𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣. Evan Buckley ²

twenty four

Eddie nodded, short and curt as he pressed his lips together in disappointment, "how many more times are we gonna do this? Almost die, I mean."

Hunter looked up at the clarification of his words, "Well, I don't plan on dying of old age," she mumbled. At one point, Hunter had told Donny old age was the best way to die, but now? She was unsure, if something was going to kill her, it might as well be something that makes her feel alive, "you thinkin' you've had enough?"

Eddie closed his eyes, looking away from the woman, "I just... what would happen to Chris if I didn't make it home one day— he deserves a father."

"Is this the end of the line for firefighting?" She somberly asked, abandoning her lunch as she turned her full attention to the recovering Diaz. The Callahan couldn't fathom not greeting Eddie every day at work, or having someone replace him— that would be the worst part. But then again, she couldn't fathom a world in which she had to attended a funeral where is the one Eddie Diaz laying in the black casket.

"I don't know," he all but whispered out the words, Eddie hardly recognized his own own as it left his mouth. The conflict he felt inside his head and his heart was not one that he could find a solution to. Chris was his number one, his top priority amongst other more mundane things. But to quit his job, to leave his family, that thought broke something inside of him.

"Well..." Hunter trailed off, "I don't think this is something I have advice for," she told him honestly. She wasn't a mother, she couldn't pretend to know how Eddie felt and she sure couldn't tell him how to fix the feelings inside of him, "But, I won't look at you different either way... I'll understand— we all will."

Eddie let out a soft nod, as if he was too lost in thought to respond to her words. He didn't speak, but he sank back further into his couch as he ran a hand over his face. Hunter's eyes gazed over the man, observing his behavior as she tried to find words that would comfort him.

She wasn't good at this, at being there for others and comforting them. Of course, she hadn't grown up with a family full of love and maybe that translated to her struggle with emotions in situations like the current given one. But for Eddie, she tried. She had already lost her blood brother and wouldn't take a moment for granted with her chosen brother. If his bandaged shoulder and pale faced hospital visit taught her one thing, it was that he could be taken from this world any moment.

They both kept their mouths closed, no longer feeling hungry as they had both long since abandoned their lunches in an effort to listen to each other. Thankfully, before Hunter could actually open her mouth and string meaningless words together, her phone rang out, vibrating from its spot next to her on the arm of the couch.

She sighed, apologizing to Eddie as she stood from the couch, walking towards his front door as she looked down at her phone. She frowned, seeing the unknown number but elected to answer it considering these days her life wasn't simple enough to ignore calls anymore.

Hunter closed the front door behind her, sitting on the concrete step that led to Eddie's home as she answered the call, muttering a quick hello as her eyes gazed over the LA afternoon sky.

"Gunnery Sergeant Callahan..." Hunter's back straightened as she became alert, her formal name hit a nerve but the accent rattled her to her core. The thick Chechen accent rang in her ears even over the English words.

"Can't say I've heard of him," she replied, voice low and almost hoarse as she looked around her. Maybe it was a bad idea to play games, call her stupid but her pride stood in the way.

A mocking chuckle left the speaker of her phone, "you really want to do this this way? Because you took something from me."

"You know, Solotov, you've been on my mind a lot lately," she admitted, ignoring his question, "like why all of the sudden are you hell bent on erasing your face from existence?"

"Anonymity is not a choice for my line of work, it's a requirement... you should know that, Hunter Quinn," the name made her swallow hard. Only one person had ever called her that and he laid six feet underground and the ring he gave her still hung around her neck.

"So this is you tying up loose ends?"

"I'm not tying up loose ends... I'm burning the whole damn rope," she could hear the malice in his voice as he spat the words out.

"How many damn years later?" She rhetorically asked, "because you want to know what I think? You're erasing yourself because someone's after you, isn't that right, Prizrak?" She uttered the Russian word, it flowing off of her lips as she taunted him but no matter how hard she tried her anger still slipped through the cracks.

Ghost, that was what the Russians had called him. Of course, this was after he had killed over four hundred Russian soldiers, it was safe to say the Russians were less than happy with the Chechen sniper.

"Anonymity is not a choice," he repeated more firm, his voice raising, "and anonymity is bought."

Hunter tisked, "guess there isn't anything money can't buy," she said, a smirk on her voice as she thought of his frozen bank accounts that he would be unable to reach without the ledger.

"You took something from me," he repeated the same from from earlier, "so I took something from Kyle Dobbs."

Her smirk dropped, her heart plummeting down to her stomach as her eyes drooped, "what did you do," she spoke loudly, voice hard and cold as he now held the advantage and taunting tone.

"Get me my money or more people die."

Hunter's face hardened and her chest tightened, "listen," she demanded, "I have been down this fucking road many, many times before, buddy. And no one who tried it is alive to tell you how poorly that worked out for them." Her voice was quiet, low and threatening.

"You do not understand, this ends the way I want it to end," he yelled, his accent become more apparent as he became more and more irritated, "get me my money before I take something from you."

The line rang dead, Hunter looking around her in paranoia as his words sunk in. He had taken something from Kyle, he threatened more people would die. She swallowed hard as she scrolled through her phone looking for Kyle's contact to call.

He had called Hunter to taunt her, the blonde playing him at his own game had left him angry and emotional over his bank accounts, if Hunter didn't know any better, she would say she was poking the bear.

Solotov would have no problem spilling blood on American soil, she knew that much. But if something had happened to Kyle because she made the choice to take his ledger, she would never forgive herself.

Maybe she had been right, Solotov was erasing his face from memory because he was on the run, although it didn't make sense considering she hadn't even made the connection of Solotov to the UN doctor until a few night ago.

Or maybe, he wanted to slip off the radar one last time and remove himself from history completely, his name only being a passing legend as those who fought against him would be long since killed. She was unsure, but knew she didn't want to find out.

"Hello?"

"Kyle," she spoke quickly, almost relieved to hear his voice, "Where the hell did you send Miranda?"

I am NOT a fan of
bri from barstool
and Zach Bryan's
relationship