Chapter 132
Claire's POV
Joey laughed. "Old enough in this country. They marry at thirteen here."
"Not to foreign mercenaries they don't," Daniel replied coldly. "Where did you find her?"
Lucas stood a few feet away from me, his nervous gaze darting between Daniel and Joey's men. Two mercenaries had casually positioned themselves on either side of him, effectively cutting him off from our conversation.
Joey shrugged, his arm wrapping possessively around the girl's shoulders. She stiffened but didn't pull away. "Her family's in the market district. They were happy to take my two hundred bucks."
My blood ran cold. He had bought her. Actually purchased a human being.
"That's disgusting," I said before I could stop myself.
Joey's eyes snapped to me, narrowing dangerously. "Nobody asked you, princess."
"The girl goes back to her family," Daniel said firmly.
"Like hell she does," Joey spat. "I paid good money for her."
"She's underage," Daniel insisted.
"She's willing," Joey countered, squeezing the girl's shoulder. "Aren't you, Kate?"
Kate. He'd even given her an American name. The girl nodded mechanically, her eyes downcast. "Yes," she whispered. "Yes, I want."
Daniel's jaw tightened. "She's scared and saying what you want to hear."
"Don't you fucking start with your moral bullshit again, Brown." Joey's voice rose. "Ever since you took over, it's been rules this, code that. We're not your goddamn Navy SEALS."
The other men watched, some uncomfortably shifting, others smirking. None stepped in. I noticed Lucas attempting to move toward us, but one of the mercenaries placed a firm hand on his shoulder, keeping him in place.
"Let her go," Daniel said, his voice dropping to a dangerous register I'd never heard before. "Now. That's an order."
Joey's face twisted with rage. "You stupid fucking asshole," he snarled. "I'm sick of your holier-than-thou crap."
Daniel's posture subtly shifted, his muscles tensing as Joey's hand began sliding toward his waistband, where the bulge of a weapon was visible. I saw the movement at the same moment Daniel did – but while he was preparing for a calculated response, my body reacted on pure instinct.
I lunged toward the nearest merc—not Joey—and yanked desperately at the pistol in his holster. He was caught off guard, clearly not expecting a civilian woman to make such a move. The gun came free in my trembling hands, heavier than I expected. With adrenaline flooding my system, I pointed it at Joey, the barrel wavering noticeably as my inexperienced hands struggled with the weight.
"Don't even think about it," I gasped, my voice higher than normal but somehow still commanding.
The compound went deathly silent. Joey froze, his hand hovering near his weapon. Across the yard, Lucas's eyes widened in horror as he tried unsuccessfully to break free from his captor's grip.
"Claire," Daniel's voice was tight with a fear I'd never heard from him. Not for himself, I realized with startling clarity, but for me.
"Tell your men to back up," I said to Joey, fighting to keep the gun from shaking too visibly. "Right now."
Joey's eyes were wide with disbelief, then narrowed with hatred. "You crazy bitch—"
"Now!" I shouted, my finger tensing on the trigger, though I had no idea if the safety was even off.
The men behind Joey stepped back slowly, hands raised. The two holding Lucas reluctantly released him, and he quickly moved to stand behind me, his face pale.
Daniel moved carefully to my side, not reaching for the gun, but positioning himself slightly in front of me. "Claire," he said quietly. "I've got this."
"He was going for his gun," I insisted, my eyes locked on Joey.
"I know," Daniel said softly. "And now everyone here knows exactly what he was planning."
Only then did I realize what I'd done—created an unmistakable witness situation. If Joey had drawn on Daniel alone, the other mercs might have claimed not to see clearly who moved first. But now? Now there was no ambiguity.
The girl, Kate, had ducked away during the confrontation and now stood trembling behind a stack of crates.
"Dylan," Daniel called without looking away from us. "Take the girl to the UN camp. Tell them she needs refugee processing."
Joey's face contorted with rage. "You can't—"
"I just did," Daniel cut him off. "This compound operates under my command. If you have a problem with that, you're free to terminate your contract and leave."
For a heartbeat, I thought Joey might lunge forward anyway, gun or no gun. The hatred in his eyes was pure and undiluted. But finally, he spat on the ground near Daniel's feet.
"This isn't over," he growled, then turned and stalked away, his men following after exchanging uncertain glances.
Only when they disappeared into one of the buildings did Daniel gently place his hand over mine, lowering the gun.
"Never," he said quietly, his eyes intense on mine, "do that again."
The adrenaline began to drain from my system, leaving me suddenly shaky. "He was going to shoot you."
"I know." Daniel carefully took the gun from my now-trembling hand. "And you just painted a target on your back with every man in Joey's crew."
Lucas stepped forward, his face ashen. "That was—" he swallowed hard, "—incredibly dangerous, Claire."
The full reality of our situation crashed over me. We were trapped in a war zone, surrounded by armed men with questionable morals, and I'd just made a deadly enemy.
"What happens now?" I asked, my voice smaller than I wanted it to be.
Daniel's eyes were dark with worry. "Now we get you and Lucas out of here as fast as humanly possible."