Devious Beyond Belief

"Is that it? Heh!"

"Hah... I gave you too much credit. The little kitty bared her claws, but that Italian man filed them down. She can't scratch anyone." Hill narrowed his eyes, gripped Song Zhi's waist with his calloused hands, and flipped her over with ease, reversing their positions.

Hill seized Song Zhi's wrists and pinned them above her head, chuckling. "You beat me once and got carried away, riding on top of me. You've got some nerve!"

"Waiting for me to beg you for mercy? Babe, I can beg you for mercy, but not over this..."

Song Zhi's face flushed red. She pressed her lips together and said nothing. The truth was, she was a little scared.

"Now you're scared? Too late. You should have stabbed or shot me when you had me pinned just now. The point of fighting is to kill your opponent. When there's a difference in strength, it's best to finish them with one shot."

Hill didn't forget to give her a lesson on the spot. Holding Song Zhi down with one hand, he pulled out his pistol with the other, changed the magazine one-handed, and swung his arm to chamber a round. He aimed the muzzle at Song Zhi's head, his movements fast, precise, and impossibly cool.

It would have been even better if Song Zhi hadn't been the one with a gun to her head.

Song Zhi: "..."

When someone was utterly speechless, all they could do was roll their eyes and sneer. Do you hear what you're saying? Do I have a fucking gun?

I fight you one-on-one, hand-to-hand, and you pull a gun to shoot me in the head! You're devious beyond belief!

"I don't have a gun or a knife..."

"Idiot... I taught you that if you don't have one, you can take one!" Hill raised his eyebrows, disengaged the safety, and put his pistol away.

Ha! Take one from Hill? What a joke! How? Even if he let her take it, she wouldn't dare... With such a huge gap in strength, she'd just be delivering herself up to die.

Song Zhi grumbled inwardly but forced herself to look calm. She looked at Hill, gritted her teeth, and said, "Even if I could take one, I wouldn't use such dirty tricks. A fight should be fair and square. What kind of skill is pulling a gun?"

"Fair and square?" A mocking smile curled Hill's lips. "When it's life or death, who cares about fair and square? Do you think this is a friendly match? On a mission out there, the enemy won't play by your rules."

"Mm-hmm, lesson learned... But can you get up now?" Song Zhi twisted her wrists and glared fiercely at Hill, who was pinning her down.

"What's the rush? We're already like this, so let's get down to some other business..."

Hill smiled wickedly and took off his shirt, revealing a solid, scarred torso, its hard muscles forming wild lines.

He hooked a hand around his belt buckle and flicked it open with a crisp snap.

Song Zhi hurriedly covered her face with both hands. The sight was too beautiful; she didn't dare open her eyes.

Hill bent down close to her ear and chuckled. "Didn't you tell me to beg for mercy? Don't hold back in a moment... make me beg..."

He pried Song Zhi's hands apart and pressed a fascia scraper into her palm.

"Hurry up, we're short on time! We still have to pick up the lieutenant later."

Song Zhi: "..."

Before long, the training room was filled with low, muffled groans and heavy breathing that would make anyone blush, mixed with low curses.

"Whew!"

"Fuck!"

When it came to loosening muscles and gua sha, traditional Chinese medicine was the expert! So was she! She scraped wherever it hurt, loosening the muscles without damaging bone or breaking skin.

Song Zhi shook out her aching wrist and looked at Hill, whose whole body was red and purple. Her great revenge was finally complete. She let out a triumphant breath. "You've got a bit too much dampness, huh? Drink less ice water."

Hill drove Song Zhi away from the training ground, heading first to the airport. The SUV stopped outside, and Song Zhi leaned back in the rear seat with her eyes closed, resting. Hill glanced in the rearview mirror and said nothing, instead turning down the car stereo.

Lai'en walked over side by side with Kelante, who had returned from a mission. The moment the car door opened, Song Zhi opened her eyes.

Lai'en got into the front passenger seat, while Kelante, dressed in a gray suit, bent down and sat beside Song Zhi.

"Kelante, you're back?" Song Zhi was surprised and delighted to see him, and her lips curved into a smile.

"Mm. Your information was accurate, so I was able to finish the mission early. Have you been well?" Kelante gave Song Zhi a kiss on the cheek. His amber eyes looked even more tender behind his gold-rimmed glasses.

"I've been well..." Song Zhi's pretty face flushed, and she felt a little shy. (In connection with the cheek kiss in the previous sentence, she just wasn't used to Western etiquette. It wasn't that conspiratorial.)

Hill snorted. That Italian man had worn a suit on purpose, hadn't he?

Lai'en sat in the front passenger seat, as dour and cold as ever, looking as though he wanted strangers to keep their distance. He kept his head down, dealing with official business on his tablet, paying no attention to what was happening in the back seat. Then he glanced over and saw the red marks on Hill's arm.

"Are you hurt?" His deep voice sounded abrupt in the enclosed car, the end of his question carrying an unclear inflection.

"I let my guard down for a moment and got scratched by a cat," Hill grunted, his voice extremely suggestive.

The car left the airport and went straight to the hospital instead of returning to the apartment. Wilk and Lu Yu were being discharged today, so they could pick them up and return to the apartment together.

As soon as the car stopped, they saw Wilk and Lu Yu standing back-to-back by the roadside, two duffel bags tossed loosely at their feet. Their exceptionally tall frames drew the attention of passing pedestrians.

Lai'en and the others got out of the car and hugged one another in turn, as though it were a ritual.

Lu Yu held Song Zhi tightly in his arms and lowered his head to smell the lingering scent of shampoo in the hair at her neck. "Hey! I nearly died in Algiers. If I hadn't looked at your photo, I wouldn't have made it."

"What photo?" Song Zhi hugged Lu Yu back, somewhat bewildered.

Before Lu Yu could answer, Wilk snatched Song Zhi out of his arms. He picked her up and kissed her forehead. "When Lieutenant Miller said you were going to leave, I wished I could fly back from Algiers."

"Big Russian bear, I already promised the lieutenant I wouldn't leave Group A." Song Zhi patted Wilk on the shoulder, and her words made him release her.

Kelante was as gentlemanly and elegant as ever. He gently embraced Song Zhi and said softly, "You've been good."

Hill's hug was so overbearing that she could barely breathe. She reached up and pinched his waist, and only after he grunted in pain did he release her.

When it was Lai'en's turn, Song Zhi felt as though an iceberg was crushing her. She stayed very still in his arms. The voice above her head was as composed and cold as ever, though his tone had softened a little. "You've done well these past few days."

After more than a month apart, the six of them had finally gathered again in Sri Lanka. They barbecued and drank in the yard in front of the apartment, enjoying the rare holiday with no missions, no gunfire, and no death.

Song Zhi curled up in a beach chair. The evening sea breeze brushed her face, cool and pleasant, while Wilk's deep, melancholy singing reached her ears-

"Возьми меня, люби меня, укрой

Той пеленой, что мы с тобой создали вдвоём

Возьми меня, люби меня, укрой..." (The Russian song "Lullaby")

Kelante handed her a bottle of low-alcohol beer. Song Zhi took it and clinked drinks with them. She couldn't hold her liquor, so she drank in small sips.

Lu Yu brought over a guitar and sat down beside Song Zhi to tune it. Song Zhi brushed her fingers over the strings, drawing out a low sound.

Lu Yu chuckled and handed the tuned guitar to Song Zhi. She didn't refuse. Taking it, she rhythmically tapped its body with her palm, producing a steady, muffled beat-

"Thump, thump, There once was a ship that put to sea.

And the name of that ship was the Biliy o'Tea."

A deep, magnetic bass voice joined the song. It was Lai'en. "The winds blew hard her bow dipped down. Blow my bully boys blow Hun-"

"Soon may the Wellerman come. To bring us sugar and tea and rum. One day when the tonguin is done. We'll take our leave and go..." Hill and Wilk's voices joined in as well.

("Wellerman," a sea shanty)

Lu Yu gently put an arm around Song Zhi and hummed along softly. Kelante sat across from her and raised his glass in a toast.

Their deep singing, carrying the world-weariness they had acquired through the ravages of war, drifted toward the horizon with the sound of the waves.

If anyone asked Song Zhi what she wished for, right now she wished only for world peace! For the smoke of war to be gone forever!