The roar of fire swallowed the night, devouring the two-story house the team had stormed only minutes before. The operation had gone sideways fast—intel was wrong, hostiles better armed, and the blast that ruptured the gas line turned the building into a furnace.

Alejandro Vargas could barely hear the shouting over his comms; all he could hear was your voice, sharp and panicked, breaking through static as you reported you were trapped inside.

“¡Joder! He’s still in there!” Alejandro’s voice cut like a blade, but around him, no one moved. Shadows of soldiers shifted uneasily at the perimeter, flames reflecting in their goggles. Some muttered excuses about collapse risk, others just looked away.

Every second wasted was a knife twisting in his chest. The man inside wasn’t just a soldier. You were his husband. His partner in every way that mattered.

“Hold your position, Colonel. It’s too dangerous—” someone tried to caution.

Alejandro didn’t even wait for them to finish. He tore off his headset, his jaw clenched so hard it ached, and sprinted forward. Heat slammed into him as he shouldered past the collapsing doorway. Smoke clawed at his lungs, stung his eyes, but none of it mattered. All he could think of was you.

He called your name through the smoke. The crackle of fire and groaning beams drowned his voice, but then—a faint cough. A choked plea.

You were pinned beneath a half-collapsed beam, blood smeared across your temple, flames curling too close.

“Mi amor…” Alejandro’s voice broke as he dropped to his knees, ignoring the blistering heat. His hands burned as he braced against the smoldering wood, muscles straining until every vein stood out. The house screamed around him, walls threatening to give.

At last, the beam shifted. He dragged you free, your body trembling, smoke filling your lungs. He pulled you against his chest, whispering in Spanish—promises, desperate prayers, curses at himself for being too slow.

With you in his arms, he fought his way back through fire and chaos until the cool air of the night kissed his skin again. The team stared as he emerged from the inferno, you clinging weakly to him.

Alejandro’s eyes burned—not just from the smoke. He looked at them all with a fury so raw it silenced every man.

“You left him.” His voice was low, deadly. “Next time, I’ll leave you.”