The first time Dallas met Leon was at Blackwater's training facility.
As one of the top three private military security companies in the world, Blackwater was known for only hiring retired military personnel. Regardless of their previous branches, everyone had to undergo retraining once hired.
Everyone's here to make money, no one's got the time or energy to make friends. Besides, it's clear to everyone—those laughing and joking together today might never see each other again tomorrow. Mercenaries don't get the luxury of prisoner-of-war treatment. Surrender is a death sentence.
They truly got to know each other when the company assigned them together on a rescue mission in South Africa.
Using tracking intel, they quickly located the hostage's position and made their way in under the cover of night. The team split into groups of eight, searching room by room.
Leon and Dallas were paired together and were the first to locate the hostage. There were two armed guards in the room. Leon signaled for Dallas to stay hidden while they waited for backup. If they fired, they'd draw attention—rescuing the hostage would be easy, but getting out would be another story.
Just then, gunfire erupted next door, alerting the guards in the room.
The guards yelled angrily and began to beat the hostage mercilessly.
Dallas and Leon exchanged a look. Time was running out. If they waited any longer, they didn't know what might happen.
In perfect sync, they took out the guards and hauled the bloodied hostage out of the room.
The gunfight next door diverted some of the enemy's fire, and though it was a close call, they managed to escape unharmed.
The hostage kept muttering anxiously. Once they reached a safe zone, Leon finally understood what he was saying. "My wife is still inside. They separated us… she's still in there…"
Leon's face showed regret. "I'm sorry, we've been compromised. We need to leave, now."
Dallas asked, "Do you know where they've got her?"
The hostage's voice rose, as if he saw a glimmer of hope. "I know, I know! I heard them talking about a room at the end of the hall, on the left. They didn't know I understood their language, so they didn't hide it from me."
Leon quickly asked, "When did you hear this?"
"About… three or four days ago. I passed out a few times, so I'm not sure."
Dallas nodded, seemingly intent on going back.
"What are you doing?" Leon blocked him. After everything they'd been through, Leon didn't want Dallas to risk his life foolishly.
"I'm going for backup."
"Are you crazy? Who knows how many of them there are?"
Dallas remained unfazed. "That's why they need backup."
Leon glanced at the hostage, lowering his voice. "He said three or four days, but it could've been a week. She may not be useful to them. They might have already taken care of her."
"You take the hostage and move out," Leon said, his voice firm.
Without another word, Dallas ran back toward the battlefield.
Leon muttered a low "Fuck" under his breath, watching his back.
*
A few hours later, the rest of the team arrived at the rendezvous point, accompanied by a woman, and Dallas was with them.
Leon's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled back into place.
They both had scratches on their arms and one broken rib, but nothing life-threatening.
The mission was complete, and the injuries were minor. The team gathered at a bar to drink.
After two drinks, Leon pulled out a photo from his pocket and showed it to Dallas. "She's beautiful, isn't she? He is my daughter. I'd do anything for her."
In the photo, a curly-haired little girl lay in a hospital bed, smiling cheerfully at the camera.
"She's beautiful," Dallas said, pursing his lips. "Is she sick?"
"Williams Syndrome," Leon scoffed. "I'd never heard of it before Sasha got diagnosed."
He tucked the photo away and said, "I can't die, Dallas. Don't blame me for not going back to save the others with you this afternoon."
"I understand," Dallas replied. "She needs you."
Leon felt a little better inside, downing half a bottle of beer. "Not to lecture you, Dallas, but don't be too heroic. Think about your family. If you die, how heartbroken would they be? They're all waiting for you to come back."
Dallas said calmly, "I don't have a family."
Leon froze for a moment, then said, "Sorry."
Dallas: "It's nothing. It's all in the past."
The atmosphere grew heavy for a moment, and Leon sighed. "Every time I hear Sasha ask when I'm coming home, I wonder if I'm doing the right thing. I wasn't there when she needed me the most."
The topic stirred something inside Dallas, and he felt a dull ache between his brows.
"I have a sister," he said suddenly, without warning. "When our parents passed, she was only ten. We didn't want to go into foster care, so we stayed with relatives."
"They weren't wealthy, and suddenly there were two extra kids to feed and send to school. They weren't happy about it. I was sixteen then, old enough to know how to handle it—pretend I didn't see or hear anything. They weren't bad people, they didn't abuse us. By the way, I never told you, my sister's name is Fiona. She was young, always getting into fights with the other kids at our relatives' house."
Leon fell silent. Dallas spoke in a roundabout way, but Leon could imagine the discomfort of living under someone else's roof.
"When I turned eighteen, I joined the military. The army provided allowances, so I could send money back to help with Fiona's living expenses. That way, she could buy things she needed without having to depend on anyone else."
"After her accident, I often wondered if I made the wrong choice. I should have been there for her, watched her grow up, instead of leaving her with strangers."
"Is that so?" Leon asked. Leon said, "Dallas, you can't think like that. Everything you did was for her."
Averi shook her head.
He did well in the army. It was exhausting, but fulfilling, with a clear purpose, and he received a lot of recognition. Staying in the army wasn't entirely for Fiona, and because it wasn't, he felt guilty, even regretful.
Leon changed the subject. "If it wasn't for your family, why did you take a job where you're literally risking your life? You don't exactly strike me as the violent or reckless type."
A gentle face flashed through his mind, and Dallas lowered his gaze. "I owed someone money."
"Was it a loan shark?"
"No."
"Then just pay it off slowly."
Dallas gripped the bottle of liquor tightly.
Yeah, he could pay it off slowly, but she never rushed him. It was him who was desperate to break free from the connection with her.
The next day, they received notice that another team nearby had sustained heavy casualties and needed their support.
Dallas performed exceptionally as usual during the mission, but Leon could tell something was off.
Not fearing death isn't bravery—it's just looking for it.
He found Dallas privately and said pointedly, "Dallas, bravery and recklessness are two very different things."
Dallas:"What do you mean."
"I'm going to submit a report to the company, requesting a new psychological evaluation for you."
"Leon, the company had me evaluated by a psychologist before hiring me. I'm sure you went through the same process. The fact that I'm still here means the evaluation was fine."
Leon ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Did you think I didn't see you during the operation today? You took off your vest!"
"It's hard to move in that thing, and our vests only stop handguns at best."
"Wearing it's better than not wearing it. I can't argue with you, Dallas. As for what you're thinking, only you know that."
Dallas' tone turned cold. "Leon, you're not a psychologist. Mind your own business."
Leon scoffed in frustration. "Fine, fine, I'm meddling."
After the mission ended, Leon actually submitted the report requesting a second psychological evaluation for Dallas. However, due to Dallas' performance, the management ignored Leon's request and instead assigned him to lead a peacekeeping team in Litania.
As long as he could fight and didn't cause trouble, everything else didn't matter to the company. The commander asked Leon two questions: Do you think Dallas' presence will negatively affect the mission outcome? Do you think he will endanger the lives of the other team members?
Leon had no words to say.
Afterward, both teams requested a military doctor. Leon volunteered to go to Lyria, joining Dallas's squad. Perhaps Dallas didn't value his own life, but he valued others'. When fighting alongside him, there was no need to worry about your back.
