[1] Midnight Lips | Ghost

𝐂𝐇. 05

VALENTINA
༻❁༺

     My lip was throbbing, and when I touched the edge, my fingers came back with blood. I wanted to believe I had it all under control, but in reality, the fucker that attacked had taken charge the second I lost balance.

And then there was Simon Riley, my lieutenant. I knew he was my superior, but what the heck was wrong with him? The fact that he was too distracted watching my back instead of his irritated me. What did he think, that I wasn't capable of taking care of myself? Wasn't it obvious that I was here because I was trained for it?

He got shot. Wasn't that clear enough that he should take care of himself now?

I huffed and looked down at the man at my feet. Riley's knife was still in his head. The other man had a bullet instead. I guess Riley and I got each other's backs, so I shouldn't be angry at that, right?

He was just making sure I still had a heartbeat.
But didn't he care about having one too?
Why did the thought make me feel weird?

It wasn't that I was angry because his mind was focused on my well-being instead of his, it was just that it hit me straight in my pride and I hated it.

I mentally sighed.

Fine.
I admit it.
Simon Riley saved my life and got injured because of it.

Realization slammed into me. Riley got shot, goddamn it, he was bleeding when he left. What if it was lethal? What if he actually didn't care about his heartbeat? He saved me and got hurt, yet there I was, treating him like shit for it.

I was certain he went back into the white house where the rest was supposed to be, so I ran after him, determined to be the one helping him now, but when I came into the room on the second deck, everyone was crouched by the window.

"Get down, sergeant!" Alejandro demanded.

I instantly bent down and approached him. "What's happening?"

"The army is here—No mames! Si te dieron duro, Val." No way! They got you hard, Val. Alejandro leaned back to glance at the man on the other side of me, who just now I realized was the man I was looking for. "Ayo, Ghost, you said she was fine."

"I am fine," I confirmed. "What's the update?"

"The army is here. Not trying to engage. We can't trust them."

Of course, they were. Another intervention yet again. "Any idea as to how they knew we were coming?"

"Don't know. Only my men and Task Force knew about this mission." Which meant the traitor stood among us, but we already knew that, didn't we?

"They've got light armor," Ghost rasped.

"Hold fire. Let them get close."

I leaned closer to Riley, though before I couldn't even open my mouth to speak, he shut me up with a single, "I'm fine."

"You didn't even know what I was gonna say!"

His eyes met mine and I shivered at the coldness. "What were you planning to say, then?"

I pressed my lips together for a few seconds. "You're bleeding. Let me just check—"

"It's nothing. I'm fine."

"Riley—"

"Name's Ghost, and like I said, I'm just fine. It was only a scratch."

He sounded so mean, it hurt me. I decided right then that I was never going to refer to him by Ghost, just because he told me so. "Fuck you, Riley."