Page 27 of Bound By Thorns
Just then, the mercenary on the jeep bent down to retrieve a precision rifle, abandoning his handgun. I knew he had Zarek in his sights. Zarek’s head was poking out the side of the container, making him an easy target.
I willed Zarek to look behind him, but he was consumed with eliminating the threat from one direction. He finally glanced back just in time to fire twice before ducking back into cover. One of the mercenaries jumped down from the jeep and tried to approach on foot. All this time, I was hidden behind another container, out of sight from everyone. My location was so bizarre that no one thought to check my way.
When the mercenary on foot tried to sneak up on Zarek, I ran full speed to intercept him, my cap flying off as I sprinted. Zarek briefly aimed his gun at me, but I lunged just in time to push him down as the merc’s shot rang out.
We both hit the ground with me on top of Zarek. He finally saw my face. I felt him stiffen beneath me, but there was no time for reunions. I looked to my right, raised my gun, and fired twice at the approaching mercenary, once in the chest and once between his eyes, while awkwardly pinning down my best friend.
More car engines roared to life and mercenaries started yelling; our backup had finally arrived. As silence settled, I dared to look at Zarek. He was frozen.
Hastily, he removed his goggles and helmet, then pulled off his balaclava. There he was—my friend, my comrade, my brother. His eyes widened as he studied my face with an intensity that pierced through the chaos, realizing who I was. A thousand emotions flickered through his eyes in a fraction of a second.
I gave him a small smile. “That’s twenty-one, Ghost.”
Before I knew it, his arms were around me, pulling me into a strong, unrelenting hug. He held me so tightly, as if he feared I might vanish if he let go. I rolled under his heavy weight, and soon we were lying side by side in a tight embrace.
“Logan,” he whispered, his voice cracking with raw emotion.
“Miss me?” I teased, my voice wavering.
“Fucker,” he muttered, his laughter breaking through his tears.
Suddenly, we both erupted into uncontrollable laughter. It rolled out loud and free, so hearty that my cheeks ached from the stretch. Finally, I was back with my squad—back with my family.
Tears streaked down my cheeks as our laughter mingled in the air.
Then Dylan was there, larger than life, grabbing the back of my shirt and hauling me up like a rag doll. He pulled me into a crushing embrace, pressing his forehead to mine, his massive hands gripping my shoulders tightly.
“Damn it, Logan,” he said, his voice shaking. “Don’t ever do that again.”
“Loud and clear, Titan,” I said, my grin breaking through the tears.
Zarek, still lying on the ground, clutched his chest dramatically. “You’re giving me a heart attack over here. I’m too young for this.”
I snorted, glancing down at him. “Yeah, you look real fragile, Ghost.”
“Don’t push it,” he shot back, though his smirk betrayed his relief.
Our reunion was pierced by a sudden, heart-wrenching wail. I turned to see Leora, her face crumpled with tears, her knees buckling under the weight of her emotions. She collapsed to the ground, burying her face in her hands as sobs wracked her body. In every sense, she was my sister.
I rushed to her, dropping to my knees in front of her. My hands gently lifted her face, her tear-streaked cheeks trembling under my touch. I leaned in, kissed her forehead softly, and pulled her into a tight embrace as she shook with sobs against me.
“You reckless, self-sacrificing, moronicass,” she mumbled through her tears. With a hint of wariness, she added, “are you real?”
“I’m here,” I whispered, stroking her hair. “I’m here, Leo. I promise.”
Gradually, her sobs subsided, and she leaned back, her fingers roaming over my face, tracing each feature as if to confirm I was real.
I gave her a lazy grin and wiggled my eyebrows playfully. “You missed me too much.”
Her response came swiftly—a hard flick to my forehead that left me wincing in surprise. “Ow?”
“Shut up, I didn’t even flick you that hard,” she said, bursting into laughter.
I feigned a frown for a moment, rubbing my forehead, but soon joined her in laughter. Dylan and Zarek joined us, andZarek bent down to kiss Leora on the temple. Suddenly, Zarek stiffened and pressed a finger to his earpiece, calling in, “Squad Six, report status.”
Dylan responded first, “Desmond 39900 clear, unhit.”
Handing me his earpiece, I listened in as Leora reported next, her voice steady, “Mateez 41556, clear, unhit.” She gave me a knowing smirk, aware of the surprise about to unfold for Kabir and Amelia, who were probably stationed at the rally point and unaware of my survival.
