Stealing. I’d even been considered a bully, something I wasn’t proud of.
“The Marines are gonna whip your ass, boy. They won’t take any of your bullshit.”
My father’s sentiment had remained with me and he’d been right. I’d been reduced down to the basics, no longer able to hide behind the troubled boy syndrome.
And I’d had my ass kicked more than once.
Including by Snake, who’d refused to allow me to get away with stupid antics.
“You can’t go through life basking in humiliation of others,” Snake growled as he took a fighter’s stance, prepared to issue another hard swing.
I rubbed my jaw, laughing before lunging in his direction, pitching us both onto the ground. Within seconds, he twisted his body, forcing me under his, his arm digging into my throat. “You ain’t no match for me, tough guy. I suggest you get your shit together.”
The memory was the same as the others, bittersweet, but Snake had been there by my side through boot camp, refusing to allow me to get kicked out. Sighing, I could swear the bear of a man was looking down at me from heaven.
I shifted in the saddle, turning my attention to the moon already shining brightly in the sky. The one thing I had done year after year was stare at the moon. I couldn’t even remember what I’d been wishing for. Now I felt blessed.
At least I was alive.
My grip on the reins tightened as another brutal memory refused to be denied.
“Watch out!” Hawk bellowed as he dragged Vader toward the helicopter. “We have to get the fuck out of here!”
As Scorpion snagged Reaper, yelling at him to get the fuck into the bird, I jerked Hawk’s arm. This was a bad call. While the damn Afghan informant had been used before, this felt more like a setup than anything. I had no idea what the fuck Hawk had been thinking by dragging us here. We had limited backup and there were insurgents coming from every direction. The sound of rapid gunfire was explosive, and I had difficulty breathing, the sand and dirt suffocating.
“Go. Go. Go!” I yelled, although the sound was muffled by the whirl of the helicopter blades.
As the other men of the expeditionary unit jumped inside the bird, Vader refused to let go of Hawk’s arm, although blood seeped through his uniform.
Fuck. Where the hell was Snake? Damn the asshole. He was always going off on his own. One day he was going to get us all killed.
“Wait,” Scorpion yelled, his call drowned out by a series of explosions.
“We can’t leave him out there!” Vader exclaimed, gasping for air.
Fuck, the man was going to bleed to death if we didn’t get him out of here.
“Get the fuck inside,” Hawk bellowed as he pushed Vader into my arms, giving me a hard glare. “Get him on board.”
“Where the fuck are you going?” I hissed. “We need to get the hell out of here.”
“I’m not leaving without Snake.” The rapid popping of continuous gunfire was getting closer.
Scorpion moved toward the door, but Reaper yanked him with force, whispering hoarsely, “There’s nothing we can do right now. We will come back for him.”
“All for one and one for all, remember? We do not leave a man down!” Scorpion insisted, fighting to get out of Reaper’s hold.
“Then we’ll all fucking die!” I snapped as I hung out of the bird, keeping my weapon moving from side to side, prepared for any sign of the enemy. The assholes were closing in on us. It was only a matter of time before we would be surrounded.
“He’s right, Hawk. We have about twenty seconds to get the fuck out of here or we’re all going down,” Reaper snarled as he jumped out of the helicopter and grabbed Hawk. “Come on, buddy. You know the drill. We have to get back to the base. You must save your men.”
Where the fuck was Snake going? Goddamn it.
As Hawk roared, a spray of bullets hit the hull of the helicopter. I called out again as I opened fire, firing several rounds in an attempt to give Snake cover.
Oh, God. Oh, God!
The vision was even more jarring than usual, every image crystal clear. The wind was sucked out of my lungs as I waited until they faded away. Why the hell had it hit me so hard this time? Maybe because I’d heard gunshots in the distance twice that afternoon. Fuck. I hated the sound of gunfire even more than before. I couldn’t think