Chapter One
AXEL
“Axel, I have Kimbella and you grab Saffron,” the Colonel commands me. I look behind me and see my brother Diesel talking to the other girl being held captive. I feel the fear coming off her from across the room. I know my brother; he will not be able to leave her here even though she is not on our dossier. She is not a part of our mission. Speaking of mission, I turn my attention back to the weeping girl I am in charge of saving.
“Saffron, my name is Axel. I am here to save you. Do you understand?” She nods and sniffles. My eyes roam over her, surveying for injuries that could possibly slow us down. It’s not lost on me how gorgeous she is, even covered in dirt and bruises. Her green eyes bore into me, imploring me to help her and protect her.
“Are you hurt anywhere?” I ask, undoing her restraints.
“No.” Her voice is like honey sliding down my skin. Shit. I need to focus.
“Good. We have a limited amount of time to get you out of here. We need to go.” Grabbing her hand, I pull her off the ground and lead her out of the building. We trek our way through the jungle, her hand never leaving mine. She squeezes it a couple of times, every time a branch snaps. “Look at me,” I tell her, stopping for a second to reassure her. “We are going to make it out of this. Just do what I tell you to do, and we will be alright.” I move a piece of her hair behind her ear and rub her cheek.
“Ok.” She tries to smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. I nod and begin moving again.
We have been going for maybe an hour or so, but I can feel their eyes on us, knowing they are gaining on us. I have to figure out a plan to get us to the rendezvous point, and unfortunately for her, she is going to have to help. We move about another mile and a half when I hear their voices, and I know our time is up. Grabbing my phone, I punch in the code, letting them know we have encountered the enemy, and then I grab my gun. “Saffron, listen to me. They are coming. I’m sure you can hear them. We are going to have to fight our way out of here. Here. Take this.” I hand her my spare gun and take off the safety. “Have you ever fired one of these?”
“No. Never,” she answers, panicky and filled with fear. Shit.
“I have to give you a quick lesson, and I need you to listen. This is life or death. Say yes if you understand.”
“Yes.”
“Good girl. I have taken off the safety, so be careful. This is the trigger. When you need to, close one eye and aim. Don’t pull, squeeze the trigger, and whatever you do, don’t loosen your grip when it recoils. Understand?” Poor girl. I know her mind has to be a scrambled mess, and now I am throwing this on her, but I have no choice.
“Yes. I understand.”
“Excellent. Now, let’s try to gain more ground before we have to turn into Bonnie and Clyde.” That elicits a giggle from her, and my body reacts like a fucking high schooler. My dick awakens and seeks out the person responsible for interrupting his slumber. We barely make it half a mile when I hear shouting as a bullet whizzes past my head. “Shit. Saffron, duck behind the tree and don’t move.” I grab my phone and dial in.
“Axel, what’s your position?”
“We are about ten miles south of the destination. We are taking enemy fire. Air cover would be great,” I growl out as I fire my weapon at them.
“10-4. Your brother just made it. He will board the helo.” Thank fuck. I look over and see her scrunched down, crying and shaking. Fuck.I am not equipped for this shit. I don’t do emotions. I never have.
“I know you’re scared, but I need you to set that aside and help me save us. Understand?” I don’t bother trying to soften my voice. There is no time for sugar and shit.
“O-ok.” She hiccups. I watch as she calms herself. The enemy closes in, bullets still flying left and right.
“Good girl. Now, do you remember what I told you about the gun and how to handle it?” She nods. “Well, now is the time, baby girl. Let’s get out of here in one piece. Just aim and run. She stands and gulps before gripping the pistol and moving her shoulders back.
“Ready.” God, she is so beautiful. Together we move out in the open and begin firing. When they crouch and stop firing, we run like our lives depend on it; because it does. My phone beeps, and I grab it mid-stride and see my brother's eta is five minutes. I look around for somewhere for us to hide for a few minutes and spot a big ass boulder. I know we have gained some ground on them because I hear no bustling behind us.