Page 24 of Ghost
He stared at the phone for a fewseconds as his heartbeat sped up and his mouth went dry. Thekitchen was quiet, and Ghost couldn’t bring himself to look anyonein the eye. He figured it was common knowledge something wasbrewing between Ray and him, but it seemed he’d gotten it allwrong.
I have to get out ofhere.
“Ghost,” Julia said. “I’msure that wasn’t how it sounded.”
“No worries, guys,” Ghostsaid. The last thing he wanted to do now was look weak in front ofhis new team, especially after proving himself earlier that day.“We aren’t in some kinda relationship or anything. Ray’s free to dowhatever or whoever he wants.”
Ghost did his best to smile and laughit off while backing out of the kitchen, waving his friends’concerns away. “All good. I’ll catch up with you later.”
He booked it for the backdoor. Air, he needed air. Stupid. He was stupid to think there wasmore going on between them. Ghost had been alone for so long thathe’d grabbed onto the first person to show him any interest.Lesson learned loud and clear.
It was as if he was back in fostercare, holding out hope for any scrap of caring or approval from hisfoster parents or the other kids. Well, that stopped right now. Hewanted to be taken seriously as part of this team. He wouldn’t bedistracted by this lame shit of emotions any longer. He was andalways would be a lab experiment, incapable of having normal humanrelationships. The best he could hope for was to belong to a teamand be treated equally. That’s what he’d concentrate on from thispoint forward.
Ghost realized he’d walked down thedirt road leading from the lake house toward town. He was a gooddistance away and was about to turn around when a car appearedcoming over the hill. Ghost turned around and began walking back tothe house, staying on the road’s edge to allow the car room topass.
As the car got closer, he beganwalking on the grass a couple of feet away from the ditch. At thelast second, he glanced back as the passenger door of the car flungopen, hitting him in his lower back and legs and throwing himthrough the air and into the shallow ditch. The pain wasinstantaneous as he lay with his face in the dirt. Just before hepassed out, he felt himself being lifted, and then everything wentdark.
***
Ray
“What do you mean he’smissing?” Ray’s heart beat faster as he strode around his hotelroom.
“We found his running shoein the ditch down the road. There were tire marks skidding to astop right beside where we found it,” Brick explained.
“Do you think it was theNoah Group or the Berrys who took him?”
“We’re not sure. The teamis scouring the town, and Elias has called in surrounding countiesto keep an eye out for him.”
Ray had the distinct impression thatBrick wasn’t telling him something.
“What else?”
“There was blood on theground in the ditch where we found the shoe. We haven’t had a goodrain in a while and the ditch was dried up.”
“How much?”
“Enough to make usconcerned.”
“Fuck. I’m on my way backas soon as I can secure an earlier flight. I’ll call theairline.”
“Jason is already in theair on his way to you. I’ll send you the pickuplocation.”
“Thanks.”
Ray hung up the phone, grabbed hisduffle bag, and began packing. He didn’t give a shit that a muchmore sober Owens was sitting in a chair watching him. Ray hadpumped coffee into the dumb bastard, and after a few hours, the guywas sober enough to feel embarrassed.
“I’m sorry, man, I don’tknow what came over me,” Owens said.
“I don’t have time for yourshit, so let yourself out.”
“You really care for thisguy.”
“No shit. Like I told youonce you sobered up, Ghost is it for me, and now he’smissing.”
“Do you need anyhelp?”
“No, we gotthis.”
