Word Count: 5.2k

Diego smirked at me before turning his body back around, pulling down on the metal door handle before pushing it open. My eyes widened as I shakily walked inside after him, my pupils darting all over the new area as a lump formed in my throat. The room was dimly lit, the strong smell of iron permeated the air made my eyes water, breathing felt harder the more I looked around. Three men sat in the three different chairs in the middle of the room, one of their heads was slumped down with a white, bloody bag covering it. A different one sat as well, sporting a white, blood stained sack overtop his own skull, his body writhing in every direction, muffled screams emitting from his mouth, muffled by the cloth. While the last one looked alright... somewhat.

Diego stepped to the side of the room, glancing over at a very pretty woman, "Valeria, there's uno mas (one more)," he called out, motioning toward me. Valeria crossed her arms as she looked me up and down, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. She stood tall, wearing a tight black shirt and earthy green cargo pants. "Sit down," she ordered me, my eyebrows furrowed as I nodded my head, not understanding where exactly she wanted me sit. Slowly, I approached her, one of the guards standing next to the three men pulled an unmoving one by their neck, slamming their body to the ground.

Question answered. Her eyes never left my form as I approached the newly opened chair, the leather of it covered in a thin layer of blood. Speaking of blood, it was everywhere: on the floors, the walls, the seats, the cloth bags, their clothes. Hopefully mine wouldn't paint the room next. Slowly, I turned around and lowered my rear down down onto the seat, my gaze following Valeria as she walked up to Diego. "Quien es esa (Who is that)?" She asked, glaring at Diego, her lips pulling to the side. "Su nombre es Y/n. Ella vino a nosotros (Her name is Y/n. She came to us)," Diego replied, glancing over at me.

Valeria slowly made her way behind Diego, my gaze following her every movement, "Y la dejaste entrar (And you let her in)?" She asked, her voice holding a dangerous tone as it dropped lower. Diego nodded, "Ella dijo que tenía información (She said she had information)," he explained, his stare never leaving me for a second. Valeria chuckled before she launched her knee into the back of Diego's legs, his body crashing to the floor as she held a knife to his throat. A smirk tugged at the corners of my lips, I'd love to see his blood soaking the ground. "No la conocemos y ella nos ha visto la cara (We don't know her and she's seen our faces)," Valeria whispered darkly into Diego's ear, her knife pressing deeper into his neck as a small trace of blood dribbled from the superficial cut.

Diego held his hands up, his breathing becoming more erratic, "Valeria necesitamos información. Ella podría ayudarnos (Valeria, we need intel. She could help us)," his words spilled from between his lips in a frenzied rush, his palms shaking above his head. My eyes darted up to Valeria's, almost praying she'd wipe that scum off the face of the damn Earth. Valeria looked back at me with an unwavering stare, "Será mejor que... o después de que la mate... estarás en esa silla (She better... or after I kill her... you'll be in that chair next)," she whispered into his ear before shoving him to the ground.

What I would give to know Spanish, Diego seemed scared shitless. Valeria pulled a sizable gun from the holster attached to her thigh, the metal gleaming under the scarce lighting of the room. "Nino's and nina (Boys and girls)," she called out, her eyes swimming with amusement as her gaze fell upon each of us sitting in the chairs surrounding one another. "This is simple: I ask questions. You answer truthfully," she explained, trying to shake the motionless one awake, but he remained slumped over. At least she was speaking English now, but the words she uttered did little to make me feel more comfortable. Slowly she walked between me and the only other person who remained unscathed, alive.

Her voice raised as she continued, "Do not lie to me," she boomed out, her accent thick in every word she spoke. Her head moved left and right as she looked between me and the other man before taking a step back. Her sights fell down at the gun in her hand before she nodded. Valeria redirected her gaze to what looked to be a Las Almas soldier, corrupted no doubt. "Recently we were protecting a friend in the mountains. Someone attacked us there, who?" She asked, glaring down at the man. The man looked around, confusion finding its way to his features, "Fue un caos. Yo-yo no vi (It was chaos. I- I didn't see)-" Valeria cut him off, looking irritated, "In English. Para ella (For her)," she ordered, motioning over toward me. 

The man glanced in my direction for a second nervously before looking back up at Valeria, "I- I think it was the rivals cartel," he sputtered out, looking more anxious by the second. She nodded her head before glancing over at me, "Your turn. Who attacked us?" She questioned. My throat felt dry, and my mind went blank. Alejandro's words rung in my head like a bell, "Tell the truth, or you'll die here". The truth, that's all I needed to say. The truth.  "I-It was Mexican Special Forces," I mumbled in return, my voice slightly wavering. Valeria grinned at me, "We found the bodies," she paused for a second as cold beads of sweat formed on my forehead, "Fuerzas Especiales," she nodded. A small breath released itself from my esophagus, my eyes falling down to the floor.

She began to walk around, the gun never leaving her hand. Haphazardly, my gaze followed her, watching how she grew increasingly upset. "Now, how would an outsider know they were Mexican Special Forces and not you?" She questioned harshly, whipping her head back toward the man who was now trembling. Diego stood up, a sickly smirk forming on his mouth as he walked behind the man, his body tensing. "M-Maybe she was there," he stuttered, nodding his head toward me as his eyes never left Valeria. My blood ran cold, my teeth chewing tirelessly at the soft flesh of my lips. Diego lowered his lips to the man's ear, "Estabas ahí pendejo (You were there asshole)," he whispered darkly. 

Valeria nodded her head, looking back over at me, her gaze scanning up and down my shaking form, "There were outsiders helping Mexican Special Forces," she started, "Who were they?" She demanded, her stare turning back toward the man, his own eyes meeting hers. His mouth opened to speak, his words fumbling in his throat as he desperately tried to explain himself. It was his life on the line, and he knew that as well as I did. "W-We heard them yelling- s-some in English! They were with gringos," he whispered, his voice shaking. 

Valeria remained quiet as she looked over at me, my own voice getting lost in my throat. Forcing the words out of my mouth, I replied, "American PMC's..." I mumbled quietly, "A group called Shadow Company." Valeria's eyes never left mine as she walked across the open area between my chair and the man's. After a few seconds, she glanced away from me and over toward Diego. "Los Vaqueros está trabajando con mercenarios (Los Vaqueros are working with mercenaries)," she whispered to him, Diego nodded his head with a frown. "Esas malditas serpientes (Those fucking snakes)," he mumbled back to her, shaking his head. 

The man sighed in relief, looking over at Valeria, "Verás! Yo tenía razón (You see! I was right)," he called out, nodding over at me. She narrowed her eyes down at him, my sights flicking to the gun resting in her hand as she spoke. "Can you prove Shadow Company even exists?" She ordered at the man who's skin was growing pale in what I presumed to be fear, the relief he felt short lived. He shook his head, his eyes darting around, "H-How can I prove this?" He muttered quietly, undeniable worry shaking his voice as he talked. Valeria scoffed down at him, shaking her head before she directed her attention back over at me once more.

Her feet slowly brought her over to where I sat, "What about you? What proof do you have?" She hissed down at me, my wide eyed stare meeting her own unwavering one. To say I was fucking nervous would be an understatement, what I would give to have a knife shoved in my boot right about now. "Check my pant pocket," I mumbled, angling my head toward my left pocket to direct her where it rested. She nodded as she bent herself over, her fingers digging into my pocket before grabbing onto the badge and pulling it out. As she observed it, the man craned his head in her direction, "What is it?" He asked. My eyes fell on his, a smirk tugging on my lips, "Shadow Company's insignia," my gaze traveled over to Valeria, "Proof."

She grinned before looking back at the man who looked like he'd seen a ghost. Shaking her head, she returned her attention back to the badge in her hand for a moment before taking a large step in my direction, leaning down so her head was now leveled with mine. "Who leads Shadow Company?" She asked in a hushed tone, "Give me a name." A grin formed on my face, "Phillip Graves," I replied, the words rolling off my tongue. That answer I was happy to fucking give. Valeria kept her gaze on me as she stood back up again, Diego chuckling from behind her. "Fill Graves," he tasted the words on his tongue, "Me gusta eso (I like that)," he continued, sporting a toothy grin at Valeria as she approached him, placing the badge in his hand.

Valeria turned on her boot, looking over at me, "That man... Graves," she started, a brief pause following, "What does he want?" Each second I began to feel more confident with myself, my life no longer feeling like it was on the line. Scooting up further in my seat, my lips curled upwards as I opened my mouth, "The missiles you're moving." I replied, my voice smooth and steady, certainty oozing from my tongue. Diego stood rigid behind Valeria, slowly walking toward her, "Cómo sabe eso (How does she know that)?" He whispered in her ear, his eyes trained on me the entire time. 

The man sitting in the chair began to move in a restless manner, trying to inch up further in his own seat but was held back by the restraints he was held in, "No puedes confiar en ella! No puedes, te lo estoy diciendo (You can't trust her! You can't- I'm telling you," he frantically spoke, his wrists twisting and turning beneath the leather binds keeping them flat to the arm rests of the chair. "No nos has dicho nada (You've told us nothing)!" She yelled in return, looking over he shoulder back at him. The man began to spew out pleas for his life in Spanish, thrashing his entire body, trying to break free.

My eyes followed Diego's form as he pulled out a gold plated pistol from his back pocket, the light reflecting off his gun more than Valeria's. "Te pagamos bien. Y este forastero sabe más que tú (We pay you well. And this outsider knows more than you)," Diego snarled, standing at the left side of the man's seated position, raising his gun up high. A deafening boom filled the air, the man's pleas getting cut off as the bullet pierced through his skull, his head snapping to the side. More blood splattered across the room like a painter's brush stroke, the metallic smell infesting the atmosphere even more so. My eyes darted from the dead man up to Valeria as she approached me, "Lo hiciste bien allí. Buen trabajo (You did well there. Good job)," she mumbled under her breath.

She turned on her heel and began to walk out of the now open door, Diego following after her before turning back toward me, "Come on, we're going upstairs," he called out, motioning with his hand for me to come follow him. Slowly I stood up, my boots squelching slightly as I walked over the thick puddles of warm blood covering the wooden floors. Once I stood before him, he began to walk down the corridor once more, "And to be clear beautiful, we are not fucking done with you." Internally, I groaned, my lips nervously being chewed at by my teeth as I followed him. "Sin Nombre will decide your future," he added on, his voice dark. 

We passed by the room once occupied with two living men, my eyes falling on the dead one still plastered on the floor, his body starting to reek of death. Taking a deep inhale, I turned my attention away from him, continuing to follow Diego back to the elevator I was in only moments ago, Valeria stood waiting inside. Before I could even step through the threshold, the guard from before shoved me harshly, my body smacking against the back wall of the elevator for a second time. Diego chuckled darkly, stepping inside as well, his pointed finger clicking down on the first floor, and third floor buttons as the doors rolled closed. 

Diego glanced over at Valeria, "Los Vaqueros se están moviendo rápido (Los Vaqueros are moving fast)," he muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. Valeria nodded in agreement, her lips pulling to the side of her mouth, "Estaré en el ático con Sin Nombre (I'll be in the penthouse with Sin Nombre)," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest. My eyes snapped in her direction at the mention of the name, "When do I get to see El Sin Nombre?" I asked, looking between both of them. Diego bored his eyes right back at me, taking a wide stride in my direction, invading my personal space, "Valeria is going to speak with the boss. You will wait with the others," he replied, not moving back to his original position. 

My feet shuffled behind me, my back soon pressing against the far side of the elevator, trying to get as far away as possible from Diego and his roaming eyes. Valeria nodded and also took a step closer to me, "I have a feeling El Sin Nombre will be very interested in speaking with you," she muttered, a small smirk pulling at one side of her mouth. My heart began to pound viciously in my chest as I tried to take another step backward, but had no room to do so. How fucking long is this elevator ride? My eyes fell to the floor, not wanting to look at either of them anymore. My prayers were soon answered when the elevator stuttered to a stop, the doors opening. 

Diego gripped my arm, rubbing the exposed flesh of it with his thumb as he licked his lips, "This is where you will wait," he grinned before pushing me out of the elevator into the grasp of another guard who shoved me against a window, his hands feeling me up and down. Why the fuck is everyone who works here a creep? My hands gripped the glass as the guards hands continued to wander all over my body, my teeth gritting together in frustration. The fingers of my right hand slowly started to ball into a fist, ready to launch it in the guards jugular. Alejandro's voice cut through my resentment filled thoughts as he rapidly approached the guard, "La tengo. Te necesitan afuera (I got her. They need you outside)," he quickly spoke, the man finally letting go of me.

The guard nodded his head and looked back at Alejandro, "De acuerdo. Dale una máscara y mírala (Ok. Give her a mask and watch her)," he replied, grabbing a black balaclava from his back pocket and shoving it into Alejandro's hands before walking away. Once the guard was out of sight and earshot, my body whipped toward where Alejandro stood, "You're alive," he whispered under his breath, relief evident in the way he spoke. "Alejandro, you too," I smiled, my eyes softening the longer I looked at him. Just his presence alone brought me a form of security I so desperately craved. "El Sin Nombre's here," I quickly added, my voice low, "In the penthouse, third floor."

Alejandro nodded his head, "We'll need a keycard." The gears in my head began to turn, trying to remember who exactly had it before remembrance filled my brain, "Some fucking asshole named Diego has it," I mumbled in reply, my eyebrows knitting together as a scowl made its way to my face, the name tasted like acid on my tongue. Alejandro nodded before quickly pulling a combat knife from the waistband of his pants, my eyes lighting up the moment it found its way to my hand, "Take this..." he muttered, "I know it's your favorite," he added with a wink. As my fingers interlocked around the handle, I tucked it into my combat pants, "Thank you..." I mumbled, sending Alejandro a grateful smile.

He gave me a head nod in return, his features covered up by a mask much like Ghost's are. Alejandro held out the black balaclava, outstretching his arm to place the smooth fibre between my fingers, "Here," he nodded. My eyes fell down to the balaclava before I pulled it over my head, my peripherals slightly blinded. My thoughts wandered toward Ghost again, not understanding why he always wore one of these when it arguably made actually seeing shit much more difficult. "Comms are hooked in," he added, giving me a radio check afterward. "Got it," I nodded, taking a step forward, peering over Alejandro's shoulder to get a better look at what was going on around us.

"You're good, let's head out hermosa," he quietly stated, his voice crackling through the comms. My feet trailed closely behind him as he made his way forward through massive hallways with ceilings that ran up around 10 feet. The interior of the mansion screamed luxury with every room we passed. Many other party goers were wearing the same masks, holding wine glasses in their hands as they networked with others. Alejandro was right, VIPs were definitely here tonight. "Ghost, we're in," Alejandro muttered, a brief pause followed before Ghost replied, "Is Y/n okay?" 

Rolling my eyes, I replied for Alejandro, "Never better," I mumbled, keeping my voice as low as possible. Alejandro glanced back at me before continuing his way forward. "Good to hear, what have you got?" Ghost grumbled through the comms, his voice raspy as ever. "El Sin Nombre is in the penthouse, third floor," I quickly spoke, keeping it short and sweet as Alejandro led me out into the courtyard. Around five or so guards stood outside with guns peeking out of their waistbands, talking to one another in hushed Spanish. Alejandro turned his back on them as he spoke quickly into the comms, "Elevator is a straight shot. We just need Diego's keycard." He ordered. A guard soon after walked by, his eyes falling on Alejandro and then on me suspiciously before scurrying off.

Gotta keep my conversations short, noted. Alejandro began to walk off in one direction as I went in the opposite one. Ghost's voice cut through the silence, "Y/n, if you can scout a way to the roof, there's access to the penthouse," he stated. My lips remained sealed as I looked around the courtyard, eyeing ways to get up to the roof. I decided to avoid Diego from now on like the damn plague, even if it meant completing this mission the hard way. "Y/n? You copy?" Ghost cut in again. Grumbling to myself, I quickly walked behind a wall. "Ghost yes, please shut up so I don't get compromised," I growled under my breath.

 Soap's voice filled the comms as well, "Great to hear ya voice, lass," he stated, a light laugh hidden in his voice. These people will be the death of me, literally. My gaze darted all over the side of the building as I walked next to it. Green shrubbery and big, beautiful palm trees covered most of the grass, the entire area in general was swarming with guards. Shaking my head, I turned on my heel and made my way back into the mansion. This was going to be more difficult than I thought. My gaze floated around each corridor I walked down, making sure to avoid guards anyway I could. But life doesn't always work out so easily does it?

It was quickly made clear to me I strolled into a restricted area when I heard a loud voice boom from behind me, "Qué carajo estás haciendo aquí perra (What the fuck are you doing in here bitch)?" The sound of a safety being disengaged had me ducking my head, a fire quickly blowing off soon after as the bullet just barely missed my skull. Turning my torso to the left, my heels slid beneath me as my hand yanked the combat knife from my waistband. The guard already had his gun aimed at my chest, his finger just slightly grazing the trigger. My eyes widened as my knife tumbled from my grasp, clattering against the floor. My hand shot up and latched around the barrel of the weapon, shoving it upwards, the bullet firing into the ceiling. This was not looking well for me.

It would be any minute now until guards filed into the room and I'd be dead. The guard and I struggled with the gun, my hand soon getting slick with sweat as I tried to keep the barrel away from me. My eyes darted down to the floor where my knife had landed before redirecting my gaze back onto the man in front of me. Using my knees, I dropped my bodyweight to the floor, sending an uppercut into the man's groin. "Puto coño (Fucking cunt)!" He screamed out breathlessly, one hand cupped his balls while the other squeezed the trigger. Rolling out of the way of his shots, my hand gripped the handle of my knife before throwing it into the guards throat, springing back up to my feet afterwards.

Rapid footsteps sounded out through my ears, my senses on high alert. My feet stormed over to the now dead guard as I bent over, ripping the blade from his flesh before shoving it back into my waistband. Deep, red blood coated almost every inch of my outfit, making me stick out like a sore thumb. Not wasting anymore time, I booked it out of the room, making random twists and turns, getting lost in the many hallways I sprinted through. Panting heavily, I slid behind a lonesome wall, trying to catch my breath. "Y/n? I heard shots, where are you!" Ghost's voice angrily barked through the comms. 

My eyes darted down to my blood soaked clothes, trying to wipe the excess from it, but only ending up making it worse. "Y/N, STATUS!" Ghost screamed again, almost blowing my eardrums out. "I'm fine," I hissed before briskly walking in a different direction, leading me straight to an empty stairwell. A huge grin tugged at the corners of my mouth as I quickly made my way up the stairs, leaving a small trail of blood in my path. The moment I reached the second floor, a guard turned toward my direction. Without any hesitation, I grabbed my knife and sent it soaring through the air before it found its mark jutting out of the guards eye socket, a gross squelch sound filled the quiet room as the man fell to the ground.

I could hear loud voices and rushed footsteps quickly approaching my position, nervously I eyed the knife, my one protection source, and decided to leave it. Turning on my heel, I bolted up the next stairway conjoined with the original one, trying to keep the sound of my boots as soft as possible. After reaching the third floor, my eyes scanned around the different rooms and hallways before choosing one at random. This mission thus far has been messy to say the least, not also mentioning that my cover's been compromised more than once. As I rounded another corner, I found myself at a dead end, the only thing in front of me being a wooden door.

Another guard rounded the same corner, my heart falling to my ass. My hands patted around for my knife, the sudden realization I had left it behind dumped onto me like freezing water. Quickly, I grabbed a random vase sitting atop a crystal stand, seconds away from launching it into the guards face. "Hermana, hermana, it's me!" Alejandro's voice rang out, the guard in front of me putting his hands up. My eyes narrowed down at him, "You couldn't have made the known earlier?" I hissed, placing the vase back down in its respective spot. He shook his head, "You left quite a trail of blood in your path..." he mumbled, walking up close to me.

Taking a deep breath, I nodded my head, "You could say that," I replied. Alejandro quickly began to approach the door, motioning me with his head to follow, "This is where El Sin Nombre is," he muttered quietly, pulling out a snake cam from his pocket and powering it on. "Look through it," he whispered, holding the end of it out to me. Quickly crouching down, I brought the cam to my eye, peering through it. The room was filled with three people, one of them being Valeria who sat in front of a wide, wooden table with a phone to her ear. Two armed guards stood next to her, both of their hands clasped together in front of their laps. Diego walked into the area and began to speak to Valeria in a hushed voice.

Tearing my gaze from the snake cam, I looked back at Alejandro, "No fucking way..." I mumbled under my breath, "The sicaria I talked to is El Sin Nombre, Valeria." Alejandro's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at me, an unreadable emotion flickering through his eyes. "Valeria?" He asked quietly, "Are you sure, hermosa?" Nodding my head, my eyes studied his body language, they way his body tensed up, his eyebrows furrowing, and his fists clenched. "Yes," I affirmed, my gaze never leaving him. With a deep sigh, he began to speak through the comms, "Graves, Sin Nombre is posing as a female sicaria. We're moving in, you set?" He asked.

Graves chuckled over the comms, loudly, per usual, "Y/n didn't fuck it up? That's surprising," he stated, I could almost see the stupid smirk on his face, "And to answer your question, yes." Alejandro rolled his eyes before nodding, "Ghost and Soap?" After a few moments, Ghost's accent filled my ears, "We're ready." Not wasting another moment, Alejandro stood up from his crouching position while I followed suite. Immediately he sent his boot straight through the wood, the door swinging wide open. My eyes scanned the room for Valeria, but she was long gone as well as Diego. How I wished I could kill that fucker. 

Me and Alejandro stormed in, cursing inwardly when I remembered I had no weapon. Grabbing a random chair, I sprinted at a member with the piece of furniture raised high above my head, the look he gave in return was fucking hilarious. Smacking the chair against his face, his gun went flying from his hand as his body fell limp to the floor. Gunshots rang around the entirety of the room, some barely avoiding my frame as I moved. Sliding across the ground, I managed to grab the gun and sent plenty of my own bullets before I promptly stood up again. "She ran out the back door!" Alejandro yelled, hastily running out of the room. Shooting one last bullet through a members head, I followed after him, my legs pumping beneath me.

Me eyes followed Alejandro as he ran out of another door, leading out to the roof. The sound of helicopter rotors cutting through the air filled my ears, the noise almost deafening. Valeria sat on her knees beneath the spotlight Graves had casted on her body with her hands raised high above her head. Immediately I felt a presence behind me, my vision was soon ripped from Valeria as I was spun around, instantly coming face to face with Ghost, his eyes narrowed onto me. "The fuck is all this blood, Y/n?" He growled in my face, his angry stare darting down to the crimson substance coating me. 

With furrowed eyebrows I opened my mouth to speak, "Doesn't matter," I mumbled, glancing around his wide chest, "I need to go back in and find that fucking creep Diego," I hissed bitterly. Ghost gripped my cheeks over the balaclava still covering my features, his fingers grabbing the hem of it and pulling it over my head. "What do you mean creep?" He grumbled, his voice raising. "Some asshole kept feeling me up, now move!" I replied angrily, just wanting to storm back in there and send about thirty rounds through Diego's skull. Ghost's eyes took on an emotion I've only ever seen a few times: rage. 

"Soap, get her in the chopper," he yelled out, pushing me into Soap's grasp. My eyes narrowed, "What the fuck Ghost?" I barked, but he was already gone from my line of sight. Soap wrapped his arms over my shoulder and pulled me with him, "Great to see ya alive and well lass," he grinned before helping me into the chopper. Directly to my left sat Valeria in handcuffs, and in front of me stood Alejandro who looked nothing short of furious. Graves looked me up and down, a scowl forming on his face before he turned away, his feet carrying him back to the cockpit. After a few moments, Ghost returned, his once pristine outfit now covered in blood much like mine.

Once his gaze found me, his feet quickly approached where I stood before stopping right in front of my form, his head angled downwards. Wiping a strand of damp hair from my forehead and tucking it behind my ear, his hardened glare met my confusion-filled eyes. Taking yet another step closer to me, he brought his mouth, hidden beneath his balaclava, to my ear, his breath fanning my skin, and leaving goosebumps. This time though, they weren't caused by cold, but by something else entirely. Something I would never admit to anyone. His gruff, British accent filled my senses as he spoke five words that had my stomach doing somersaults. 

"Nobody touches you but me."