Their Obsession (Four Mercenaries 2)

The big chest rose and fell as Boar took hold of Clover’s arms, staring straight at him, as if he believed there was room left for negotiation. “There will be no lives to get on with if those people get you. Drake, for fuck’s sake, how can you endanger him like this?”

Drake spun around and clawed the headrest, his eyes shooting daggers. “It’s his decision. And I wouldn’t let anything happen to him. Safety isn’t always in caution.”

Clover frowned, pulling on Boar’s beard to get his attention. “I want to do this. It’s my choice. You can either help, or leave, but if you tell Tank and Pyro about this, I will not forgive you.” His heart thudded at the finality of his own words, but he saw no other way. They weren’t sneaking out to Disneyland. This was life or death.

Darkness flooded Boar’s eyes. “How can you say this?”

Clover grabbed Boar’s hands. “Because it’s not a game. We need to do this, Boar, even if Tank says it’s a bad idea.”

Drake shook his head and opened the door. “I’m gonna have one more cigarette. You two figure this out. You’ve got five minutes. If you don’t, I’m going even if I have to take a fucking Uber to that zoo.”

Clover could sense Drake wanted to slam the door but had to stop himself from making noise.

Boar pulled on Clover’s wrists as soon as they were alone. “I can’t let you do this, Clo. I love you. It’s too risky.”

Clover looked straight at Boar. “If you love me, come with us and help end the bastard.”

Boar’s lips tightened, and the yellow light deepened the appearance of little creases around his eyes. “That’s not fair, Clover. Why are you listening to Drake of all people? Doesn’t it matter to you that everyone else agreed attacking tonight made no sense? It’s suicide!”

They didn’t have time for going over this again and again.

“Are you in or not?”

Boar swallowed, shaking his head. “Clover, don’t do this. Nobody’s saying you should give up on killing Apollo. Let’s just wait until we come up with an actual plan.” He looked at the wall of the van and lowered his voice. “Drake’s not himself when it comes to this. Don’t you see that?”

“Do you have any idea how much suffering Drake’s gone through because of this guy? Of course he’s not himself. That’s why we need to be there for him. Before you guys, I always only looked out for myself, but that’s because I never cared enough for anyone else. When I think about what those people did to Drake, I want to see them dead. Don’t you?”

Boar watched him for a long moment. His brows drew together, but just as Clover was about to continue with his tirade, Boar shook his head and let go of him. “I’ll go, because you two are going to die without someone halfway sane to back you up. Wait here,” he said, scrambling toward the back of the van.

“You’re not going to tell Pyro, are you?” Clover watched Boar’s every move.

Boar stilled, hand resting on the door. “I’d lose you if I told him, wouldn’t I?” he asked, and it stung Clover that he’d resorted to emotional blackmail against someone as sweet as Boar. But that was what would get the job done. Drake was right. It was always easier to apologize than ask for permission.

“We really need to do this, babe. Everything else can wait until after. The clock’s ticking and an opportunity like this might not happen again. I’m scared, I won’t lie. Having you there will help, but Drake needs this. He’s been so terribly hurt. None of us can even comprehend what he’s been through, and I’ve been to some shitty foster homes. Drake’s hell needs to end.”

Boar took a deep breath, contemplating their luggage. He opened his mouth several times but only spoke after a long moment of silence. “I was brought up in a house where family was the greatest value, but when push came to shove, I was left to fend for myself. What we have is important to me. I can’t lose any of you. So better make sure I don’t lose you tonight, Clover,” he whispered, and maybe it was a trick of light, but Clover could have sworn he spotted a damp glint in Boar’s eyes.

Clover hugged Boar tight and kissed his cheek. “You won’t.”

Chapter 11 – Boar

The breeze carried the smell of dung, and Boar once again asked himself what in sweet hell pushed him to go with Drake’s insane idea when the official map of Raw Ranch Clover had downloaded from their website was pretty much all they had to go on in terms of planning. With the main entrance as their only waypoint, they’d skirted along the fence, to find a spot where solid wall had been replaced with thick mesh with barbed wire on top.