by BL Mute
I shake my head, trying to process what he’s even saying. “You… you killed my mother?” The tears I’ve been holding back threaten to fall as my heart contorts with pain.
“Everything in this world has a price. It’s just a matter of who’s willing to pay it to get what they want. When I saw you walk out of that hotel room, I knew you had potential, and I knew there was a reason you hit my radar, yet again. Taking you so Cyrus will give himself up was selfish, but it’s not the only reason you’re here.”
I blink a few times and will my racing heart to slow down so I can wrap my mind around what he’s trying to get at. “You’re offering me a job? You just told me Alexander isn’t my father, that you killed my mother, and now you’re asking me to work for you?”
“Precisely.”
I focus on my heartbeat drumming in my ears and block out everything else. If I tell him I accept, I have a better chance of saving Cyrus. If I tell him no, I’ll probably end up dead. And then what about everything with William, Alexander, and my mother? I don’t have the time to even unpack all that shit right now. I can’t.
I have so many questions. So many emotions. I just want to escape, forget any of this ever happened, but I know I can’t.
“I—I can’t kill people,” I finally reply honestly.
“I think you’d be more beneficial than that. I can use you in other ways. You blend in easily with the kind of people who employ us, so I’d rather you do recon.”
I act like I’m considering it, even though I’m not. I would never work for someone like Ghost, but I can’t tell him that. Right now, more than one life depends on my answer. I need him to think he got me—that I’ll do whatever it takes to get the answers I’m desperately seeking.
“I’ll agree if you let me show you a new way to handle things. Let me lure Cyrus back here by myself to show you I can do more than what you’re asking.”
“I tell you what,” he starts, sitting up in his chair and leaning close to the camera. “You get me a million cash—because I know Alexander has that in spades, and you have more than enough leverage now—and bring Cyrus back here in say… three days, then you have a deal.”
“No. I need more than three days. I need to gain his trust. That won’t happen in days. It will take time.”
“How long?” he replies, his voice hinting at annoyance.
“Two months. Give me two months and I’ll come back with the money and him.” If anything, all this will do is buy us more time to figure out a better plan.
“No.”
“No?” My lip starts to wobble. I need this to work.
“One month. That’s all I’m willing to wait. If you’re not back by then, I’ll track you down and put a bullet between your eyes. You know who I am and what I do, correct?” I nod. “Good. Then you know I am not playing. One month, that’s all you get.”
I nod vigorously. “I can do that.”
“You’ll also be chipped. Can’t have my newest investment running off on me.” He smiles.
Sounds like a trap, Carmen. Don’t do it.
I know I shouldn’t, really, I do, but I’ve never listened to my inner self anyway. “Okay.”
“Oh, and Carmen?” He leans over the desk in front of him. “Remember, I’m always closer than you think. This is simply a test. Understand?”
I nod again, not trusting myself to speak.
CHAPTER TWENTY
CYRUS
Once my eyes land on him, my blood runs cold. Ghost doesn’t get out much. He’d rather send others to do his bidding, and Michael—the one who has his filthy hands on my woman right now—is his right hand. His face is nothing but a promise that Ghost is already involved and has the upper hand.
“Don’t stop chasing me!” she screams, her shoulders slumping, knowing she’s been caught but by the wrong predator.
“I’ll catch you. I’ll always catch you!” I yell back, knowing if I take one more step, it’ll be the end of her.
Once he disappears back into the trees with Carmen in his arms, gun pressed to her head, I fucking lose it. Turning around, I run back to the house. One leg in front of the other, I push myself harder than I ever have. I can’t lose her. Not to someone like Ghost.
I should have known he would be around. Not putting the blockers back in place was a stupid mistake on my part, but my mind was everywhere other than where it should have been. This is why I don’t get close to people. Not only does it weaken me, but it puts them in danger. Now Carmen is trapped in his clutches, and I’m not sure she’ll make it out.
I’ve seen what he does to loved ones of my fellow coworkers to keep them in line. It’s nothing but a power play—a sick, twisted power play—but he knows when you care about someone, you’ll stop at nothing to make sure they’re safe.
When I make it to the steps of the porch, I jump up them and throw up the door. I snag my gun from the couch. Making sure my shaky hand is holding it firmly, I look to Tiny. “Let’s go.” He perks up, then jumps from the love seat.
I step back and open the door, letting him out. “Go get her!” I shout, and he takes off.
I hate sending him alone, but he’s faster.
I follow behind, not able to catch up, but I don’t slow down. If Tiny can at least make it to them, he’ll slow them down enough till I can get there, but of course, I’m not that lucky. As Tiny disappears into the trees, I hear him howl.
I keep moving, with more determination than ever, but when I break through, it’s only him. No Michael, no Carmen. He’s smelling the ground with his ears pulled back before he sits. As I get closer, I realize he’s lost her scent. Tire marks trail through the dirt, following a small path throughout the trees.
She’s gone. She’s really fucking gone.
I pace the length of the small walkway in the living room, pretty sure the friction from my constant steps is burning a hole in the wood. It’s only been a couple of hours, and I’ve still heard nothing. I’ve kept the blockers down, hoping Ghost would try to make contact or negotiate, but it’s been silent. The creaking wooden floors, Tiny’s occasional huff, and the wind blowing outside are the only sounds I hear.
It doesn’t make sense. If he knew where I was, why didn’t he just get me himself? Why take Carmen?
I haven’t wanted to involve anyone else, but I’m out of options at this point. No new ideas have presented themselves. If I knew a good hacker, I could try and track her somehow, but even that’s doubtful since she has nothing on her. I could maybe go to her father, but that just brings more innocent players into this fucked-up game.
I run my hands up my face, willing my mind to work, and tug on my hair. All I can imagine is what he’s doing to her. Is she hurt? Is she even alive? I shake the questions away. I won’t accept either of those answers.
Grabbing my burner from the end table, I power it on and dial Hatcher’s number. At this point, I have nothing to lose, but I still can’t bring myself to drag another innocent life into this. Hatcher though, he’s far from innocent.
He speaks after a few rings. “Cyrus.”
“I need your help.”
He pauses for a beat. “What is it?”
I shake my head. “This line isn’t secured. I’ll send you an address.”
I hang up before he can say anything else. If I’m going to try and pull anything off, I need the element of surprise. I won’t have that if Ghost is tapping my line.
I type out my location and send it to Hatcher before powering the phone back off and plugging my signal blockers back in. Cleary, Ghost doesn’t want to make contact, so there is no need to further expose myself. He may know where I am, but he hasn’t come for me yet, so I have hope he won’t. At least until I can figure out a way to save Carmen.
I walk into the kitchen grab a glass from the cabinet and the whiskey. I pour until the liquid hits the brim, then gulp it all down. At this point, all I can do is wait.
After another drink, more contemplating on what the fuck to do, and trying
my best not to explode with rage, Hatcher finally shows up. He taps lightly on the door, peering inside cautiously. I’m sure he thinks this is a setup, and I don’t blame him. Everything in our lives from the moment we graduated up until now has trained us to always be careful and smart. Something I should have done dragging Carmen into my life.
I silence my thoughts as I walk to the door and open it. “Hatcher,” I greet, sweeping my hand in front of me to invite him in.
“Cyrus.” He nods, making his way inside before sitting down.
Tiny leaps from the love seat and walks to where Hatcher sits. He smells his legs, then looks at me, almost like he’s asking if this is okay. “It’s fine, boy.”
Hell, he’s probably weirded out with yet another person coming here. Before Carmen, no one ever did. It was just him and me. I’m sure all the changes have him as much on edge as me, and I can’t blame him.
“So tell me what’s going on,” Hatcher starts, leaning so his elbows rest on his knees.
I debate on if I should tell him, but I’ve already dragged him all the way here. I would like to say he’s my friend—the only friend I have, really—but there is no telling what Ghost has been sending through the wires to encourage the very people I trained and work with to kill me.
“I met a girl,” I start.
“Fucking hell.” He rubs his hand down his face. “Is that why you killed the client? For some pussy?” he shrieks.
I step toward him quickly and wrap my hand around his throat. “She isn’t just pussy.”
He raises a brow, then grabs my hand with his own, applying pressure to the sensitive spot between my index finger and thumb. “I’m here to help, Cyrus. I’m not the fucking enemy, so don’t treat me like one.”
I drop my hold on him, resulting in him doing the same. “Sorry. My mind is just all over the place. I don’t know who I can trust or even what to do.”
He nods as I plop onto the love seat across from him. “I get it, but you need to start with telling me what happened so we can figure shit out.”
“I have a little brother,” I start. “I made sure when my dad sent me away that I kept his existence under wraps. It was easy to do since my dad essentially wiped my presence from the family. Not even Ghost knew about him because there was nothing to find. That client I killed, he wanted to put a hit on Carter—my brother.”
“A brother? I’ve known you for close to a decade and you didn’t even tell me?”
“I couldn’t. I didn’t want anyone to assume I left him on purpose and was living it up at the academy while my dad no doubt beat him. And then when Ghost came around, it was only smart to continue with my silence.”
He nods because he knows I’m right. “How does the girl play into this though?”
I suck in a deep breath. “You know better than anyone it’s easier to just have random hookups for our needs. So, that’s what I was doing. I met her online and planned to just get my fill and send her on her way, but when she left and I started watching her, I realized she knew my brother.
“It made me feel close to him, even if he nor she knew it, so I continued my hookup with her. Only, I wasn’t the only one she was seeing. The man I killed, Bernard, he was trying to gather more shit on my brother so I would have everything I needed. The town I grew up in isn’t very big, so it was easy for him to figure out the girl had ties to my brother.
“When I killed him, she was due to meet him. She’s the one who found the body, so I took her knowing she’d be a liability, only she isn’t. She has secrets of her own, secrets she holds for others, and now she cares for me, but Ghost took her.”
“Why didn’t you cover your tracks? Did all that training teach you nothing?” he shouts, staring at me like a scolding father.
“That’s the thing… Once I saw her with Bernard, I had made up my mind about not seeing her anymore. I thought it would be simple, but she found the body. And even before that, I did cover my tracks. Never texted her, only a few messages within the dating app. Hell, I only ever called her once.”
“Then how did he find her? How did he put you two together?”
“I never wiped the cameras at the hotel,” I admit, shooting my eyes from his.
“You’re kidding.”
I look back at him. “If I were, I wouldn’t be in this position. I just need to find her. I’m even willing to give myself in exchange for her, but I have nothing on Ghost. I was hoping maybe you would.”
He shakes his head. “He’s back underground. The number I had was a burner, and it’s dead, but I’m willing to wait around and see if something new comes up.”
I nod, losing the small sliver of hope I had. Ghost only shows himself once every five years or so, and it’s only to recruit new, fresh, and young men and women. He lives underground, only sending orders and tasks through encrypted emails or vaguely coded text messages. He’s a literal ghost. No one knows where he resides or if he’s even in the same country.
“But you know if I do this—if I make Ghost an offer if I hear from him—I’m backlisting myself too. You know we’re not supposed to help someone who has gone rogue.”
“I know, and if you want to back out, here’s your chance. I won’t hate you.”
He shakes his head with a chuckle. “My ass isn’t going anywhere. All I ask is if you happen to bring the son of a bitch down, you’ll make sure it’s for good.”
I tip my head. “How? I’m seriously going to swap spots with Carmen if I can. This isn’t a mission of dominance, Hatch.”
He smiles. “You say that, but all we have is time to prepare, and we know his dealings better than anyone. Why not use that now that we have the chance?”
I’d like nothing more than to bring Ghost down, but many have tried and never succeeded. I know this, and so does Hatcher. Ghost is unstoppable. “Why would you risk your life for me—for my woman?”
He shrugs. “Because one time I had met a boy, and he was used against me.”
I’m taken aback by his answer. “Ho—how did I not know?”
He laughs. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to try and suck your dick or anything. You’re not my type.” He winks.
I can’t help but let out a laugh of my own. “I didn’t mean that, Hatch. I mean how did I not know about your boyfriend?”
He smiles, his eyes shining with unspoken pain. “Fiancé,” he corrects. “And for the same reason you kept Carter to yourself.”
“Okay.” I nod. “Let’s do this, then. Let’s figure out a plan to bring him down.”
He smiles, then stands and walks to where I’m sitting. Leaning down, he grabs me by the shoulders and shakes me. “That’s the fucking spirit! Let’s get your girl.”
Our little bit of happiness is short-lived when the sound of the door opening echoes across the room. I reach for the gun I tucked in the back of my pants before shooting to my feet, and Hatch does the same. We aim, not even processing who’s standing there first.
Carmen throws up her hands in surrender as she cries my name. “Cyrus?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CARMEN
He lays the gun down, then pushes the man in front of him out of the way and rushes toward me. “He hurt you!” he shouts, grabbing my right arm that’s bandaged at the bicep.
“I’m chipped,” I reply, trying to pull away from his hold, but he won’t let me go.
Slowly, he undoes the bandage, revealing the small incision held together by two stitches. “We have to get this out.”
I knew that would be the first thing he would want, but the thought of being cut open once again isn’t appealing.
“We can take it out, but then what? He already knows where you are, Cyrus. I don’t understand why he would even chip her in the first place.” The other man finally speaks.
I look at him over Cyrus’s shoulder. He’s tall—really tall—has sparkling blue eyes and blond hair, but regardless of his beauty, I can tell he’s the same type of man as Cyrus. It’s evident in the way he m
oves and holds his weapon.
Another killer. Great.
Cyrus follows my line of sight to the man and answers the question I haven’t even voiced. “This is Hatcher. We can trust him. He’s a longtime friend and now ally.”
I nod. I don’t need to know anything else. Honestly, my mind is already at max capacity with bullshit. If Cyrus says we can trust him, that’s all I need. I’m not going to overanalyze why he could be wrong. I mentally can’t handle it. I haven’t even had the time to unpack all the shit Ghost told me. Sure, there was evidence, but how can I really trust the words of a man I don’t even know. A man who claims to have murdered my mother.
“And he’s doing it to watch our moves,” Cyrus continues, pulling me from my thoughts. “He’ll try and strike when he thinks we’re vulnerable.”
Hatcher shakes his head. “This feels like a setup. Why would he even let her go?”
I bite my lip. Him talking like I’m not standing right here is frustrating, but I let it go. “He let me go to see if I’m serious. It almost seemed too easy,” I start thinking out loud. “But I know where they took me, so that could help.”
Both of their eyes snap to mine. “Serious about what?” Cyrus asks, ignoring everything else I said.
“Taking him up on a job. Him chipping me is only the tip of the big fucked-up iceberg he hit me with, but I convinced him if he let me go, I’d bring you back along with money I plan to extort from my dad. He’s pissed that he’s out however much B was going to pay.”
“And he’s probably lost a few clients if they’ve heard about this,” Hatcher adds.
Cyrus shakes his head, then walks to where I abandoned my bag earlier. He picks it up and rummages inside before finally pulling out my cigarette pack I keep my stash in. Opening it, he shakes the half-smoked joint and lighter into his hand.
“Here.” He brings it to my lips. Once the joint is tucked between them, he sparks the lighter. “First things first, we need to get that out.” He motions to my arm.