Las Almas, Mexico
ARZALEA 'SILK' BLACKWOOD

I TAPPED MY FINGERS on the top of my knee as I eyed the front of the SUV I was currently riding in. There was warmth coming from either side of me and the feeling of it only made my body more uncomfortable. Did I mention I hated the heat? My body jostled as the vehicle hit a bump and I shifted my eyes to Rodolfo Parra — Alejandro's second in command — as if he had done it on purpose.

The deeper we drove into Las Almas, the more the heat seemed to intensify, and I really wanted to rip off this thick damn suit I was wearing. My senses were all over the place today and the lovely weather of Mexico was not helping. And the fact I was practically pressed against Ghost, whose body radiated heat like a damn furnace, I have to say it was not pleasing at all.

I spent a lot of time thinking after our training session a few days ago and about what I thought about the brooding male to my right. I still hated him. But I had started to realize that maybe he's actually a little decent once you get past his asshole remarks, dry humor, and stoic demeanor. After my little attack – still don't know what the fuck that was – he eased up on training and allowed me time to gather my bearings. I still don't like the fact I can't read him or see his face to gauge his expressions.

Soap had told me the reason Ghost was so hell bent on breaking me was because, for whatever reason, I got under his skin. I think after him telling me that gave my ego too much of a boost. Because now, I felt the need to make it my personal mission to toy with the beast and see what I could unravel. To see if he had a breaking point. I wanted to quench this sudden thirst. If I was going to be stuck with him for the next few months, I at least wanted to get something out of it.

"Oh my— Soap, stop fucking manspreading, dude!" I finally snapped after the fifth bump we hit. Yes. I've been counting.

The Scott let out a weird noise out of the back of his throat when I shoved his leg away from me. "Damn, calm down, Lass." He swatted back at me.

My eyes narrowed slightly, and I opened my mouth to say something back but he reached out and covered my mouth with his hand, "Ah, ah, ah. No."

The fuck? Soap's hand was on my mouth. He was touching me. Johnny 'Soap' MacTavish was physically fucking touching my mouth right now, in a way to shut me up. I smacked his hand off like it was some type of parasite, hastily wiping my lips because ew I didn't know where his hands have been, and he fucking put them on my lips.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" I slapped him again to make my point. "Don't you ever do that again."

Soap looked at me as if he took my hit personal and his blue eyes glared down on me. "Oi, don't act like you didn't like me touching you,"

I narrowed my eyes, "I did not." I leaned away from him when he wiggled his brows, "If you do it again, I will rip your hand off and shove it up yer' ass!"

"I love it when you talk dirty to me, Love, do it again." Crow's feet formed in the corners of his eyes as he smiled.

"You're fuckin' insufferable,"

"I'd like to say my fucking is mind blowing," Soap teased back.

I made a face at him, "Did anyone ever tell you what a dirty mouth you have?"

Soap leaned in closer to me as a mischievous glint formed in the depths of his eyes, "Oh darling, haven't you admitted to yourself yet just how much you love it when I talk dirty to you?"

I rolled my eyes, "If ignorance is a bliss, you must be the happiest person on the planet."

"You're so feisty, a woman after my own heart,"

"Johnny—"

"Nah ah, That's Daddy Soap—"

*SMACK*

Soap rubbed the side of his half-shaven head from where I just smacked the shit out of him. I pointed a finger in his direction, nearly poking him in the eye.

"You deserved that,"

I heard a deep sigh from my right before I felt a bear sized hand on my right knee, pushing it away and I instantly went into defense mode, snapping my hand out to grab the skeleton gloved hand that was touching me. My eyes snapped up to Ghost, who stared back down at me. He was wearing a skull plate over his balaclava today, so the only thing that was exposed was those damn dark eyes of his.

He was seemingly annoyed and I hadn't had a clue as to why.

"Stop touching me,"

It was then that I noticed, while I was arguing with Soap, I managed to wedge my leg into Ghosts overly muscular thigh. Instead of apologizing like a lady, as myself, should have done, I went the better route and snarked back.

"You're touching me!"

He shoved my leg off him, "You touched me first,"

"Did not!"

"I literally just moved your fucking leg,"

"Don't curse at me,"

"My apologies, did I hurt your feelings?"

"I don't have feelings."

"I could tell,"

"Oh my god," I threw my hands up, "Why are you such a dick all the time?"

"I have one. Want to see it?"

My silence is deafening. Hell, the whole vehicles silence is deafening and I'm a little worried for the other three men in the SUV with us because they all look like they just shit themselves with what Ghost just asked. I blinked once, twice, and even a third time before pulling myself together.

"N-no thanks,"

No thanks? Really, is that all I could come up with? By Ghosts body language, I could tell the bastard was probably smug under that stupid mask of his. Damn him. Satan had won this verbal match, but I swear to the gods above, I'll win the next one.

"She's a feisty little thing, wouldn't you say, Alejandro?" Rudy suddenly muttered in Spanish. It was so low I almost didn't catch what he said. "A very strong and beautiful woman," He finished with a chuckle.

I nearly broke my neck with how fast I looked towards the front of the vehicle. Momentarily forgetting the annoying Ghost that sat beside me.

Alejandro shot his second-in-command a glance. "Behave,"

"She could be my soulmate for all you know. The future mother of my children." Rudy continued. I could tell he was joking, but wow, this man was bold.

Soap, who noticed how quiet I've become looked toward the front, then back to me. I ignored him, listening as Rudy continued to talk about me. I tipped my head slightly, folding my arms over my chest as my brow quirked.

Ghost, who was observant as ever, noticed me listening to the men and followed my gaze.

Rudy looked at me through the rearview mirror and suddenly asked, "Will you bear my children?"

Deciding to fuck with the man and probably shock the total hell out of him, I unfolded my arms and leaned forward slightly. "You would like that, huh, baby boy?" I spoke in fluent Spanish, and I had to hold back the laugh as his face suddenly paled and the car swerved.

Silence. Complete and utter silence filled the cab for a second time before Alejandro busted out laughing, clearly enjoying his comrade's embarrassment.

"You look like you're about to piss yourself, Amigo." Alejandro clapped the now blushing man on the shoulder. He turned his head around to look at me, "Where in the hell did you learn to speak like that, Chicka?

"Self-taught,"

Alejandro looked impressed as he turned back toward the front, "Self-taught, you say?"

I could feel Ghost's eyes on me as I shrugged as if it were nothing. And to me, it wasn't. "Yeah. Hours of tears and rocking in a corner really pay off,"

That earned me a laugh from the man, "What other hidden talents do you have?"

"I can do a backflip, does that count?" I joked lamely.

Alejandro paused, as if he were actually thinking it over. "It's better than what I can do."

The chatter soon died as we neared our destination and the once easy atmosphere in the vehicle shifted when we took a turn down a dirt path, heading to a small secluded town. We were deep in Las Almas, after getting intel on Hassen Zyani. We were tasked to track him down and take him hostage.

Once Rudy pulled over, we all exited the SUV. I was standing back, listening to Alejandro order his men while checking the mag in my weapon. I sensed a presence to my left, which caused me to look up and see Ghost standing beside me, checking his own gun.

"Be careful and don't fuck up," His deep voice cut through the air and tickled my brain. His eyes met mine, "And follow my order,"

"Understood," I nodded before I quickly added, "Stay safe,"

Before I could see his reaction to my words, I moved away, following Alejandro as he went to a closed gate.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood to full attention when I recognized Ghost's presence behind me and I knew if I looked up, I would most likely see the bottom of his mask. I inhaled deeply, and for a moment I could smell his strange scent of leather and gunpowder.

My gaze locked on Alejandro, his gun raised as he shared a look with us all for a moment. I studied the gate carefully, already mentally running through strategic moves in my head. I was no longer the sarcastic and witty woman at this moment. No. I was a cold-hearted soldier.

"All Victors, stand by..." Alejandro locked eyes with me for only a second before speaking into the radio strapped to his chest, "3..2..1..enter, enter!"

He kicked the gate open, and we all fell into line behind him as he rushed through. My heart thrummed in my chest as I fell into pace beside Soap, his towering form a welcoming presence as we jogged down the dirt path into the old town.

"Civilians?" Soap questioned.

"Gone," Alejandro growled back, "Cartel took over. It's a hideout now."

"Good place to keep Hassan," I added, which earned a nod from Soap.

Me and Soap held back a few paces as we neared another gate, allowing Alejandro and Ghost to take lead. They both stopped on either side before sharing a look with a nod. Ghost pushed it open, and we were on the move again, running deeper into the town, armed and ready. As we came down the dirt path, there was a single gunshot.

And that's when hell broke loose.

"Contact – all Victors move in!"

I wasted no time running down the hill, my gun up and ready for any incoming as I made my way to an aged building. The air was filled with gunfire as I pinned myself to the wall and took a moment to steady my pulse. A buzz tingled on my left shoulder, and I instantly crouched, swinging my form around the corner of the wall and pulled the trigger. My bullets were released from the chamber and found a resting place in the head of a man that was running up the pathway. I took out a few more men, opening a path for our team to keep moving, and we came to a stop at a small house.

"Check this house, then we go for Hassan."

"Cartel will move him fast." Ghost grumbled from my right.

Alejandro spared the British male a glance, "Then we move faster."

Without another word, we entered the house and cleared it. When we were done, I took a moment in the living room to catch my breath, the other joining not long after.

"What happened to the families here?"

Alejandro came up to my side as he reloaded his pistol. "The cartel brings violence, so they leave."

Jesus. That's so fucking sad. The entire house looked ransacked, and I felt a felting emotion of remorse for the ones that once lived there. There were tiny toys scattered across the floors and I could almost imagine the children that sat around to play with them. No one fucking deserved this type of treatment. My eyes locked on Ghost. He's not paying attention to anything else in the room. No. His dark eyes were looking right at me.

I could admit, that for a moment I felt a flash of nerves. And it's not because of the life-threatening situation we were in.

"Get ready to move," Alejandro ordered, stepping toward the back door.

"Where's your family Alejandro?" Soap suddenly asked the man as we waited for the all-clear.

I looked over because I too was a little curious. Alejandro paused for a moment before answering. "I keep that a secret, Hermano. To protect them."

It was a reasonable answer. One I could understand.

Ghost fell into a squat beside me, "We have concealment." The Lieutenant said, eyes facing forward.

Alejandro nodded, "Let's move,"

We burst through the back door and crossed the open space, going to the white house where Hassan was supposed to be. Everyone entered and I took the task of clearing the bottom floor with Ghost as the others headed upstairs to search for Hassan.

I checked all the rooms on the right, while Ghost took the left.

A deep grunt came from behind me and I quickly turned to see Ghost brawling with another man. He didn't have his gun, as it was knocked out of his grip and lying on the floor a foot away. As they fought, I tried to get a good aim on the other man with my weapon, but he was angled in a way that if I took a shot, I'd risk hitting Ghost.

So I did the only thing I could do. Tossing my own gun to the side, I ran up, grabbing the large man off Ghost and sent a harsh punch to his jaw when he turned around. The man stumbled from my hit, surprise in his beady eyes when he saw my size and gender.

"Fucking bitch!"

He swung at me, nearly catching my eye, but I was quick to dodge. The man let out a growl, eyes calculating my next move. I didn't hesitate to take another swig, but this time he was expecting it and ducked.

And my fist met...cloth?

Ghost, who was about to attack the man from behind, staggered back as my smaller hand made contact with his throat, his hands going to his neck. A look of surprise flashed in his eyes when he realized I just fucking struck him and not the enemy.

"Hit him, not me!" He rasped, voice much deeper than what I was used to. His gloved hands were still clutching his neck as he stared down at me with a look that asked bitch are you stupid?

I would have laughed if it weren't for the man jumping back up and grabbing me around the neck with his arms, putting me into a chokehold.

Okay. Enough with the games. I was starting to get pissed, and in that moment I didn't really care if Satan saw what I was capable of. It was why I'm here, right?

I grabbed the man by his arm, about to throw him across this fucking room, but stopped when his arms left my neck and his whole body went limp on my back, blood dripping from above and landing on my cheek. Okay, that's nasty. I shoved the man off and took a step back, trying to catch my breath.

There was a knife in the back of his skull, and I could only assume it was Ghosts because not a second later, said man was pulling it out. He wiped the blood on his jeans before turning to me while slipping the knife back into the front of his vest.

We stared at each other for a moment, neither of us saying a word. I gave him a sheepish look.

"Look, about—"

"No. We don't speak about it—" He walked over to our guns, picking them. I didn't miss the way he rubbed his throat as he held out my own weapon for me to take. He looked me dead in the eyes, "Ever."

He turned his back to me and motioned for me to follow him upstairs.

"Not even Soap?"

"Especially not Soap,"

And I leave it at that. Alejandro and Soap stood in the room upstairs, the mixture of disappointment and frustration clear on their faces once we joined them. It was enough to make me pause.

"No Hassan?" I asked the obvious, my eyes following Ghost as he made his way to a desk in the room to riffle through the papers on the surface.

Alejandro shook his head solemnly, frustration in his honey-brown eyes.

"Quds Force. That's his flag," Ghost motioned to a flag hanging on the wall and we all looked.

"So, he was here,"

"Alejandro's Intel was good." Soap pipped up.

I glanced at my comrades as a crease formed between my brows, "How did he get away? How could he have known?"

The three men share a look as my question hangs in the air, but before anyone could answer, our radios crackle.

"Commander! Army is rolling in!" Rudy's voice came through in Spanish.

"Shit!" Alejandro exclaimed, earning curious looks from Soap and Ghost, since neither of them spoke the language.

I quickly made my way to one of the shattered windows, taking point.

"What is it?" Ghost asked, his voice thick.

"The Army," I answered for Alejandro.

Soap rushed to the window beside me, looking out. "We got reinforcements?"

"Negative,"

Alejandro frowned before reaching for the radio strapped on his chest, barking orders to his men in Spanish. That earned a curious yet frustrated look from Ghost. I could tell he was growing tired of not understanding what was being said.

"What're we doin'?"

Alejandro took a position beside one of the broken windows, taking a short glance at Ghost. "Covering my men. Once they're clear, we fall back."

Soap and I shared a look before snapping our eyes back to the Commander. "You want us to engage the fucking Mexican Army?"

Alejandro shook his head, "No carnal. These troops are paid by the cartel. They're helping the cartel protect Hassan."

Our conversation died as the sound of trucks rolling up caught our attention, and we all watched with batted breaths as the Army rolled in outside. Alejandro shifted in his spot and ordered us to wait for his command.

"Let them get close,"

I took a deep breath with each passing second, my lip finding a resting place between my teeth as I ripped the dead skin from the chapped area. I could feel a set of eyes tracking my every move and I didn't have to look up to know it was Ghost.

Suddenly, a string of gunfire came from outside the house and Alejandro shouted.

"Weapons free!"

I immediately opened fire, shooting down anything that moved. Soon enough, the men outside dwindled to none, and I took that as a small victory for now.

Alejandro looked out the window, eyes double-checking for any more incoming before he shouted, "My men are clear!"

"Then we need to move!"

And so we did.

I was the first to climb out of the broken window, standing on the roof's edge before flipping over the ledge and landing swiftly on my feet to soften the fall. The others followed my lead, though their descent wasn't as graceful as mine. Despite the situation, Soap gave me a smirk and I lifted a brow at him as we started to move across the yard.

"Show off,"

I only chuckled, tucking my MK to my chest as I booked it to the woods with my team hot on my heels. There was gunfire behind us, bullets flying past our heads while we practically ran for our damn life's.

"The Army is on us!" Soap growled, dodging a bullet that barely skimmed his cheek.

"Down the hill! We'll lose them in the mountains!"

By some miracle we made it down the hill and through the dense forest, all the while dodging bullets from incoming enemies.

"We need evac!" Ghost shouted as we took cover behind large boulders to catch our breath.

Alejandro lifted his radio to his mouth, "Rodriguez, call for extract!"

There was no response and I felt my stomach clench. God, I hoped he heard that, because we'll be sitting ducks if not.

"We need to move!"

Just as I stood from my spot, a loud shot rang out and my brain tingled, then I felt it. A hot pain came from my lower forearm. "Fuck!" I shouted as I looked down and saw that I'd been grazed by a bullet.

A set of strong hands wrapped around my waist, and I was suddenly forced to move.

It was Ghost.

"You got hit." Ghost growled out as he tugged me close and urged me forward. It wasn't a question, and I felt my heart thrum.

I hid my bleeding arm from his view. Of course, he'd seen me get shot. He's been too busy watching my ass this whole time. So of course, he noticed me get shot. I shook my head even though he wasn't looking at me.

"No!" I lied, and I know I'm going to hell. "I'm good,"

How else was I supposed to explain when this suddenly healed in the next few seconds?

Thankfully, Ghost was too busy trying to shield me from any more bullets to pick up on my lie. We all broke through the dense forest and came to a cliff. Without a moment of hesitation, we scaled down the side of the mountain and began to hug the wall of rocks. Once we were on the other side, we climbed down again, coming up on a narrow ledge which led to only God knows where.

We thankfully put some distance between us and the Army, which made me feel some relief, but it quickly vanished when we came up to a dead end. I looked around with wide eyes.

"Where's the extraction?!" I shouted at Alejandro.

The man looked back at me, "The comms didn't get through."

The cliff we were on stood over a large lake, and I moved to look over the edge at the large body of water that looked really welcoming at that moment. Alejandro joined my side before sharing a look with me and I instantly knew what he was thinking.

Fuck.

"You led us to a dead end, Mate!" Ghost shouted as he stood behind us.

I shared another look with Alejandro, a silent message passed between us. Yep, we are fucking doing this. I flinched as gunfire came from behind us and I turned to look up the side of the mountain. The Mexican Army had caught up, and we no longer had a choice.

We were fucking jumping.

"Guys, there's a solution to this!" I shouted over the gunfire.

Soap looked at me wide eyes while Ghost stared at me with calculated eyes.

"And what would that be?" There was sarcasm laced in Soaps words, but I ignored it.

"It involves jumping,"

Soap looked at the ledge, then me, then the ledge again before steeling his expression with a hard look, "Absolutely not,"

Alejandro, who was not having this, was the first the make the move, "Jump Amigos!" We all watched as the man dived over the edge without any hesitation.

Soap shot me a look as if this were my fault before taking a deep breath, a battle cry slipped out his mouth as he rushed forward and jumped next. My eyes went to Ghost and saw he was waiting at the edge, and for a moment, he looked like he was contemplating. Hastily, I moved to his side and that caused him to look down at me.

"You have to jump,"

"I just need a moment,"

Was he serious right now? The Simon Riley was hesitanting. Never thought I'd see the day when this man showed any type of weakness. I could hear the gunfire echoing over the mountain, pushing the urgency of this situation. I grabbed Ghost by his thick arm and willed him to look down at me again.

"We don't have a moment, Lieutenant, we have to jump now!"

His eyes looked hard, but he knew I was right. The gunshots were louder now, and we both flinched as a shot landed near our feet. Fuck this. Without giving Ghost time to protest, I lunged for him, wrapping my arms around his muscled waist as I tackled him over the ledge. A rush of adrenaline flowed through my veins as I felt Ghost wrap his arms around me in a grip so tight it could crush me.

The thrill of the fall was exciting, and I would have been hysterically laughing if it weren't for the situation we were in. Before I could hold my breath, or even blink, we hit the water and were separated from the force of it. Water filled my nose as my body jolted, prickling pain kissed my skin from impact, and I'm pretty sure my brain rattled a little.

As soon as I got my bearings, I began to paddle my arms, trying to swim back to the surface.

During my struggle, a strong hand wrapped around my thin wrist pulled me up. Once I broke through the surface of the water, I gasped for air, my lungs burning from the liquid I had inhaled on impact. I coughed a few times, trying to clear my airway and I looked to my savior, only to come face to face with a cracked skull mask.

Ghost.

"You good?"

I quickly nodded, my blonde hair sticking to the sided of my face as I inhaled deeply. "Affirm,"

"Soap? Alejandro?" Ghost called out, wading around to look for the men. Two heads bobbed in the water from a distance, and I relaxed upon seeing their familiar faces.

"Good!"

Soap coughed, "Breathing!"

I started swimming toward them, hearing their labored breathing and voices over the rushing water. My heart relaxed when I saw my two comrades alive and well. "Can I just say," I gulped, spitting out water as I floated between the two men, Ghost not far behind me. "That was fucking awesome!"

This earned me a deep chuckle from Alejandro, that damn tooth sparkling as he his teeth showed through the opening between his lips. "Mi amor, only you would think nearly dying at the hands of our enemies is fucking awesome."

Our moment was shortly lived as the radio crackled and a voice flowed through, Alejandro was quick to respond as we began to swim downstream. "All stations, this is Victor-0-1- how copy?"

I overheard another voice come through and this one sounded American, "Dow 1! Do you- -ay again, -0 you re—"

"Radios pickin' up somethin'!" Soap exclaimed, as he swam ahead of me.

Ghost came up on my left, "Sounds American."

A bullet suddenly wizzed past my head and I turned toward the water line, my eyes widening when I saw the Mexican Army had somehow caught up to us. How they found us so quickly would forever be a mystery.

"Don't they ever fuckin' stop?!"

A hand snatched me in the water and forcefully pulled me behind a large rock that was resting in the rushing water, "Easy, Tink." Ghost said, shooting some shots over the rock.

My mouth pinched with irritation at his display. I really didn't understand why he was so focused on my well-being. I know I should be grateful. But his help wasn't needed. I was more than capable of taking care of myself. Hell, if one of us were to get shot in this moment, I would most likely be the one to make it out alive. Not that he knew that though.

"Keep pushing upriver! The bridge isn't far from here!" Alejandro commanded after we cleared some of the men out.

We started swimming again, coming up to a bend in the river. My movement started to slow as the water worked against me and I let out a frustrated growl.

"The river's slowing us down, Mate!" Ghost huffed.

"Keep moving!"

As we came around the bend, Alejandro cursed under his breath when he saw the bridge. From the distance, I could see several trucks lined up with men piling out.

"Vehicles on the bridge!" Ghost warned.

"Are they ours?" I asked as I tried to get a better look.

Alejandro cursed again, "Fuck! No. They're not ours!" He started heading for some rocks to our left. "It's the Army!"

"Get to cover!" Ghost ordered and I had no problem in following that command.

I slipped behind one of the rocks with Soap, his larger form leaning over mine just as bullets hit the water beside us. I cursed under my breath when one came close to hitting me.

"We have to hold here until we get an extraction!"

Soap panted above me, "We can't break through that bloody armor!"

I circled the rock, lifting my gun over the side and setting fire. I watched the men as they took cover, and my eyes narrowed. Soon, a click came from my MK as my finger pressed the trigger and I cursed under my breath. Out of bullets. Fuck. Soap, who heard the clicking, looked over at me and pushed me back behind the rock.

"I got you, Love, stay down!"

I listened and slid down the rock, pushing back my tangled hair that had fallen from its ponytail. My eyes involuntarily scanned around until they found what they were looking for. Ghost was only a few feet away, shooting at the men on the bridge, eyes lasered focus as his head was in the game. The thumping in my chest slowed only a smidge when I saw he was okay, and I questioned my sanity.

"This is Shadow-1! Engaging the bridge north of your position. Danger close!" The same American voice said over the radio.

Alejandro shifted his weight as he lowered himself back behind a rock and looked at us, "Who the hell is that?" He shouted over the roar of gunfire.

Ghost fired a few more rounds before answering the man, "Commander Graves, Shadow Company. They're with us."

So that was Phillip Graves? Nice to know.

A loud explosion sounded from the bridge as missiles took hit and I turned in time to see as it collapsed.

"All stations, no enemy movement detected. You're clear." Graves announced over the radio. "Good to see you boys,"

"Likewise, Mate." Ghost replied back.

Alejandro swam to the shore, and we followed, "This way," He called, motioning up the hill toward a path that led to the now-burning bridge. I could make out a truck sitting idle at the top and that sparked a bit of hope in my chest at the fact we wouldn't have to walk.

"Graves, we've located a vehicle for exfil."

"Rodger that. Be advised, we got a possible hit on Hassan, two clicks north of your position." Graves answered back.

Alejandro spoke up, "That's cartel land. They have a compound there!"

Once we made it to the top of the hill and over to the truck, I climbed in the back, Ghost joining me as Soap and Alejandro took to the front.

"You guys good to roll up on Hassan with some fire from the sky?"

We all shared a look at Graves's question and had a silent agreement.

"Let's wrap this fucker up, Graves."