A third hostile swings around the side of the structure—
I catch the movement—
Fire—
He drops hard against the outer wall.
“Left clear!” I call.
“Right still active!” Mila snaps.
Another one comes in low—
Too fast.
Too close.
I pivot—
Not enough time to fire—
Mila slams into me, shoving me back as the round cracks past where my head was—
She fires point-blank.
The hostile drops at our feet.
For half a second—
Everything stops.
My hand grips her arm.
Hard.
“You good?” I demand.
She nods once, breath sharp. “Yeah.”
But her eyes—
Locked on mine.
That same fire.
That same promise.
I don’t even think.
“Stay with me,” I say.
“Always,” she fires back.
And that right there?
That’s all I need.
Gunfire erupts again from outside.
