Page 42 of Mariposa (Queens Command #1)

I’m lost in his gaze, still. Someone’s unfamiliar long fingers push my arm down. Jerking my head towards the stranger, my eyes widen when I see who it is.

Karen .

The beautiful, curly, blonde-haired woman at The Drunken Shell is the translator who will work with Kade.

She glares at me momentarily before glancing at him, who is already withdrawing himself from me and heading into the building with his rifle raised.

Her bright blue eyes sweep me from head to toe, and she tuts.

“The Unbreakable Soldier. I’ve heard… a lot about you .” Her voice lowers, almost in a way that feels like she’s accusing me of something.

Why is she looking at me like this? She needs to be following Kade, not glaring daggers at me. After placing my pistol on safety, I tuck it back into my kit, ignoring her strange comment.

I want to go in there. I know Kade told us all to stay put, but the need to disobey Kade’s orders and follow him inside is so tempting. I want to protect him, the way he’s always protecting me.

“Lieutenant Wilson, we’re in the middle of an operation.

Is there anything you need? Do you need me to follow you in there?

” Booker rises to his feet after checking out our medic.

A dog handler sprints by us with a beautiful red-coated Belgian Malinois barking riotously, his drool flying everywhere.

They disappear into the darkened clinic, swallowed by black shadows.

“Nope, I’m good.” She gives me her back, and her tall, muscled frame runs behind the dog handler, leaving our team alone with SEALS.

“We need to secure the outside of the building while we wait,” Booker orders. Everyone rounds the building, searching for threats. Chaos is leading in front, with me right behind him. When we enter the alleyway, it’s empty—no sign of threats.

“Clear!” Chaos snarls into the mic.

Suddenly, a city trashcan top explodes open.

A man holding a machete comes out swinging at Chaos with only one goal—to end his life.

Booker’s reflexes are fast, and he dodges it in time.

But the surprise attack forces him to drop his rifle, making him unable to defend himself as fast as he needs to.

My crosshairs pinball, trying to get a good angle to take him out, but if I shoot, I risk killing Chaos.

“I can’t get a shot!” I shout hoarsely from my dry throat. I’m trying not to panic, but the thought of losing Booker terrifies me. My hands start to tremble from holding the heavy rifle. Muscles burn as I watch Chaos struggle to defend himself, wrestling with the target.

Should I switch to my pistol? Tackle the target?

Different plans bounce in my head, and I’m scared of making the wrong move.

Don’t hesitate. Don’t fucking hesitate, or you’re dead .

Kade’s words echo into my head again.

Our team creates a wall beside me, our lasers frantically filling the target’s body.

Just as Chaos reaches into his kit for a knife or pistol, the man continues to swing desperately. Snarling and cursing at him, clearly fueled by hatred. Before the sharp blade connects with Chaos’s throat, I pull the trigger, knowing the risks.

Luckily, the bullet pierces his wrist, forcing him to fly backward and drop the weapon.

Booker turns to me with a heaving chest and widened eyes.

I stay put, thanking God internally. He stands, kicking the machete far away as the rest of our team scrambles to detain the target.

He’s on the floor screaming, kicking the dirt, clutching his bloodied arm to his chest.

Chaos aggressively takes off his mic and stalks toward me. I look up at him, taken aback. When he gets to me, while everyone else is distracted by getting the target to a secure area, he leans into my ear. He glances at my mic and then at me.

“If you didn’t belong to someone else, I’d kiss the hell out of you.” I can feel the smirk in his deep voice.

My heart skips. Does he know about Kade and me?

He jokes like this with everyone, but still.

“Shut it, Chaos. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Shoving his shoulder away from me, I walk past him, but he catches up a second later.

An hour passes with no update on the hostage situation. We’re all waiting outside the building, surrounding it so no one leaves or enters. Not knowing if Kade is safe, every second that goes by is driving me crazy.

“We should have heard something by now, Chaos.” My voice is a strained whisper beside him, and I keep my vision trained on the door Kade entered. It’s taking every ounce of will not to disobey his orders and run in there to help.

“I’m not worried. Beast knows how to handle these situations well with Karen,” he grumbles. The mention of her name makes my stomach curl.

Curiosity gnaws at me. How long did they date? When was the last time he slept with her? Are they still friends?

Dammit. I’m jealous. There’s no place right now for that, I remind myself. It doesn’t matter because whatever Kade and I share will eventually come to an end.

I don’t care.

I don’t care .

The lie swirling in my head like a carousel makes me sick.

One loud gunshot rings out from inside the building, making my blood run cold. I turn to Chaos, whose hand tightens around his rifle. Swallowing the worry back down, I don’t have time to think the worst. Seconds later, three more shots boom, and questions erupt, flooding the comms.

“ What was that ?”

“ Beast? What’s going on ?”

“ Are the hostages alive ?”

Blood pounds through my ears as I wait. I swear, if Kade is hurt or dead…

I know there is a team of SEALs and the rest of our team in there, but I can’t help but worry.

“The threat has been eliminated,” Karen’s sullen voice rasps.

The intense breath I’ve been holding releases as my shoulders relax. Loosening my grip on my rifle, I re-adjust the mic in my ear, as if that’ll make her say more.

Why is she saying it so solemnly? This is a good thing.

Finally, Kade emerges from the shadows. At first, I’m relieved, but the second I see what he’s carrying in his arms, my spirit shatters at the horror.

He keeps his gaze on the lifeless, bloodied child as he walks out into the village while a group of special operators rushes in to complete the investigation.

Tears spring to my eyes as bile rises to my throat. My body grows so cold that I almost drop my rifle. Suddenly, the blanket that’s partially covering the child moves. Tiny arms wrap around Kade’s neck desperately while the little girl sobs into his chest.

He saved her. He managed to save the little girl’s life.

“He killed the doctor with a GSW to the face. I managed to terminate him before he could do the same to the child. The blood splattered all over her. She’s alive, but she needs medical attention.”

A group of medics breaks into a sprint towards Kade. Once they reach him, he slowly hands her over. At first, she resists, not wanting to let Kade go, and pleads with him. I know she’s begging him not to let her go, but he manages to reassure her that she’s safe now and everything will be okay.

Before tears can roll down my cheeks, Chaos snaps me out of my emotional state with an arm around my shoulder. Pulling my attention towards him, I purse my lips, fighting the urge to run to Kade instead.

“The operation is over. We get to live another day, Posa.”