CHAPTER THIRTY THREE #3
“Ya know what? I was gonna cut it off but having that thing still attached is punishment enough.” I say, still randomly chuckling. Stepping away, I wipe the blade on my now bloody dress.
“Ready to go home?” I ask Ghost, entirely ignoring the sobbing Joseph below us.
“Always.” He responds. Smiling, he releases Joseph and comes to stand in front of me. Offering his hand, I take it and we leave the building. Out in the cool night, we stroll down the sidewalk covered in blood. To bystanders, we probably look like a pair of psychopaths but so what if we are.
We are each half of the same soul. Neither complete without the other.
If one was to fall, the other would soon parish.
The difference between Ghost and I is that when he thought I died, he went on living.
For if he died, I would go with him. To chase him into the next lifetime, forever transmigrating.
Our souls will always be restless without the other because how can the moon rise without a sun to set.
The smell of warm pastries float about the air within the kitchen. I pull the hot tray from the oven and carefully set it down on the marble countertop. The sounds of child laughter tugs a smile across my lips just as two little ones come racing through the kitchen.
“Slow down! No running in the house please!” I call out after them but the laughter that draws itself from my body is hopeless. Seeing such innocent happiness is infectious.
Just then, a set of hands are placed on my hips before lips leave a soft peck against my neck.
Leaning into his touch, I turn to see Ghost standing behind me.
He looks older now. Rough, salt and pepper stubble lines his still sharp jawline.
He smiles and in return, I give him a gentle kiss on the lips.
My heart feels so full in the moment that I attempt to ignore the blaring alarm coming from somewhere in the distance.
Trying to grasp onto the moment harder, I push the sound away but it’s no use.
One moment I am in utter bliss and the next I am in a pitch black room.
I sit up, absorbing my surroundings. Reality comes flooding back allowing memories to flow along with it.
Just hours ago, we killed Joseph. We headed home, finished what we started in that room, and cuddled until we fell asleep.
The alarm doesn’t help my still foggy mind that hasn’t fully recovered from the dream I was awoken from.
Turning to its source, I find the screen on my phone flashing and my bed empty.
Panic sets in as I look around for Ghost’s presence but don’t find it.
Choosing to handle the alarm first, I collect my phone.
James’s name displays across the screen in bold letters. Answering, I bring it to my ear.
“Hello?” I ask, voice still rough from my slumber.
“Get up. Ghost’s mom called him. Scarlett has gone missing. A Spanish mark was left on her wall next to her empty bed,” he states quickly. Fuck.
I end the call and leap out of bed. Wrapping my body in a displaced robe, I head out of my bedroom and down the stairs.
It’s not until I make it to the armory that I find Ghost dressed in his mission gear with a bilious presence.
No words could help the way he is feeling right now so I settle with standing beside him and collecting my own belongings.
Once my outfit is in place and my weapons are stowed, I whistle to the dogs.
Shortly after they are recalled, we head out to the garage wordlessly.
Driving to the bunker in utter silence leaves me to roam my own thoughts.
The Spanish Cartel is likely retaliating for what Ghost did in Spain but I am unable to help the thoughts of his father possibly being behind this.
Would Dominic do this to his own daughter?
He’s almost reasonable in wanting me dead but Scarlett is innocent. Could this be a trap?
“Is it possible that this is your father’s doing? I mean I can’t see why he would harm his own daughter, but is it feasible that he wants to use her as leverage to be used against us” I ask gently, hoping to not add to his already dismal mood.
“She’s not even his daughter,” is all he says in a low voice.
“What? He introduced her to us as your sister.” Confusion is evident in my tone.
“She was adopted during infancy. She was the daughter of a rival gang’s leader. We wiped out their entire house. It was the one time he showed any kindness. He called my mother to say he found a baby. She begged him to bring her home…” he pauses for a moment before continuing.
“The first time I saw her, I knew that she was my sister. That I would do whatever it took to protect her from this world. To keep her safe.” His voice cracks for a second.
Like this was the very thing he failed to stop from happening and it is.
He vowed to keep her safe and now he feels like a failure.
“Ghost, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.” I offer my support by running a hand along his thigh as both hands have the steering wheel in a death grip.
“How could you? I have all these thoughts. All the things that happened to you, happened to her.” A pang of pain shoots through me. Pushing down the memories, I force myself to swallow the knot in my throat.
“From experience, they won't touch her yet. They will want to break her down first.” I grind out.
“She’s a virgin.” He barely gets out the words but I know what he’s trying to insinuate.
“We won't let that happen. We will get there before they have a chance to…” I don't finish my sentence as I know he will get my meaning.
The rest of the drive is spent in silence.
Nothing else needs to be said to know how grave this situation is.
We pull into the compound and prepare to swap vehicles.
James, Ryon, and Lucas all have similar expressions to that of Ghost’s.
This is a family matter now. Soon Ghost will be my husband.
That means they have not just taken his sister but mine as well.
With this thought, I feel utter contempt for whomever is behind this.
We load into trucks and head to the nearest Spanish safe house, having been informed of their plans by leaked information through one of our hackers.
This is the largest formed mission I have ever been on.
Twenty vehicles surround the compound in droves, filled with men prepared to die in the name of recovering Scarlett.
The early morning light casts a cool hue across the landscape, encompassed by dawn's lower temperatures making this morning so much more eerie.
Teams empty their vehicles after we do and begin the work of removing fence sections.
It takes only minutes with the use of high powered, silenced drills to breach the border.
In lines, we enter in continued silence.
Off in the distance we spot our first obstacle.
Large mastiffs charge in our direction with hostile barks.
I lift my weapon and open fire, silencing the beasts in their places.
A necessary evil in the midst of battle, even if it partly pains me to do it.
Pushing further, we close the distance between us and the large building before us.
Turning to Ghost, I give him a once over look before giving orders for men to split up and cover all exits.
One by one, we cut the controls to each door and enter the building.
The first thing I notice is the dim lighting.
The second is just how quiet the facility is while they are in possession of such a high prized treasure.
I take the lead, moving through the long hallways, sending men in various directions along the way to clear the area.
By the end, we have entered all but one door.
This one announces it goes below ground level.
I can’t help my pounding heart as terror strikes a chord throughout me.
Our time in capture with the trauma it held floods my thoughts.
Steadying myself, I push on. First placing a hand on the steel door's handle and then pulling it open. Its hefty weight pulls at my nerves. Cooler air pools into the space we occupy causing a shiver in not just myself but others. The stairs wind down into darkness as we descend. With only the light from our weapons, we will ourselves to see further in the darkness. Once we make it to the bottom, the space opens up into a lit area. Doors line the room’s walls with glass windows covered in bars that show soft lighting within.
Complete silence still hangs heavy in the air, not a soul to be found yet.
I begin to consider that we may have gotten poor information when Ghost’s quiet voice rings out, “You, you, and you cover the stairs.” He points to three men behind us before nodding his head towards where we just came from.
“Split up. Each of you take a section of rooms and don’t stop looking until you find something.” He demands before breaking off from the group.