Love Struck Eternal
Chapter 28 - Sniffing out problems.
Sam's POV, A few hours later.
The mall was huge. It took us nearly two hours to fully explore and throughout our small date I got myself a few small snacks to have and the bikini I thought looked pretty good on me. It was a simple two piece that was a solid and bright blue. I could sense Jari was dying to see me in it, but that would have to wait till tonight after dinner with his family. During our ride back, I asked him out of my own curiosity.
"What's your dad like?"
Keeping his eyes on the road he replied.
"Nice. He's really nice. My mom actually smacks him around a little because sometimes he's a little too nice."
"Really?" I laughed back as he nodded and went on to inform me.
"My dad is like me. He's just a little taller like my mom. I'm sure he'll love you."
"I hope." I replied as I checked my phone for a moment to see a text message from Minky asking me when I could speak with him. I quickly texted him back that I could talk to him tonight after I was back at my hotel and he gave me the okay. During my time texting, Jari got us back to his house. Once parked he asked me.
"You gonna swim before or after dinner?"
Thinking it over, I replied while opening my door.
"Probably after. It'll give my stomach time to relax after eating and I want to see that full moon Lola was talking about. Plus night swimming is awesome. Don't you think?"
Jari seemed content to agree. In a matter of about a minute I found myself back inside his crazy house. This time my attention was taken by his father who stood alongside his wife nearest the stairs. He again looked just like him. Just that foot taller that he mentioned. Almost instantly once he saw me I could tell he was soft and nothing short of a sweet man. Even harmless. His smile beamed at me from the stairs as Janice announced.
"Speak of the devil!"
The energy she had for some reason made me smile again as she looked at her husband to shout.
"Introduce yourself!"
Jari's father seemed embarrassed at first, but came right up to me to offer his hand. The second I touched him I felt that soft side kick in. His grip alone was light to the touch. Wearing a very slim orange polo and a dark pair of black jeans he looked me in my eyes to nearly whisper.
"Mario. Jari's father."
"Sam." I replied as he asked me in the same whisper.
"Is it true that you're in the army?"
"Yes sir." I replied as I remembered my shoes again. Jari's mother widened her eyes as I took them off and informed me..
"You don't have to do that hun."
"I'm sorry ma'am. It's how I was raised. I wanna be respectful."
She seemed taken by my claim as her husband asked.
"Do you live around here?"
Shaking my head I replied.
"Technically, but not really. I'm staying in a hotel uptown till I ship out later this coming week."
"Where are your parents?" Janice asked as I struggled to give an answer. Thankfully Jari noticed that and urged his parents.
"Can we go to the kitchen? I'm starving."
Breaking the conversation up his mother replied.
"Good idea. I'm sorry hun."
"It's fine." I replied back as I refocused.
On the way up the stairs I got left a few steps back with Mario. Slowly on the walk up the stairs he asked me.
"How'd you meet my son?"
Chuckling, I replied.
"On accident believe it or not. We frequent the same bookstore and one day when I was rushing out of there I ran him over at the front door."
"Really? Hehehe." His laugh was genuine and that made me happy to know as I decided to ask him a question of my own.
"This house is amazing sir. If you don't mind me asking, was this your wife's design? She's an architect right?"
Janice must have heard me because from the top of the stairs she replied.
"You're absolutely correct. This house is my dream home. A vision I had ever since I was a child. It took a lot of work and convincing, but I think it turned out great."
"A lot of money too. Don't let her talk that one down." Mario whispered into my side as we reached the top of the stairs to find Jari and Lola both by the table getting plates down for everyone.
"Where do you want to sit Sam?" Jari asked me as I examined the table for a moment before noticing his brother Jake sitting in a highchair at the head of the table.
He was so cute. Barely a foot tall and playing with some blocks someone must have given him. Catching my eyes on the boy Janice shouted.
"Oh! I'm so sorry! This is Jake! Jari and Lola's brother! He's just the cutest little kit! Aren't you baby!?"
At this point she was right next to him and more or less playing with him. Jake was still at the age he hadn't really learned words yet, because of that his response to his mother's energy and words were nothing more than laughter. My heart went warm as I looked back at Jari to finally reply to his question.
"I'll sit next to you. Sorry."
He nodded and got my plate down and once that happened Mario urged us all.
"Let's all sit down now. Sam? I hope you don't mind the food, but Janice cooks like a pro. I'm sure it'll taste fine."
"It'll taste a lot better than fine!" She stated with some snark towards the lack of faith her husband had. I just did my best to keep everything calm and collected. Looking back at Mario I said to him.
"I'm sure it will too. I'm a hound. I'll eat just about anything and this does look amazing. Was is it?" I wondered as Janice came around to my side to reply.
"Chipotle Mexican wraps with a cashew cream sauce. I made you a few extras since I had a feeling two wouldn't fill you up. And I also made a side of fire roasted potato salad for everyone."
"Wow." I hummed as I took in my plate that she quickly made for me. Once she had everyone else's plates ready, Janice sat down nearest Jake and asked Mario.
"So how was work hun?"
An hour later.
Dinner was amazing. This family was amazing. Jari and Lola were outside getting more wood for the fireplace and Janice was doing dishes. I was left in the living room watching tv as Mario seemed content reading a book to himself nearest the exterior windows.
My head was spinning from the experience. This went a lot better than Jari planned I bet. Everyone seemed to love me and that made me happy to know since I wasn't expecting much to begin with when it came to this meeting. However my ears got the better of me when I heard Mario's phone begin to go off in his pocket. My eyes however remained on the tv as he pulled it out to look at the screen. It was then that I started to pay attention because I heard him groan and whisper to himself.
"Oh god."
He said it so low that I think he was trying to remain exclusive to himself, but that was enough to get me to listen as he answered the call.
"Hello?" He sounded worried and even scared. His face also showed it and even his hands were starting to tremble. I remained calm and pretended to be focused on the tv now as he went on to reply to his caller.
"Not today. I can't leave the house right now. Family matters."
He must have got quite an answer back because he quickly went on to say.
"Of course. I'm not trying to make another excuse. I just can't spare the time right now. Please understand."
His face was going blue and I noticed he was starting to sweat a little.
My head began to try and think of a situation he could be dealing with when it came to a conversation like this, but everything came together when he whispered to his lowest degree.
"I'll get you the money. I swear. Please…..please just…...no I'm not…..? Just give me a few more days."
This whole day was going so well up till this and part of me was shocked to consider the facts. Jari's dad owed money to someone and it didn't seem like this was a small loan he was dealing with. All my intelligence pointed this towards a bigger problem. Loan Sharks. And if that was the case this was serious for him and this family.
During my thoughts Jari's dad ended the call and struggled to recover his posture. He was scared. I could see it covering his body as he put his phone away. After another moment he looked at me and I just pretended not to hear anything. He seemed to buy it and very calmly he went back to his book.
"Hun?" Turning around to find Janice there with a serious look on her face, Mario slowly got up and replied.
"Yes?"
"Let's talk." Her voice told me that she knew about this in one form or another. How could a family with this kind of house owe money?
With both of them leaving the room, I pulled out my own phone to text Minky that I was ready to chat. He called a moment later stating to me.
"I heard you smoothed things over with Don Verno. Impressive work."
"Thank you." I replied as he went on to say to me.
"Safe to assume you made a big ally in this city. Now it's no surprise to me but Verno put your name and picture out to the rest of the families. Now in a testament of good faith he stuck up for you and your story and from what I heard the rest of them agreed to go along with it and grant you immunity."
"Immunity to what?" I asked him as I made sure no one was listening in on me.
"Being hit. The mob agreed to let you slide. They don't want a war with someone who managed to kill Don Cora within the confines of his own home. Not to mention his toughest men. However I've been asked a favor and I'm a man of my word. The rest of the families want to meet you in person."
Chuckling to myself I replied.
"You serious? I can't afford the time to go to every city and meet all of them. I get shipped out for my first assignment at the end of the week."
"I'm aware and so was Verno when it came to this. Everyone has agreed to come meet in a neutral location provided by Verno within Los Angeles. That's if you agree to come. Verno said he would send his Underboss to pick you up since you have formed a truce."
"When?" I asked next as I heard some yelling coming from the other room. I was so focused on Minky I barely paid any mind to what was being said. Shortly later he said back to me.
"In three days. Verno will be in contact."
"Do you know what this is about? If they all heard my story then they should know I don't plan to go after any of them. What do they want?" My question came just when I heard someone coming. Looking back to see Jari's dad walking back to his seat, I leaned forward and listened as Minky replied.
"They want to cement that claim. I know offhand that Don Soul and Marxist wish to offer you work, but all of them want to induct you into their inner circle. It's a form of physical immunity and respect. Bearing it will tell anyone in the families that your off limits and they should know not to fuck with you."
Lowering my voice so not to draw attention, I went on to ask him.
"Physical how?"
"I'm not informed enough to say. It's a ceremony that's been passed down for generations by the families. From what I know only two other people were given this respect and in the land of the criminal underworld; it has the weight of the medal of honor. I'd go as far as to say if you were to go through with this, you wouldn't need a family of your own to instill fear in others."
This all sounded crazy to me. How was this going to work? It could still even be a setup. I can't trust anyone. However something in my head remained excited about the idea of being someone that even the mob would respect. If I earned that kind of reputation it would certainly provide for itself in the future. Rubbing my chin and face for a moment to collect my thoughts, I soon nodded to myself and urged Minky.
"Okay. Tell them I'll be there."
"Great news for everyone I'm sure, but Sam? Can I ask you a favor?"
"You?" I chuckled back as he quickly asked me.
"When it's all said and done I want to know what went down. Your profile here is gonna need updating and I would like to see how the mob politely asks someone not to ruin the party they have going. Can you do that for me?"
"I gotcha." I replied back as he seemed openly happy to say the least. In an equally happy tone he asked me.
"Awesome. Is there anything you need from me?"
I knew one thing instantly so I had to wonder.
"Now that I'm enlisted with G.U.N, do they have access to my profile?"
"If you're asking if they'll find out about Cora and the rest of your deeds, the answer is no. You paid for privacy and that you will receive. G.U.N goes through us to check and see if any of their operators have existing records, but as of right now you're still in the clear when it comes to wanting to be killed. G.U.N will not ask us to open a contract on one of their own unless they clearly have motive to do so and all the contracts they pull in are paid in full to them and them only."
"So I'm lining their pockets while I do their dirty work?" I hummed out as he cheerfully stated back.
"Exactly. Trust me when I tell you this. All the work they will have you doing; will sooner or later buy you an enemy and that enemy will post for your elimination. It's as common as a handshake, but G.U.N themselves will not ask us any more questions. Such a big government these days; they prefer to keep matters such as this short and orderly. No need for more paperwork. But if you fuck with them they will make sure your dealt with."
"Let's just say someone went the extra mile and wanted to know what I've been up to. How would they find out?"
"By first coming to us and asking for access to our blacklist. It's two million to have the network personally check and see if you're on our site in any which way. Which you aren't officially. The blacklist we keep that you paid for is kept in a separate database. To access that costs roughly ten. The price is high because for ninety nine percent of the people we work with. The only people who can physically pay that price are governments like G.U.N or even the M.E.A.F and those people won't ask unless they have suspicion to believe you've been working under the counter and if they believe you're a threat. That's why I suggest you keep your dealings with the network at an absolute zero while you're serving. Don't give anyone a reason to check."
"Okay." I mumbled on as he added.
"The second you get put up for a contract you'll be given your own separate profile that anyone can see. We update it with your last known location and up to date images of you, but we will not sell out your exact location to anyone unless you mess with us personally. No amount of money can save you at that point. Also as a side note, when that does happen we write an in depth description of you and detail your experience. There we will not tell the world what it is you've done contract wise for us. All that information will be stored in your blacklist. So breathe safe Samantha. You're well hidden."
"Can you let me know if and when someone tries to inquire about me?"
Giving me a small chuckle, Minky replied.
"Now Sam that would be telling and that's going against the network's rules." His voice seemed telling in it's own form. Enough that I went on to ask him bluntly back.
"How much?"
Minky took a moment to think of an answer and by then I heard Jari and his sister coming in from outside. By the time I looked back at them Minky said to me.
"Cut me in on your earnings. Five percent and I'll keep tabs on you and any curious bystanders you attract. And if you ever need something more personal from me I'd be more then willing to lend you a physical hand."
"Deal." I replied as I went on to tell him.
"I need to let you go. I'll shoot you a message if I have any other questions."
"Sounds good. Remember? Verno will be in touch with the details of the meeting. Good luck Sam."
"Thank you Minky." I replied as I hung up to quickly put my phone away.
"You ready?" Lola asked me happily as I refocused my efforts on enjoying the rest of my night. Slowly getting up from the couch, I nodded my head and replied.
"Sure am. Is there anywhere I can change?"
Mario picked up on my question and carefully informed me.
"There's a changing room in the pool house. They can show you. Enjoy the swim. It's beautiful out there."
"Thank you." I smiled back as Lola came to take my hand.
"Let's go!" She shouted as she began to jump in joy. Jari followed along begging her to calm down, but that didn't stop till we reached the pool house. From there she urged him.
"Go get changed you goof. I'll show Sam the room."
"Okay." He replied as he went off to do his own thing. Now left with her, I listened as she asked me.
"So are you two really dating?"
That got me to laugh a little so I replied with a slight chuckle.
"Not officially. Jari and I are just friends."
Giving me a lewd look, she then asked in a whisper.
"Has he tried to kiss you yet?"
"No. Jari isn't like that. He's…..he's far more concerned with being himself to think about something as selfish as that. And I kinda like that about him. He's sweet."
Lola showed me that she clearly understood with just the look she gave me back in her eyes. I knew she understood and with her questions answered she guided me to the changing room they had in the back of the pool house. It was more or less a glorified bathroom, but that was nice to see. Once we entered; Lola took off her top. I noticed she was already ready to go. However as she undid her pants she gave me a soft smirk and said with confidence.
"He may be sweet but I'm sure he's excited for this. Not everyday he gets to see a wolf in a swimsuit. Hehehe."
I got somewhat red in my face as she went on to urge me.
"Well I'll meet you out there. This is gonna be awesome."
"Yeah." I replied as she left, shutting the door behind her.
Left alone with my blue bikini, I let out a sigh and took a moment to prepare myself mentally for this. It wasn't like I ever did this back home. Pools barely exist there. Showing off my body like this was somewhat new to me. I didn't know whether to like it or not, but I sure as hell was ready to try.
Jari's POV.
Lola was already swimming by the time I got back to the pool house. My heart was beating a mile a minute and it took a lot for me not to feel insecure about my own body. I had to look and ask myself if I was really worth Sam's time. In the end it didn't matter. There was no backing out of this moment so I charged in and jumped right on into the pool.
My body was instantly taken by the warmth of the water and in seconds I found myself on the surface gasping for some air. My sister laughed as I had my ears resting on my back just out of habit. I had to get used to this. So I took a lap around the pool and soon found myself motionless, staring up at Sam who somehow managed to sneak up to the end of the pool I was at without making any noise. Even Lola was caught off guard as my eyes struggled not to leave her face to admire her body. During our silence she asked me curiously.
"What's the best way to go in for your first time?"
I couldn't find my tongue. Everything was focused elsewhere. Her legs, her arms, her chest, her…..tail. The swimsuit she wore left very little up to imagination as my sister urged her.
"Just jump in! That's how!"
"Are you sure?" Sam asked back as my sister screamed.
"Yes! Jump! Right Jari?!"
Sam looked back down at me for my response and that was the queue to try and answer. So very quickly I nodded my head and replied while swimming away from her.
"Yeah, just jump in."
"Okay." She mumbled as now both Lola and I watched her ready herself. I held my breath as the wolf sent herself in. The splash she made was nearly triple what Lola and I made and that alone got us both to start laughing as soon we found her resurfacing with two wide eyes and soaked fur covering them. Letting out a surprised gasp, she quickly fixed her vision and found us swimming just feet away to announce.
"That was fucking intense. It's so warm."
"I know!" Lola replied as I went forward to urge her.
"Start moving a little. Let your body adjust."
"Okay." She replied as I couldn't help but stare. In seconds my sister swam over to me and whispered in my right ear.
"Go swim with her doofus."
I widened my eyes because at this moment it became clear Lola was trying to push me out of my comfort zone. However she was right. This was my chance to interact with her on a more level playing field. It might even be a good chance to admire her more. What I would give to just touch…..?
In no little then a second more, I felt my heart stop when from behind I was taken by my left hand. Looking back I found Sam tugging me towards her while wondering.
"Wanna race?"
Instantly I replied.
"Is that even fair? You can doggy paddle faster than me."
Laughing, she replied.
"Fine. Be that way."
Now I felt bad, but I quickly realized that was why she said that. It distracted me from her real intention. I lost all sight of her when all the sudden she jumped on me shouting.
"Then we can just wrestle!"
I had enough sense in me to thankfully squeeze out of her first attempt to drown me, but it soon became a matter of survival when my sister egged her on.
"Yeah! Get him!"
Sam was more than I could handle. I went down on the second try and soon found myself underwater. She dragged me to the very bottom which was a good ten feet down. At first I had no idea what to do. I just struggled to find my place since she currently had her arms wrapped around my body holding me up close to her chest. Before I came up with my plan of escape I felt her gently pull off me, but her hands took my wrists and spun me around.
We stared at each other underwater for what felt like an hour to me. I knew it was only a few seconds and my heart was still beating, but I thought life became a dream when she slowly and softly put her right hand on my face. She held my cheek and swam a few inches closer to me.
I had no idea what to do. I could only stare into her gold eyes as she finally let me go. However her hand still touched my face and very slowly her other hand took its place on my shoulder to keep me still. Then it happened. What I thought made this all a dream. She came in as close as she could and put her lips to mine. The kiss was only a few seconds, but the fact that something like this just happened to me nearly clouded my body's natural instinct to get air after such an event took place. So as soon as she finished; she let me go and both of us resurfaced to collect our breath. My first instinct was to look at my sister to see if she saw what just happened and it was clear she didn't because she asked me.
"How'd you get out of that?! She had you!"
Looking back at Sam who was parting her hair out from her eyes again, I replied with a mix of confusion and excitement.
"I don't…..I don't know."
"You're slipperier than I thought you'd be. I almost had you."
It became obvious to me that she was trying to cover up what she did and I was completely okay with that at this point now that I had time to think.
"Wow, look!" Lola urged us as her hand pointed up at the ceiling.
Together the three of us looked up to see the full moon shining over the pool house.
"That's amazing." Sam whispered as I swam a few inches over to her to question.
"Aren't you supposed to howl or something when you see that?"
The look she gave me back said it all. She jumped on me instantly, shouting into my ear.
"Is that your idea of a joke?!"
"Yes!" I replied as she dunked my head.
"Get him Sam!" My sister's voice was the only thing I could hear apart from the water entering my ears.
An hour later.
Pulling up outside Sam's hotel, I stopped the car and said to her with a smile.
"Thank you."
"For what?" She wondered as we both looked at one another. Keeping my smile on, I replied.
"For forcing me to stand up to my fears. I feel a lot better not having to worry about such stuipd things."
Giving me a small chuckle as she reached up to take off her hat, she replied.
"Fear isn't easy to get over, but you're right. It was stupid to be worried about what your family would think. If they love you they'll be by your side no matter where you go."
"You're right." I mumbled back as I questioned what to do now. Part of me wanted to ask her about the kiss and another part wanted to experience another, but was this the right time?
With my thoughts going on, I became more aware that she wasn't saying a word or moving to leave the car. So with the lesson of getting over my fears still going on in my brain, I looked back at her gold orbs to ask.
"Why'd you kiss me?"
She didn't flinch. She just spoke her mind. Something I enjoyed about her the most.
"I don't really have an intricate reason. I think you're sweet. Sweet….kind…..respectful. I mean you remind me a lot of an old friend of mine. I feel safe around you."
"Safe?" I questioned with some laughter since she was the soldier here.
"Safe in an emotional way. It's hard to explain." She informed me back as I jumped on the chance to tell her.
"I'd be more than willing to listen to your explanation. If you want?"
Giving me a sweet smile back, she replied while reaching over to grab the back of my palm which sat on the stick shift.
"Another time Sparky."
I didn't say a word. She just came in to kiss me one more time on my lips. It was fast and once it was over she reached up and scratched my head to urge me.
"Thank you for the good time. Get home safe now, you hear?"
"Yes ma'am." I smiled back as she pulled away to begin leaving the car.
"I'm gonna be busy tomorrow, but maybe we can hang out later in the night?" Her question got an instant answer back from me. In fact I raised my voice an octave to reply.
"That sounds great! Just text me!"
Chuckling, she replied.
"Sounds like a plan. Bye Jari."
"Bye." I said back in happiness as she shut the door and began her walk into the hotel. I couldn't help but stare at her butt as she left me wanting more after another kiss. Was I the luckiest rabbit on the face of the planet? Or was this just some clever plan to eat me? I wondered as that thought alone couldn't be any further from the real truth. I just had to laugh at myself as I pulled back onto the road.
Raptor's POV, The next morning, Iran.
I haven't ever dreamed of the need to become this person again, but here I was dressed for combat just in case the people who killed Char would attempt that with me. We had no idea how this group operated so we were taking no chances.
With me I had a few younger kids as my protection detail. About five or so of them as the rest of the detail stayed throughout the hospital and outside with the convoy. With Yoga was G.U.N president Ajex and a handful of other dignitaries from the other countries that lost someone during the raid. Everyone was waiting for him to wake back up. We got word he first came through last night. Now we were all here hoping to get something out of him. I think I'm the only one who cares about him though. He lost Char. Much like me I'm sure he's struggling emotionally with that loss.
Coming up to the door to his room, I ordered my men.
"Stay here and watch the hall."
They obeyed of course as I walked in to be the instant center of attention. Ajex came over first offering me his hand. I took it and accepted the hug he offered with it. During which he said to me in a whisper.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Raptor."
"Yeah." I mumbled back as he released me a moment after to allow me to the bedside of a brown ferret who currently had his eyes closed. With a chair facing the windows, I sat down and took a moment to look him over. I could tell just by his face that he had been crying. That made me lower my head for a moment to try and think of a way to approach this. Ajex came right behind me to watch as I took a breath and asked.
"Is he awake?"
Nodding the nurse who stood across from me on the other side of the bed said.
"He drifted back to sleep just before you arrived sir. You should be able to wake him. Just be gentle. He's still in a lot of pain."
"Okay." I replied as I reached out to place my hand over Yoga's right wrist. A moment later I began to shake him and almost instantly I saw his eyes flutter.
"Yoga?" I whispered as he opened his eyes.
I held back any questions for now. I just wanted to be sure he knew what was going on. God knows what his head is like in the middle of all the painkillers he was on.
With his attention going around the room, Yoga soon found me sitting next to him. Instantly he widened his eyes and I felt the pain in his voice as he questioned.
"Raptor? Why are…..?"
I kept my mouth shut as his eyes began to fill with tears. Without looking away from me he cried.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't…..I couldn't…..?"
"Stop." I begged him as he went on to say.
"Char…..I fucked up. He's gone because of me. Luna too."
"It's not on you Yoga. You did everything you could. There was no way you could have known this would happen." I informed him back confidently as he questioned.
"It isn't? I was supposed to protect him. It was my job to keep him alive and look at what happened."
"This isn't just about Char, Yoga." Ajex stepped in to say as I agreed with the man to listen as he went on.
"Everyone who attended the meeting was killed. Everyone but you thanks to God's grace. We didn't just lose Char. Every single nation we fought to bring together over the course of the last two decades has lost someone special to their government and if I was there I'd probably be dead too right now with them."
Yoga was content on listening as he cried a little more. I kept his wrist held to show my support as Ajex finished stating his point.
"The people who pulled off this attack have stunned the world. We have no idea who they are; and even after everything there wasn't a single camera or witness left alive to tell us anything. You're the only person who has any idea what really happened at that moment."
"I'll tell you whatever I can." Yoga mumbled as he used his other hand to wipe his eyes. Smiling slightly, I thanked him by saying.
"Thank you."
The moment he heard my voice again; Yoga and I stared at one another. Before I could ask any questions he asked me one that I didn't expect to hear.
"I'm getting discharged after this right Raptor?"
I opened my mouth slightly because I was in awe that he would even ask me that. Shaking my head a moment after I replied.
"Absolutely not."
Ajex and the other men in the room agreed with my decision and that made Yoga rethink his position. Lowering his head he mumbled.
"I'm sorry."
We gave him a moment to relax. My eyes went up for a split second to look at the nurse and behind her were two windows overlooking the outside of the building. Across from the hospital were a handful of taller business buildings and hotels and from one of them I spotted a bright glare coming from one of the hundreds of windows. Widening my eyes I felt something in my body snap. Yoga gave me a confused look as I jumped out of my seat to shout.
"Get down!"
The second the words came out of my mouth a shot came through the window hitting the nurse in the back, but the bullet went right through her and hit the edge of the bed. Ajex at this point hit the floor as fast as he could with the other diplomats; as I struggled to get Yoga out of the bed.
Throwing off his covers, I looked back up to hear the second shot coming. I had no choice. Yoga was worth more than me right now and I had no other options. Using my body, I propelled myself on top of his half naked body and pushed him down into the bed as the bullet went right into my side. My vest stood no chance. I felt the round go clean through my back and somehow had enough sense in me to lift both him and me off the bed and onto the floor next to Ajex. Yoga's landing however was much more subtle than mine. He landed right next to the IV stand as I found myself rolling a few feet away and scrambling towards the wall.
At this point another two rounds got sent through the windows and each was aiming in hopes to find us. Thankfully the bed took them and by this point my men came through the door with one of them shouting out.
"Smoke out! Stay down!"
They threw a canister at the windows and in seconds gray smoke filled the room. I felt Ajex tug at my shoulder as I felt some blood leaving my mouth by rolling down my chin. In fear of my condition, he asked me.
"Where are you hit?!"
With the threat of death still near as more rounds came in from the outside by the sniper, I pushed him away while ordering.
"Forget about me! Get him out of here!"
My attention for that was clearly on Yoga. Ajex thankfully listened and with the help of a fellow dignitary; they pulled Yoga out of the room leaving me grasping at my side where I knew I was hit. It's been years since I was last shot and fuck it if I could still feel the pain. This hurt so fucking bad and with so much going on; I struggled to rely on my powers. My head just couldn't remember how to control it during this moment.
During my struggle I began to see my own blood pooling around me. That was when I was swarmed by my personal guard detail. One of them got a firm hold on the back of my vest and with help from another soldier they began to drag me out of the room. The whole time I left a trail of blood behind me and during my evacuation I ordered out with a bark.
"Get everyone out of here! Protect the VIPs!"
By then we were out of the room and back into the hallway where G.U.N soldiers moved to obey my command. A group swarmed Ajex to get him to safety as another carried Yoga after him. My men covered my position as two medics came down to try and help me. I refused to be treated right here and with my normal stubbornness to comfort me I scrambled to my feet while grabbing at my side.
"Commander!" One of the medics screamed as he saw me going after Yoga. I was going to do everything in my power to keep that fucking ferret alive. I wasn't losing another friend to these motherfuckers.
My men covered me as I went to my holster to pull out my M9. As I walked I dripped out more blood. I had gotten some hold over my powers and slowly I worked to seal my wounds. Just enough to stop myself from losing more blood than I needed to lose.
With one of my guards coming right to my side I was asked.
"Are you okay?!"
Nodding my head I replied.
"I'm fine! Don't worry about me! What matters right now is getting Yoga and the other leaders to safety! Regroup with Zulu 2-7 and make sure they're secured!"
"Yes sir!" He replied as he and the rest of my guards ran ahead to cover Yoga.
Regardless of my orders though the medics stayed with me and it became apparent I wasn't doing too well because I somehow managed to trip over my own two feet.
Falling to the floor, I struggled to get up. My boots were covered in my own blood and that just caused me to keep slipping on this tile floor. The medics who were these two younger hedgehogs came to my aid and with each of them taking an arm they began to carry me after the rest of the unit.
"Ahhhh…..ahhhhhh...fuck!" I growled as I was mad at myself for not being able to stay on my own two feet.
"You lost too much blood, commander! Stop pushing! We got ya!"
They were fucking right and I hated it, but I had nothing left in me. In a final effort I managed to put my gun away and retake the other medic's help. Together they escorted me to an elevator. Yoga and the others took the stairs and the plan was to take shelter in the basement of the hospital. We had men in place in case something like this was to happen and thank god we did. We weren't going to leave this building until we knew for a fact it was clear. Security was going to be impossible to breach now so I knew once we were down there we would be safe.
Yoga's POV.
My heart was racing. I never moved so fast in my life. Raptor's men and G.U.N covered my every move in case of another attack. Was this all because of me? It had to be. The sniper was gunning for me and it was only thanks to Raptor that I was still breathing.
My head was spinning as Ajex, the other dignitaries, and I were soon crowded together in the basement of the hospital. Everything down here was bleek. The whole basement was nothing more than a hold for regular maintenance crews. Full of generators and other electrical equipment the hospital relied on to run. It was now even more crowded and I couldn't tell you how many soldiers it took to make it that way. I was just laid on the floor when a medic brought over a stretcher. Then they got to work on making sure I wasn't anymore hurt then I already was.
"Make room!" I heard someone order over all the noise.
Looking around for the voice, I widened my eyes when I found Raptor being carried over to another corner of the room thanks to the help of two M.E.A.F medics.
"Commander!" I tried to call him, but he looked like he was barely there as it was.
Soon he had a doctor at his side looking over his condition and I was left in awe. That man just saved my life by nearly losing his own. What the fuck did I do to deserve that from him? I got his brother killed.
Lost in my own head, I watched every moment of his treatment. The medics got off his vest and before long Ajex had made his way over to watch and support his health. Yet Raptor's personal guard detail stayed to make sure I was safe. Why? Did he tell them to? I asked myself as I saw him cough up blood a moment later.
Everything was moving so fast and here I was just questioning why I was still alive.
Raptor's POV, Two hours later.
This whole day was turning out to be my downfall. I was actually tired from the blood I lost earlier and thanks to my efforts I managed to control my powers once more after so long without them. Yet I had to play it down. The only people who knew what I could do were my very few close friends. My men didn't. I'm sure they've heard stories and rumors from other members of the army, but I couldn't just openly display it for all to see.
The medics who got me down here did what they were trained to do. I kept the bullet in me that whole fucking time so not to draw attention and thanks to them they got it out after a while and wrapped me up tight. Now that I was stable I just focused on catching my breath and sealing the rest of the damage that was left over. Pain wasn't really an issue for me, I've always been able to take a lot of it. Proof is right here for everyone to see as I managed to sit up now on my own.
For the last two hours I've just been sitting here waiting for the all clear. Reports were all pretty much the same. No sightings. The place where the shooter attacked from was destroyed. We're assuming that was meant to cover up any tracks they may have left behind. Thankfully no one else was killed other than that nurse upstairs. God damn it I wish I was faster. She might not have died.
I let out a very low growl, but not low enough to hide it from one of the medics who stayed by my side throughout this. Giving me a concerned look as I began to pat around my vest, he asked me.
"What's wrong sir? You okay?"
Finding the spot where I stashed one of my good cigars, I pulled it out to respond.
"No kid I'm not."
He knew I wasn't talking about pain. Instead he just watched as I went into my pants to pull out my lighter. Placing the cigar in my mouth and beginning to light it up, I took a look around. Yoga was thankfully okay and that's what mattered. I'm sure this attack was meant to kill him. They were trying to cover any leads up. Smart too.
"Commander?" My attention as I started to smoke went to my right side to find Ajex standing there with a worried look about him. Looking into his innocent eyes I said back in a calm tone of voice.
"Yeah? Your not gonna tell me I can't smoke down here are ya?"
"No. Haha…..are you okay? You look like a mess."
Chuckling a little I replied.
"You could say that. I feel like shit."
The fox knelt down to match my height. In fact he soon sat next me and my medic to watch me smoke. After a few puffs he said to me.
"You deserve a medal for what you did back there. You know that right?"
Lowering my cigar I replied.
"It was instinct. Yoga is worth more than any of us right now. I just did what made sense."
"You should get a medal of honor for that act. Anyone who would do what you just did deserves one."
Now I smiled and questioned.
"You think? Nah…...the only medal I earned by doing that is another purple heart. My soon to be wife would agree with that."
My words got him to laugh alongside me. The good thing about Ajex was that he had a sense of humor. That and some very good morals to get behind. He was the perfect replacement for Hecan after his term came to an end and even though he was innocent in nature; Ajex knew why we were fighting. G.U.N should be proud. I thought to myself as I offered him my cigar.
"Thank you." He replied as he took it from my fingers to begin smoking. I watched for a moment just to see how he would handle it, then I decided to lean my head back against this wall we were at. After taking a good hit, Ajex handed me back the cigar to wonder.
"Who do you think did this?"
I took one more puff then waited a moment as I enjoyed the smoke. Ajex looked my presence over closely as I gave his question some thought. With some facts already known, I replied while looking back at the fox.
"Well it sure as shit isn't some lowlife punks. The people we're dealing with clearly know what they're doing and one way or the other they figured out Yoga survived their first attack. They knew that and they knew where he was today. So that tells me two things off the bat. Number one…..someone has a connection to them. Could be anyone. Mostly likely? If I had to guess it could have been someone who works here and that…..?" My eyes widened and Ajex noticed that the moment I gave off the realization of what I just figured out.
"What is it?" He asked me calmly as I chuckled and mumbled.
"Smart motherfuckers."
The fox looked lost as I went on to point out.
"They were gunning for Yoga right? But who took the first bullet?"
Ajex thought about it for a second, but I knew he caught on and just said it alongside him.
"The nurse. She must have dropped the information."
"But why would they kill her right there and then? They could have waited till after to do that." Ajex stated as I nodded.
At this moment the medic sitting next to me suggested just what I was thinking.
"Maybe whoever was behind the gun thought they could kill two birds with one stone."
"Exactly." I muttered as I put the cigar back in my mouth.
Ajex and the soldier kept their eyes on me as I went on to say.
"These guys are confident. Confident and crazy enough to attack us head on."
"You and I were standing right there though. The shooter could have killed either of us. Why not? They went out of their way to kill Char and the others. If they're aiming to disrupt world peace they could have made a major statement just now."
Ajex was right with that and that's one thing that had me confused. Why weren't we the targets? Why just aim for Yoga and the nurse? I asked myself as time went on. After a few silent seconds I suggested.
"They might have a bigger goal in mind. Big enough that it doesn't really matter if you and I are alive or not. Killing Char and delaying the peace treaty was the first step. They're buying themselves time for something more to come and it's safe to assume if we try to set up another signing we'll just get attacked again. We can't take that risk."
"Or maybe it's not that complicated." Ajex went on to say as I questioned.
"You think?" Nodding, he replied.
"This world is full of people who hate G.U.N and the M.E.A.F. The idea of world peace is dangerous to a lot of big people. Example? Oil. One part of the treaty in the middle east stated that once we became a combined nation; the oil in this part of the world would leave third party contractors and go right to the M.E.A.F. The men and women who control a resource as valuable as that would go to any length to keep making a profit. I've seen it happen before."
"Regardless, these terrorists have an agenda and we know nothing. We need to get Yoga out of Iran as soon as possible." I stated as everyone knew that had to happen first before anything else.
"How's your wound?" Ajex asked me next. Giving him a slightly peeved look I replied.
"As good as you would expect after getting shot by a sniper rifle. I'll live. Thank you by the way." My words went to the two medics sitting next to me and both of them seemed relieved to hear me say that.
"The all clear should be coming soon. We should get ready." Ajex suggested as I nodded and watched as he got up. Looking back to my men, I raised an arm in order to get some help standing. I was still a little woozy and without much need to do much more; they helped me back to my feet. My eyes then glanced over to Yoga who was sleeping on a stretcher. My personal guard detail covered him from all sides and hopefully with some luck we could get out of Iran alive.
mT Shadow.