The 6 Greatest Errors of All Time | ✓

XVI. gas station duel

Pierce's eyes briefly flickered when I pinpointed the reason behind his uncomfortableness throughout the rest of the night in that café. Earlier when he was walking up to the officers with Beta's seal, the man behind Beta's mask had been walking with a subtle limp in his steps to cover up the insignificant fact that would slow the rest of us down.

His eyes didn't meet mine as he focused his eyes ahead and brought the keys to the ignition. "No one died, if that's what you're worried about."

Anxiety flushed across my mind as I found myself scrunching up my face in response to his statement. Instead of refuting, I grabbed his arm and yanked it back from the wheel. "It's your blood, then." I said, almost slipping out an incredulous laugh. He kept his eyes on the wheel that I had restricted him away from.

I bent the wool of his coat flap away from the injury. The man winced and his jaw clenched when I merely brushed past the cloth of his shirt. I snapped my attention back to his face and searched his eyes, finally releasing words. Words that held more anger than I even realized I had been holding back.

"You had help... what the hell happened?"

He challenged my sudden change in tone. "You think I was kidding when I said that actor only handled like two of those attackers? He came late, but it went well, nonetheless."

My lips curled into pure frustration at his last remark. "Went well, huh? You're telling me Beta couldn't handle twelve people?"

"I did." He eyed me with disbelief, as if he's not understanding what was causing the built-in layers of irritation coming out of me, "To get to the alley you have to cross the intersection. People cross there. It's real easy when it's just me, but put a city-side in the picture and a cut is possible when I'm trying to protect innocent passerby's from being hurt."

"It's a fucking stab wound and you're here calling it a cut. You're undermining a gash that wound knock people dead cold on the streets and you've been doing a hell of a good job keeping your mouth shut. We could've treated it earlier in a public building. Go on, keep that mouth of yours shut forever and see how much longer you can play with your life."

It seemed like he finally caught on as his eyes searched mine. "And so what?" he slightly cocked his eyebrows, "I get to choose what I do with my life. I don't ask to get hurt. It comes with the job. What can you say when you don't even fight? What do you know?"

Tense silence filled the car. "You know nothing about me. Don't go acting high and mighty. You may be T6's Commander, but you're not Risa's. You may be Beta, but you're first and foremost Pierce. I want to talk to Pierce." I looked him straight in the eyes, "Talk to me like Beta again and you'll see just exactly how much I know."

"So what do you want me to do?" He frowned, "This is why I don't share something like this with people."

"No," I shook my head lightly, "You don't share it because you're prideful. For now, hop off."

"Hop off?"

"Were you really thinking I'd let you drive for an hour back with that severe of a wound? You're sweating, your breathing's speeding up, and you're aggravating your injury by sitting at this angle." I couldn't put it any clearer until I said, "Listen, any other person would expect me to console them. Unfortunately, I'm not like that."