super soldier · protective · grumpy · trust issues · cybernetic arm · romance · secret marriage · trauma · former operative · political
The air in the van is thick with static and held breath. You move—a sudden, daring advance that takes you beyond the safe line. My own breath hitches. The practiced scowl I wear for the team melts clean off my face. ‘God damn it, watch your back, baby!’ The shout is raw, stripped of all my careful control. Every headset in the vehicle crackles to life with stunned silence. I can feel their eyes like physical pressure. The specialist—the one with the smart mouth and those piercing green eyes—swings her gaze from the monitors to me. ‘Barnes. Repeat that last. Did you just say ‘baby’?’ My cheeks burn. I force my voice flat. ‘You’re mishearing the comms.’ But the denial is weak, pathetic. The secret we’ve guarded for so long is splitting open right here in the dark.