Chapter 28 #2
Fifteen minutes later, we're turning into the dirt road that threads between the woodland that leads to base. The patrols no longer exist since we took some out last time and the remainder were taken care of by Hawk whilst 656 were out chasing a cold lead.
“They’re all in the command room.” Adam breaks the silence whilst we exit the vehicle.
His words are followed by the clicks of our guns to have them ready for any surprises.
Noc takes the lead, the rest of us following behind, each step matching the thunderous bass in my heart.
This isn’t going to be a walk in the park, and there will be denial between Rhaine and Hunter, but they've always been the most level-headed out of the three of them - I hope that quality works in our favor.
Noc swings the double doors to the quarters open as if he were entering Helm’s Deep, a whisper of air following behind him.
We walk in single file, our footfall a measured defiance against what waits ahead.
Hawk is leaning against the table facing us, whilst Rhain and Hunter are seated with their backs to the door.
Our presence has their heads whipping round, rushing to their feet as they take in the weapons and menacing stances.
I don't want to kill these guys, I've always worked well with them.
Ashfall doesn't need to lose any more worthy soldiers.
“What the hell? Hawk?” Hunter's alarmed tone makes his voice hitch up as he grabs Rhaine’s arm, backing them away slowly to the wall.
“It's fine, 656, take a seat. You lot can drop the Rambo act as well.” Hawk’s low laugh fills the room, the man as cool as a drink of water on a hot day.
“I got ahead of the game and started to fill in Rhaine and Hunter whilst you guys were close by… A high-level overview.” Hawk says.
I watch Rhaine running a hand through her hair. “Understatement of the year,” She mutters.
I glance at Noc and he nods. We all move to take a seat around our old familiar spots where Graves and Hawk would outline the MO for our objectives.
Only this time, Graves is the target, and Noc has taken his place beside Hawk.
“And just in case there was any remaining doubt.” Hawk holds his hand out to Adam as he places his phone in it, the recording of Graves and Volokov filling the room, causing a thicker tension to replace the air.
It cuts off before the gunfire starts, and Adam walks over to hand them a beige envelope - the physical copy of the file that Noc sent me.
Hunter’s brows dip with each page read and Rhaine’s wide eyes flicker over every piece of information.
The realization settles over their features the further they go.
“Jesus Christ.” She gets to her feet, clearly not needing to see anymore as Hunter now has his fist clenched against his lips. “I knew something was going on.” And all eyes shoot straight to him.
“What do you mean, you knew?” Hawks voice is sharp, posture straightening from the table.
I'm all ears for this as well as I lean forward in the chair. “Graves… he's been acting real shifty with us the last couple of weeks. He’d periodically taken Gunner away on his own ever since we touched down here six months ago. But then his behavior started changing, Rhaine and I had no idea what they were up to, but they’d always say it was training.” My brows furrow at that.
Was Graves bringing Gunner onto his side?
Gunner's always been a prick, especially to me.
Now I'm wondering if that was the whole reason for it.
“Gunner's dead,” Noc deadpans, and surprisingly, neither of them has the same reaction I had when Blitz died - there’s not a flinch in their muscles.
“When we were monitoring the meeting between Graves and Volokov, Gunner exposed Blitz. He disarmed her and led her out into the open, defenseless.” Noc repeats the horrors that occurred.
Rhaine looks at all of us, obviously connecting the dots with the absence of both people.
Her voice is soft, cautious. “Blitz?” My heart tightens at the mention of her name, a little more pressure added when I hear Phantom speak.
“Dead. Graves shot her.” He takes the burden from Adam or I having to relay the news.
Hunter slams the file to the floor between his legs, “Fuck.” He throws himself back against the chair, and I can see him trying to wade through the shitshow that we've already escaped. I empathize with the decision he needs to make, the same way the rest of us did.
“I'm sorry for your loss.” Rhaine’s tone is still gentle, and she looks at Hunter with imploring eyes. Those two have always been close, and I often wonder if they're more than teammates, like Noc and I are.
“Sorry for yours.” Adam’s testing the water with them, but Hunter's gruff laugh comes as a slight surprise.
“No need. Gunner was an asshole. Always has been, went off and done his own shit. He was a liability to both of us.” The longing look he gives to Rhaine confirms my suspicions, and I notice she grips his hand that rests between them.
She bites the inside of her cheek, eventually nodding after a beat of silence.
Hunter’s eyes glance between us all. “We're with you, whatever you need.”