When Beadie was a teenager, her biggest dream was to fall in love.
But she didn't want any love. She wanted the scorching one, the one that made your heart beat faster, the almost sinful one, the one that could sweep her off her feet.
She wanted something like her parents had.
They met in high school and she was the product of a too-overwhelming teenage romance. Her mother gave birth to Beadie when she was seventeen, and her father was only eighteen. But they were happy and it was clear they would do anything for each other.
But to her mother, her father came first. Beadie was never the most important, even in her family.
And Beadie adored her father, even though she didn't get to see him too much. He was a pilot in the Air Force, and that meant they as a family couldn't spend too much time together. Her mother was always sad and grumpy whenever her father wasn't there with them.
And then, not long before her graduation, her father died during a mission. Beadie's mother never smiled after that, like all the life got sucked out of her with the death of her husband.
Their love was true love. One in a million. At least that is what Beadie thought, remembering how they acted and looked at each other.
But the way Alejandro was pressing against her body, filling her head with sinful and unholy thoughts, she was almost positive she was incapable of such a heartwarming love.
Death and danger hung above their head, breathing down their necks and here she was, catching involuntarily feelings like she always did. She was always too quick to fall for someone, to catch feelings. And to her misfortune, Alejandro proved to be her new hyperfixation.
She took in a breath, trying to clear her mind. She was sure the seven months without any action with someone was the one to blame for this.
They were just barely able to hide in a little corner in the hallway, away from a few guards who were on patrol. They were talking carelessly, but they were too far away for Beadie to understand their words.
Her mostly naked back pressed against the cold stone wall behind her, while her front scorched with the heat Alejandro's body radiated into her, the warmth reaching her heart.
"What's the plan?" Beadie whispered up to him, her head falling back against the wall. Tilting her head, she tried to catch his gaze but his head was turned in the direction of the guards, ready to jump at them.
"I need to find Soap," he murmured back, his deep voice making goosebumps appear on her skin. She hoped he didn't notice. "Then we need to find Sin Nombre."
"There's a sicaria here," Beadie remembered, her eyes widening a little in excitement. This finally caught his attention, making him look down at her.
Her face heated up from how close he was, his left arm resting next to her head, while the other grasped his gun. The closeness and how his face was so close to hers made her breath stop for a few seconds, admiring his eyes.
"And?" he pressed. She was sure her already red face just turned a few shades darker.
"Uhm- A man talked about her yesterday. They wanted to buy drugs from Sin Nombre and smuggle them over the border."
"Where's this man?"
"Dead," Beadie frowned. They could've gotten some information from him if she could've controlled her urges. "Sorry."
Amusement twinkled in his dark eyes as he shook his head, but he didn't seem upset.
"But I think the rest of his team is still alive," the blonde piped up, trying to save her reputation. She didn't want to seem unprofessional by not getting any intel during her stay.
"We'll talk about them once we're out, Bella," he sent her another look before the guard's chatter cut him off.
He didn't even notice when he pressed against her harder. But she was very much aware of how his thigh slipped between her knees.
"We should split up."
He snapped his head towards her, eyes narrowing.
"What?"
"You go and find Soap. Make sure he doesn't get himself killed. And I'll find the girls."
From the cold look in his eyes, it was clear he didn't like her plan.
"Bella-"
"I have to find them, Ale," she pleaded, her bright eyes looking straight into his. "I have to."
For a few seconds, he thought their options through while Beadie watched him with anxious eyes. She started to get fidgety under the weight of his gaze and the need to finally do something was making her go crazy. Then, in what seemed like an eternity, he finally nodded.
"Fine," he grumbled, clearly not satisfied that much. Beadie smiled at him. "I get Soap, you find the girls. Try to gather them into one room so when we capture Sin Nombre, we can get them out faster. Okay?"
"Okay," Beadie nodded, slightly ducking and already on her way to duck under his arm.
"Wait!"
Alejandro caught her arm, stopping her. She turned her head to look at him with furrowed eyebrows, not understanding what else was there to say. Graves liked to get specific with her so she wouldn't mess up anything, and she was ready to get the same treatment from him. He was in a higher position than her, after all.
But he just offered his other hand to her.
"Take this," he offered her his gun, her delicate fingers gingerly taking it. The weapon was heavy, tugging her hand down.
"What about you?" Beadie asked quietly. She didn't want to take away his only weapon.
She didn't know what she would do if something happened to him.
"Don't worry about me," he curled her fingers around the gun and took a step back. Beadie couldn't take her eyes off him, a heavy feeling in her chest. "I'll borrow someone else's."
A small smile played on her lips. She didn't doubt he would do something like that.
"Be careful, Bella," he nodded towards her for one last time, before he emerged from their hiding spot, leaving her on her own.
She needed a minute to collect herself. Beadie took in a deep breath and exhaled through her mouth, slowing her fast-beating heart. She had to be calm and collected to pull this off. She needed to save these women and not butcher the whole mission.
It was a lot of responsibility, but she had to tough it out. Like always.
"I got this," the blonde muttered to herself and bounced on her feet to hype herself up.
Beadie shrugged Alejandro's jacket up her shoulders more, slipping her arms in the sleeves. It made her feel more protected and the weight of Alejandro's gun made her feel invincible.
Only a few minutes after he was gone, Beadie went on her own way. She was careful to not cross paths with any of the guards as she sneaked around the mansion. Tonight was a busy night, which meant that she had to find some alternative ways to get back.
She started with the kitchen area, knowing that nearing this time in the evening, they didn't have to work. The girls liked to linger there because the guards didn't usually bother to go in there.
But what if tonight was different?
She shook the thought away as she picked up her pace. She had to hope they were there. That would be the easiest part of her job. Getting the entertainers out of the chambers was a totally different thing. But she hoped that Alejandro and Soap would make some noise so she could get the girls out.
And as Beadie pushed the doors open leading to the kitchen, her anxiety eased. At least ten women were inside, chatting lowly but as she arrived, they all stopped. All eyes were on Beadie, and suddenly she felt very self-conscious. She spotted a few familiar faces like Dolores, the girl who always cried in the night.
"I know you don't know me, but we really have to go," Beadie spoke up, feeling awkward as the words left her mouth. This was the first time they heard her speak Spanish.
The women just stood there, some of them sitting on the counter and looked at her like she had just grown a second head. With a sigh, she stepped closer to the group, hiding the gun behind her so she wouldn't scare them.
"I don't have time to explain. But I'm here to help with the Mexican Special Forces," Beadie looked between them, her tone getting desperate as she kept looking behind her at the door. She had no idea how much time they had.
"I thought you only spoke English," Dolores broke the silence first, her doubtful eyes scanning her appearance. A few others nodded along with her statement.
"I'll explain everything once everybody's safe," Beadie let out a small sigh, the nerves in her system starting to make her paranoid. She didn't have time for this. "If you want to get out of here alive, you come with me. Now."
That seemed to do the trick as at least half of them jumped from their spot and made their way towards her. The rest were a little hesitant at first but followed after the other girls, Beadie's heart speeding up as pride and adrenaline started to flood her veins.
"Do you have any plans?" a tall, curly-haired woman asked as they hurried along the hallways, their steps almost unhearable. They were like ghosts passing through the mansion.
"Of course, she does," another woman from the back snorted at the question.
"I do," Beadie confirmed with a nod, looking around once they reached a corridor. Once she made sure everything was clear, she went ahead to lead them. "I'm taking you to the West Room. I'll bring as many girls back as I can. You'll be safe in there."
"How can you be so sure?" Dolores quirked, still having doubts about the whole thing.
"I'll make sure of it," Beadie sent her a small smile, the urge to protect them at all costs growing inside her.
The rest of the journey went by silently, neither of them wanting to risk getting overheard by one of the guards. But to her surprise, most halls were empty here. The guards were probably assigned tol inger around the guests more, she thought, which wasn't the best. She had to get the girls from the main hall.
Beadie was quick to jog up to their shared room and ripped the door open. Nobody was inside, just as she expected, most of the girls out doing their job. The blonde gestured the others to hurry inside, Dolores being the first to brush past her inside the room. Everybody gathered inside, whispering amongst each other. They looked afraid but Beadie was sure they'd be okay till she got back.
"Hey," Beadie called after the curly-haired woman, her towering over the blonde by a few inches. "Don't open the door to anyone but me. I'll knock four times."
"Okay," the woman nodded, then when it was clear they had nothing else to say, she retrieved back to the room. Beadie closed the door after her, listening as they barricaded the door from the inside.
There was only one door leading inside, which was now barricaded. Beadie hoped they would be fine till she returned with some help.
After that, Beadie went on her way to gather more girls. She ran around the mansion like a wraith, always sticking to the shadows and barely needing to distract the guards. She chucked a few rocks and bottles in the opposite direction when it was needed, avoiding using her gun.
It had a full clip containing nine bullets. If she was lucky and skilled enough, that meant nine dead bodies. If she was worse than she thought, which is more likely knowing her luck, that meant around five people. Considering she barely didn't remember when she had eaten last and she barely got a few hours of sleep, chances were that she would fuck it up. So she just decided to avoid conflict.
She made a few laps around already, always returning more girls to the safe room. She was exhausted, her breaths were heavy and her legs shook from almost collapsing under her, but she pushed through.
She had to. For them.
While she was busy running around the place, she heard the echoes of gunshots and yells from the upper levels. A small smile appeared on her face, knowing that Alejandro and Soap were getting busy up there which came in handy for her. It made it easier to get the girls to their room in safety.
But the thought of not seeing Isabel once made her uneasy.
She gathered most of the girls already, only missing a few. They were probably around the VIPs or in private rooms, which she couldn't do much about at the moment. She had to wait for the help of Alejandro, which she didn't like. She hated feeling like she needed help.
Beadie wasn't one to give up tasks. So, she went to search around for Isabel, anxiety eating away her nerves and remaining small energy. The mansion was huge and she had to venture towards the VIP sector, which was much more guarded.
And she hadn't seen Alejandro once. Or Soap.
Her desperation to find Isabel or Alejandro pushed her to be more brave, wandering into the VIP sector. This part of the mansion was brighter and had more open areas, which wasn't good for her disguise.
In the meantime, she lost Alejandro's jacket somewhere where she fled away from approaching guards, hiding in what seemed like a huge living room area. Multiple couches and armchairs were decorating the place, a huge door leaning into the balcony stretching around the outside of the building.
The light breeze coming through the open door brushed against her heated skin. Her heavy breathing was the only sound she heard, the occasional chatter of people joining in from far away. But time was ticking and she was getting more anxious because she couldn't find the people she was most worried about.
Getting up from her hiding spot on the floor, she made her way toward the other room that opened from the arched entryway of the living room. She felt a little dizzy as she passed the huge couch sitting in the middle, stopping for a second to collect herself.
In the meantime, she didn't notice as the door behind her opened.
She only flinched at the sound of a blazing bullet and a body dropping to the floor.
Beadie whipped around with her gun raised and finger on the trigger only to look at a dead man lying on the floor. Dark blood spluttered behind him on the beige wall, tinting the dark floors further.
She was quick to duck behind the couch and looked around for further threat, but there was none. It took her a moment to realize it must have been someone helping her out from farther.
Ghost. He's on the mountain.
The thought that there was still somebody looking out for her calmed her rapid heartbeat down a bit, a small smile appeared on her face. She felt a little less alone here, the simple act giving her just enough strength to gather herself and get going.
Before she exited the room, she waved towards the hills in hopes Ghost was still watching over her, as a way to say thank you. Because she was much more used to being left on her own than her team having her back.
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Something wasn't right, Beadie was now sure of it.
Something blew up on the other side of the building, the vibrations moving the floor under her feet, encouraging her to run. She had no idea what Alejandro and the others were up to, but it was big enough to take the heat off her. There were no guards as she ran around the hallways, constant yelling and gunfire chasing after her from every direction.
Still, no sign of Isabel.
Beadie took another turn to the left, eventually entering the guards' wing. She only passed here once, when she tried to explore the building further but Isabel caught her red-handed. She made her promise not to go here anymore.
"It's dangerous here, Beadie," Isabel scolded her as she dragged the blonde back towards their shared room. "This is their territory. They do as they please here. Be smart and never come back here."
But, she wasn't smart. And ran straight back there.
Her gut feeling told her that she would find something in there. And over the many years, Beadie started to trust her gut feeling more and more, especially when she had no other source.
Beadie tried the first door on her right. It was locked, so she didn't waste any more time as she dashed toward the one right next to it. Thankfully, there were only rooms on the right, the entire left side being taken up by windows.
So she tried every single door but came up with nothing as they were all locked. She tried knocking on it, too, in case someone was in there. But nothing. And with every locked door, she became more desperate.
There were only two doors left in this hallway before she would reach the end. After that, she had no idea where to search for Isabel, she was all out of ideas and energy.
Beadie fell against the second door as she jiggled the handle, the soft click of it making her gasp. It was open.
The door wasn't locked.
But something was blocking it.
With all her might, Beadie shoved at the door with her shoulder, a pained groan leaving her lips at the harsh contact. Her blood rushed in her ears, her hands shaking from exhaustion as she took two steps back, running at the door full force again.
At the third time, the door finally gave under her attack and burst open.
Inside the room, it was dark, with only a small bedside lamp shining in the corner. The lamp was knocked over and was half under the bed, the covers taking away from its light slightly. But still, it was enough to present her with the most horrific sight she'd ever seen.
There was a woman lying limply on the bed, her dress, much similar to Beadie's torn and barely hanging around her waist. Her arms dangled from the bed in a weird angle, her dark hair covering her face.
But there was a small dragon tattoo on her ribcage, just under her boobs that gave it away in an instant. Beadie has seen that tattoo when they were in the shared shower a few nights ago.
She found Isabel. But it was already too late.
"Isabel," Beadie's voice called out for her, but it broke in the middle as she stepped inside. She hasn't moved. "Isabel?"
Beadie's knees wobbled as she approached her limp figure, her panicked wide eyes looking over her body and taking in the injuries littered along her bronze skin. There were multiple cuts and bruises, pieces torn from her dress lying at her feet. One nail broke from Isabel's hand, a clear sign that she tried to fight back.
The blonde collapsed on the side of the bed right next to her and reached to brush away her wild brown locks. Beadie let out an audible gasp at the sight of her face, tears blurring her vision.
Isabel's once beautiful face was bruised, her mascara running down her cheeks. One of her eyes was swollen, her lip was cut and there were dark markings around her neck. Clear signs of choking, probably with the piece of cloth that laid next to her.
Beadie pushed two fingers against her neck, searching for a pulse desperately. Her hands shook so much it was hard to feel one. But once she felt the steady beating under her finger, a sob erupted from her chest.
Beadie reached over her body to gather the blanket that was tossed in the corner, covering her body up more. In the process, she didn't miss the blood smeared on her inner thighs, causing a tear to roll down her cheek.
"I'm so sorry, Isabel," Beadie whispered, grief making her heart squeeze. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."
Silently crying, Beadie took Isabel's hand in hers, trying to think of what to do. She couldn't carry her anywhere because she was too weak herself. It was hard to tell if there were any more serious injuries besides her bruises and broken arm, which was discolored and swollen already.
Beadie cried harder as helplessness settled inside her, her task of saving the woman here failing. The one who helped her the most suffered the greatest. And it broke her soul like nothing else could.
"Bella?!"
Beadie's head snapped upwards at the sudden voice. She was pretty sure she just imagined Alejandro's voice calling out to her during her mental breakdown, but he couldn't be here. He was busy hunting down Sin Nombre.
A faint whimper came from Isabel, her attention snapping back to the woman.
"Hey, it's okay," Beadie soothed a hand over the side of her face that wasn't that bruised, her heart breaking. "It's me, Beadie."
"Beadie?" Isabel croaked, wincing as she tried to talk. The nasty bruise around her neck probably caused her voice to fail her.
She tried to open her eyes but was only able to look at the blonde with one of them. The broken look in her eyes was the saddest thing she saw. There was no trace of the happy soul of the woman she admired so much. Whoever did this, they took her soul. And Beadie would never forgive herself for that.
"I'm here," Beadie comforted her, another tear sliding along her cheek.
Their moment got broken by someone bursting through the door. Beadie's reflexes acted before she could comprehend what happened, her finger already squeezing the trigger and firing at whoever dared to come near them.
"Fucking hell!" the person ducked, the bullet barely missing as it whooshed above his head, slamming into the wall behind him.
"Alejandro?" her stretched out arm shook as her eyes widened, realizing that she almost just killed him.
"Are you okay?" he rushed towards her, not even upset that she shot at him. His eyes snapped to the woman lying beside her, steps faltering. "What happened?"
"I was late," the blonde whispered, the held-back tears choking her. "Please, help her! I can't-"
Her voice broke, her bottom lip quivering as she tried to keep herself together.
"Rudy!" Alejandro yelled, turning back around and leaning out the door. "Here! Hurry up!"
"We'll get you out of here," Beadie spoke softly, gently smoothing Isabel's hair out of her bruised face. The smallest, broken smile appeared on her cut lips, her eyes closing again.
Soon enough, Rodolfo came rushing inside, Alejandro hurriedly explaining to him what was up while Beadie tuned them out, only focusing on Isabel.
I let her down. I wasn't there for her.
A gentle hand grabbed her arm, making her flinch.
"Bella, let's go," Alejandro murmured, trying to pull her up. Her grip on Isabel's hand tightened. "Rudy will bring her right after us. But we have to go. C'mon."
Not taking her eyes off her broken body, Beadie stood up, her knees buckling under her weight. Thankfully, Alejandro was quick and circled his strong arm around her waist, supporting her as he pulled her away.
"Be careful with her," Beadie pleaded to Rudy, his eyes looking at her with similar sadness she felt. He only nodded as he stepped closer, gently scooping Isabel in his arms. He made sure that she was covered.
Beadie watched helplessly as Rudy carried Isabel out in his arms, leaving them in the room started to suffocate her.
"Bella."
Slowly, she turned her head to look up at Alejandro, her heart skipping a beat as she was met with his familiar face, this time missing the balaclava. She felt more tears sting her eyes as she looked at him, his warm eyes looking at her like she would break at any second.
She left like she should. She really wanted to curl up and just cry her heart out.
"We need to get the other girls out," Beadie croaked out, her voice small. His eyes narrowed as he searched her face, eventually nodding.
So the two of them started walking back towards the saferoom, where she hoped the other girls were truly safe. She didn't know what she would do if something happened to them.
"We got Sin Nombre," Alejandro informed her quietly. Beadie only nodded, keeping her gaze ahead. She felt his eyes bore a hole in the side of her head, but she refused to look at him.
She was sure she would have broken down completely if she'd had to see that look in his eyes one more time. Filled with worry. She didn't deserve his sorry.
She had no energy to talk, and Alejandro didn't try further. They walked side by side in silence, him occasionally stopping if he heard something weird.
There was a glass table flipped over and thrown out of a room, its broken pieces littered around the floor. Alejandro didn't hesitate to kick the pieces away from her way, clearing the path for her so she wouldn't cut her naked feet. The small act caused her heart to squeeze.
Grief and exhaustion started to catch up with her more as they neared the saferoom, her eyelids getting heavier with each minute. They even closed for a few moments, Alejandro's gentle touch on the small of her back snapping her back out of it. She felt embarrassed because he probably thought she was weak. She hated feeling weak.
After what seemed like ages, they finally arrived. Beadie knocked on the door four times, just like they talked about it before. With some rustling coming from the other side, the door opened not long after, Dolores' bright eyes looking back at Beadie. Her face dropped as she took in her tear-stained face, but didn't have the opportunity to ask about it.
"It's safe now," Beadie managed to say, barely recognizing her own voice.
Dolores' eyes jumped from her to Alejandro, flinching back, clearly not trusting him. Beadie's heart broke further, knowing that all the trauma these girls had to endure probably wouldn't let them trust a man for a long time.
"It's okay, he'll protect us," the blonde forced a small smile on her face, reaching a hand out towards Dolores. Hesitantly, the girl nodded, opening the door wider and stepping outside.
The girls followed after her, Alejandro making sure nobody was left behind as they headed for the exit. The sound of a helicopter led her towards the main entrance, making sure she led the girls away from the chaos that broke out inside. She didn't want to traumatize them further.
"Beadie!" a voice yelled through the loud noise, wind whipping her hair around as they finally stepped out of the building that held too much horror.
With squinted eyes, she watched as Soap jogged towards them, seemingly in perfect shape. He had a few drops of blood tinting his skin, but it probably wasn't even his, judging by how easily he moved around.
"Are you okay?" he asked, looking her up and down, concern showing on his face. Beadie decided to ignore his question.
"Don't let them see the bodies," Beadie instructed him, looking straight at him. "I don't want to see a drop of blood touching them. Keep them safe."
"Will do," Soap nodded, looking behind her and taking a look at the many girls huddled behind her. He waved at the girls, "Follow me!"
Beadie watched as the girls followed Soap and a few other Vaqueros came to aid them, trying to comfort them and getting them out as soon as possible. Meanwhile, she didn't notice when she leaned on Alejandro for support, her back eventually colliding with his front as she swayed.
"Bella," Alejandro murmured next to her ear, his voice reminding her of dark chocolate. Warm and welcoming. "It's over. You're okay now."
But as the blonde watched all the crying women around them, then remembering Isabel, she felt like nothing ever will be okay.
Before she could reply anything back, she collapsed right there, her world getting consumed by darkness and the warmth of the man behind her.
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Long chapter loves! (I wrote this for such a long time my laptop was overheating so much it's a miracle it didn't blow in my face lol)
I'm so soft for Ale I just can't-
Don't forget to vote and comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Every little interaction means the world to me!