by Hilary Storm
~~~~
That landing was smooth, and we stay inside until the plane rolls into another hanger. The door opens, and the hot air fills the cabin instantly.
“Welcome to Mexico, my friends.” An old man and woman greet us in the building. “But you've got to hurry.” We rush to grab our gear, while he points to an old farm truck with wood as sides for the bed of the truck. We’re surrounded by the stench of shit, but it's nothing new to us.
The old man moves to the driver's seat, and we’re moving again before we have a chance to think. “We have twenty miles until we reach the chopper. We have time there to regroup.” Kaleb makes sure he’s sitting near me this time, and I watch out the side of the truck, looking for any signs of activity around us.
“They're naming you Ice. We’ll use that name throughout the mission. I felt it was fitting enough.” I honestly kind of like it, it's a name I can deal with. I’m surprised they don’t have Queen behind it though. Ice works either way.
“They tried to name Harris Pretty Boy, but I vetoed that. He’ll be Stone.” We don't use names on missions. It’s call names only.
“Got it.”
“I go by Fire on missions.” I can't hold back my laughter.
“Of course you do.”
“I thought you'd like that.”
“Oh, it's very fitting.” Fire and Ice. I’m dying inside. It’s fucking perfect.
“Fire, you need to kill that fuckin smile. It's time to be focused on getting that motherfucker.” Bullet leans in to reel Kaleb in. I hold my smile in. I can't wait to chill with these guys outside of a stressful mission.
The rough ride to the chopper finally ends, and we all pile out and move inside an old house. We’re greeted by a Caucasian man who seems even older than the man who drove us here.
“Okay, everyone, get your asses in your gear and be ready to move in ten. I want to show you the layout of the house he’s hiding in. The truck will drop us close, then the chopper is how we’ll get the fuck out.” The guys begin taking off their shirts and I follow. This sports bra hides everything I need to hide, but shit if my eyes are working hard to betray me. These guys are all ripped. I could tell they were built, but had no idea how cut they were. This is a different caliber of man than I'm used to being surrounded by in the Army. Harris fits in here more than he ever did with the guys we were around in the Army.
Then they begin to stand in their underwear. Kaleb watches me as I have no issues standing in my panties and bra putting on the gear meant to fit tight and give me an edge up on the enemy. All black, thick enough to keep me from getting hurt as I crawl through whatever shit I'll have to, and fire resistant to top it off. The headgear is the exact same as what we used on our last mission. This transition is easy, but I know he made it that way.
Pulling my boots on, I catch his eyes again and give him a smile, knowing the little stunt I just pulled will have my ass in trouble later, but that's a price I'm willing to pay to watch him squirm a bit. It's a game I'm learning to love.
“Alright, let's go.”
“Fire, I'll lead us off here.” Jackson leans in, and the guys all surround him, so Harris and I follow. “May this day go well, so I can soon feel the swell of my dick going into some pussy. Because I'm not afraid to lick my way to the top and get me some nice, tight titties. Give me some ass that'll have me begging, and let this day go in the history books as bangin’. It's time to get this motherfucker, so I can keep my reputation, because I've got some MILFs just waitin’.” The little laughter coming from the group brings a smile to my face as all eyes move to me.
“May this day go well, so I can soon feel a dick filling my sweet pussy. Because I'm not afraid to lick my way to the tip and get me some nice-tasting liquid. I've got the ass that'll have him beggin’, so let this day go down in the history books as bangin’.... As Mr. Action says.” I clear my throat and pause as I feel the glare from Kaleb igniting me. “It's time to get this motherfucker, so I can keep my reputation as the Sniper they're all hating.” The guys erupt in hysterical laughter, and I know this won't be the end of the back and forth banter between this group and I. I'm made for this shit. Having so many brothers prepared me for a day like today. I need them to see I'm not all ice. There's a little fire inside there too.
“Alright, alright. We can do this shit back at the compound when we celebrate this mission. Until then… Not another word about pussy and dick or licking any fucking thing. I want all focus on this damn mission and getting me home for the time off I need. I think I'm going to need more after that fucking speech.” I know I’m getting to him and that’s okay, because he’s already fucking got to me. I get near him and feel his intensity. It doesn’t hurt for him to feel the same.
“Here’s the house. We’re going in at this point, then Ice and Bullet will head to the top of this building. It’s late out and that’s far enough away from the house that you should be clear of their bullshit security spotting you. Bullet knows the entryway, so Ice, just stick close to him. The rest of us will split up and go here… and here.” He points to the opposite sides of the house. From the looks of the map, this house is on the edge of a small village. Thoughts go through my head instantly about the very huge possibility that I’ll run into the same nightmare as I did the last mission. Taking a deep breath, I prepare myself for just that. I have to do what it takes to make sure we all get out of there alive and fully intact.
“We get him alive and take him home. Steele will be listening in the chopper and will drop down for all of us right here. Once you hear the clear, get your asses to that chopper that will drop between the house and where Ice and Bullet are watching us.” Everyone shifts just slightly as he stands to place his knives and guns in their places on his body. We all follow his lead, and I get a feel of the rifle he hands me.
“It’s go time. Get back in the truck and let the old man get us to our locations. He knows this area and will be vital to us moving around tonight.” Three o'clock in the morning and we’re off. All the guys follow his orders, and I follow behind, knowing he’ll have something to say to me before we leave.
“Please be smart out there. I want you safe.”
“Kaleb. You know I’m great at what I do. I’ll be fine. Don’t baby me, damn it.”
“I’m not. I just can’t wait to fucking go away somewhere with you and have all of this shit behind us.”
“What did you say, four days and we’re leaving? You can wait that long.” I choke back a laugh.
“I sure as fuck hope I can wait that long to feel you around my dick. Quit your damn testing me or I’ll make you regret that shit when we get back.”
“Oh, I sure hope you do.” His eyes widen, and he’s visibly struggling. I know if we had even five minutes, he’d pull me to the side and fuck me good. I wish we had ten minutes, but we don’t. After this mission, we’ll have a few weeks together and can make up for it then.
“You be safe, Kaleb. I’ll be watching your ass for you.”
“I know you will.” We both look into each other’s eyes without any further words. Our eyes are screaming to say more, but the time doesn’t allow it. I turn to walk away and feel the depth of his stare as I do. This team has to feel the chemistry from us. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking when I thought we could hide this.
Tank hits the top of the truck twice, and the old man starts to move us. “He won’t be stopping, just slowing down, so be ready to drop and roll when it’s time.” Tank starts to instruct all of us on the drop. When it’s time, we get the signal, and I go. The rifles are tossed out in their protective bags right behind us, and we quickly throw them over our shoulders and move to get out of sight. Trying to keep my heart calm, I try to zero in on Kaleb and the reason I want to get this over with soon.
“Here.” Bullet is moving quickly, and I stay on his heels until we’re moving on the roof of a building. It’s rectangular-shaped, and one end faces the direction we need to be watching. We set up near each other in
the center of the wall and start looking for our team. The first drop is made, and I listen to them talk in my ear as we wait for the second. My heart is pounding. I’m sweating. I want this done.
They’re all moving in on the target quickly, and I look for any sign of anything I would need to shoot. So far, it’s very quiet and I hate it. Why is it so fucking quiet? The guys are breathing, I can hear them in my ears, so I know they’re all good, but I just have an eerie feeling. I stand to look behind us and see no signs of life. Trying to feel more relaxed, I face forward again and watch through my scope.
I finally see movement from one of our guys and signal to Bullet that I’m watching the front. He takes the back. Our guys move in, and I watch them take out a man with a knife. Kaleb and Harris are both in my sight, and I watch the surrounding area, waiting for so much as a fucking plant to move. They make their way inside, and we lose visibility of our team as all fucking hell blows up in that house.
The sounds of gunshots and screaming have me desperately listening for the voices I want to hear most. “Where is Al-Quaren?” Kaleb begins yelling, and Harris starts to speak in foreign, trying to get them to talk. I keep hearing gunshots and then notice movement in the front. Our team is all inside, so I know it’s not one of ours.
Bullet sends off a shot and starts talking quietly. “You have them coming in. We’re shooting out here.” I send off two shots, taking out two in my view, quickly seeing three more ambushing the house quickly. I work fast to take them all out, hearing just as many shots coming from Bullet.
“Get the fuck out of there. There’s a fuck ton coming your way. NOW, Fire. Get the fuck out now.” I start shooting as fast as I’m trained to do, not missing a single shot, but knowing at least one got past me. I have eleven shots before I have to reload.
“There are too many of these fuckers. Get the fuck out. Get the chopper here, now. We have to move.” Bullet starts giving orders, and I’m not sure if that makes it official or not.
“I have his ass, Fire. He’s under the floor. I want to blow his fucking head off more than anything, but I’m holding him. I need someone back here, he’s got four kids with him.” Jackson’s voice is desperate and loud in my ears.
“You sure it’s him?” Kaleb questions.
“Yes, all three markings are here. Get back here and help me pull him out of this hole.”
“Stone, get the fuck back there and tell him to move or we’ll blow his ass up.” I hear Kaleb giving orders and more shots going off. I get a small break in movement, so I reload, preparing for whatever is sent my way. Bullet shoots once more, and we both begin our scan of the area again.
“Come on, motherfucker. Crawl out of there.” Listening to the sounds of the team fight their way to get him out makes my adrenaline rush even harder. I can hear them all struggle, and I wish we were in there to help.
“Okay. Fuck, we’ve got him out. Get the chopper here now.” Kaleb sounds frustrated, and I can hear the loud sounds of the rest of the guys making their way out of the house. Bullet and I watch until the sounds of the chopper are near. The team has moved outside, and there’s no sign of any movement, so we start to move to the chopper, one at a time, just like we’re supposed to do.
We run like there’s someone chasing us, and we both make it into our new positions before the rest of them move. We watch the area and give them the clear to move.
“All clear, Fire. Move now,” Bullet orders them to the chopper, and I watch through my scope. I see movement after they’ve all moved out of the house, so I take the shot. I hear Bullet begin to shoot and cringe, knowing what this means as I take down at least five more guys. Harris has Al-Quaren, and the other guys are following him, shooting as they move forward.
“Get him the fuck in that chopper!” Kaleb yells. We take two more down, then they begin to run. Harris forces Al-Quaren onto the chopper and shoves him out of the way, holding him down. They all start to jump on around us, and I stay focused on their backs. Kaleb is last in line, and I watch him turn to look when more shots are fired. Men move in quickly, surrounding the last of them, and I shoot as fast as I can, taking out every single one I can get in my view. The rest of the team continues to move, but Kaleb turns to fire.
“Fire, move now!” Bullet yells between shots, and he finally listens and begins to run. I watch the area through my gun and miss how Kaleb lands on the ground. When I pull my scope back to him, he’s holding his shoulder and trying to get up before he’s ambushed.
“We’re being ambushed. We have to fucking go now.” I feel Steele begin to lift the chopper.
“Don’t you dare fucking leave him.” My voice is very loud in my own ear. My demand was heard, and he better fucking listen.
“Go, Steele. Get him the fuck out of here.” Kaleb’s voice crushes my heart.
“No,” I argue, only to have them talk over me.
“We have to go now. We’ll all die if we don’t get the fuck out of here.” The forcefulness of Steele’s voice is cold, and I’m instantly pissed. I take out the three men holding Kaleb down, missing him every single time, only to have more grab him. We lift off the ground, and my heart falls out of my chest, smashing all over the ground below. I can’t fucking feel. I can’t breathe, and panic begins to flood through my veins. We’re leaving him. I can’t. I love him. I can’t breathe. I’m dying inside. They’ll kill him.
I work hard to keep my focus on Kaleb for as long as my scope will allow and watch him move his head. He’s alive. I send off one last shot and kill the fucker holding the knife near Kaleb’s face before I’m no longer able to see him.
There’s so much fire in the air and a few hit the chopper, but don’t disable us. I stand quickly and move my rifle to the side of Steele’s head and hold it point blank. “Go the fuck back, right now, or I’ll blow your goddamn head off.”
“I can’t. We have to get Al-Quaren to the States.” I feel a firm grip on my shoulders and a familiar voice in my ear.
“Elliott. We had to move. We were all going down if we didn’t.”
“Harris. I can’t leave him. Make them go back now.” Tears fill my eyes as I try to talk around the giant lump in my throat. I can’t breathe and only lower the rifle when Harris guides it out of my hands. I fall to my knees and cry as I hear Kaleb for a second in my ear. His guttural sounds almost kill me as I hear him hurting. I wish he would say something to me.
“Fire. Talk to me.” I listen for him to respond.
“Ti amo, ghiaccio.” I have no idea what he’s saying.
“I’m coming back for you. I promise. Stay alive. I need you.” I listen for more and only hear Spanish coming through.
“Cierra la boca. Yo te torturo tan lentamente. Te deseo que ya estaban muertos.” I don’t waste time asking Harris to translate. I want Kaleb to hear me as long as he can.
“Please fight for me. Don’t let them break you.” The sound in my ears goes silent, but the sound of my heart fills it.
“Harris, what did he say?”
“He said he loved you in Italian.”
“Oh my god. Please go back. Please, please, please fucking go back for him, Steele.”
“Ice. We will. I just need to deliver him, then we’re coming back.”
“NO. NO. NO. NO. We’re fucking coming back tonight. Drop me, Steele. I can’t leave him.” I don’t recognize my own voice.
“You’re not going in alone. We need to regroup and get our shit together. We don’t operate like that.”
“Fuck how you operate. If you leave a man behind, then I want no fucking part of this team.” I reach for the cable that drops us, in hopes of getting it loose before someone has a chance to stop me, but I fail. Harris is standing too close and pulls me into his arms, holding me tight, and I want to kill him right here for stopping me from jumping.
“Harris, let me go. I swear to God, I’ll kill you.” I pull out my pistol and set it on his temple.
FIRE - Prologue
KALEB
I c
an hear her in my ear as they pull away. The sound of her voice screaming keeps me fighting until I don’t have a choice. There’s too many of them. I can lie here and take their brutal attacks all fucking day because I know she’s safe. I’ll play their games as long as it takes. I’ll either die this way, or I’ll kill a few of these mother fuckers and find my way out of here and back to her.
I feel the scrape of the gravel across my skin as my body is dragged to god knows where. My eyes are both swollen shut from some assholes steel toed boot to my face. I have no clue where I’m at. I only know there's tiny fucking pebbles digging in to my flesh. I'm not an idiot. I know this is only the beginning of the torture I'll receive.
I feel at least five sets of hands grip my flesh and throw me on the back of a truck like a bag of trash. The landing only intensifies my already bruised ribs, but I welcome the pain. It means I'm still alive.
I focus on the sounds around me, trying to memorize every single fucking sound. There’s nothing but the harsh whispers of the night. My focus shifts to the loud cawing scream coming from above. I can hear the vulture circling as if there is something here to feed off of. I refuse to believe that's my fate and silently will that fucker to choke on the next rotting flesh it preys on.
The rumble of the truck engine starting reminds me of the truck we were moved in earlier, but it's slightly smoother. I imagine an old farm truck with a similar bed as I'm flipped to my face so some dickhead can tie me up tighter. The restraints are harsh and I'm trying my hardest not to fight back. I need the element of surprise on my side and I'm positive having two eyes that will open would be a great help.
I start to focus on the movements of the truck as I'm man-handled. The further away we get, the harder it is to swallow. I know it'll be hard as fuck for my team to find me now. My only hope is to stay alive long enough that my guys can find me. They're great at what they do and they will find me. I'm just not sure how long it'll take them. Their first priority is to get the target back to the States under any conditions and if any of them falter from that I'll personally kick their ass myself.