Rising From The Flames

Chapter 1 - Interrogation

Jen stretched as far as his hands would reach, fingers curling at the end. Transforming from a warzone life style to the peaceful neighborhood ex-military OP has been a little challenging. However, he hasn't had to do it alone.

The guys stopped over regularly. Some with their kids, others alone. He was the only one outside of a relationship now, but that was because the only woman he was interested in seemed to disappear off the face of the Earth. He knew that she was safe, he had to have known otherwise if she wasn't. If Calvin didn't want to be found, then she wasn't going to be.

Standing from his bed, Jake adjusted the loose grey sweatpants that hung on his hips. This was something that he missed when he was sent overseas. His morning routine.

Jen would walk out of bed, eyes peeling open from the late hours that he was up to. Then, strolling into his kitchen, he would pour his glass of milk with his bowl of cereal. Every now and again, like a morning like today, Jake's phone would buzz. Sometimes it was her, sometimes it was the boys. Every time it went off though, his heart ached hoping it was Cal.

Luckily, this morning, it was. It was a response to a message he had sent her last night. A lot of times he would send random things, just to make sure that she was alive, just to make sure that she could respond. This reply was two words, and two words the woman was fond of. "Fuck Off."

He had asked her if she had any tattoos, and if so, where?

Laughing at his phone, he clicked it closed and flipped on his TV to his favorite show: South Park.

It was brutally honest, dull jokes that made personal jabs at anyone who opposed them. In some messed up crooked way, it seemed to remind him of her.

In the world of the Loser's things seemed to be slowing down. Well, kind of.

Cougar was engaged a kid on the way, Aisha was pregnant with Clay's kid, Jake was alone- like always, and Pooch was working on his second kid too. They were all moving on with their lives, leaving what happened back in Africa behind them. It was the only thing that they could do, but not him.

Jake knew that Calvin had to do this, but he couldn't stand that she thought that she needed to do it alone.

The guy would go with her, to the ends of the Earth he would fight alongside her.

But his sister, Jessica, and his niece, Cassidy. They kept him grounded, they kept Calvin from taking him away. This was a battle that she believed that she needed to fight alone. Why? Because she didn't want anyone else to die.

Three solid knocks from his door were enough to pull him away from his thoughts of her. Pooch was supposed to be stopping by today, but he didn't expect him this early. Then again, none of the boys really answered his texts last night, but it was common for them to ignore him.

Rising to his feet he set the bowl of cereal onto the table and walked towards his door. The three knocks happened again. "I'm coming! Relax!"

There was no point in putting a shirt on. Pooch didn't care, nobody really cared, it was just a common thing around the guy.

Grabbing ahold of the door handle, Jake guided it opened and greeted the figure with a smile.

There was no time for greetings though. Instead, his words were cut short by a fist. It made contact with his temple, the world went dark, and the ringing in his ears grew loud.

Before he knew it Jake was knocked unconscious and the entire world slipped away.

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Jake was dragged across the concrete floor. However he got here, it wasn't comfortable. The guy was stuffed into the back of a trunk, hands tied behind his back and bag over his head.

The heat was almost unbearable, the driver not really caring to take the turns cautiously.

Whatever building he was in it was cold, wet, and muggy all around. There were grunts coming from every which way, and by what he could feel there seemed to be at least three men around him. "Put him with the others." A deep voice said.

Others. Did that mean that the boys were here?

Hearing a door open Jake waited patiently. In result, all he got was a kick to the back of the knees and his back pushed against a wall.

The tape was cut from his hands and soon replaced by the metal latches of what felt to be chains. Being strung above his head, the guy waited for the bag to be removed. It didn't take long for that wish to be granted. As soon as it was, his world came crashing down. His guess was right. There to his left was Pooch, eyes concerned and looking to his friend. On the other side was Coug and Clay, both seemed to be wearing the same expression as Pooch.

"Hey guys, party's here." Jake smiled looking around as the man who was chaining him up walked out of the room.

Nobody answered for a while, all they listened to was the silent creak of the door closing ahead of them. "Hey Jen..." Clay acknowledged him seeing the room was empty. "They didn't tell us anything, but I got a feeling soon we're gonna find out."

Each man had to make sure that the other wasn't hurt anywhere. Physically, they seemed okay. However, mentally, Cougar surprisingly seemed to be the one that was freaking out the most. His mind was already all over Jasmine, What if they got to her, what if they had here too? They were together when Coug was taken, they broke in and just tore up the place. Ever since then, he hadn't heard anything about her...

The door to the other side of the room suddenly opened, all four perked up looking to see what exactly was coming their way.

It was a cart, one man wheeling it in and another shutting the door behind him. Instantly Clay was able to tell just what type of situation this was. It was an Interrogation.

Both seemed to be tall men, neither really showing any hesitance towards anything. "We are going to ask you once." The darker figure to the right asked. "Where is Calvin Harris?" All four froze in their spot. So this is what it was about, this was Simmons crew? They really found them?

Of course, nobody was going to say a damn thing. Not only because they didn't know, but because even if they did- they would keep her a secret until the second they died. She was a Loser, they were a team.

Cougar's attention flickered upwards towards a small movement. He was the only one who noticed it.

The interrogator crouched before Clay with a knife in his hand. "Don't play stupid. We know you have been in contact with her, so-" He slowly began dragging the knife across his cheek watching as blood ran down. "-I want to know where."

"Tu Hija de Perra." Coug shook his head looking away. This caught the interrogators attention. Both pounced towards him, smiles wide on their faces and shock on the Loser's beside him. "What was that pretty boy?" The country man asked from the back.

"It doesn't matter if we tell you or not, if we know or not." He shook his head. "You're all going to end up dead anyway, the Chica is coming for you."

"Well we hope she does." He grinned ripping Coug's hat off of his head.

Instantly, the tension in the room changed. The boy's knew the story behind Cougar's hat, why he was so protective. However, normally, he warned them not to touch the hat- even though it was too late for that now.

As soon as it happened though, all four Losers saw it.

The vent from the Air ducts above popped off and the slim figure dropped from above landing with their legs around the man's neck. In a twist the man was on the ground with a broken neck, Coug's hat falling from his hands and rolling across the ground.

The other tried to attack, but they were too slow. In one kick his knee cap was blown out and her hand was covering his mouth to muffle the scream. Then, breaking all wind possible, the silver knife slid across his neck with ease.

Soon enough, all that was left standing was the womandressed in black, her blonde hair coming loose from her shoulders as she bentdown to gather Coug's hat. Then, wiping off the dust collected on it, shesmiled down at the two bodies and sighed. "You shouldn't have touched the hat."