Chapter 14
In the blink of an eye, three years had passed.
It was my third year back at the Special Operations Center when I finally earned authorization to go on a mission again.
As my fingertips brushed over the official permit issued by the commander, a wave of mixed emotions washed over me. This had not been easy.
Across the training ground, I spotted Sean standing with his hands clasped behind his back, the black combat uniform accentuating his tall, lean figure.
When I approached, his voice was flat but steady. “Congratulations. Welcome back to the field.” “Thank you, Captain, for the extra training,” I replied, lifting the permit slightly with a sharp smile tugging at my lips. “I won’t let you down.”
He looked cold as ever, but only I knew how much care hid beneath that face.
Three years ago, when I returned to the unit, my old comrades had been genuinely happy to see me. But after seven years away from combat, my skills had dulled.
Though Silver Wolf and the others were always patient with me, I couldn’t bear the thought of dragging them down.
After all, our work required deep cover and high-risk infiltration. One mistake could get the entire
eam killed.
So I stepped back from the front-line squad and started over from scratch, rebuilding every skill I
had lost.
Back then, I would sneak into the training arena late at night to push myself harder.
Under the high windows, moonlight poured in as I hurled myself at the 2.8-meter wall over and over again, my knees splitting open and scabbing over.
On my seventh attempt, a cold voice emerged from the shadows, “Move your takeoff point ten centimeters forward. Keep your weight on your left leg.”
t was Sean, codename Shadow Eagle, now the team captain. He had been once my fiercest rival and most seamless partner.
He stepped out of the darkness without explanation, simply stood at the base of the wall and said, “Again.”
From that moment on, an unspoken rhythm formed between us.
He would appear with a bottle of ice water when I was at my breaking point. I would ‘coincidentally” show up during his rest times, forcing him to run sniper drills with me. At four in the morning, the sparring room reeked of our sweat and blood.
After three relentless years, my speed ranked first on the team. I could dual-wield weapons and nit every target from 800 meters in a downpour. In close combat, my moves were silent and deadly.
I smiled when, for the first time in three years, he offered a single word of praise, “Good.” Now, standing at the door of the helicopter, I was finally ready to fight alongside my old
212 56.0
1:52 pm P ppp.
comrades again.
This mission was to eliminate a defector from a Mexican military engineering division.
Sean was briefing us. His eyes lingered on me for a split second as he issued orders. “Crimson Hawk with me on breach. Target hit in thirty seconds. Extraction in under a minute.”
At first, everything went smoothly. But as we were leaving, our cover was blown.
The moment the bomb went off, Sean shoved me to the ground, shielding me. The sound of collapsing concrete roared in my ears as his warm blood spattered against my neck.
“Sean!”
I twisted, fired a quick shot to eliminate an ambusher and dragged him behind cover.
Blood trickled from his temple, yet he still had the audacity to arch an eyebrow, his voice tinged with nostalgia.
“It’s been a long time since you called me by real name. Must be… ten years now?”
In the infirmary later, I watched his hands as he stitched his own wound, teasing him lightly.
“No wonder you’re the captain. You’re always first into danger. No wonder the whole team would follow you into hell.”
He wrapped the bandage carelessly, his tone deliberately casual. “For others, I might not save sc recklessly.”
Under the white lights, our eyes locked in silence. I wasn’t a young girl anymore. I heard the meaning beneath his words.
Sean’s gaze burned, focused, filled with a feeling that startled me.
Three years of moments flashed through my mind. The unspoken care, the harsh corrections laced with concern, the stern eyes that always watched over me.
So this was what it had meant all along.
I turned my face away, my voice calm but firm. “I’m grateful for you saving my life and I value the bond we have as comrades.”
I paused, meeting his eyes squarely. “But right now, I’m not ready to think about a relationship.”
Something flickered in his eyes, then he slipped back into his usual composure. “Understood.”
He nodded slightly and the distance between us returned.
“It won’t affect our coordination, will it?” I raised an eyebrow, my tone carrying the bluntness of
an agent.
He smirked faintly. “I’m not that childish. We’re not kids anymore. Besides… how do you think I survived these past three years?”
Our quiet understanding hung in the air and no more words were needed.
Some boundaries must be held. Some wounds needed time. Perhaps one day, I could accept a new kind of closeness.
But not yet.
Chester
1:52 pm P
