(Star's POV)
Days turn into weeks and I realize that John is a very different man than I used to know. His kind and loving self has almost disappeared.
Flashback:
"I'm home!" John said as he entered the hallway. I smiled from my seat on the couch.
"Hey, baby," I said and got up. I walked over and hugged him. He hugged me back and smiled his normal goofy smile. "How was work?"
"Tiring as usual." He said. "And boring." I nodded, waiting for him to tell me the good news. "But something good happened today." He walked over to the couch and sat his stuff down. I watched him, my excitement building.
"What's that?" I asked.
"I'm getting a promotion." He said with a smile. I smiled and hugged him again.
"Congrats baby," I said and looked up at him. "You deserve it." He kissed the top of my forehead.
"There's a few issues darling." He said. I frowned.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Well, first, we'll have to move." He said.
"Where?" I asked. He sighed.
"Multiple places all over the world." He said. "We'll be moving at least once a month, if not more." I nodded, understanding. "Second, I'll be on missions more often. More dangerous missions. And I can't come home and talk to you about these missions either."
"So it's serious?" I asked. He nodded.
"Third, I won't be a part of the American military anymore." He said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I'll be what they call a private contractor for the British Military." He said. "Specifically the SAS. I have to go through a six-month training period. I'll also have less time at home."
"Oh," I said and looked away. "Well, that's not too bad." I looked at him again. "We can work through this." He sighed. "There's something else?" He nodded. "What?"
"Lastly, I won't be able to have kids," He said. "It's one of the requirements for this promotion. I haven't taken it yet because I wanted to talk to you first." I nodded, trying to wrap my head around this. Less time with him. No kids. Foreign country. Secrecy. Constantly moving and never being able to settle in one house. I sat down on the couch. This was a lot to take in. "I know it's a lot. Hence why I wanted to talk to you." He sat down beside me. "If you don't want me to take it, I won't. We come first. Forever and always."
"Forever and always," I repeated back. It was our signature phrase. No matter what, we would be there for each other forever and always. "I want you to take it." I looked at him. "But only if you want to. It's a good promotion, right? You wouldn't be considering it otherwise." He nodded. "So, if you want to take it, I'll be by your side. I love you, John. And we'll work through it." He smiled.
"I love you too Star." He said and kissed me.
End Of Flashback
I look up at John who holds the black chain in his hand. My legs are covered in bruises, cuts, and welts. My left shin is broken too. "You used to love me John," I say.
"I used to." He says and sets the chain down. "I have some news for you." I look up at him.
"What?" I ask. He smiles wickedly.
"Konig released his and Ghost's identities to the public." He says. My eyes go wide.
"When?" I ask.
"About three weeks ago." He says. My eyebrows furrow in confusion.
"You told them you would free me once they did that," I say. "I was there."
"And yet Ghost didn't reveal his identity." He says.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Konig revealed his identity." He says with a wicked grin. "Simon Ghost Riley. Tsk tsk tsk." He looks at the wall. "He was supposed to reveal his own identity. But he didn't. Konig did it for him because he refused to. Looks like Ghost doesn't love you as much as you thought."
"Konig did that?" I ask and look at the ground.
"Yes, he did." He says. "And you'll never believe what his first name is!" I look back at him.
"I don't want to know," I say. "It doesn't matter what his first name is."
"Oh sweetheart, it does." He says. "Especially when you hear his backstory." I shake my head.
"I don't care," I say. "I don't want to know."
"You don't have a choice." He says.
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(Konig's POV)
It's been three weeks since I released Ghost's and my identity to the public. He's still mad at me, which I understand. I was just trying to get Star back. He actually tried to kill me a few times already. The entire team, besides Keegan of course, is livid at me for what I did. John still hasn't released Star. He said it's because Ghost didn't release his identity because I did it for him. So we're back to square one. The team has already narrowed down the city he's in. We are so close yet so far to finding her and killing that son of a bitch.
"I found it!" Some random nerd with big glasses says and looks at us. I look at Price who steps closer to the nerd.
"Where?" Price asks.
"Um." The nerd says and points to a spot on the computer. A map is pulled up of Germany. "Mittenwald, Germany. Under the Gemeindeverwaltungen Bücherei library." I stand up.
"That's not possible," I say. Everyone looks at me.
"What is it, Konig?" Price asks. I look at him.
"He chose that place on purpose," I say and look at Ghost.
"It's the place Konig almost killed me." Ghost says. "He's trying to fuck with us. Either she's there and it's a trap. Or she's there and dead."
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(John's POV)
I walk through the Gemeindeverwaltungen Bücherei library. It's been empty for a while now. Abandoned after Konig's and Ghost's fight. This is where Konig almost killed Ghost. I picked this place for a reason. I want them to relive the past. I walk downstairs and into the basement. They won't be able to find Star right away which is what I wanted. I walk through a series of tunnels and stop at the metal door at the end of the tunnel.
I smile and slowly open the door. Once I'm inside, I close it again. Star lays on the old mattress on the floor. Her back is to me. I look at the wounds on her back. The ones I left. My smile falters a little but I shake it off. This needs to be done. "I brought you food." I say. She winces as she turns to me. Pain shoot through my heart when I see the rest of her body. What I did to her.
"Why?" She asks, her voice barely a whisper. She just sits on the mattress and eyes me cautiously.
"Because you need to eat." I say. "Or you'll starve to death." I set the bag on the table and pull the contents out of it, setting them on the table. "I brought your favorite, Chinese."
"Chinese isn't my favorite anymore." She says. "And I would rather starve to death than live here and go through what I'm going through." I turn to her and smile. It's a fake smile but it'll have to do.
"You're leaving today." I say truthfully. "Your team landed in Berlin this morning. They'll be here in about eight hours." Her eyes light up. Probably with hood or happiness. "They've been looking for you this whole time Star. And now they've found you."
"Really?" She asks. I nod and she smiles. This is gonna hurt like a bitch. I walk over to her and slap her across the face.
"Stop smiling bitch." I spit. I instantly regret what I did but I don't show it. "Just get up and eat this damn food." She looks at me with pain in her eyes, but nods slowly and gets up. I watch her as she eats slowly, wincing as she does. Once she's done, she sits back down on the mattress. I clean up the food trays and put everything in the bag. "I'll be back in a few hours. Be good until then." She nods.
I open the metal door and close it, locking it behind me. I walk down the tunnel and towards the library again. When I get to the library, far enough away from her, I drop to my knees and choke out a sob.
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Word count: 1458
Oooop. What do y'all think about John? I'd love to know. 👀