Page 74 of Stealth Mission

Ha. Wrong.

I’m not sure why I ask, but I do. “Plan for what?”

Shit, I sound… bitter and pathetic.

Justice is in my face a second later. Dude is like a magic genie. Always popping up out of nowhere.

Where did he come from?

A bouquet of yellow flowers is thrust into my hand. “This is one of the tools we’ll put into play.”

The urge to shove them down his throat is violent and instantaneous.

“No. Fucking no. Go give those to a nurse. I’m sure you’ll get to hook up, then you can leave me the hell alone.”

He shakes his head and smiles. It’s an evil twist of his lips. Can’t say I’ve ever seen that exact look in his face before.

I groan and toss the flowers onto the hood of the truck behind my shoulder. “Guys, we’re not planning some kind of mission to fix this thing with Marianna. It’s done. I’m the fuckface that had sex with her without telling her who I am.”

“The fuck we aren’t. Operation Second Chance is about to commence.” Scout replies as he crosses his arms.

I look for a way out of this idiotic circle. But I’m surrounded.

“You all need to back the hell off. I’m in no mood.”

“For what?” Beast challenges.

My lip snarls up. Inside my engine is revving. “For any of this shit!”

The next second I’m on the ground, wondering how I got on my ass.

And the next second after that, I’m off the ground, bouncing on the balls of my feet, hands raised, ready to brawl. “You guys really wanna do this here?”

Scout lands a swift kick on my thigh. It’s a good hit. Pain shoots up the nerve and reverberates in my spine.

“So this is how it’s going to be? Three on one.”

Justice tucks into me with a jab. I’m fast too, deflect it, and clip his jaw.

But Beast is on me. He advances like a water buffalo. The man is always surprisingly quick for his size. Which is why he lands a left hook on my chin.

It was a love tap. If he hit me with full power, I’d be flat on my back, out cold.

Hell, I might even need the emergency room if he got me right.

We rumble around. I take a few more punches.

“Oof.” Beast grunts when I kick him in the stomach.

But the circling continues. Our heavy breathing is loud. An audience starts to gather.

“Ha!” I jump back, missing a swing from Scout and catch him with an open handed slap.

His demeanor instantly changes. That rage he’s got under the surface peeks out. “Motherfucker.” With a menacing snarl, he lunges forward and punches me in the gut.

As he retreats, Justice advances. But he’s slow and leaves an opening. When my knee connects with his ribs, he grunts out a curse.

I swing around, sporting for the next attack. “That's all you guys got?”

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