[Sarah]

The compound, one they were upon it, crumbled under their fingers. Their might against the soldiers inhabiting the place was unmatched. How Zelda had been captured in the first place by them was becoming more of a mystery. Maybe his team was just that much better, or that much more desperate to win. They had to act quickly and carefully because once the fighting broke out, they were liable to kill any prisoners for the ease of it. They could just as easily use them for bargaining though.

[Sarah]

Aaron hoped they would use her to bargain. He would not want to bargain, but it would be better than going inside and seeing her brains painting the floor. Eventually the gunfire slowed. Half their force had broken inside and every so often a shot would escape. The sandstone the building was made of kept the shots muffled not that it mattered so much considering the shots they had taken outside had not been subtle.

[Sarah]

“We have hostages,” Mark barked over the comms. Hostages. Zelda. Aaron set made sure the perimeter was set before heading inside. He was, by trade, a negotiator. If anyone was going to get his wife out alive it was going to be him.

“Where?” he asked as he headed into the building. Teams were still clearing the place, but the path to the hostages seemed to be cleared. Mark gave him directions the whole way and soon enough he was face to face with his wife and her torturers.

[Sarah]

Hate slid through him and a visceral sense of nausea threatened to overtake him. “The bitch is yours then,” one of the men said. Fuck. He hadn’t schooled his features quick enough. Maybe he was going to make things worse. He didn’t particularly care. Thankfully Mark seemed to pick up his shift in mood. A shift Aaron was careful to conceal. He’d already had his gun in hand, and before anyone could act, he put a bullet into the brain of the man carrying his wife.

[Sarah]

The man fell like a sack and his wife landed somewhat safely on top of him. She shifted, clearly conscious, but too weak to do anything. Mark took out the other two men before Aaron could take aim. Good. Apparently, he wasn’t ready to negotiate.

He moved to his wife and extricated her form the dead man’s hands. She shifted again, into him, and he swore a smile flitted across her face. “You’re okay now. I’ve got you,” he assured.