Beretta (MC#1)

Chapter 37- Him

94 hours, 31 minutes and 9 seconds.

A pin pricked my heart every second. Piercing pain started from my heart and spread all down my being. I was positive this was a real medical condition that needed diagnosis. No time though. Not with Rose in that man's clutches.

"Fuck!". I snapped out of my reverie just when a chair crashed into the wall beside me. It lay in a broken mess of wood and splinters beside all the other ones I'd broken. 

Across from me, Roman Mikhailov gave Prez a passive look clearly saying  'seriously?'.

"Where the fuck is she?", Prez ignored Mikhailov and advanced murderously towards the group of the best hackers money and threats could bring from all over the globe. 

"Look, her chip has no signal so we're unable to track her location", the lanky boy pointed towards a blinking spot on the desktop. 

The temperature dropped about a 100 degrees in the makeshift basement tech room. An unfamiliar cold seeped out from my bones and some primal part of my being fucking froze and hardened. 

I couldn't let history repeat itself. I wouldn't let the one thing I'd found to live for go. Without her, there was no purpose. Without her, there was no me.

"Then we raid each and every probable location until we find her", the room quietened immediately. Perhaps they heard the warning in the rasp of my barely there voice. Perhaps it was the shock of me speaking after almost 48 hours. I didn't care to stay for their affirmations. 

Because I was going anyway. With or without them. 

"Dagger, report on the armoury. Don, let the men prepare and Salvatore, I need-", Prez wasted no time. There was my confirmation. I couldn't bring myself to acknowledge that I'd doubted his love for his sister. Even if it was for a second. 

And just then Psycho stalked inside followed by Ghost and Shadow. I slowly shook my head when they glanced at me expectantly. 

"We've got 'em all ready, VP", Hound and Maddog announced and I nod. 

I stalked out to the empty parking lot, lighting a fresh cigarette, I let my thoughts wander. How was she? Alive or-

No. 

I couldn't go there. Not right now. 

Closing my eyes, I tipped up my chin towards the starry, night sky. I mentally retrieved my happiest memories and relived them, one by one. 

Me and Rose, in this very parking lot after I'd been the most massive fuckup in the history of fuckups. I'd been ready to be run over that day in my desperation to get her to stay- to listen. And looking back on those initial days, I knew what we had was something special. Even then, I'd known, had felt it. It had scared me enough to want to push her away. Yet I couldn't let go. 

I wouldn't let go. Ever. 

Me and Rose. Her hair flying like liquid flames in the harsh sea breeze. Sand in between my toes and warmth in my belly. 

Me and Rose, on my bike. Nothing in this world could compare to the feeling of her wrapped around me and the comfort the weight of her trust provided me as we flew down the curving road at phenomenal speeds. 

Me and Rose, when she'd looked me in the eye and said 'I love you'. Did I ever even say it back? 

The heat from the burning cigarette end singed my fingers and I relished in that burn. It proved to distract from the fucking inferno in my soul. 

"Blaze?", footsteps approached me from behind. "Blaze, are you okay?"

"Fine", I turned to face Raven. 

Whatever she saw in my face, warned her to take a cautious step back. She gulped, cleared her throat, then met my eyes again. I only see emerald ones, only her- only Rose. This time I shift to focus on the neon lights shining somewhere down the street

"I just wanted to check-", I moved back when she tried to touch my arm. 

"You shouldn't be here, Raven"

"Oh. I got permission from Roadkill to see Diesel"

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I-I wanted to check on you", she stammers and blushes in embarrassment. 

"Blaze!", Don jogs out of the bar and stops at the sight of Raven. Then shakes his head as if to clear something. "They got something. The tracker. Got some location and-"

I was running inside before he could finish. 

We get her back tonight. 

One way or another.