Page 101 of Darling Wildfire
I pulled him up and grabbed his neck, frowning as I ran my thumb over what looked like a ricochet bullet that grazed his neck and disappeared just under his ear. My adrenaline was going too heavy to feel any real emotions, but I bared my teeth at the sight.
“I think that was meant for you,” he said with a smirk.
I met his gaze and his eyes darkened. I realized we were very close to each other and the sight of him covered in blood was sending heat through me at an alarming speed.
“Wanted to match me?” I asked, my voice coming out gruffer thanI anticipated.
He flashed me a quick grin, stark white against the blood splattering his face.
“Where are the others?”
I let go of him and took a step back as I ran a hand over my face and looked off through the trees.
I shook my head. I didn’t know.
“North—come in—North,” I said over comms.Nothing.
“Nyx—” It was Preacher, but he wasn’t speaking over comms.
“Fuck,” I hissed.
Preacher was stumbling to his feet several yards through the trees, his head and face covered in blood. A lot of blood. I jogged over and Atlas followed.
“What happened, where are you hit?” I demanded.
“Fucker hit me with a rock,” Preacher said. “A few times.”
He had blood running down his face. Atlas gingerly touched the back of his head.
“You’re going to have a nasty headache later,” he said. “But I think you’ll live. It’s just bleeding a lot.”
“Where’s North? Kane?” Preacher asked.
“Can’t reach them on comms,” I said. “Where’s Red?”
“She ran off—two of them went after her but so did Kane.”
“Kane—” I said over comms. “Kane, come in.”
“Where are you fuckers?” Kane’s voice crackled in my ear. “I’m about half a mile east from where the grenade went off. Managed to kill one of the fucks that took the girl but the other now has her held up as a hostage.”
“Copy that. On our way,” I said.
I holstered my pistol and picked up my discarded AR, checking it over before motioning for Atlas and Preacher to fall in behind me.
We crept up on Kane’s position and saw he was in a standoff between one of the opposing teams in a small clearing. Both men had guns pointed at each other. Kane was half hidden behind a tree and the other man was holding Red in front of him. Before we were noticed, I motioned for Atlas to flank him.
“We’re in position,” I whispered to Kane over comms. “Hold.”
“Copy,” he muttered.
“Just shoot him!” Red shouted to Kane.
“Shut up, bitch,” the man holding her said, tightening his hold around her neck.
“Fuck you, Dogtail, I’m not going back to Kai,” she said.
“Keep him talking,” I whispered to Kane.
