Chapter 2 Once Nina was out of the building , everyone was getting ready to breach when she suddenly started having another meltdown . [ ] " Ryan , am I totally useless ? " ] ] " Don't say that , Nina . You did great out there . First time dealing with something like this and you didn't even break down - that's impressive . " ] ] " No , I need to prove myself , Ryan . I don't want to be dead weight . Give me a gun - let me take out this maniac . " " Alright , take this sniper rifle and head to the roof . " [] " Listen up , everyone - nobody moves without my direct order ! " [ ] The comm went dead quiet . Nobody had the energy left to call out their BS . [ ] My eyes never left the hostage - taker . Three minutes until his deadline , and from what I could see through my scope , this guy wasn't going to wait . [ ] " Claire ! I'm here ! " ] Nina burst through the roof access door , gasping for breath as she stumbled over with the rifle . " Claire , show me how to shoot this thing ? " ] " I don't have time for games . " [ ] I didn't even look at her , just kept my focus locked on the situation below . [ ] She immediately got pissy about it . Next thing I know , she's kicking me hard in the back , dropping her rifle , and literally stepping on me . [ ] * Come ON , Claire ! Don't be stingy with the knowledge ! " ]] That kick was no joke - felt like getting hit with a sledgehammer . My ribs and lower back were on fire . ] ] Right now , my team's lives were in my hands . I couldn't move . I had to hold position . When I didn't react , she escalated , grabbing my arm and shaking it back and forth like a damn ragdoll . ] ] Being a sniper isn't child's play . Everything we train for comes down to steady , accurate , lethal . [ ] I'd been through special forces training - my arm strength wasn't something a person who could barely hold a rifle was going to budge . My arm didn't move an inch . I was reaching my breaking point when I finally snapped : [ ] " Nina Walsh , if you want to lose your mind , do it somewhere else ! Stop screwing with my shot ! " ] The second she heard that , she started sniffling and whimpering into her headset : [ ] " Ryan , Claire won't help me at all . I asked her so many times and she just ignores me ... I knew I was stupid and couldn't do anything right ... " ] Ryan immediately went off on me over the comm : [ ] " What's the big deal with helping her out ? You really are a piece of work - no wonder you have zero social skills when nobody ever bothered raising you right ! " ]] I've been an orphan since I was little . ]] That hit me right where it hurt most - something I'd been mocked and humiliated about my whole life . After graduation , Ryan was the only person I'd ever told about my past He used to tell me that he'd be my family from now on But now he was using the cruelest words possible to shred the last bit of trust I had left [ ] I was so furious I was grinding my teeth , nails digging into my palms . But I knew this wasn't the time to blow up . Once this mission was over , Ryan and I were going to have words . i refocused on the hostage taker through my scope , but something was wrong - instead of watching the doors and windows like before , he was staring straight up at us . Chapter 2 At this distance , with my flash suppressor attached , there was no way he could spot me ... e ... My blood ran cold as I caught sight of Nina's rifle lying on the ground beside her . The scope was completely bare , catching the light like a mirror . [ ] She hadn't put on a flash guard ! [ ] Our position was blown !