Double Crossed

Trapped Like Rats

The bullet pierced Ryan's skin and quickly left the other side, lodging itself into the wall behind him. Everything stops, and suddenly I don't care about the fact we are all trapped inside enemy territory, I don't care we were ambushed, I don't care about the Hecate agents pointing guns at me. The only thing I care about is Ryan, the man who risked everything for me from admitting his feelings to getting between me and a gun.

He's lying on the floor, barely moving, and I don't think. I can't think. I push past Zane's arm, running towards Ryan and falling to my knees beside him. My hands instantly put pressure on the bullet wound in his thigh and I turn him around so I can look at him. I don't even realize I'm crying until I see a tear drop land on his shirt.

The adrenaline pumps in my ears making it hard to hear anything beyond my own thinking. "You shouldn't have done that, Ryan," I say, my voice sounding raspy and just a little panicked. The tears are flowing steadily now.

Ryan looks at me, his eyes glazed over in pain. He sits up slowly, grunting lowly in pain as he does and gently, Ryan places one of his hands over top of mine. He looks into my eyes, and I can see such determination there, but no regret like I was expecting. Then, Ryan speaks, his voice not wavering once, "If not me then it would be you, and I'm not prepared to let that happen."

I open my mouth to respond but before I have the chance to say or do anything else, a cold, steel tube is pressed against the back of my head at the same time I see a gun being pointed at Ryan's temple.

"Well isn't this touching," a menacing voice says sarcastically. "The two love birds having a heart-felt moment after being caught in the middle of their mission." The gun pressed tightly to the back of my head shifts as my captor bends down to mine and Ryan's height. His grubby breath fills my nose and he hisses into my ear, spit being splattered in my hair, "Too bad it won't change the outcome. We know everything you do, hell, probably more."

With that my captor stands up again, shoving my head violently to the side as he does so. My reflexes kick in then, making my hands leave Ryan's leg quickly and are thrust out in front of me in the awkward angle I was being pushed in. In the seconds it takes me to react, I hear Ryan take in a sharp breath, although I'm not sure if it's from the sudden pain of my hands leaving his wound or because of the way I'm being treated.

My face, along with everyone else's on my team, remains blank. Letting the enemy know our thoughts and feelings gives them a psychological advantage, one they don't need to have. Although just because my face is emotionless doesn't mean I'm not freaking out on the inside.

I want to be angry at this situation, but I can't. All I can think about is Ryan. He took a bullet for me, and not just any bullet. He got shot in the leg right where his sister did last year. The difference is she died. He's doing a good job at hiding his emotions but I know he's not as calm as he wants people to think. The only thing I want to do is comfort Ryan, hug him and just forget about this situation, but it's killing me that I can't.

There is movement behind me and I shift my eyesight to look up at Ryan, who hasn't moved a muscle thanks to the 460XVR Revolver firmly pressed to the side of his head. Subtly he glances at something behind me and then back at me quickly and urgently. Worry fills his eyes and I recognize the defeat in them as well, he can't stop what he sees coming.

Suddenly I know what Ryan is trying to tell me. A sharp, piercing pain fills the back of my head and drips down my neck, filling my body and making my vision go blurry. My head starts to pound and black spots line my vision. They've hit me with the butt of their gun. It's only as I'm falling to the ground and losing consciousness that I see my teammates also fall, and the last thing I remember is the defeat I feel. As soon as my skull hits the ground, everything goes dark.