After Alejandro stormed out, Rora felt like the room temperature got colder.

Ghost pushed himself off the wall, only leaning on it with his shoulder, eyes searching Valeria's emotionless face. Rora had stopped playing with her knife, the small now weapon hung from her fingers next to her hip, silence falling over them.

„Looks like it's your turn, to tell the truth," Soap took the questioner's place, standing in front of Valeria, her giving him an unimpressed look. If a very angry Alejandro with knowledge of her past couldn't achieve anything important, she doubted that the man with the softest eyes in the room could go somewhere.

Graves, who was still standing behind Valeria, now leaned in, his face barely inches away from hers. Something twisted in her stomach as she watched them, the incident when two men burst into her room in one of their temporary bases flashing in front of her eyes, taking everything from her.

Her grip tightened around the handle of her throwing knife, ready to step in. Valeria was there to deliver information, but she wouldn't let them touch a single hair on her head.

„I want the missiles, I want the target and I want Hassan. And you've got 10 seconds or I'm gonna show you the difference between military and me," Graves spoke from up close, her being barely able to understand his words. She sent a look to Ghost, him returning it with a side-eye, not really giving it too much attention.

But when he saw the slightly alarmed look in her eyes, he straightened his posture.

„I don't know the targets," Valeria said calmly, her tone bland, just like her expression.

Her gaze jumped to the knife held between Rora's fingers, an amused glint appearing in her dark eyes. Maybe she thought that the Sergeant tried to intimidate her, but in honesty, she was ready to chuck the knife across the room towards the Shadow Commander.

„I'm a courier. I move things." Valeria continued, running her gaze across the men. „I can tell you where to find the missiles. When you return, I'll tell you where Hassan is. In exchange, you will let me go. And get the fuck out of Las Almas. Now leave-„

Soap glanced above his shoulder, looking at Ghost with a questioning look, the lieutenant giving him an almost unnoticeable nod, but the two of them worked like a well-oiled machine, knowing exactly what the other meant by the smallest movements, their dynamic not needing unnecessary words.

His gaze flickered to Rora, the woman shrugging her shoulders, knowing damn well that her opinion didn't matter as much as Ghost's. She was just a Sergeant, knowing little about the group she joined to begin with, but she gathered that much that even if Ghost wasn't the lieutenant, most of them would still seek reassurance from him.

She didn't know him for long, but she was almost sure about the fact that she could rely on him, even if she caused the biggest havoc among men.

„Deal," Graves declared, straightening his back, distancing himself from Valeria. Some pressure got lifted off Rora's chest as she followed him with her eyes. „Until then... You're stayin' right here."

Rora pushed her knife back into its place, keeping her eyes on Valeria as Graves and Soap exited. The women's eyes met, both of them holding the gaze for a moment longer than needed, Valeria cocking her head at her, Rora drawing an eyebrow in return.

A moment later, she followed after Soap, Ghost following her behind, locking the door behind him. The door shutting behind her sounded like thunder slicing through the sky, making her suddenly more aware of her surroundings.

„Ghost," she turned around suddenly, not being able to contain her impulsive thoughts soon enough.

Catching him off-guard and her abruptly stopping in front of him, he took two steps back, creating more space between them. His immediate response to sudden movements towards him was to attack back, but looking at the smaller woman in front of him, staring up at him with those icy eyes, it somehow stopped his brain from triggering his PTSD.

„She will be alright, right?" she asked, her eyes wandering back to where they left Valeria.

He tilted his head to the side, his observant eyes scanning her features, trying to understand what made her question that. She was more than eager to hurt Hassan only a day ago, he wondered what changed.

Seeing the questioning look in his eyes, she let out a sigh, now regretting ever stopping him.

„I just-" Rora chewed on her bottom lip, trying to find the right words. It was an odd feeling, she never struggled to voice her opinion, but when it came to the topic she never wanted to talk about, it was suddenly like she couldn't get enough air in her lungs. „How many men could get inside?"

„Just us," Ghost replied, her nodding as she averted her gaze. „What's wrong?"

„Remember what I told you a few hours ago?" a smile appeared on her lips, though it didn't reach her eyes like usual. It was sad, a skeleton of something that tried to be genuine. He nodded. „Uhm, I'm probably being paranoid, but-"

She didn't need to finish her sentence, it already slightly triggering her, but she could see it in his eyes that he understood. Out of all of them, he could. And she was more than grateful for that.

„Anyways," she brushed it off, forcing a smile on her face, only hoping that it was convincing enough for him to just forget about it. „See you later, Lt."

°•○●⸸●○•°

They had to stay at Alejandro's base for a few more days before everything was ready. And those days usually went by like literal years, each hour making her feel more like she wanted to rip out her hair.

Usually, when she was on a mission, she liked the rush, a lot of things happening at once, being thrown in the middle of everything. But this time, things slowed down, letting her mind get a breather, a lot of memories surfacing because there was nothing that could distract her.

Ghost was usually occupied by planning the mission with Laswell, Shepherd, and Graves, Soap lingering around the training grounds with Alejandro, and when he wasn't there, Alejandro hung with his Vaqueros. Rora could've stuck around Soap for company, because one thing he was good at was making her comfortable. He was like a little brother she never asked for, but was still happy about him.

But seeing how everybody managed to fit in, except for her, made her feel some type of way. It was almost like back in high school, when everybody ignored her.

So, instead of sulking back in her room in one of the far away corridors, she went to venture around the base, her feet somehow bringing her to the very container they kept Valeria.

She wondered if the woman was really alright, like Ghost said, because if she was in her place, Rora knew she wouldn't be that alright, after all. And as usual, Rora let her intrusive thoughts win, causing her hand to reach out for the door, ready to pull it open when a voice called her name from behind.

„Rora! What are you doing here, hermana?" Alejandro called, her head whipping around to find the man approaching her, his dark brows furrowing deeper when his eyes wandered over to her reached-out hand. She quickly retrieved it, crossing her arms in front of her chest, forcing a smile on her face.

„Just looking around. Getting to know the base and all," she stepped away from the container, Alejandro's dark eyes inspecting all of her movements.

She felt like she was a child, getting busted by her parents by the way he was looking at her, and an unsaid question floated above their heads, making the silence between them heavier. She let out a sigh, fixing her gaze on her boots.

„I was planning on seeing Valeria."

With a loud sigh, Alejandro let loose a series of Spanish words, a few of them being curses, she was sure. By the disappointed look he gave her, a sad smile flashed across her face, knowing that it would've been a stupid thing to do. If Valeria would've attacked her, making a run for it, nobody would've known where she went. Hours could've passed till anybody would find her, Valeria already free with the wind.

„I know," Rora groaned, feeling the need to try to save her image in his eyes. „I'm just a little worried, okay? Does anyone bring her food or anything?"

„Yes, hermana," Alejandro shook his head, still not believing her. „It's my base, I'm taking care of everything. No need to worry."

And with that, they went back to the base like nothing happened, Alejandro asked about her previous tasks in the military, and she was eager to tell about her dogs and her most interesting missions, glad to have anybody else to talk to besides her own thoughts.

this is just a little filler, but the next chapter will be much longer and a little more action between the two :)