Somewhere outside the Rooivalk Digger Colony,

African Continent

Jinx glanced over her shoulder at Sol. Her heart had long since stopped hammering in her throat, but tension knotted her shoulder muscles. They'd been walking for over thirty minutes. At their pace, that meant they were about three kilometres from the watchhouse. And each additional step took them further into the empty veld. Further away from the men at the watchhouse. Further away from help.

Sol strode a few meters behind her. She was sure he was watching her walk — the skin between her shoulder blades crawled. The temperature dropped a few degrees as they approached a tiny watering hole, barely more than five meters across. The sound of crickets filled the night air. Jinx shuddered as a cold breeze brushed her cheek.

"Here's fine," Sol said cheerfully.

She spun around. "I said I'm sorry—"

"I'm not interested."

"Sol, I—"

"Get a fire going."

"What?"

"That was an order, Sergeant."

Jinx nodded. Her teeth were on the point of chattering from the brisk night air. She hunted around for branches and kindling, using the flint that Sol chucked at her to start a fire. Rising, she stared at Sol, who'd been watching her without expression.

"So what now?" she asked, flicking her hands at her sides.

"Sit."

The crisp sand shifted under her weight. Sol sat cross-legged beside her, his leg brushing hers. His hand dove into the pale granules, lifting, allowing the particles to run through his fingers.

He remained silent for too long. Tension was going to split her apart like an overripe fruit.

"Sol—"

"I heard you shouting." Sol was intent on the play of sand through his fingers.

"What?"

"The day I found you. I wasn't supposed to be there that day. Not there, anyway. Was coming back from Wildebeest side. Been on a correspondence run."

Jinx lifted her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. She stared at him, cheek pressed to her knee.

"Wasn't due back at camp for another few hours. I took a detour, went up to the ridge," he said. "Always loved the view up there."

The earlier pressure returned, more insistent. She bit down on her lip, both to stop the tears and to stop it trembling. She gripped her own shoulders, holding herself tightly.

"Thought it was a bloody bird or something. Sounded so strange. When I realised what it was, I nearly didn't go up. But then I saw the blood in the sand, right by my feet. Drag marks going up the ridge. Still thought, 'fuck, that's my spot.'"

His hand delved into the sand and remained submerged. He turned his head. Jinx stiffened at the strange light in his eyes. She'd never seen him like this — face softened as he peered into the past.

"When I got up there, they already had you pinned down. Two beside you, one on top of you. One just standing, watching."

Jinx drew in a hitching breath. Her vision blurred as tears forced their way into her eyes. She pressed her face into her knees, her eye sockets throbbing from the pressure.

"The one watching saw me when I crested the rise. Smiled. Asked if I wanted to join. Laughed and said there was enough of you to go around. Said they'd only just started. Didn't even realise I was from Rooivalk."

A sob caught inside her, tearing at her throat. Her shoulders jerked as it escaped. Sol touched the top of her head, but she flinched away. The hand returned. Sol's fingers dug into her shoulder muscles.

"I shot him first. Right in the face. Bam." She jerked at his rendition of the gunshot, the memory echo a thousand times louder. "The one on top of you, he was second. Twice, just to be sure. Head, heart. Bam, bam."

More sobs broke free, racking her body. He'd never spoken to her about that day and she'd forced it from her mind. Forced it out each day until it came only every second day and then every fourth. Then, only once in a cycle. Until tonight, she hadn't thought about that day for nearly a year. But the memory hadn't faded. It had stagnated in the depths of her mind, fermenting while she ignored it, maturing into a potent reverie.

"The two holding you down, they were last. Tried drawing their weapons." His arm slid over her shoulders and he tugged her close. "I had three shots left, but I only needed two."

Her words were chopped up by the convulsions in her throat and chest. "W-w-why did you t-t-take me w-with you?"

She lifted her face to him. His gray eyes widened as his thumb smeared the tears over her cheeks. Fine grains of sand scoured her skin. His smile was ghostly.

"You fought them like a lion, Jinx. But there were too many. You weren't strong enough." He paused as his eyes moved over her face. "I didn't want that to ever happen to you again. I wanted to make sure that no one—" he gripped her chin and gently shook her head "—no one could ever hurt you again." He forced her head against his chest.

She breathed in the scent of him — tobacco smoke, sweat, and a hint of the oil and solvent he used to clean his Vektor.

"I'd never seen anyone train like you did. You never became tired. You just grew stronger, and stronger. Faster. It came so naturally to you. If there had only been two that day, you would've taken them. But now..." His grip intensified. She shuddered, her tears growing less as his strength flooded into her. "Now you can put down three men as easily as one."

Silence settled between them. Tension leeched from Jinx as he stroked her hair. His large, gentle hands were a stark contrast to the steely grip around her shoulders. She drew her legs closer and leaned against him. The last tears trickled from her eyes, and she sighed as their pressure faded. Her cheeks itched as they dried in the heat from the fire.

Clearing her throat, she moved her head against Sol's chest.

"I was leaving," she said.

He tensed at the sound of her voice. He clutched her braid, using it to draw her head back to stare into her eyes.

"Why?"

Jinx grabbed his sleeve to steady herself. "I was looking for my father."

His eyes flickered to her lips as she spoke. She looked away, watching the firelight flicker over his clothing. "I thought he might be at Wildebeest. I was just going to walk in and... look for him, I think. I can't really remember what I was thinking."

She shook her head.

"I had to get drunk to get enough courage to actually leave, but I'd sobered up by the time I was halfway there. I realised I'd lost my way and climbed up on the ridge, trying to get my bearings." Her hand tightened around his sleeve, her eyes sliding closed. "That's when they spotted me."

"Did they..." Sol cleared his throat, and she felt him take a deep breath. "Did they—"

"No. I think they were still working up to it."

His relief washed over her in a warm exhalation of air. She pressed her face into her arm, willing the new tears to stay away.

"You were a mess," he said. "There was blood everywhere. I thought... I didn't know—"

"Most of it was theirs."

"Ha! I'm sure." The grip around her shoulders tightened. "Jinx, I'm sorry."

His voice had changed. Jinx pushed against him, leaning away from the sadness in his eyes.

"What? What is it?" He seemed unable to look at her, glancing past her into the fire. His throat moved as he swallowed. "Sol?"

"You're right. I don't want you to go."

Her stomach clenched. She released him and sat back, shaking her head. His chin touched his chest as he drew a deep breath.

"What do you mean? Why would you—" she cut short, words failing her. Her intestines were knotting. When he didn't reply she grabbed his arm, tugging at him. "You said you would help me, Sol! So why? Why the hell wouldn't you want me to go?"

"Because what if you don't come back!" he snapped, jerking his arm free.

His gray eyes glowed with orange firelight.

"What are you... what do you mean?"

"Jinx." Her name sent a flurry of warm air over her lips. "I don't want to lose you."

Jinx exhaled. Bands of steel bound her chest. Her skin coursed in waves of heat and cold as she fought for control over her body.

Sol gazed at her. "Say something."

She reached out, her fingers glancing over the pale stubble on his jaw. He flinched at her touch. His skittish glance moved from her wrist to her eyes. "Say something," he repeated, his voice low, insistent.

"I have to go, Sol. I have to find my father. You know that."

He sagged. Warmth leeched from his eyes, and his face returned to its familiar stoicism.

"Then you need to return to base." He gripped her wrist, drawing her hand away from his face. "Wildebeest is no joke. You'll need all the sleep you can get."

The shoulders in his neck bunched as he prepared to stand. Jinx twisted her hand, breaking free from his grip and latching onto his wrist in a single, fluid motion.

"No," she said.

Sol jerked, a flicker of uncertainty crossing his face.

"I need you."

He inhaled sharply. His arm snaked around her waist, tugging her against him. The unexpected movement snatched at her breath. Sol's eyes widened at the sound. She reached up and grabbed the back of his neck, her lips parting. His shoulders tensed under her hands as his eyes flitted over her face.

"Jinx," he whispered.

She pressed her lips against his before he could finish.

His lips were soft and smooth, but his mouth was ravenous. The taste of cigarette smoke and sweet saliva intoxicated her. The coat of her fatigues came off. Sol stroked her arm, her neck, her back. She thought that first kiss would last until all the stars died, but their lips tore apart as he shoved her onto the sand.

He straddled her, his weight deliciously heavy. She trembled as he leaned down. His hands cradled her face as he stared into her eyes with the look of a drowning man, his thumbs tracing her eyebrows.

Sol touched his lips to hers again, speaking against her mouth. "You don't know how long—"

She lifted her hips. Sol groaned, his eyes sliding shut.

"Too long," Jinx said.

His eyes flared open. His hand slid under her fatigues and he gripped her vest in a fist. He twisted the fabric against her flesh. She moaned and was shocked that she could produce such a feminine sound.

"You must come back to me," he murmured into her hair.

"I will, I'll—" his mouth silenced her.

"You belong with me," he said, his words mingled with a sigh.

Her heart thudded at the possessiveness of his words, but then his lips slid down her neck and all thought fled. He ripped her vest away. Her eyes skipped over the clusters of diamond dust sprinkled across the indigo sky. Inside her, a secret tension melted away.

One of her questions had finally been answered.

. . .