do this?

"I'm saying," she continues, "that we now have the threat in our possession. We need to snuff him out and go after Foster, Gaston, and—"

"That won't be a bright idea, considering their connections to all the well-known drug cartels in the game. Taking them out would be taking money out of their pockets. They'll be on this island faster than you can blink and all this shit is going down." Kingston interjects. He's getting tired of that Colonial Fuck...

"Those three have been cut off from their prospective cartels and have bounties on their head. If they vanish on this island, no one would notice or even care. As for you, some of them will come running for you, but this is an uncharted island. Anyone smart enough will know that going to an island without government restriction and civilization is not worth the battle to recover your lily-white ass." Anika is on him again, gun jammed in Kingston's face.

"So if I were you, I'd answer some of our questions and negotiate some deals, and we'll all walk away happy."

Vaas had to give it to her, Anika is one tough bitch. Getting a boat, some cash, freedom, the whereabouts of Mike, and the right communications all under an hour out of a tight-ass drug lord takes some skill.

"Leave us. I wish to talk to Vaas, alone. Keep Kingston squared away and be on the lookout for Dominique. She's…gone AWOL."

Military talk; he hasn't heard AWOL since that old black and white film Hoyt made him watch all those years ago. The warrior women grab Kingston and drag him away, leaving the two commanders alone.

It's a pissing contest, both seeing who would be the first one to talk. The silence is so thick one could cut it with a knife; Vaas can't stand silence.

"You owe Dominique an apology."

"An apology?" Vaas barks, a bitter chuckle escaping his voice, "you want me to apologize to a bitch that went a few rounds with my face? It wasn't even a fair fight."

"Please. Those are love taps compared to the battle scars you have. And to top it off, you played with her emotions. You don't do that to her. You don't do that to anyone. That's how you get people killed."

"I kill people for fun. You think I give a fuck?"

"You say that now, but I know it's just an act. Underneath that hard exterior, you're just as weak as the rest of us. In case you haven't noticed, Dominique saved our asses. If it wasn't for her quick thinking and turning against you, we would've easily been captured and our plans would've crumbled."

"You want a fucking medal, Dr. Phil? You want me to kiss her ass because her feelings got hurt?"

"I didn't say that. I'm saying that you were in the wrong for playing with someone's emotions, especially in a time like this. It creates a hostile environment—"

"I didn't plan it."

"What?"

"The fucking kiss. I wasn't…I wasn't thinking about it. She was on top of me, and it just fucking happened."

"You kissed her…?"

"Do you want it in writing? Yes, I fucking kissed her."

A pregnant pause.

Anika stares at him very hard, her arms crossed and her lips in a twist. After what felt like ages she says, "I'm going to recover Mike. You and Dominique should…talk." She nods her head and exits the cell.

Hours had passed before the crack of sunlight breaks out from the door's opening. In walks Dominique with a bucket, a sponge, and a first aid kit. She sits down on the stool across from him, her eyes sharp with a muted fire as she grabs the sponge and soaks up the water.

"Thought you went AWOL." Vaas began.

"They found me in the jungle. Didn't take long for them to drag me back to this shithole."

Her voice is scraped raw; she'd been crying.

"Hold still. I need to clean your face and dress your wounds. Your bandages need changing and the injuries on your body need to be disinfected. My nails dug into your skin a little too deeply."

"I fucking forgot about your sharp ass nails. But you made me remember, didn't you?"

She looks away in shame, the sponge massaging his cheek. It feels good; he restrains himself from leaning into the touch.

"I was wrong." She says, "I had no right losing control and putting my hands on you. My mama taught me better than that." She bites her lip.

"It felt good, I ain't ashamed to admit it. It felt good being the one in power. It felt so fucking good, until I thought about it after. I'm no different than you, and that's a punishment I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy."

"You had a power trip. You liked it, yeah? Tying me up, having people at your mercy, doing whatever the fuck you want with them and no one stopping you? Don't tell me it didn't turn you on when you pistol-whipped that Colonial Fuck." His eyes are on hers, and he learns the truth.

She definitely liked it.

"I'm not sick like you. I don't get off on people's misery."

"But you do. It felt good hitting me when I'm all tied up and can't defend myself…"

"That's because you're a fucking monster! A monster who cares about nobody but himself! You held us at gunpoint, murdered innocent people, kidnapped us and forced us into this predicament. I'm away from my family, people who love me, all because of you!"

"Don't give me that bullshit! Your actions are what brought you here, hermana. If you have anyone to blame, it's yourself."

"We were on a boat, far away from your island, trying to go to Thailand. Then, all of a sudden, your fucking brutes spotted us and attacked. We were dragged to this island, kicking and screaming. We wouldn't want to come to this piece of shit no-way no-how."

"It doesn't matter now. You got what you wanted. You can get the fuck off my island. After this, I want nothing to do with you."

"Same. You're the scum of the Earth. You're a crook, a junkie, and a psychopath. You will not be missed when you die."

"The only reason you're talking shit is because I'm tied up. Believe me, hermana, I could rip out your jugular with my teeth, snap your neck with only one arm and dislocate your hip with the stomp of my boot. I don't need my whole body to kill you."

"What's stopping you from taking action? You want to kill me so bad, why didn't you all those times you had the chance?"

"Because I like you. You're so much fun to fuck with."

"Fuck you."

"We all know you want to."

That earned him a slap in the face.

He licks the blood off his lip and smirks.

"Struck a nerve?" his nose is touching hers, their breaths mingling. Her hand is clutching his cheek so hard her nails are starting to cut into his flesh.

"You," she grits out, "make me sick."

"I make you horny. There's a difference. And let me be clear, hermana," his lips ghost over his ear,

"The feeling's mutual."