"Dom, respond."
More static. Then, faintly: "...pinned down... east perimeter... can't..."
The transmission cuts out.
Asher's face goes blank. The kind of blank that means everything underneath is screaming.
"I'm going." He's already moving toward the door.
"Asher, wait." Marlee grabs his arm. "You can't—"
"Dom is out there. I'm not leaving him."
"And Jinx? He's got maybe an hour before that wound kills him. You leave now, you might not make it back in time."
Asher stops. Turns. Looks at me.
The choice is written on his face. Dom, who's been with him for years. Dom, who survived the pits and built a new life and trusted Asher enough to follow him into this nightmare. Dom, who is dying somewhere in the darkness while Asher stands here, frozen.
Or me. The man who almost killed him. The man who pushed him away and pulled him close and can't seem to decide which one he wants. The man who took a bullet that was meant for his heart.
"Go," I tell him.
"Jinx—"
"Go get Dom. I'll be fine."
"You're not fine. You're bleeding out."
"No need to be so fucking dramatic." I force a smile. "That’s kind of my thing."
He crosses to me in two strides, grabs my face in both hands, and kisses me. Hard. Desperate. Like he's trying to memorize the shape of my mouth, the taste of my blood on his lips.
"Don't you dare die," he says against my lips. "You hear me? Don't you fucking dare."
"Wouldn't dream of it."
"I mean it, Jinx." His forehead presses against mine. His breath is warm on my face. His hands are trembling. "I didn't wait six years to find you just to lose you in some fucking maintenance shed."
"Romantic."
"I'm serious."
"I know." I reach up, touch his face. My fingers leave a smear of blood on his cheek. "Go. Get Dom. Come back."
"I'll come back."
"You better. I still owe you for that comment at the briefing."
A ghost of a smile crosses his face. Then it's gone, replaced by determination, by the mask of the soldier he needs to be.
He pulls back. Looks at me one more time, memorizing my face the same way I'm memorizing his. Then he's gone, disappearing into the darkness, running toward the sound of distant gunfire.
Marlee watches him go. "He's going to get himself killed."
"Probably."
"And you're okay with that?"
