Dear Soldier, Put Your Gun Down
Chapter 2 A Charismatic Smile

Matt hung up on Felix without waiting for his response.

Felix was puzzled. He wondered who Matt was going to propose marriage to when he did not even have a girlfriend.

Still, he had no choice but to carry out his instruction. Considering that Matt was called "Grim Reaper" for a reason, defying his order was considered suicidal behavior.

After a long day, everyone at the field hospital was sound asleep except for Winona.

While she was tossing and turning, her phone vibrated. She quickly tiptoed her way to the washroom to check the message because no one except the military officers was allowed to use their phones at the military base.

There was a new message for her from her bosom friend, Reese: "Benjamin has returned home safely. Please come back as soon as possible."

Seeing that, Winona quickly covered her chest to suppress the ineffable joy she was experiencing. A smile spread across her face as a wave of relief washed over her. Now that Benjamin had returned home safely, it meant that their wedding ceremony could now be held according to the schedule. Once she successfully wedded Benjamin, she would then have a valid reason to bring her younger sister, Aileen Winston, with her.

Thinking about Aileen's illness, Winona couldn't help feeling disheartened.

Aileen witnessed her mother jumping off a building to kill herself when she was five. Deeply traumatized by the horrifying scene, she had been suffering from schizophrenia ever since then. Now that she was sixteen, she would still suffer epilepsy from time to time.

Feeling bad for Aileen, Winona was determined to provide a safe and peaceful life for her.

Early next morning, Winona packed up all her belongings and left a farewell note for the rest of the clinical team before she took off. She needed to rush back to Bolwich for the wedding ceremony. Leonard Buckley, who was in charge of the clinical team, immediately arranged for her transport. The soldier who was assigned to give her a lift to the airport would come and fetch her in thirty minutes. Holding her luggage, she waited anxiously at the roadside.

Before long, a military car screeched to a halt in front of her. A soldier wearing a uniform with paint on his face alighted from the car.

Standing ramrod straight in front of her, the soldier saluted Winona solemnly. He loaded all her belongings into the trunk and opened the door for her.

"Thanks."

He nodded at her without uttering a word.

Inside the car, she took out her phone surreptitiously and sent a message to Benjamin: "Please look after Aileen for me while I'm away. I'm rushing my way back to Bolwich now."

To her dismay, her message could not reach Benjamin's number probably because the signal was weak in the forest. Winona then put her phone back in her bag without overthinking it. After some time, she noticed they were not on their way to the airport at all.

Guardedly, she regarded the soldier suspiciously. He was wearing a pair of leather boots with his uniform, and he was armed with a pistol. Although there was no badge on his sleeves, there was a faded mark in the shape of one. He must be a high-ranked military officer who pretended to be otherwise by deliberately removing his badge.

Winona regained her composure at remarkable speed. She took out a scalpel from her bag slowly and clasped it in her hand.

When the soldier rounded the car past a sharp turn, she made use of the momentum of the car to bring her body forward. Then, she placed the scalpel at the soldier's throat.

"Make a U-turn now or I'll slash your neck."

A flicker of shock flashed in the soldier's eyes. The next second, a crafty smile emerged on his face.

In a frigid voice, Winona said, "If I were you, I wouldn't underestimate this scalpel on your neck. It's sharp enough to pierce through your neck and cut off your aorta. As a doctor, I know the most effective way to save or take someone's life."

She brushed the blade of the scalpel over the soldier's neck and stopped at his aorta. Then, she grazed his skin gently, allowing blood to seep out from his bronze-colored skin. However, the pain did not bother the soldier at all. Instead, he turned around and gave Winona a charismatic smile.

The smell of his blood soon permeated the air. Winona, who was frowning at his bizarre reaction, plunged the scalpel deeper into his skin. Blood was spilling out from the cut more rapidly than before, but the soldier did not even wince.

A numbing sensation crept over Winona's scalp in an instant. In her view, only a patient in a vegetative state or a man who had often gone to hell and back could withstand the pain. Unfortunately, the soldier seemed to be the latter.

In the heat of the moment, she accidentally dropped the scalpel. The soldier quickly made use of the distraction and heaved himself to the back passenger seat. He pinned Winona to the seat with his crushing weight and locked eyes with her. Winona did not look away lest it made her look weak.

"You're so charming, my girl."

Winona couldn't believe it when she realized Matt was the soldier. Was he out of his mind?

She sneered, "Mr. Snider, is this how you return my favor after I saved your man's life?"

He brushed his lips past her ears, sending a jolt of electricity in her body. She felt her resistance crumbling under his smoldering gaze, but what he said next immediately pulled her mind back to reality. "I've decided to marry you in appreciation of your help."

He spoke in an extremely serious tone. His blood, which was burning with his passion, was dripping on her face.

Thousands of thoughts flashed in Winona's mind all at once. She knew Matt was a smart guy who was equipped with great survival skills. He made a successful career by interacting with people who could benefit him only.

Although she was one of the Winston family, she was not her father's favorite daughter. She was not talented or influential enough to give his career a boost. Not only was she unable to help him, but she also might turn out to be a burden to him. Other than marrying her, there were plenty of other things he could have done to appreciate what she did.

Winona mulled over the issue and reached a conclusion-he must have had either lost his mind, or he was keeping her as his hostage so that he could extort some benefits from the Larson family. She knew she needed to ace the mind game with him to have a chance of turning the tables. Thus, she started by saying things to calm him down and restore his sanity.

She tore off a part of her shirt and pressed it on his neck. In a soothing voice, she pointed out, "Mr. Snider, I'm just a tool used by my family to curry favor with the Larsons. However, you need to know that I'm not indispensable because there are plenty of other girls who are ready to take my place. So, the Larson family won't give you anything you want just because you've kidnapped me."

"You might not be special to your family, but you are to me."

Winona was stunned to hear that. "I beg your pardon?"

He wiped off the blood on her face with his thumb. "Winona, you're the one I'm after."

"Mr. Snider, I think you've got the wrong idea here. Even though Benjamin has feelings for me, he would still marry another girl from my family if he couldn't marry me. So, kidnapping me isn't going to do you any good."

"Are you kidding me? The Larsons are just some nobody in my eye!" Matt snapped.

He never had to take them seriously, be it now or in the future.

Feeling confused, Winona narrowed her eyes. "Well, what exactly do you want then?"

Matt tapped on her chest seductively and muttered, "I want your body, as well as your heart."

She stared at him blankly. By then she was sure she either heard him wrongly, or both of them were crazy.

She had never had much interaction with Matt before. Being an extremely rational man, there was no way Matt could have possibly fallen in love with her at first sight.

Just then, Matt started removing the belt on his pants with a sly smile on his face.

"What's he trying to do? If he's going to rape and kill me, then abandon my body in the forest, no one will find out his sordid deed. Moreover, I bet he can easily sweep the case under the carpet because it's a case in his territory," she thought.

She could never allow herself to die. If she was gone, no one would be there to take care of Aileen in the future.

"Matt Snider, my family is well-known in Bolwich though we aren't as powerful as you. You'd better think twice before you try to harm me!" she warned him sternly.

In response, he held his belt in his hand and gave her an impish grin.☐☐☐☐☐☐

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