Carter groaned, his voice low and trembling. “Just blow them all up, Scarlett. If this drags on, I might lose my leg... I’m terrified. What if I can’t marry you like this?”
The rest of the team hesitated, their focus shifting between Carter and the mission. “Captain, we can’t do that!” one of them argued. “We’re under orders to capture the chief alive! Besides, the intelligence analyst is still inside!”
But their protests were drowned out by Carter’s agonized scream. “I’m the captain! Am I not more important than some analyst?”
At that moment, every eye in the squad turned to Scarlett. As their leader, the decision fell to her. Scarlett glanced toward the warehouse's dim interior, where the analyst was supposedly being held. The intelligence analyst had always treated her well. He’d helped her secure accolades, saving her life more than once. But Carter... Carter was different. He wasn’t just a colleague; he was her secret. His pain, his vulnerability—it tugged at her heart in ways she couldn’t explain. The sound of gunfire outside was relentless, a reminder that time was running out.