Ghost's Treasure (11 page)

If they were lucky, Ryan would have his agents on the tails of the determined thugs after her. Unfortunately, his luck had leaned in one direction for the past several years. Bad.

Time would tell. He just had to be ready for anything.

Ducking under the overhang of rock, he stepped out of the cave and into the forest. He scanned the area, waiting for Josie to emerge from the dark cavern. She stood up next to him, rubbing her hands together as if to brush off dirt.

"Get your bearings." They'd take a tour of the area before turning back for the cabin. His gut told him she needed to get the lay of the land, to be able to draw up images in her mind in the next few days.

She glanced around, then shaded her eyes against the bright afternoon sun. Finally, she pointed to their left. "East?"

Impressed, he nodded. "Yep." Gesturing in different directions, he finished the picture. "North. South. East. West."

"What's at the bottom of this hill?"

"Probably a dry creek bed, but let's go look. I want to see what this land offers."

"For what?"

He stared down at her for a beat. "Hunting and hiding."

"Oh."

He walked forward, casting a trail through the trees and brush, heading down the steep incline. Josie followed along, judging by the light footfalls and crunching leaves behind him.

"I was wrong. There's flowing water." He nodded to the small stream ahead. Surveying the area, he noted the thick brush, the jagged rocks. If a person needed to hide, this area would do. Crawl under some bushes, melt into the landscape and wait for the quarry to top the hill.

She pulled abreast. "Now what?"

He scanned the area once more, noting large trees where he could perch, see a good distance, and pick off tangos as they approached. The thick cover would allow a person to become nearly invisible, yet, at the same time, give him a huge advantage with his sniper skills and experience. His kind of scenario in an environment he could easily adapt to his particular needs. "I'm going to check out the perimeter, set up an early warning system. There's only one gravel road in, so any visitors would have to travel at least partially up the road in order to reach us. Most criminals are lazy. They'd try to drive the rocky terrain as much as possible. I'll set up mechanical eyes along the road to give us as much as time as possible to prepare for their arrival."

Worry crossed her face. "You don't think the FBI will find them." She made the words a statement.

"No."

"So they'll come. One way or another."

He nodded. "They'll come. Not sure when, but they won't give up until they have you and the jewels in hand."

She sucked in a breath, then collected herself with a put out expression. "The sooner, the better. I hate waiting."

The corner of his mouth hitched up the tiniest bit. Give the woman kudos for guts.

Ghost turned around and strode back toward the house.

Chapter 18

Josie stared at Ghost for a long moment, noting the small lines of fatigue showing on his normally expressionless face. His light blue eyes remained the same, flat and lifeless. He'd driven all night long to reach the cabin after the break-in and close call at the not-so-safe house. Doing a quick calculation in her head, she decided he had to have been awake for at least twenty-four hours. Maybe more. He had to be near exhausted by now.

"Why don't you take the bed and get some rest?"

He shook his head.

She started gathering up the leftovers from their late lunch. "I slept most of the way here. I can stand watch. Besides, I doubt they'll make a play for us in the next few hours. Even thugs have to regroup and plan."

"No."

Exasperated, she plucked her plate from the table and carried the china to the sink. "Listen. You're more than tired. I know that. I'm not. So let me stay awake while you take a long nap."

"No."

She turned and frowned at him. "Even Superman had to sleep sometime." When he said nothing, only watched her with those eerie, yet pretty eyes, she returned to gather more dishes. "Lack of sleep makes one slow, less than efficient." She ought to know. Years of competition, jet-setting around the world during the ski season, taught her many lessons about the importance of a good night's sleep. Basically, she performed decently with sleep and hardly functioned without it. "You can't stay awake for a full week and still fend off any would-be attackers."

"Worried about your longevity?"

She picked up the condiments and walked to the refrigerator. "Yes and no. Only a fool would think my problems have been solved already. I can only hide for so long until someone stumbles across my trail. Let's not forget that little gem." She gestured toward the white pen sitting in a plastic bag on the kitchen cabinet like an ever present omen. "Hiding under the bed sheets won't make the boogey men go away." She shut the door and returned to her seat, sliding down across from him. "I hold no illusions that I'm not the tethered goat, and I will be until this thing is done. Sure, I worry about what is yet to come, but I can't let that same worry take over my life." Glancing down at her intertwined fingers, she tried to make her stubborn guard dog understand. "I need you. That's no secret. But we're in this together. As a team. If everything goes to hell, I'm sure you can survive, but you'll stay until the bitter end if you can't get me out." She raised her gaze.

He sat unmoving, only watched her carefully as if trying to figure out a complex puzzle.

"Ryan spoke very highly of you, assured me you were the best of the best. He also said you were a man of honor, dedication, and would go to the ends of the earth in order to fulfill an assignment." She slowly reached out to lightly place her hand on his. "From everything I've seen and heard, you won't leave me. I can't make it through alone. So we'll have to work together until the FBI does their job." She sucked in a breath. "Let me help you, Ghost."

Ghost looked at her hand on top of his for a split second. Standing with quickness, he pulled out of her reach. Spinning on his heel, he strode from the kitchen and disappeared down the hall.

* * * *

Holy shit.
His heart pounded like he just finished a ten kilometer run with a fast sprint to the finish. Her touch, the stirring words, those damn eyes. Memories flooded his mind, long lunches spent with Lindsay, talking about the future, planning on the arrival of their precious baby. Her smiles, the way she lightly stroked his hands, her bright and cheerful expressions and outlook. Those treasured moments now only served to stab him in the heart, to remind him cruelly what a drunken moron took from him. His love. His life. His very soul.

Now, he stood in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, with a woman who shared so many of the same qualities as his deceased wife. She wanted to be a team, to help him no less. If she only knew each movement, every look, cut into him like a bullwhip lashing deep into his bare back, leaving a searing agony in the leather's wake.

Why didn't he leave her with Ryan when he had the chance?
Because I'm an idiot.

Ryan felt she would perish under another's watch. He trusted the man enough to believe his instincts and knowledge, but hell, what a convoluted mess. They'd arrived less than an hour ago, and already he nearly climbed the walls needing distance from her and her Lindsay-like characteristics.

He swore years ago to put the past behind, to ban all memories, to ignore the deeply imbedded heartache. Yet here he stood, struggling with emotions he'd gladly forgotten existed in his goal-oriented life since the tragic night. He worked so hard to shove his past behind him, to become the best in the business unhampered by emotions, to discover the only way to move on. It worked until today. Until Josie began to unravel his tightly coiled life with a simple touch, a few words, and those damn eyes.

Space. I need space.
Physical and emotional distance between them. Lots of it. Beginning right now.

Heading back to the main area, he spared her a glance. "I'm going outside to scout around. Stay here and lock the door behind me."

Her mouth opened, then shut once more. "Okay."

Without waiting for more response, he shoved out the front door and into the biting cold, relishing the stark conditions, soaking up the mountain atmosphere to try to forget his problems, letting the deep chill ease into his very bones, returning his frozen heart back to his comfort zone.

He wandered around outside, his mind in turmoil. How did she do this to him? Within two days' time, she found the express lane to his most hidden memories, yanked hard on the locked door to his emotions with a few soft words and one caress. Damn her. She worried about him. The fact threw a mist over the raging fire in his gut. No one had cared enough about him to worry about such a mundane thing as sleep in a long time.

Too long.

The words popped out of nowhere, earning a growl of annoyance. He lost the ability to give, to love years ago. Like a severed appendage, those emotions didn't simply grow back. Yet her concern over his lack of shut-eye touched him, even amused him to a certain degree. In all honesty, he liked how she fussed over him. And that could prove a danger to them both.

Sucking in a breath, he focused on regaining his composure and control he prided himself on. Either he told her to back off under no uncertain terms, or he loaded her back up in the vehicle and delivered her straight back to Ryan.

His conscience grimaced at the latter idea. Ryan wouldn't have drawn him in unless he truly thought these men were on a level with the most elite. Besides, he promised to stick by her, and he never went back on his word. Bottom line, he was stuck with Josie until the mission came to a conclusion. However long that took.

Physical and mental fatigue began to set in. Sighing wearily, he glanced at the sky and changed course, heading in a circle around the house. The security system was top-notch, though not without faults. His mechanical eyes in the forest tested fine and simply waited for something to cross their path. They were as safe as he could make them with technology. The rest fell to his instincts and skills. Josie's life depended on them.

Walking around the front of the house, he moved slowly enough his impromptu roommate could easily see and identify him as he headed toward the front door.

The odds didn't favor an attack tonight. He'd bet the ones responsible were still rattled by his return fire. They'd need time to reorganize, formulate another plan, and bring in reinforcements to try to hit them with overpowering numbers. Most likely that took more than a few hours to complete, giving him time to get some much needed rest.

Maybe he could escape those soft green eyes in his sleep.

Chapter 19

"Wow. I can't believe they're actually able to physically do that." Josie sat forward on the couch, leaning closer to the television.

Intrigued, Ghost walked over, taking a seat on a foot stool nearby, his rifle still in hand.

He slept deep for a few hours, nearly into the pre-dawn hours. Awake and alert now, he felt rested up enough to last another two or three days if needed. Blinking, he stared at the TV screen.

Josie spared him a glance. "It's about the Navy SEALs and the training they go through. Talk about unbelievable."

The clip showed men lifting large segments of trees over their heads, holding it for an extended period of time before changing gears to a swimming pool with a dozen men all bobbing up and down, their hands tied behind their backs with zip cord. The commentator droned on about the rigors of the toughest military training in the world.

Ghost watched avidly, recalling that particular event in his life. SEAL training pushed each man to his very limits and some over. Most dropped out before the final phase. He refused to cry uncle and managed to survive through commencement a few years ago, but it seemed like another lifetime.

He shook his head as the documentary showed tiny pieces of the entire ordeal, most probably banned due to security reasons. They did speak about the exercise with live ammo as they invaded a training compound and fired at dummies in an attempt to prepare the men for what they would face in a real world situation. Close. But Ghost knew for a fact their schooling proved only the tip of the iceberg for the various missions he'd completed and endless scenarios he found himself in.

"That's impressive." Josie clicked the television off once the show ended, turning her attention to him.

He saw her eyes narrow and prepared for an onslaught. She didn't disappoint. "You don't think it's amazing that they can go through such training and even survive?"

He really didn't want to have this discussion with her. Unfortunately, like a dog with a bone, she didn't seem to deter easily.

"Hmm. You don't appear surprised by anything they had to do. Why is that?" She tapped one finger over her lip. "You already know about it. Maybe even went through it yourself."

She really was too smart for her own good. Ghost stared out the front window, trying valiantly to ignore her inquisitiveness.

"You're a SEAL, aren't you?"

Setting aside his rifle on the floor at his feet, he pulled his pistol out, checking it over for the tenth time, ensuring each part remained clean and ready for action. The task enabled him to focus on something besides nosey Josie.

She continued to pelt him with questions. "If you're a SEAL, you've seen everything. Man, oh, man. Playing with all the rifles in the world. The obstacle courses." Spinning on the couch, she tucked one leg under her to stare at him fully. "I've never spoken to a special ops guy before. I have so many questions."

He snorted. Like that was a big surprise.

"Did you always want to be a SEAL?" she persisted.

"Lady…" His tone carried the tiniest bit of warning.

Josie blinked, then a small smile appeared. He couldn't help but notice how her whole face lit up and glowed with beauty with the addition of a simple grin. Why no man had snatched up the pretty librarian already, he didn't have a clue. She had a body that wouldn't quit, an upbeat spirit, and more spunk than most. Wrap everything into a single package, and she'd make for a damn good girlfriend.