Ghost's Treasure (16 page)

"Funny thing about the man who escaped from the cabin. According to him, he returned to tell Ms Blarney what happened. Seems she became angry, declared him incompetent, and refused to pay him for services rendered. Pissed him off enough to blow the horn to the FBI."

"Are you sure he's reliable?"

"Described the cabin and what transpired in detail. Even spoke about you, your jacket, your rifle, things he had to have been there to know."

Ghost processed this information carefully.

"Any chance it's a setup?" Josie asked.

"Not that we can see." The blond-haired FBI agent turned his gaze from Josie to Ghost once more. "Word is Striker will have you in his crosshairs soon, eliminate you, take the girl, and collect the treasure come hell or high water."

His gut clenched at the words. Not fear but something stronger and more resilient. Anger, pride, and a boiling cauldron of rage, which once again lashed and splashed to get out. An all too familiar sensation over the past few years.

Everything he heard about Striker made for a law-abiding citizen's nightmare. He moved like a shadow, never staying in the same place for long. Word on the street was he had so many notches on his rifle he had to buy another to have room to keep count. Determined as a bull dog, he refused to give up on a target until the unlucky individual lay six feet under.

A challenging foe who would lead an epic battle until only one of them would emerge alive.

Realizing the situation just deteriorated to crap, he made a quick decision. "Josie's out of it right now."

"Wait. No." She sat forward in her seat.

He shook his head and silenced her with a stern stare. "Striker's a professional hit man with few his equal. Like Ryan said, he'll come for me first. I'll need all my faculties and skills to thwart him without the distraction of trying to provide cover and protection for you."

"I… I'm not worth your life." She finally whispered the words.

Somewhere in his chest, warmth blossomed and radiated, heat replacing a frozen heart. He cursed under his breath as he grappled with the urge to wrap Josie in his arms, to hold her and reassure her. Promise her that she was indeed worth his life and more, though he had no intention of dying in the confrontation.
When did she sneak under my skin?
Made him not only care but realize his long buried emotions still existed, patiently waiting for the right moment to appear.

A lump formed in his throat as he forced himself to hold strong.

Ryan looked from him to Josie, then back again. "I'll place her with Lark and Bryce. They'll watch her like a hawk."

Ghost nodded. "That'll do. We need a plan to make Striker think Josie's still with me, to draw him in."

"The treasure." Josie scooted closer. "We can retrieve the treasure together. Somewhere along the line, I can pick up my new bodyguards while you head in another direction." She tilted her head. "But where would you go? Where would he think we're hiding? One of the previous safe houses that have been breached?"

"Too obvious. He'll be as skittish as a cat, so everything has to look on the up-and-up, as if we don't know anything about him." Ghost found the dash enthralling for a moment, trying to think of possible solutions. He certainly wouldn't lead the hit man to his own home. Although he didn't stay long, he much preferred the place still standing and in good shape when he returned.

"What about my apartment?"

Both Ryan and Ghost turned to look at her.

"If we thought all but one of the bad guys were gone, we might feel comfortable enough to go back to my apartment. The proximity of close neighbors would make for relative safety along with the comforts of home." She looked from one man to the other. "Would that work?"

Ghost met Ryan's gaze. "She might have something there."

The FBI agent nodded. "Hide out in the open so to speak. I like it. The crew cleaned it last night, at least enough for the area to look livable." He pulled his cell phone from his pocket. "Let me call Lark and get this set up. We'll let you two go collect the jewels." He paused in punching buttons. "Is there a back way out of your apartment? An escape route no one will readily see?"

She nodded. "The ground floor connects by hallways all through the building. There's a laundry room down there, several exists. From the higher levels, there's always fire escapes."

"Where do you go to pick up the jewels?"

Josie hesitated only a second. "The library."

Ghost wasn't surprised at her choice of hiding spots. While others might have come up with the same idea, the huge space afforded little privacy and thousands of places to hide some items. A figurative needle in the haystack.

"Multiple routes in and out of there?" Ryan shifted in his seat.

"Same idea. Multiple doors to enter or exit. No Underground Railroad tunnel, though. Sorry."

"The library might be a safer exchange," Ghost said.

"If this Striker guy is watching, he probably won't make a move on the library. Too many witnesses. But he'll notice if you go in with me, then come out alone. For this ruse to sell, I think I need to return to my apartment with you. Make it appear like I'm staying there. Perhaps you can come and go now and again, making this guy think you have someone relieving you at intervals." She picked at nonexistent lint on Ryan's leather seat. "Lark can meet us in the building and we can head out from there."

Ryan's head slowly bobbed. "Good point."

Ghost turned his attention to her. "The library would be safer."

She shrugged. "If you were hunting, which scenario would you believe best?"

He didn't have to ponder. "The apartment."

A small grin covered her face. "I'm getting pretty good at this Mission Impossible stuff."

He snorted.

Ryan chuckled, then resumed pressing buttons on his phone. "Lark? I need your help."

Chapter 27

"Lark and Bryce know what they're doing. They'll take care of you." Ghost pulled into the library parking lot, having left Ryan a couple of hours earlier to finish setting up the details of the latest plan.

Josie nodded. Ever since she'd learned of this new threat, her throat had tightened with worry and fear. Ghost would soon distance himself in order to shield her from a professional-class assassin while putting himself in the direct line of fire. For her.

She blinked back tears, emotionally torn between her rational mind and breaking heart. She realized he didn't have a choice in the matter. Because of her, his name cropped up on a kill contract, one that would be fulfilled unless Ghost managed to eradicate the other man first. Nothing would change that. At the same time, she wept for this fiasco she'd landed him in. He risked his life more than once for her. Sure, he claimed his chosen career had always been littered with dangers and pitfalls, and she understood he lived for the adrenaline and the knowledge that he helped rid the world of evil. However, all the bare facts didn't convince her that her life was worth the forfeiture of his.

Finding a parking spot close to one of the side doors, he put the vehicle into park, and turned off the engine. Only then did he swivel enough in his seat to focus his attention directly on her.

"Scared?"

She knew he read her face like a book. "Not for me."

He slowly shook his head. "Don't worry about me. I've been through worse and came back."

She lowered her gaze and blew out a breath. "You're worth more than that damn treasure, more than my life. You do so much good and take no credit. I…"

He cupped her chin and forced her to look him in the face. "It's what I do." He sighed. "Didn't I tell you to forget those soft ideas about me before?"

"Yes, but I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because you're a warrior. One for the ages. But you're also a great man."

"There's nothing redeemable about me."

She looked at him steadily. "That's where you're wrong. You don't need redeeming, you need to see yourself through my eyes for a while. To realize all you have to offer, all that you are."

"Hogwash. Josie, this is what I do. I assure you, I'm up to the task."

"It's not that. I know how good you are. You have to be the best to make it through all those missions, to come home from war, to survive in this field."

He looked at her for a long moment. "I'm not afraid of death."

She met his gaze. "Because you'll be with Lindsay?"

"Partly." He shrugged. "I'm a SEAL. We graduate from the program and are sent into the worst situations with the knowledge that twenty-five percent of us won't see our thirtieth birthday."

She gasped.

"A warrior can't do his job if he's afraid of death. Start looking behind, over your shoulder all the time all the time and you'll screw up. I've come to terms with mortality. A long time ago."

"I can't imagine what you've been through. But I do know this. If anyone can come out of this unscathed, it's you. You're going to come out on top."

An instant of bewilderment flashed across his normally expressionless face. "Why do you say that?"

"Because I have a goal and am too stubborn to give up on it."

"What goal?"

She beamed at him. "To make you smile and laugh. If it takes following you to hell to make that happen, so be it." With those parting words, she slid from the passenger seat, shut her door, and strode purposely toward the library's side entrance.

Entering, she immediately took a left, shoving a stairwell door open enough for Ghost to follow on her heels. She chose the east entrance for a reason. The closeness to one set of stairs that led to the basement and the fact the long hallway, in all likelihood, prevented her from running into any of her coworkers. The last thing she needed was her boss to see her and begin asking questions.

Her luck held.

"Let me guess. You're not compliant with the no concealed weapons rule in the library?" She arched an eyebrow in his direction.

He snorted and easily kept pace, beat her to the basement doors, grabbed a handle, and held the door open for her.

"Thought so." With a quiet focus, she let her eyes adjust to the dim light for a long moment. "Thank you."

Ghost nodded, his eyes already raking the room.

His hyper vigilance settled Josie's nerves, reinforced her secure faith in his protective abilities. No one would get by him.

"This way." Josie pulled her key ring from the large bag she carried and led the way toward the back corner. Nothing appeared disturbed since she deposited the jewels a couple weeks ago. Dust had once again settled on the back shelves she'd cleaned to cover her tracks, and no fingerprints caught her eye.

Finding the two books that marked the place, she removed them from the shelf. Next, she grabbed the key, and slipped the thin metal into the lock.

"Watch a lot of spy movies?" Ghost whispered behind her.

She grinned but didn't take her focus from opening the metal box. "Not really. I just knew normal security wouldn't be enough. No one comes down here except me. So I figured stashing a box behind books no one reads would be as safe as I could get." Feeling the latch click, she carefully opened the door, gingerly pulling out three piles of linen. Turning, she met Ghost's gaze. "Here's what the big fuss is about."

Pulling back the wrappings, she uncovered one item at a time, glancing up now and again to catch the expression on Ghost's face. As usual, his face remained neutral, although she caught the tiniest flicker of surprised appreciation.

"No wonder art thieves are swarming. The jewels and gold alone would bring a tidy sum on the market." He continued to stare at the objects.

"That's what I thought. But when Ryan told me what they were, I knew they'd never sell. Private collectors would do anything to add them to their list of priceless goods, thus the underhanded games." She looked them over, noticing how they caught the artificial light and gleamed. "To be honest, I'll be more than happy to be rid of them."

"Why?"

She met his gaze. "They're old. Gorgeous. And historically very significant. However, I'm not ready to trade my life for them."

His lips turned up a smidgen, so quick she wasn't sure she actually saw the movement. "Smart woman."

She grinned at him. "Thanks." Taking a moment to refold the linens, she opened her purse and tucked them carefully in the bottom, making sure nothing sharp poked against them. "Let's get out of here before trouble comes knocking." Locking the box back up, she dropped the key in her pack, grabbed the books, and shoved them back into place. Quickly regaining her feet, she spun toward the stairs.

Backtracking the way they came, Ghost led the short jaunt to his waiting SUV. They climbed in just as the last rays of sunshine disappeared over the horizon. While she knew the dark benefitted them, she couldn't suppress the shiver that caused her body to quake.

"Cold?" Ghost started the engine and pulled out.

"No. Just antsy." She watched him from the corner of her eye, noting the attentive relaxation as he drove with grace and total command. Just like the man himself.

"You're safe. I'll make sure of it."

"I know. And I realize we've been through this already. I just…"

He turned to pin her with his gaze. "Worry."

"Yes. I can't help it. It comes with the territory. I'll worry until this whole business is wrapped up and you're home safe and sound."

She could have sworn a flicker flashed in his eyes. His jaw ticked for a brief moment before he broke the silence. "I've forgotten what it's like to have someone care for me. Worry about me. It's… nice."

Anyone could have bowled her over with a spoon at his admission. Her mouth fell open as she celebrated another small victory on the path to her ultimate goal. She grinned wryly at him. "I'm glad to hear that because I'm afraid you've grown on me."

"Like mold?" He arched an eyebrow at her.

She chuckled at his attempt at humor, reveling in the moment. "Better than mold. More like algae."

He snorted, but she could tell he found her somewhat amusing.

All too soon he pulled into the parking lot of her apartment, choosing an empty spot close to her normal entrance. He cut the engine, unsnapped his belt, and turned his attention on her. "You know the plan?"