We Who Serve

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Alejandro led the group into the central area of his safe house, where all his men were chatting and preparing their weapons. He whistled to catch their attention as they walked over to a table that Rudy was standing behind.

"Vaqueros, presta atención." He called all his men to gather around.

"Alright, listen-" Price began to address everyone in the room. Grimes stopped in between him and Ghost around the table. "We are taking back your HQ; we are getting our prisoner, and we are killing commander Graves." 

"When?" Rudy asked; you could see the slight excitement over the thought of getting back at Graves for causing all this.

"Now," Ghost answered him.

"This is a fight against our own; we are not 141, Los Vaqueros and Assassins on this," Price said, looking around everyone. "We're a team." Price finished as Ghost reached down, picked up a bag he opened, and emptied it onto the table. Masks similar to Ghosts flew out. "Ghost team." 

Ghost reached up to grab the fabric of his mask, and he pulled it off. Everyone watched, stunned as he revealed his face for the first time in a long time and the first time for many there. Grimes watched from his side as she saw his face again. It was the fourth time she had seen it since she's known him. The first time since she was shot, he has changed. He was more ruff and older looking but still very handsome. His eyes instantly snapped to Grimes as she looked at him; butterflies burst into flight in her stomach. Her face kept calm, but her body had goosebumped all over.

"Good to see you again, Simon." Price nodded as Ghost's eyes moved to Price for a moment, then back to Grimes. This was Simon, the Simon that Grimes wanted to know more about. She had begun, too, seven years ago; they started getting closer until that mission. Her mind snapped back to the first time she saw his face. She was new in the base of 141 when she walked into the mess hall. Ghost had thought he was alone on base, so he was sitting eating a takeaway without it. She apologised, but she didn't know who he was at the time. Grimes thought he was just another team member. Ghost wouldn't admit it, but it was refreshing not feeling the urge to his away. They both sat and watched tv together that night before calling it a night. 

"If you're in, take a mask," Price pulled Grimes out of her thoughts as he took off his bush hat and took a mask. "If you're not, don't," He said as everyone reached for a mask. Grimes went to grab one, but her hand was stopped when Ghost grabbed her wrist.

"Not you," He grumbled at her before Grimes ripped her wrist from him. 

"Fuck off," Grimes told him as she reached for the mask again. Ghost turned and grabbed her by the upper arm and began to drag her away from the table of men watching them. "Get off me, Ghost," Grimes warned him as she struggled to get her arm out of his hold. Soap moved to help Grimes; up Price stopped him shaking his head. She could have easily flipped him, but she didn't want to aggravate her wound anymore. Ghost opened the door and pulled her in with him before shutting it. 

"What the fuck was that?" Grimes asked as she rubbed her upper arm, which was now slightly sore from his firm grip. Ghost still didn't have his mask on, so she could see every expression on his face. There was anger mixed with fear. Something she never thought she would see on him. 

"You have to stay here," He told her, leaving no room for argument, but she was going to argue. 

"No way in fucking hell am I leaving you guys to go and fight," Grimes told him bluntly. 

"We all want Graves dead, you more than most. But you can't come with us." Ghost told her.

"He fucking shot me, Simon," Grimes yelled at him; he was shocked for a moment as very rarely does she use his name. 

"Exactly, you were shot. You still are; the more you aggravate it, the worse it will get." He told her, taking a step closer to her. Grimes stepped backwards, trying to keep a distance between them. "I had to watch you being shot for a second time." 

"There won't be a third," Grimes told him, her voice faltering the closer he got to her. 

"Both you and I know that can't be promised," Simon told her as she hit the wall behind her. Simon now stood toe to toe with her. Grimes looked up at him while he reached his hands up and placed them on both her cheeks gently.

"I need you here, safe," Simon told her as he looked into her eyes. She could only read two things, two emotions; everyone thought that Ghost could never have. Fear and love. It caught Grimes off guard. All she could feel was his warmth and safety of him standing in front of her. The warm feeling of both his hands holding her face steady to stay looking at him. All she could hear was her heartbeat pounding away relentlessly in her ears. Her breath caught in her throat. 

Sure there had been moments between them, but that was always when people were around. But this, this was intimate. Something that both of them were not used to, but it felt right. 

"Simon," Grimes muttered, trying to plead her case but failing to make her voice work. Simon's eyes fluttered to her lips, then back to her eyes and before she could say anything more. Simon moved down and placed his lips on her. Grimes's eyes widened, and the sudden contact. Her mind exploded into thousands of colours. It was only a few seconds before he pulled back and held his face less than an inch from hers. 

"I'm sorry," Simons whispered to her, "But I can't have you out there injured." He continued when she heard the sound of a zip tie being closed. 

"Did you just," Grimes asked, completely shocked; her heart felt like it had been ripped open. Simon had zip tied her wrist to a pole on her left. Simon took a step back from her as he pulled on his mask. His eyes snapped back to her; he could see that he had hurt her more than he had hoped. He watched as tears threatened to fall from her eyes as she ripped her gaze away from him. 

"We will be back soon," Ghost told her as she turned around and walked to the door. "There will be a Vaqueros outside if you need anything." 

"so what, I'm a prisoner now?" Grimes hissed with venom at him, "Prick." Was all he heard her say before he shut the door behind him. He took a deep breath before returning to the others, who were ready to leave.