▫️Eleven

Grey's pov

Our undercover men together with the local police had discovered an abandoned warehouse near a factory by the mining grounds where defectors had been smuggling immigrants and arms.

Some residents who had been reported missing were allegedly suspected to have been seen within the area.

"Take your positions." I instructed as we slowly caged into the shrewd place that was unusually quiet for a mining area.

"Approach with caution." I spoke into the mouth piece and steadily held my gun when a copy that acknowledgement came from the other three team leaders through the ear piece.

Two of our groups went round the back entrance while I led the rest to the front. A bang came from the door ahead that I lifted my hand to halt the movement of everyone behind me.

"Wait for action signal." I kicked the door open as several soldiers rushed in and I quickly surveyed the way we'd come. With no suspicious trace, I followed in.

The room was shady and I covered my nose from the intoxicating smell that came through. "Captain, hostages have been found." Group one's team leader reported and I instructed them to follow our plan.

We combed through the entire area without any hindrance and I was beginning to grow suspicious. Just after we finished going through, gunshots filled the place around us.

"Target at three o'clock." Reece, who had been monitoring the area from the military base informed and I urged all groups to retreat.

We easily knocked out the targets as I coordinated for the other groups to take the hostages to a safer place. Two of them were underage while the rest were adults, some foreign.

Firearms were found by a swampy area, must have hidden them recently because it was sloppily done and there were traces all over.

A bullet suddenly grazed my arm and I held back a seething grunt. "Cover me, there's a sniper." I instructed the other groups as we circled round just in case they were more than one.

"All clear." Reece informed once the sniper had been caught. The hostages were handed over to the police who arrived later on to investigate the whole area.

We then got into our trucks and returned to the military camp. I unstrapped my hand from the cover I'd been wearing to inspect the injury. "Are you okay captain?" One of my colleagues asked and I stiffly nodded.

It was just a small graze but I knew my tulip would get worried once she saw it.

"Have a rest." I instructed all groups before I got off to report about the mission to the brigade commander.

I picked up my phone by the reception before going in. "That was fast!" He stood up to pat my arm smiling and I grunted back.

The quick success was all due to the strategy we'd taken over a day to come up with though it was worth all our efforts.

He evaluated our actions, the mistakes we'd done and what we were supposed to improve on. I was a keen listener but the vibration of my phone from my pocket took out all my focus.

My chest deflated as I relaxed upon seeing her message. She had asked me to be safe and take care of myself together with my mates too.

What an angel!

She often reminded me of tulips. The brightness of her smile and the sunshine that radiated from her joyful nature making want to bask around her every day, every hour, every moment.

Her caring nature, always wanting to make sure everything was going well. I had watched her being so protective over Dalton to the point where I doubted their relationship.

Mayella had too spoken highly of her over the phone calls we'd been having and my heart warmed at how loving, sweet, pure and beautiful she was.

"Captain!" my eyebrows rose as I looked up at the brigade commander who must have been trying to get my attention for the past one minute.

"I was already done," I nodded once then rose up, not giving an indication that I hadn't heard the entirety of his briefing.

"Treat your wound soon." He watched me turn, lowering his gaze to my lower arm. He was a very observant soldier.

I briefly met his eye then walked out but his words abruptly stopped me. "Captain, this way." He directed me to the other side and it's then I realize I was about to walk into a wall.

Goodness, where are my thoughts!

I heard the brigade commander mumble under his breath, has the minor injury affected his brain?

A few soldiers walked here and there, some training as others gossiped around while several others trained in the fields. Needless to say, most of them weren't from my unit.

I spotted Reece waving over as he detached himself from some of his friends. Whereas I tended to keep to myself, Reece was a social butterfly, always mingling with everyone on the camp.

He had told me about some of them though I only remembered Enzo, the military doctor. He hadn't been here for that long but he was quite good at his job despite being some years younger.

"I'm famished," he exclaimed as soon as he got to me, releasing a lengthy whine. I rolled my eyes, giving him a side eye. Sitting all day and staring at screens was all he did.

I began to walk towards the common hall where we mostly had our meals. The food there wasn't that bad and I couldn't care much. It was just to keep my stomach full anyway.

"Did you know there's a new addition on our team?" Reece asked as soon we took our seats and I had just lifted my spoon to my mouth.

The guy never ran out of words.

I shook my head resuming my eating anyway. "It's a girl! Just saw her signing in and she's just my type. Ya know red hair, tall and petite." He went on and on rambling and I let him be. Could be some rumour he'd heard.

"Of course you're not interested," he stuffed more food into his mouth as he mumbled. If what he was saying were true, then everyone was likely talking about it. There has never been a female in our team.

"I know you're loyal but I'm just as hyped as any other normal man here is." He leaned back into his seat as he motioned everyone around and over the loud chatter, I could tell the stories were all the same.

"So?" Reece furrowed his eyes at me as I neared the end of my meal. Giving him the impassive look, he scoffed. "Much has happened, shouldn't you let me on?"

"What about?" I feigned ignorance of the sly smirk he was portraying as I gulped down a glass of water.

"I don't know exactly," he fixed his stare on my unmoving face, "The girl you went on a ride with or why you've been on your phone lately." My hand stopped from going to my pocket.

"A new friend," I grunted, chugging down another glass. It felt like he'd been spying on me which I knew he wasn't though he could get all detective on me.

"Friend?" Reece huffed as if I'd said the lamest joke to him. "Cheating on me already, after being your only friend?" He dramatically sighed faking some tears.

I flipped him off although he seemed to retaliate soon. "Out with this friend thing," I met his eye for only a second before the questions followed.

When did you meet? How long have you known each other? Does she know you're into her? Or did you already confess? Is it finally happening?

"I saw her during a mission," my thoughts trailed back to the night we first met. Dull, gloomy and cold was how best that day could be described as. It was an emergency setup for us to rescue people in flood zone areas and I was glad to have piped in.

"Just after new year," I held back from telling more. How I even remember the date and I couldn't let Reece know how much taken I was by Ginelle. He'd tease me endlessly, more than he even was at the moment.

But I didn't seem to care. Her shaking body on the bus as she clung onto me. My body going stiff at the unusual contact and despite my selective interaction with people, I found myself trying to comfort her.

She was so shaken and her body was numb but I could strangely feel some sort of warmth seep into me. Her small fingers over my biceps as she trembled made me want to immediately put her to safety.

Up until now, I wasn't sure what got over me that night though I could tell something in me had changed. I wasn't sure what it was but when I went to her store in the excuse of returning her card, I began to figure out.

"You're so gone," I blinked after zoning out as Reece slightly banged the table's top.

"You even went on the merry go round," her rolled his eyes as he added. "Mayella has been trying to get you on but you wouldn't budge."

"Not that I'm mad but are you over your phobia?" Reece knew I wouldn't stand anything spinning since I was young but that day it had taken all the courage in me to go on board. I clinged on her soft hand for comfort.

My phone rang before I found the words to say though Reece head quickly whipped to the vibrating machine in my hand.

"Is it her?" He poked his head further to get a better look but I shoved his head away. His hair was annoyingly getting into my face.

Nana

"Hello," grandma's worried voice came through and I relaxed into my seat as I replied. It had been almost two weeks since we last spoke.

"Hello nana, how are you?" Reece's face brightened and I decided to put the phone on speaker. He was a huge fun of her stories.

"I'm fine, are you at work?" I could hear some noise in the background and I hoped she hadn't bumped into anything.

"Hello nana," Reece cut in, catching the attention of those around us while Nana joined in giggling and squealing like a girl.

"Oh Reecie, is that you?" I heard the scrapping of a chair on the floor and I knew she was getting a seat to have a long conversation.

Nana wasn't that old as per the current technology since she could catch up on most of the slangs Reece used. She was very familiar with most of what was happening at the present world.

She was my only family left, having brought me up since I was five. She had always been there, cheering me on and encouraging me even when I felt like giving up.

"Gris!" Reece kicked my leg under the table as Nana's voice rose. "I promise we're fine." I answered after Reece had mouthed what she had asked previously.

"I spoke to Williams yesterday," she said and I gave Reece a questioning eye that he shrugged. Grandma had acquainted herself with Reece's family after we'd become friends.

"I'll be visiting you soon." That was a surprise. She never liked how loud the city was after having only visited twice.

"Shall we pick you up?" Reece excitedly asked but Nana cut him off that I held back a smile.

"I might be old but I'm surely not blind, I will find my way." she coughed bit and I heard her flip through some pages, perhaps checking the calendar.

"Remember to take your meals on time," I had to remind her as we neared the end of our conversation. The help I had hired to take care of her reported that she was often busying herself in the garden.

I hung up after she'd promised to eat on time and work less. That was before Reece spilled out that I had finally acknowledged a girl. Nana could have probably had an heart attack.

It was just that hard to believe because I'd always distanced myself from females since I was young. I knew they were there but I didn't feel the need to have any in my life.

Nana, Mayella and Reece's mom were enough to me. I didn't know of their importance in life, especially mine until her. She was my first female contact other than Nana and Reece's mom.

"Did you get your injury checked?" Reece jumped as if he had suddenly remembered.

"Just a graze," I played it off but before I could even blink, he pulled me up, dragging me out perhaps to get treated.

"Wouldn't want Miss Elle getting worried, would we?" He faked concern as he led me to the infirmary. I could only follow along.

"Captain," Reece's friend, Enzo greeted as he disinfected my arm and I nodded back. We had talked a couple of times when I came for check ups.

The two spoke over random stuff and I at times listened on their conversation, "Will you join today's team dinner?" Enzo asked as he finalized bandaging my arm.

"Of course, the new girl will be there." Reece replied as if it were the most obvious thing and from the corner of my eye I saw Enzo cringe.

"Grey you'll come right?" There was a loud rumble outside and I immediately stood up from the edge of the bed. I checked my wrist watch, feeling my phone from the front pocket.

Dark sky, low hanging clouds.

"You hardly attend group hangouts at night," Reece attempted to coax me but my mind was elsewhere.

"Talk later," I patted his back and hastily thanked Enzo in a nod before I dashed out. Their voices called over from behind me but that wasn't my priority.

I quickly took my car and speedily reversed out of the massive parking lot not even getting a jacket. At least I had changed out of my work clothes.

The sky was getting dark and I pressed on the gas as another rumble of thunder came. I couldn't care of the honking cars as I weaved through the traffic.

Ginelle, I had to get to get to my tulip the fastest possible.

I tried cutting away the image of her shaking at the corner of her room as the thunder cut through the air shaking her to the core.

I squeezed through even as the first drops fell and the path became blurry as the cars before seemed to stop moving.

The cold breeze blew through my half open car window as some raindrops got to my shirt but I pressed on wanting to get to her quicker.

I wouldn't let her feel the cold of the night rattling her teeth together as she huddled to herself.

✪ ✪ ✪

There's this webtoon that I've been reading, Midnight Poppy Land. It's a bad boy good girl and a grumpy x sunshine too. If you're interested you can check it out on webtoon.

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