Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
CASSIE
T he next day, wearing Ghost’s t-shirt and a pair of his gym shorts, that she had to roll multiple times to keep from falling down because of their height and weight differences, Ghost drove her across town to the cheap motel she'd rented. While he had said nothing out loud, the look on his face showed her disapproval at the place. Not that she could blame him, because she'd had the same feeling when the rideshare dropped her off. The place needed a fresh coat of paint, at the very least. Honestly, the building needed to be condemned and torn down. When she'd checked in at the front desk, they'd asked her if she wanted an hourly or nightly rate. That should have been her first clue. However, she'd prepaid online and didn’t have enough money to change hotels. Two nights. She could tolerate a cheap motel for two nights.
She'd let out a major breath of relief when she'd entered her room and there weren’t any visible bugs. The bathroom didn't have mildew or black mold and when she'd tossed back the blankets and shown her cell phone flashlight, nothing scurried or moved. The bedding all appeared crisp and clean. While the outside looked like something out of a horror movie, the inside was clean. Paint was chipping, the carpet needed replacing, but it was sanitary enough to sleep in. She didn't plan on being in her hotel room much, anyway. It was a base for changing clothes and going to sleep.
Now she’d returned for the last time. Admittedly, Ghost’s hotel bed had been way more comfortable than this one. He’d been nothing but a gentleman towards her. She really should start following her gut instinct more. It’d never been wrong and the only time she’d gotten into trouble is when she ignored it.
She tugged Ghost's shorts back up her waist and moved across the room towards her suitcase sitting open on the bed. Today was a planned travel day, and she'd packed a pair of black leggings and a cotton tunic to wear over them. Travel days called for comfort. Paranoid about missing her nonrefundable flight, she planned on getting to the airport at least two hours before departure. Cassie didn't mind waiting, her to be read list contained a hundred book titles. Debating whether to fly or drive, she’d almost driven her old beater to Charlotte, but a quick calculation showed flying would be half the cost for this trip without adding more wear and tear to her vehicle. She lived near a major airport and one of the major airlines ran a twenty dollar special for direct flights.
She pulled her tunic over her head and frowned. It had always been one of her favorite shirts, because of how soft it was. That was until she'd slept in Ghost's old Navy t-shirt. Nothing was as soft. As she folded his shirt neatly, she wished she could keep it. Instead, she set it on the dresser on top of his shorts and went about quickly packing her stuff into her suitcase. She picked up the book from the bedside table and fought back tears of disappointment, realizing she'd lost her signed paperback during the struggle the night before. Not wanting to appear ungrateful for everything they'd already done for her, like saving her life, she hadn’t brought it up. She took one extra minute in the bathroom brushing her teeth and applying a quick layer of makeup before hurrying back outside to where Ghost was waiting for her.
She opened the car door, and seeing him on the phone, slid quietly into the passenger seat. He finished his conversation before turning to her. “We are going to have to rebook your flight.”
“Wait, what?” She didn't like the way he'd told her that her plans were being changed. He didn't ask, just assumed she would go right along with whatever he said.
“Boss wants to debrief you.”
“What if I don't want to be debriefed?” Debriefed. She stifled a giggle at the word. Sometimes, she thought she had the maturity of a twelve-year-old boy. Debriefed conjured up images of when the boys would depants another boy in the hallway of her middle school. She didn’t condone bullying, but that was the image that popped into her head when he said the word.
The only other time she'd ever heard it said was when she was listening to an audiobook. For not the first time, Cassie felt like she was in a dream or, at the least, inside of a romantic suspense novel. Would that make her the heroine? She glanced sideways at Ghost. He'd backed out of the parking space and was concentrating on the road ahead of them. Would that make him the hero? She supposed it would. After all, he definitely looked like a romance novel cover model.
“I can understand how this would all be confusing and a bit scary for you,” Ghost told her. “But Ms. Higgins hired us to protect her. My team and I need to find out what the current threat is for Higgins, and potentially towards you as well. I know you are a fan of Ms. Higgins and as a fan, you don’t want anything to happen to her, correct?” He looked at her before returning his gaze to the road.
“Of course I don't!”
"The best way to guarantee both of your safety is to meet with my team."
"But-" Cassie started and then shook her head. Emotions bubbled up inside of her and suddenly, she couldn't breathe. A heavy weight settled uncomfortably on her chest. She gasped for air and grabbed the armrests so tightly her knuckles turned white.
“Cassie?” Ghost said before swearing. “Fuck.” He pulled over onto the shoulder and put the car into park. “Cassie, look at me.”
“I... can't... breathe…”
“If you can talk, sweetheart, you can breathe. Look at me,” he commanded in a not so gentle voice. He leaned over and removed her seatbelt. She turned slowly and looked at him.
“Good girl. What is this?” He pointed.
“The steering wheel,” she answered through gasps.
“And this?” He picked up his cell phone and held it in front of her.
“Cell phone.”
“Good girl. What about this?”
“Seatbelt.” Was she having a heart-attack? It felt like she was having a heart attack. She was too young for a heart attack, wasn’t she?
“That a girl. I want you to take a deep breath in with me. Ready? One, two, three and four. Now, hold it. Five, six, and seven. Now, you are going to let it out slowly on a count of eight.” As he counted to eight, Cassie let the breath out. She was starting to feel better. The heaviness was still there, but less intense.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she confessed her problems to Ghost. “I don't know how I'm going to get home if I miss my flight. I booked a cheap twenty-dollar promotion, but it was non-refundable,” she said not knowing how she would get home.
“Look at me, Cassie. Right here.” There was something about this man. His bossiness should be a turnoff, but for some unknown reason, Cassie found herself drawn to it. When he was in charge, which was literally every second since he'd rescued her, she felt not only safe, but a sense of lightness. Like, she didn't have to make the hard decisions. He'd take care of everything. Take care of her. “When we are talking, I want your full attention. Understand?”
She nodded.
“Good girl. Spartan Elite will cover all your travel costs. You don’t need to worry about getting home. I promise, I won't leave you stranded.”
Good girl.
Why in the hell did those two words make her melt? She should feel offended that he praised her like a damn yellow lab, but she wasn't. Offended was the least of her feelings right now.
Okay, so he wouldn't leave her stranded without a way home. What about work? She had to work tomorrow. She was Councilman Tom Currie’s executive administrative assistant, a fancy title for personal secretary. He was absolutely lost without her. She couldn’t figure out how a man who was so book smart could be incredibly stupid. The pay definitely did not match the fancy job title. Ever since she'd turned down his advances, he'd turned up the heat. Work was insufferable last month, but until she could find another job, she had to deal with him. Her bills were more than her income at the moment, and she didn't have another choice.
“I can’t afford to miss work tomorrow. My boss is really anal about us not missing work without giving forty-eight-hour notice. I went to work the day after my appendix ruptured, because he'd called and left several messages on my phone while I was in surgery. I literally left the hospital after I was discharged and drove straight to work. My boss is looking for any reason to fire me because I refused to sleep with him. If I don’t give him forty-eight hours’ notice, he'll have his excuse to let me go.” She looked down, away from his piercing gaze. Ghost reached over and lifted her chin and held it tightly.
His face darkened with anger. “That son of a bitch,” he muttered under his breath. “Cassie, I can't guarantee you won't lose your job, but it sounds like it's a job worth losing. I can promise you that Spartan Elite will compensate you for your time helping us. There are no promises on when you’ll get back, but I'll make sure all your expenses, including missed wages, are covered. If helping us find the threat against Ms. Higgins costs you your job, we will gladly pay you three months wages so you have time to find a new one.”
“What? Really? You'd do that?” Three month's wages? It was hard to believe they'd offer her that. Ten thousand dollars was a lot of money. At least, it was a lot of money to her.
“If we don't get you on your plane and you miss work, I promise you. We will rebook your airfare, provide transportation to the airport and give you three months wages as compensation.” He dropped his hand from her face and she immediately missed the warmth.
“Don't you want to know how much I make? I mean, what if I was making like six figures a year and three month's wages was seventy-five thousand dollars or something outrageous like that?”
Ghost chuckled before reaching across her chest to her seatbelt. He pulled it across her body and clicked it back into place before putting his own back on and restarting the SUV. “Then, we'd give you seventy-five grand, I suppose.”
“What?” She blinked quickly as he pulled the vehicle back on the road. “Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
“I don't make twenty-five grand a month,” she told him.
“I know.”
“How could you possibly know what I make?” She questioned him.
“Because, sweetheart, anyone making twenty-five grand a month is not staying in a cheap motel in a bad part of town.”
“Oh, I suppose not.” She settled back into the seat. “I'm sorry.”
He glanced at her sideways before looking ahead again. “For what? What do you have to apologize for?”
“Freaking out and making you pull over.”
“You didn't make me do anything. I pulled over because you appeared to be having a panic attack and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“That's never happened to me before,” she told him. “It felt like I was having a heart attack.”
“I'm sure you've never been almost kidnapped before, either.” Ghost told her. “Be kind to yourself, you've been through a lot in the last twenty-four hours. You went from meeting your literary hero to being accosted on the streets.”
“Thank you,” she said. “You really didn't have to do all this. Rescue me, let me stay the night with you, talk me down from a ledge…”
Ghost gave her a small, reassuring smile. “You're welcome. And Cassie?”
“Yes, Ghost?”
“I'd do it again without hesitation. There’s a phrase my mother used to say a lot. If it was meant to be... it’ll be. If it’s not meant to be, it won’t. I'd wanted to get your number at the signing but you slipped out before I could. Then, the same thing happened at dinner. As I was leaving the restaurant, right before I saw you, I thought to myself, if it's meant to be, I'll see her again.”
“Wait. Are you saying my almost getting kidnapped was meant to be?”
“God no. I'm putting my foot in my mouth. This is why I don't talk much.” He said, sighing. “What I'm trying to say is finding you the way I did isn't how I expected fate to work, but I'm glad you are in the car beside me. I’m glad I’m the man who found you and was able to help. I want to get to know you better and when it comes to protecting you, I'll do it with my life.”
“You'll protect me with your life after meeting me yesterday?” Cassie needed to pinch herself to make sure this was really happening. She was probably laying in a ditch somewhere with a head injury and would wake from a coma to find this was nothing but a dream. Things like this did not happen. They certainly did not happen to her.
“As a Navy SEAL? Without hesitation. I'd protect any innocent American who needed it. It's who I am.”
Navy SEAL? That answered a lot of questions. But also, damn. She was impressed.
“When you were standing in line and our eyes met, I felt something. Fuck if I know what it is, but I felt it, and I hope you felt it too. I'm not sure how long you are meant to be in my life or what type of relationship we are supposed to develop, but I know, I was supposed to meet you Cassie. Something is going to happen between the two of us. I don't read romance novels and I sound like some crazy stalker right now. But, I wanted to tell you how I felt before we pulled up to headquarters.”
She let out a shaky breath after hearing his words. Ghost made her feel safe. He’d literally saved her life, and she was incredibly grateful. She knew she wasn’t alone in this, and that made all the difference. Stealing a glance at him, wondering how this man, who was a stranger just hours ago, could make her feel so secure and cared for. His words didn't scare her, not at all. If anything, they made sense to her, because she'd felt it too.
When their eyes met, she'd felt an instant connection. Like, their souls were meeting again after decades apart. A homecoming of sorts. It scared the hell out of her. She didn't really date. Every relationship she'd been in had ended up in a big, burning pile of dog poop. It wasn't that she didn't want her happily ever after, but she'd given up looking for it. Her mom had died from cancer a few years back and she'd wished she was around to call and get advice from her. The one thing she remembered her mom telling her was that sometimes, you just knew when you met your person. She also liked to tell her that love would hit not when you were searching for it, but when you were least expecting it. Of course, she didn't love Ghost. She didn't know him. Hell, she didn't even know his real first name. But had she felt something when their eyes met?
Yes. Absolutely.
She'd thought she was imagining things. Every time she'd looked up while waiting to meet Iris, their eyes met. Then, at the restaurant, she'd felt his eyes on her several times. She assumed he was simply scanning the room or checking on Iris. Surely the tall, dark and handsome security officer was not checking her out. Apparently he was.
“Did I scare you?” Ghost asked her.
“No, sorry. I’m lost in my own thoughts.”
“I'd like to hear them,” Ghost said, gently.
“I felt you watching me at the restaurant last night, but I thought I was imagining things. I couldn't believe someone like you would…”
“Would what, Cassie?” Had she imagined things or was his tone suddenly colder? Ignoring the warning she felt she continued.
“Could stare at someone like me. I mean, look at you. I'm pretty sure you spend hours a day at the gym and I…” She trailed off again, turning to look out the window and the passing scenery as they drove further into town.
“You what?”
She was definitely not imagining the coldness in his tone this time. “I'm nothing much to look at. I don't work out. The extra pounds around my middle are caused from sitting on the couch and eating ice cream while watching my favorite movie. I'm a realist. I know I'm not beautiful and–”
“And, I'm going to stop you right there.” His tone caught her attention, and she looked at him. There was a tick in his jaw and his hands clenched the steering wheel tightly. “I already warned you once. You will not speak poorly about yourself around me. I won’t have it.”
She wanted to ask him or what , but chose to not interrupt him. His tone wasn't exactly giving off interruption vibes.
“You are gorgeous. That was the first thing I noticed about you. Your body is perfect. It's not too skinny and you are far from being obese. I love your curves. You've got an absolutely beautiful face. Do you want to know what I thought when I saw you in line?”
She wasn't sure she did. He didn't wait for her to answer. “I thought, ‘she is adorable.’ Nerdy and curvy. I will probably scare you away with this next sentence, but I believe in being completely honest and open with communication. If I scare you, I'll make sure another member of Elite is with you today. I had some very dirty thoughts about you and what I would do with you if we were alone.”
“So, dirty, nerdy, and curvy?” She said absently. Ghost blinked several times before bursting into a deep laughter.
“Something like that. The point I'm trying to make is I find you beautiful and I don't want you to talk badly about yourself around me, okay?”
“Okay,” she agreed. It was a foreign concept to her. Not talking poorly about herself? She supposed the challenge would be to not talk poorly about herself in front of him. She called things as she saw them. The women she worked with were gorgeous. Cassie was nothing but average. Girl next door with wide hips and above average sized breasts. She didn’t find her thoughts to be self-deprecating necessarily, just honest.
Her mind hadn’t stopped spinning since Ghost told her they were going to his office instead of straight to the airport. Spinning about whether or not she'd make the flight home. Wondering if she would be at the office tomorrow. Now? Now she was on the verge of a second panic attack. The sexy man next to her thought she was beautiful.
Yeah, she definitely was in a coma. Hit her head and was dreaming. There was simply no other explanation for what was going on. She tried to listen for hospital machines beeping in the distance, for someone calling her name. Surely, she'd been in a car accident or had some traumatic fall or head injury. What if everything about the last two days was all a dream? She hadn't met Iris. There definitely was not a hot ass, former Navy SEAL sitting in a black SUV driving her to a security office because of a failed kidnapping attempt. A coma made more sense than anything that had happened did.
“What are you doing?” Ghost asked her when she tilted her head all the way to one side and strained to hear.
“Listening.”
“Listening? To what?”
“For. For the beeps of hospital machines.”
“What?” He glanced at her with an eyebrow raised. “You are listening for what now?”
“I mean, this cannot possibly be real life. I'm assuming I was in a car accident, or like, I don't know, something happened and I hit my head. I'm a big klutz, you know. Well, you wouldn't know. But, I am. I'm constantly tripping over things and running into things and don't get me started on my eyesight. It's awful. I mean, it makes more sense that I might have been in a car accident than I'm sitting next to a perfect man. A sexy, former Navy SEAL who finds me attractive. Me. Cassie Marie Franks. I mean, my life consists of work, coming home, and reading until I have to force myself to close my eyes and go to sleep. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Things like this do not happen to me. They don't. So, somewhere out there is my real life and I'm listening for the person calling my name pulling me out of the coma. You know, the ones who say, "Cassie, wake up!" Although I don't know who would do that. It's not like there's anyone waiting for me back home. I don’t have many real-life friends, most of them are from online reader groups. Surely, there's like a nurse or a doctor or someone in the room...” She would have continued to blab on if Ghost hadn’t interrupted her. After all, it was a dream. It wasn’t like she was saying these things to a real hunk.
“It's not a dream,” Ghost said. “And I'm not a perfect man. I have faults, lots of them. Get to know me and you will find them. In fact, we are about to pull into Elite right now. I'm sure my team would be more than happy to express my faults to you.”
“See, that’s what a dream hunk would say. He’d try to convince me I wasn’t dreaming when I really am.”
“I assure you, Cassie Marie Franks. You are not in a dream.”
She’d better be in a dream after everything she just said to him.