[A/N: Hello my lovelies! Here is the next chapter for you all! I hope you're enjoying so far, and I absolutely love to see your reactions and your comments! It makes me so ecstatic to see how the story and details are being received. I love you all! As always, please enjoy! -K 🖤]
[🌿This chapter contains swearing, angst, and you guessed it, sexual tension.🌿]
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The sounds of the jungle were overlapping as birds, insects, and other animals all contributed to the constant symphony around me. There was a translucent fog settling on the path before me, swirling and dissipating with every step that I advanced forward.
My feet carefully trodded a minuscule stream, the smallest of waterways that was hardly a foot deep and maybe a foot across. The rippling of the water only added to the ethereal ambiance and untamable atmosphere of the jungle itself.
I gently pushed the overhanging leaves that were protruding over me out of the way, careful to not disturb the integrity of the nature, nor create any suspicions or anomalies that would have my ass hounded.
The ground beneath my boots was freshly covered in fallen leaves and crunchy with twigs, also generous with layers of sediment that had been moistened by a recent rainfall.
"So, what does this guy have against banks? At least a safe." Will's voice met my ear through the comms. I adjusted it again for fear of it falling out. My breathing was shallow and restricted, thanks to the bulletproof vest constricting my chest, and because of the eeriness of being on a solitary trail in the jungle.
Santi's voice followed through the channel. "The house is the safe." He replied to Will's inquisition. I pondered his response, unsure of what he implied. From what intel I read about Lorea, he was powerful and incredibly wealthy. But why would he choose to not put his illegal funds into a more secured or protected institution?
A clearing in the foliage presented itself, and I crouched to conceal myself in the greenery and brush. From my position, I had the perfect view of Lorea's home and access to windows and a clear sight of the front entrance. If I had my rifle, I could make quick work of the patrolling guards that my eyes followed from my silent position.
"I'm at the gate." Benny's voice crackled into my ear and I craned my head, attempting to search for the area of the gate. I knew that it was close because of Santi's description in the folder, but my current position was blocked from seeing it.
My fingers moved nimbly to the device, pressing it to allow myself to speak. "I'm at a ridge overlooking the house. I don't have eyes on the gate." I offered, mainly to Ben, because I didn't need him pulling anything stupid while we were stealthily surveying the property.
"Looks like everything was done about 82% right. They got all the toys out here, but these cameras aren't even aimed at the weakest breach point. Hades, clear the ridge and make your way towards me." Ben instructed, as the plan was that we'd both be searching for the highest vantage points, meeting if needed.
"Copy." I stated into the receptacle, finalizing my perusing and taking cautious steps away from the advantageous position. Preferably, I needed a spot that offered a complete layout of Lorea's property and included the front gate.
"Your girlfriend's making her normal money drop?" Tom's voice broke the silence and my crouching footsteps slowed in curiosity and in preparation for a response.
"Yeah." Santi's voice returned, causing me to freeze where I was, paralyzed in a strange emotion. "She's prepared to record the inside of the house." He continued, and I inhaled deeply, unsure of how to respond, not into the comms necessarily, but in general.
Girlfriend?
I bit my lip and roughly tugged at my vest, attempting to break free and breathe normally, because as of right now, all the oxygen had been mercilessly stripped from me. I frantically rubbed my eyes, mentally berating myself for worrying about the fleeting interaction between Tom and Pope.
He could have a different woman every night and I still wouldn't care. I truthfully wouldn't. Why would I? Why should I care?
Why do I care?
My thoughts were running rampant as my boots continued to tread the jungle floor in silent trepidation and determination.
"Pope." Fish's voice broke the silence, causing me to react, my steps slowing as I heard a worried tone in his voice. "Pope, I have kids over here. Does he have kids in here living with him? Cause that's going to make things a whole lot more complicated and is not what I signed up for." He declared into the comms.
Knowing that there were kids in the compound and that I was currently stalking the perimeter like a predatory animal, made my stomach turn in uncomfortable knots of concern and hesitation.
Not as harshly as it did when Santi confessed to having a girlfriend working on the inside.
"The family's not the problem. They're the answer." Pope answered, causing me to raise my eyebrow. I kneeled behind a tree, discovering what would have been another great vantage point, although now I had no access to the gate nor the main doors of the compound.
"Why?" Fish questioned, for both of us because I too was wondering the same thing. If a family was involved, especially children, I would immediately back out from the recce. I would, under no circumstances, involve innocent children in a hellish rampage or any coincidental bloodshed.
I could almost hear the grin on Santi's face as he responded, almost as if he had been waiting to be asked. "Church. Lorea's very devout. Every Sunday morning, he sends three guards to the 6:00 A.M. service. When they get back, he sends the rest of the team, along with his family into town to mass. That leaves him and three guards in that house, and that's our window."
"Why would he do that?" Will inquired through the comms. My eyes tracked the guards that I had access to. I carefully observed their gait and how they carried themselves. It would have to be formulated from serious calculations, but I was positive that if I had my rifle, I wouldn't miss.
The guards carried themselves with a regal, overconfident posture. With their chests puffed out and their back stiffened, not to mention the slight upturn of their chins in haughty ignorance, they were perfect targets for me.
Their hubris made my work even easier.
"Worried about someone taking his kids. And he never leaves his money. Also, I don't think he believes anyone actually has the balls to come out here and rob him." Pope's voice was a whisper as he answered Will. I happened to agree with Santi, as even the guards deemed themselves to be untouchable as the paraded around the assumed impenetrable fortress.
But they never considered the fact that an intruder didn't have to be up close and personal to take their lives.
"It's probably 'cause it's a stupid idea." Will sarcastically stated, and I for once, actually agreed with him as well. Lorea's compound, as simplistic and rudimentary as it looked from our distanced positions, wasn't going to be a simple task as just strolling in.
The comm crackled again, initiating another voice to enter the conversation. "Pope, I got your girlfriend coming up right now. Holy shit. She is beautiful, man." Benny chided easily and with a slight chuckle as he surveyed the gate from his position.
I gripped the handle of the pistol as I heard his words effortlessly irritate me and frustrate me. We had a mission, a fucking recon that I willingly left the States for, and now we were just going to ogle and dote on a person on the inside?
I was tempted into ripping the earpiece out, not wanting to listen to anymore of the conversation. It didn't pertain to the recce, nor benefitted the rest of us from our distanced positions from each other.
It was counterintuitive and a waste of time, and if I heard about Santiago Garcia's fucking girlfriend again, I was going to drop him off at Lorea's front door as a farewell present.
"I fucking knew it." Tom gruffly added into the comms and I shook my head, realizing that even my brother had been invested in this pointless conversation.
"Fuck off." Pope quickly responded in an attempt to dispel the tension. "(Y/N), do you have eyes on the van? She's driving through the gates and should be approaching-"
I pressed the speaking module with a trembling hand. "Affirmative." I returned, the only word that I could muster without revealing that I was troubled with this entire interaction. I massaged my temple, watching the van situate itself near the front entrance.
And, just like Ben honestly pointed out, a beautiful woman exited from the front of the van.
I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, a trait that I had picked up from Tom when the both of us were stressed or uncomfortable.
"What's your 20, (Y/N)?" Pope's voice rang through the comms again, and hearing my name spill from his mouth so effortlessly made me want to egregiously pistol-whip the side of his face. The hell would he want my location for?
"I'm in the fucking jungle, Pope. I don't have a damn sign or street name. I see the fucking compound and I see the fucking van." I grumbled into the speaker, more aggressive and threatening than I intended, but hopefully he'd pick up the hints that I didn't want to hear his voice again.
Will's voice immediately followed mine, and although he was more calm, his statement caused more tension than what previously existed. "...Goddamn... I got an execution about to go down over here." An execution meant live fire, and this recce wasn't prepared for a gunfight, not with six pistols and one bulletproof vest.
"Are you at the tennis courts?" Pope questioned, which had me changing my position to attempt to see the tennis courts that I had read about in the folder.
"Yeah." Will blankly returned, affirming that he was somewhere near me, as now when I craned my head, I could just see the outlines of a blocked off partition, assuming that is was indeed the courts.
"Yeah, that's his spot." Pope stated, and immediately after were four echoing gunshots in rapid succession. We had just listened to the four murders of possibly innocent people. I leaned my forehead into my open palm, feeling somewhat guilty that I didn't have a chance to prevent their demise.
"Why is she doing this?" Fish was now questioning, "Your girlfriend. Why did she agree to this?" Even Fish was slightly aggravating me, but he was the only person I could effectively tolerate and I could never stay upset with him for long.
"She hopes I can get her little brother out of jail." Pope explained further and I rolled my eyes yet again. Pope was breaking people out of jail for a little action and some extra intel?
He didn't exactly put that into the folder.
"Did you put him in jail?" Ben's voice now carried into the earpiece. I swallowed my laugh, finding it ironic that Pope was considering jail breaking a person he had put behind bars himself. Pope's priorities were beyond screwed up and I wanted no participation in his extravaganza of stupidity of ornate proportions.
"Not really." Pope sighed, quickly answering, almost insinuating that he wanted to be finished with this side discussion.
"I'm guessing that's putting her at some risk." Will chimed in now. I could see the foliage moving slightly a few hundred feet away from me and I raised my pistol, only to see Will's figure break through the mossy green backdrop. He hadn't noticed me and and was swiveling his head, his eye trained with the aiming of his pistol.
"Man I almost forgot why I got out of this business." Fish whispered into the comms, "Shit gets so dark, so quick." I nodded silently, completely agreeing.
If anyone was too familiar or had any inclination about the darker shit of this business, it would be me.
In my undocumented service of five years, I had lost two to the most vile, unbelievably evil, and insanely morbid-
My thoughts were interrupted by Ben. "Oh shit. We got ground sensors here, boys." My back suddenly tensed and I hurriedly looked towards the ground at my feet. I hadn't noticed any sensors, but if Benny was by the gate, the ground would undoubtedly be littered with them.
"Did you hit one?" Pope worriedly asked, and I could feel my heartbeat increasing in anxiety and speed. If Benny tripped a sensor, we could be surrounded in minutes, and because we were all separated, none of us would be able to protect the other. I forced my pistol into the back of my waistband so I could have more mobility to move quickly.
A moment of tense silence passed, but my feet were already silently and quickly covering the ground of the jungle. "I don't know. I'm not sure." Ben quietly muttered.
"Benny, I got two guys on motorbikes coming your way." Fish, confirming my fears, spoke briefly into the comms, only encouraging me to pick up my speed to reach Ben in time.
"Ben," I breathlessly spoke into the comms, not because I was out of shape, but because I couldn't bear the thought of one of my best friends being executed in Lorea's infamous tennis courts. "I'm
headed to you right now."
Just as I was trying to console Ben, another voice overlapped the end of my phrase as I finished talking. "Hold tight, Ben. I'm trying to get out there to cover you." I ground my teeth and clenched my jaw tightly.
"Don't, William. If we have too many bodies in one area, we're putting ourselves at more risk of being caught. I'm closer to him, pull back." I huffed into the speaker and silently stepped over dead branches and piles of emerald leaves.
"Remember that you've got bikes headed towards you and Ben, baby. Keep both eyes open." Will retorted, causing me to almost lose my balance and slip on the damp leaves under my feet.
Before I could violently reprimand Will, a voice droned into the comms. "Ironhead, pull back and let her go." Pope grumbled, "And remember to use recon-sensitive nicknames, yeah?"
"A stock boy job at Walmart is starting to look pretty good right now..." Ben's voice was the next to enter the comms, and as I slowed my steps, I noticed him crouched a few yards ahead. I sighed in relief and carefully treaded a few steps towards, mindful of the sensors that possibly pervaded the proximity.
Ben's light washed denim shirt was painfully obvious as I neared, the contrasting blues peeking out from under the heavy vegetation. I stayed unmoving, several yards away from Ben, knowing that if I advanced, I might set off a sensor in an attempt to protect him.
"I'm clear. They're coming back to you." Benny breathed into the comms, the both of us inhaling deeply once we realized that the motorbikes had no care for him nor had been altered to our presence near the compound.
I turned on my heel, seeing a inclined path, and taking it stealthily. It wasn't steep, but it offered a different trail to the elevated ground where the vehicle would be located once we decided to retreat back to it.
"Let's get the fuck outta here." Will muttered into the comms and I also agreed with his notion. The call with Ben was too close for comfort, and although he triggered no response, we weren't prepared for an attack should anything actually have happened.
I rubbed my eyes and adjusted the cap on my head. Considering the brightness that irregularly peeked through the trees and limbs above me, I was grateful that I didn't have to keep covering my eyes to protect my vision.
My hands rested on the vest, my fingers hooked into the collar and relaxing slightly as I continued to follow the general direction back to our vehicle.
"Hey kid." Tom's whispered voice broke my tranquil moment as he revealed himself from the viridescent leafage. His sleeves were rolled up to his forearms and I waited for him to meet me so we could walk in line together.
He scratched his beard, a habit that I had began to notice of his. "Hey Tom." I returned quietly, purposely making our conjoined footsteps to be in a synchronized pace and pattern.
Tom glanced down to me and sighed. "Were you that nervous, (Y/N)? If you were worried, you should've just told me." His voice was comforting, offering guidance and console as we traversed through the jungle together.
"I'm not nervous, Tom? What do you mean?" My eyes met his and he scratched his neck, then wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.
"It just surprises me that you wanted to wear a vest on the recce, knowing that we agreed on no live fire." He offered, immediately causing my steps to cease. He also paused and turned towards me, curious as to why my face was scrunched in an unreadable expression.
I ran my tongue over my dried lips, trying to sort out my suspicious thought and accusations. "You-you and Pope agreed that I'd wear one. Just in case I was singled out." I explained, my hands removing themselves from the vest and motioning between us.
His eyebrow raised and he pointed to his chest. "Me? Why would I make that decision for you?" Tom inquired, his eyes searching my eyes that were frantically observing the ground beneath us. "Of course, I want to protect you, kid. But I never suggested a vest. Not on a simple recon like this." He finished, observing the way my cheeks angrily flushed.
"That lying son of a bitch." I grumbled and rushed past Tom, having a new mission of my own, personal vendetta. Tom, who was taken aback by my wrathful attitude, hurriedly followed after me, knowing that he might be the only barrier between me and his friend.
After a few minutes of silent walking and increased breathing, I arrived back at the covered vehicle. The trunk was already opened, and besides for Tom and myself, there was only one other person at the rendezvous point.
Santiago.
"You fucking liar!" I approached him, watching his figure emerge from being focused in the trunk, now facing towards me. My footsteps were heavy and determined, and overflowing with hell's fury.
Tom took the opportunity to venture back into the jungle to search for the somewhere-approaching rest of the group. He couldn't bear to watch Pope be brutally ripped apart.
"What are you talking about now?" Santi's hands were on his hips as I stood before him, glaring into his sweating face. He was the most irritating thorn in my side and the most egregious and intolerable tribulation that I had encountered on the face of the earth.
I pressed my hands against his chest, pushing him backwards slightly. "My brother had nothing to do with this. This," I tried to grab at the velcro straps, "This was your idea, you misogynistic, sexist prick." My fingers were failing at loosening the secured straps. "You, ugh!" My anger was increasing as the straps refused to give way. "You did this to mock me, right, Santi? To make me feel like the weaker sex?"
His stare was intense as daggers, piercing my eyes as I defiantly stared back at him. "You wouldn't have agreed if I told you it was my idea."
"That's the smartest fucking thing I've heard you say today." My eyes peered down at my chest, the stubborn straps refusing to obey the commands of my hands to remove the unbelievably fashioned and overly tightened grip around me. "Why isn't this damn thing coming off?!" I infuriatingly grappled at the straps to no avail.
"It wasn't to make you feel weak, you stubborn shit! I was trying to- God, stop! You're going to break it! I made it this tight so only I could take it off of you." My cheeks flushed at the promiscuous thought of Santi taking off my- vest, taking off the vest only. His hand reached for the vest and I refused, slapping his hand away and taking a step backwards in defiance. "Bring your ass here." He suddenly shoved his hand into the front of the vest, gripping it tightly, and forcing me towards him in a rushed motion.
In order to prevent a painful collision, I opened my hands in front of me. I slammed against him roughly, my palms hitting his broad chest. He was sweaty and radiating heat, both from the intense South American sun, and from our raging conversation.
Santi's hands began to skillfully work at the straps. "You wanted me to feel less than you, Pope. You wanted to single me out amongst the five of you and make me feel like a worthless piece of shit." He huffed in resentment as he released a strap from my shoulder. "Congrats, because it fucking worked." My lip trembled, mostly from vexation against him, as his determined hands continued to roam my torso.
"You..." He grunted, pulling a strap away. I could finally breathe freely and inhaled, my hand moving to his tense shoulder and gripping tightly to steady myself as a rush of oxygen entered my lungs. "You're the most important asset here. If something happens to you, we're fucking done here." He stated, pressing a hand against my lower back to prevent me from pushing away again. With his other hand, he released the other strap, relieving my gasping chest from the bondage he had bestowed.
Both of my hands were grasping his shoulders as I finally inhaled in satisfying breaths. Only now did I realize that we had gravitated much closer than I intended or anticipated. Santi's nose practically brushed against mine as we panted against each other, our chests meeting with every rise of our inhales.
"Your most important asset...drives a van into Lorea's compound." I whispered tensely, feeling the way his shoulders reacted and tightened. "You can't have two assets, Santi." The words slipped past my tongue and I immediately regretted giving into my intrusive thoughts. I released his shoulders, but he didn't introduce any space between us. Instead, his hand remained on my back, pressing me against his body.
"Are you..." His brown eyes darted between my eyes that were embarrassingly glancing away in submission, knowing I shouldn't have mindlessly blurted phrases in a moment of passionate indifference. "Are you giving me an ultimatum, (Y/N)?" He whispered, his eyes trailing down to my parted lips. "If you don't already know my choice, then I'd say you're stupider than your brother."
I roughly pushed him away in annoyance and hurriedly began to remove the unstrapped vest from me. With a heaved tug, I forced the weighted protection off of me and tossed it into the trunk in success. Only then did I notice the name on the back collar of the vest, clearly imprinted in white lettering. "You put your own vest on me?!" I questioned in vehement wrath.
Santi had already recovered from my attack and was behind me as I ignorantly inspected the obvious name on the material. His chest pressed into my back as he reached over my shoulder, slightly bending me forward against the open trunk. My already choppy breaths had become labored pants as I realized our compromising position. If anyone stumbled onto us, we'd be dead, killed by Lorea's men or by our own team.
With a calculated grip, Santi unholstered the pistol from the back my waist, effectively disarming me, and taking away what was about to be my murder weapon against him. He then grabbed the vest and tossed it further into the vehicle. He said nothing, even as I spun around to glare up into his face again.
I tore his ball cap from my head and shoved it onto his own. He stared at me indignantly, with an almost challenging expression. He licked his lips slowly as I frustratingly adjusted my hair.
"Just so you know..." I groaned, forcing my hands between us and massaging my sore chest, "That stupid vest fucking hurt. I think I went down a whole damn cup size." I could hear approaching steps and hurriedly stepped away from Santi as our eyes continued to be trained on each other desperately.
"I can't tell a difference..." Santi whispered, his eyes darted towards my hands that were cradling my chest and then returned to my eyes, earning a sudden blush from me and what would have been a merciless and brutal takedown if we didn't have company.
What was his fucking problem?
I hurriedly pretended like I was just brushing my shirt from the aftermath of walking through the jungle, turning away from the group as I attempted to regain my lost breath. While I could freely breathe now, being that close to Santi had me gasping for air.
The way our faces were inches from the other, the way his chest heaved against my own, the way he effortlessly whispered into my ear, and even how his hand guided me to him all worked together in tandem, causing my heart to erratically beat, even threatening to burst from my chest.
What was wrong with me?
What the fuck was wrong with him?
A hand softly removed my earpiece, and inspired me to briefly turn around. Will unclipped the comms device from my waist as his fingers nimbly swiped the cord from my neck. His fingertips brushed along my skin intentionally as he beckoned the cord towards him, wrapping it around the device.
I was still so unbelievably pissed at him, my anger was unfathomable at this point.
William and Santiago were bringing out the absolute worst side of me and I'd only been in the jungle with them for less than two fucking hours.
"Don't you ever call me baby again. You have no fucking right." I lowly directed towards Will who was smirking down at me. "The hell are you smirking at, Will?" I growled, pointing a finger towards his chest.
"Nothin'. You just look sexy as hell when you're pissed." He stated before prodding the inside of his cheek with his tongue. Then, he ushered himself away and, like the rest of the guys, situated their equipment back into the trunk of the vehicle.
Fuming, I ripped open the car door and carefully crawled into the very back seat, sprawling out with all the free room I now had access to. There was no way in hell that I was going to sit by Will, or be subjected to Santi's glares from the rear-view mirror on our drive back.
"Hey! That's my seat." Ben's head popped into the open door of the car, observing as I placed my hands behind my head in relaxation and comfort, pretending that nothing had changed and I wasn't in a worse predicament than before.
"It's my seat now, Benjamin. And if you don't want to be castrated, I suggest getting comfortable between Fish and your brother." I stated, my eyes closing with a resolute, yet counterfeit smile on my face.
Ben chuckled and climbed into the seat that was once my own. "Out of all the women to threaten me, I take your threats very seriously, sweetheart." He returned, throwing a targeted look over his shoulder with a grin.
I had opened a single eye and chuckled as we made eye contact. "Good. It's in your best interest." I returned, crossing my legs and closing my eye, pretending that I was going to sleep so no one would attempt to converse with me.
The vehicle slightly shook as the rest of the guys returned to their assigned places and closed all the doors. Suddenly, the engine sputtered to life and we were slowly moving once again.
I couldn't wait to be finished with this mission so I could put more than just a singular seat between William and I.
Even more so, because I couldn't wait to put the entire world between Santiago and myself once again.