The bald man smirked with a sneer. "Bitch, do you even know how to take the safety off?"
Averi maintained her gun-holding stance, not even glancing at the gun, and deftly flicked off the safety.
Everyone in the Forbes family had received self-defense training, including Cristopher. The goal wasn't to become combat experts, but to know how to save oneself if kidnapped and to be able to use a gun if one was found.
The bald man's smile froze, his hand suspended halfway down his waist, turning the already tense atmosphere into a standoff.
"Wow, wow, wow!" Leon's exaggerated exclamation came from behind, piercing through the suffocating air, "What's going on? Did I miss something?"
He approached with a relaxed gait, inserting his finger into the trigger guard to stop it.
"I told you, you have a bad temper, how could you even pull a gun? And you guys, just standing there watching, mute? If a fight breaks out here, no one will get the final payment."
He pinched her wrist lightly, smiling, "This isn't a toy for ladies to play with."
Averi winced in pain, her fingers numb, and the gun fell into Leon's hands.
The few onlookers finally found their voices and stepped forward to tease.
One person said, "Jackson, what's wrong with you? Going after someone so scrawny, like a stick—she doesn't even have a chest. What's the point? You might as well go home and screw a piece of plywood."
Another added, "Damn, don't tell me you're a pedophile, have I been fighting alongside a pedophile for months? That's disgusting."
"Bullshit!" the bald man spat, releasing Sariah.
"Let's go, let's go, time to eat. Right now, I wouldn't even bother looking if a movie star walked in. No woman smells as good as a steak."
"I think you're gay, everyone protect your ass."
The group separated the bald man from Dallas, half pushing, half leading him towards the cafeteria.
Once they were far enough away, Leon nodded towards Sariah and patted Dallas's shoulder, "I'll take her back."
Dallas hummed in agreement and explained the situation to the bewildered Sariah in Niriya language.
Sariah wasn't as happy as Averi had imagined. She asked cautiously, and only after receiving a reply did she smile, obediently following Leon into the car.
Averi asked, "What did she say just now?"
"She asked if we need to return the 200 dollars since we're leaving now."
Averi nodded.
Watching Leon drive away, Dallas said, "Follow me."
Without checking if she was following, he started walking, his back as cold as a blade.
Back in the room, Dallas remained quiet for a long time, and Averi kept silent as well.
She could tell that he was trying hard to suppress his anger; the muscles in his chest, hidden under his T-shirt, were trembling slightly, and his cheeks were taut from clenching his molars.
Suddenly, he stared directly at her and demanded, "Averi, do you even know who those people outside are? Every single one of them! Their hands are stained with countless lives, whether they are terrorists or something else, only they know! You pointed a gun at them? Even if they didn't intend to kill you, they might have fired out of instinct. At that distance, anyone in the camp could have accurately shot through your eye!"
His anger reached its peak, and his light-colored pupils were icy cold.
She didn't see how many hands reached for their holsters the moment she raised her gun, nor did she see the sentry at the gate aim his rifle at her.
Dallas couldn't bear to think what would happen if someone had shot her. The immense fear paralyzed him; he had never been so afraid. His blood seemed to flow backward, his arms felt as heavy as lead, he couldn't think, couldn't act, his pores and brain went numb, everything was hazy.
She knew nothing!
She came here as if nothing mattered, bringing two helpless people to negotiate business with a dictator, escaping from the encirclement by the rebels, and now, she dared to draw a gun and threaten a teammate in front of a group of mercenaries!
Would she learn her lesson?
No, never.
This was the first time Averi heard him speak to her in such a tone—furious, cold, and utterly devoid of tenderness.
She pursed her lips, bearing it with a composed expression, her eyes fixed on her nose and her heart on her mind.
"Do you know how many people go missing here every year? If they had shot you just now, all they would have to do is bury the body in the wasteland, and you'd be completely erased from this world, with no one able to find you."
Averi remained silent, and the last bit of restraint Dallas had crumbled under her silence.
She was still being stubborn with him.
Why did he have to endure such searing anger, or rather, pain?
"Why did you draw your gun? Did you think I didn't see what his hand was doing, or did you think I would be slower than him?"
He barked, "Answer me!"
Averi's fingers curled slightly.
Seeing her subtle reaction, Dallas realized he had lost control and abruptly fell silent. But the anger still raged within him, and he didn't know what to do, didn't know what else he could do.
Averi finally spoke, "He called you chink." That was the point that truly enraged her. She never doubted his abilities, but when she heard the word chink, she felt unable to bear it.
After saying those few words, Averi closed her lips once more.
She lowered her eyes, her line of sight limited to below Dallas's waist, but she could hear his breathing. After getting her answer, he held his breath for a moment, then his breathing became heavy and rapid. The hands hanging by his sides slowly clenched, the veins on the backs of his hands bulging.
After a long standoff, he stepped forward without a word, heading towards the door. The room wasn't large; it took only five steps to reach the entrance.
One step, two steps... Just as she thought he would leave, his boots turned and came straight for her.
Averi looked up in panic, and the next second, she was cornered against the wall by him.
Dallas's eyes reddened, his gaze hardening with a fierce edge, as if he resented her. "What he calls me is none of your business."
"Averi, what more do you want?"
Before she could respond—or needed to—his lips crashed against hers in a fierce, devouring kiss, so intense it bordered on losing control.
Why was she always like this?
Since from the very beginning she never intended to stay, she shouldn't give him any more tenderness.
