In The Company of Your Shadows || Phillip Graves x OFC

24 - Masks and Masquerade

I winced as I walked alongside Phillip, every step a reminder of our passionate night together that left me sore in more ways than one. 

"Ouch, my back hurts," I grumbled, pouting as I tried to keep up with him, though my gait was less than graceful.

Graves chuckled, that infuriatingly cocky smirk plastered across his face as he eyed the hickeys scattered across my neck. 

"Sorry, doll. Couldn't help it. You're just too irresistible. Besides, you weren't exactly complaining last night." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. The bastard was clearly proud of himself.

I shot him a glare, though it was more out of embarrassment rather than anger. 

I knew I had gotten off easy after what happened with Leen. Graves hadn't punished me the way I feared he would, despite letting a possible traitor go, just because she was my best friend.

Maybe he still trusted me, but I couldn't shake the guilt. I wanted to believe Leen wasn't a traitor, but in the world we lived in, hope was often a dangerous thing.

I just hope I didn't make a grave mistake. (pun definitely intended)

"But Selene, you're on thin ice with Lerch and Oz," Graves said as he pushed open the double doors leading into the intelligence room we had on base. "They still think I should bench you, but I've got a more pressing mission coming up, and I'm gonna need ya."

Although this was just a temporary setup in Al- Mazrah, the intel room ran like a well-oiled machine. The room was bustling with activity. Soldiers sat at makeshift desks, their eyes glued to screens, fingers flying over keyboards as they processed live intelligence feeds. The low hum of computers mixed with the soft chatter of encrypted comms, creating an atmosphere of controlled chaos. Maps of the region plastered the walls, dotted with markers, tracking troop movements and hot zones. 

"Sir, ma'am," a young soldier greeted us, his face serious as he held up a tablet with important data.

Graves sighed. "Speak of the devil," he muttered, motioning for the soldier to continue.

The soldier wasted no time, tapping on his tablet and showing us a data report. "At 21:00 hours, General Herschel Shepherd was taken by forces we believe to be Konni operatives. Intel suggests they're transporting him to an abandoned Soviet prison."

My eyes widened in disbelief. Shepherd was taken? The man who always seemed untouchable? I wasn't sure whether to laugh or scoff.

"The old bastard got kidnapped? How the hell did that happen?" I folded my arms, letting the disbelief bleed into my voice.

"Language," Graves scolded me lightly, though his eyes sparkled with some unspoken amusement. Then he turned back to the soldier, his expression cooling. "When and where?"

"Tomorrow, Siberia," the soldier replied, his voice as flat as the ice on a winter night.

"How the hell did they even get him?" I asked.

The soldier glanced at Graves before looking back at me.

"Konni caught one of the Shadows. Tortured him for weeks till he finally broke and gave intel on the General's location."

"So it was from torture and not a deliberate act?" I asked, just making sure we don't have another traitor situation on our hands.

"Yes, ma'am. Found the body a few kliks out of a known Konni base," The Soldier confirmed.

Graves barely reacted, his expression unreadable as he handed the tablet back. 

"Sent a team to find out where he is. If he's still alive, we'll get him back. Though the old man's too stubborn to die," he said, and yet he sounds.. dismissive?