For Her Honor

Chapter 7

I had to wait another few hours before Marco and Luke were finally done training. They were sweaty and stinky, but I swear they gained five pounds in muscles. Was it even possible to grow in size of muscles in only a few hours? I couldn't answer that question but from the evidence now walking in front of me, I'd say it's very plausible.

"Perimeter is clear." Toni announced quietly, still limping slightly from her twisted ankle she received when she tackled me away from the explosion. Not to mention the burns along her back which matched mine and the minor concussion she had attained when she hit her head.

Marco nodded and walked forward with Luke on my other side and Toni now flanking the back. The four of us walked in a group as if we were statues, even me. Because honestly, I didn't want to get blown up again. Arnold had provided us with a car which had been within the organization since the day it was made, so we were positive it hadn't been tampered with.

The ride back to my house was filled with tension, considering while Luke drove and Toni looked out her passenger window, all Marco and I could do was sit there and pretend we didn't have that heated discussion earlier. I didn't want to argue with him again so I didn't bring it up, but I wanted to know why my father hadn't told me they had captured my attackers. And now with one of them dead and the other one so high on drugs that he had to look down to see the clouds, I feared we'd never knew who sent them.

Marco stepped onto the porch first, then flung the door open and sent Luke and Toni in to check the house. I waited on the porch, hidden behind Marco's body. When Luke and Toni returned, Marco shoved me inside and quickly locked the door behind us.

"Well that was fun." Luke declared sarcastically, falling down onto the sofa in our living room. Toni plopped down beside him, wincing as she went. I collapsed onto the other couch, Marco soon following after me. The four of us laid there for who knows how long, trying to regain the energy we had lost throughout the day.

"I'm exhausted." I mumbled into the pillows, throwing my hair out of my face.

Marco nodded, his eyes locked on the ceiling, "Is high school always like this?"

I looked back at him and narrowed my gaze, "I'm exhausted from everything that happened after school."

He chuckled lightly, "Oh. That."

"Yeah. That."

"You okay?" I heard Luke question.

Assuming he was talking to me, I opened my mouth to answer but found that a different voice sounded through the air. It was Toni, "My back is killing me. Those pain killers aren't doing a damn thing."

Luke sighed and stood up, pulling Toni along with him, "I'm going to put her to bed, she needs to rest. Then I'll be back down and I'll take the first watch shift for tonight."

Marco didn't reply to Luke's words, he only bid Toni goodnight as I did also. Once Luke was gone and I was left with Marco, I heard him grunt slightly. When I looked over, I saw that he was taking his shirt off again. Reflexively, I jumped off the couch and away from where Marco was stripping.

"What the hell are you doing?" I exclaimed, doing my best to keep my eyes on his face as opposed to his chest.

Marco didn't spare me a glance as he tossed his shirt onto the table, examining the new bruises dressing his torso which added to the ones already there from his beating Saturday night. Another round of guilt washed over me at seeing these bruises.

"Want me to get the pain killers from the medicine cabinet?" I questioned, already moving to grab them as if I already knew his answer.

But he only shook his head, still staring at the bruises, "No it's fine. They don't hurt that bad anymore. Besides I can't let you out of my sight and it'd only make it worse on me to follow you around. So why don't you put that cute little booty of yours back on the couch."