The Devil Doesn't Bargain

Chapter 22

----Ghosts POV----

I lost her. 

She was just fixed, her body healing and we were just getting into a good space. How could we FUCKING lose her??

Price finally slowly let go of me, watching as I bolted out of the hallway and into the sunset kissed pavement as a silver suv raced up the hill. No doubt what they used to take her.. I felt warm tears prick the corners of my eyes, I was helpless in this moment...

"What the fuck Price?" I roared, storming back to him, stepping over Soap and Gaz in the process.

"She has a better chance if we go looking for her. You know that Simon! They kept her alive for a reason!"

"You lost her again. She was our responsibility according to Laswell. And we fucked it here! How could we just watch that??" I was angry, scared, so many emotions actually and they were all misdirected towards Price..

"That's enough mate!" Gaz piped up, helping Soap to his feet. "We ALL lost her.."

"Don't think we won't get her back Simon." Prices hand clasped around my shoulder. "We will start now."

All nodding in agreement we filed into the conference room, bugged or not we didn't care anymore. For hours we talked about where to start, locals or tire tracks. Why not both?

"Good idea Ghost, Soap and you will take tire tracks, Gaz and I will take locals."

"Alive?" I hissed, retreating back into The Ghost.

"Execution is authorized. We want Hound to answer for this but.. If needed take the bastard out." Price nodded, looking at all of us. "We get Ember back no matter what. Hopefully sooner rather than later. Then we go after Shepherd." His voice like ice, this wasn't like before, Ember wasn't just some rescue mission with a name on paper. She was apart of the team, the reliable one, our friend, my... Something. 

"Lets move." I nodded, eyes frantically looking at Soap as we walked out. "You sure you're good?"

"Its nothing compared to what Em could be going through.."

"Fair." We walked in silence, heading towards the armory. Gearing up possibly a little excessively I made sure to skip the pistol. I was going to take Embers Canic to finish the bastard off. Walking into her room I glanced around, her bed a mess, towel strewn about.. Never took her for a messy kinda person.

"Ghost we will get her. Don't worry."

"I know.." I grabbed the Canic off the table, heavy in my hand I imagined how her hand felt in mine.

"Do you think there is hope for people like us...?"

"No, but we make do with what we have."

I remembered that question so vividly... My answer has since changed, there was hope. People like us, the broken. The hurt. The lost... We weren't out of hope. She was my hope, and I'll be damned if I lose it again. I refuse to lose anyone else close to me.

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My feet crunched against the dead twigs and soft Earth. Soap was right behind me as we walked up the hill.

The tire tracks were luckily imprinted by the damp soil as it went off road, making it easy to follow.

"Soap, building at 130." I whispered, seeing the shack come into view.

"Copy LT. Flanking right."

"Solid. Out here." 

Walking up to the building I could see the soft glow of a fire in the window, screams filled the still air of the shack.

Ember.

"Where do you get off doing this??"

"Orders are orders Emmy."

"Don't fucking touch me! Don't call me that!!"

She wae scared, what scared her so badly that she'd be yelling like this?

"I don't like it either. But you and I both know that knob Messier was a liability to my mission."

"Yeah. YOUR mission Scotty. Just you fucking wait until the 141 gets here."

"Ah yes... Your replacements for us. Even sleeping with that uh... Specter?"

"Ghost." She seethed.

"Soap she's with someone named Scotty..." I whispered, being met with silence the door to the side was kicked in, Soap breaching. Aiming down his sight at the large man, Embers eyes grew to saucers.

"Soap you need to leave!!" She bolted up, standing between Johnny and Scott.

"What the hell is he doing here Em?!" He was furious, hands near his waist

"Scott shut your damn mouth. He's leaving, Ghost too.." Her eyes met mine in the window, tears stinging her exhausted eyes.

"They better." Scotts voice cold.

"Soapy... Back up.." Her voice soothing, slowly pushing Soap out of the shack. "Now isn't the time."

"What if.." His eyes fell, was he really walking away?

"You will. Both of you." She nodded, shaking his hand before stepping away, letting the door close slowly.

Willingly he walked over to me, grasping my shoulder and pulling me. "We need to go. Trust."

"Trust.." I seethed, taking one last longing look at the strong woman illuminated by firelight. Her eyes were pained, deep oak color with splashes of sun.. She was terrified, and we were walking away. It went against every instinct I had, everything burned with every step away from her.

"She gave me this." He held out a small paper with coordinates. No doubt where they were taking her.

"So we follow these. Call Price." I nodded. This wasn't what we wanted but we needed to trust.

"Once we're clear."

"Who the hell is this Scotty?" I finally asked.

"Her old LT. Former leader of the 556. Presumed KIA after a mission went south in Bangladesh."

"And how do you know this?,

"She told me."

We walked in silence down the dark hill, the full moon illuminating our path through the woods. My mind wandered to and from Ember and the man who took her, to how we were going to explain this to Price... I still had to apologize for earlier. I was so zonked out that I didn't even hear Johnny call Price, telling him what we found in that shack.

I wasn't surprised when Price was angry, he was yelling and pacing around.. He wanted Ember back as soon as possible. We all did.

I told you... You lost her.

Shut up. We couldn't control this.

Are you sure? If you hadn't been so busy with John MacTavish she could still be here.

I can't control everything.

Just admit it.. You still need me.

She brought me back, broke Simon free from this jail in my mind...

And look where it got you.

It got me love.

It made us weak.

I am more than just Ghost. I am Simon Riley. The man who lost everything, whose hands are always stained in blood. But also the man who would do anything for the auburn haired woman who haunts my dreams.

I may be softer, but I didn't care. As long as she was by my side.