Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 90685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90685 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
The more he talks, the more his natural accent comes through, but he’s been in the States for a good fifteen years now, so it usually only happens when he’s mad. And he rarely gets mad, so to see him like this …
“Well, you’ve successfully distracted me, but I don’t think that’s a good thing. Are you okay? I thought you lived with your parents?”
“I do. Well, my mom. I live with her and my stepfather. It’s funny because back in Afghanistan, my mother was considered a radical. She fought for the rights of women. But America was a huge culture shock for her when she moved, and now I’d consider her conservative. She’s more conservative than my stepfather, who is also Muslim but was raised in America. He didn’t even blink when my mom told him I was gay.”
“Okay, so what’s the story with your birth father?”
“He’s a traditionalist, and when I came to the States and my mother came with me, he told everyone we were dead. She hated Afghanistan, hated the traditions, worried for me from when I was young because she knew I was different. Divorce would make him look bad, so poof, we became ghosts.”
Well, shit. “Wait, your code name—”
“It’s fitting, isn’t it? I almost laughed when you gave it to me, but I didn’t want you to change it. In a way, I connect with it because I left that whole life behind me. My faith, the majority of my family. I really am dead to them. So for him to call me … I don’t even know how he got my number.”
Silence falls, and I don’t know what to say.
“Families can be hard.” Way to go, Trav. So reassuring.
I haven’t had to deal with any family drama because mine is great. Had I known how good they’d be about me being gay, I would have come out to them sooner. I took it upon myself to try to fix me, but when I realized it wasn’t possible and I inevitably got it off my chest, they were the ones who told me I didn’t need to be fixed.
I can only imagine what it’s like for those in families who don’t accept them. Who hide behind religion as an excuse to cut someone they’re supposed to love out of their life.
“You’re welcome,” Ghost says.
“What for?”
“Diversion tactics.” He winks at me. “You look like you’re overthinking in your head, and I’m guessing it’s not about Dylan or Walker anymore.”
“Wait, was that all bullshit?”
“I wish my life was drama-free enough to have to make up stories for you. Sadly all true, but I took one for the team and blurted that all over you.”
“You know what you need? I think you need someone older who could look after you.”
“I’d settle for someone who didn’t lie.”
“High standards you have there.”
“I’m thinking in this day and age, that is a hard ask. Instead of asking potential boyfriends if they’re seeing someone, I ask if anyone is under the impression they’re in a relationship with them. Apparently, that needs clarifying.”
Decaf, who’s a few blocks west of our destination, says over comms, “Possible mark heading from the port. Black SUV. Tags, Nine, Delta, Lima, Tango, Five, Six, Zero.”
I click my earpiece off mute. “Saint?”
“On it. They’re government plates. It could be Walker.”
“It could be anyone,” I say. “We’re thirty seconds out.”
“Another possible mark,” Kevlar says from the east. He reads out those tags, and Saint gets the same results.
“They could be boxing us in,” I say. “Everyone on alert. This could be it.”
Ghost pulls into the abandoned lot and turns off the engine. “Ready?”
“More than ready.” I grab my Glock 42 out of the glove compartment even though I’m assuming they’ll take it off me immediately. Same with the gun on Ghost’s hip.
But if we don’t have weapons on us, Walker will immediately be suspicious. We’re prepared for that to happen.
We get out and stand by the trunk of my Range Rover, Glock tucked in at my back and my arms folded. I lean against my car, trying to force the usual carefree and calm attitude that Ghost says I have.
Everyone on comms has gone silent, and at first, I think it’s because they’re all gearing up and getting ready for what’s about to come. But then static fills my ear with someone’s voice cutting in and out in snippets I can’t hear.
Ghost and I share a look.
“Can you repeat that?” Ghost says.
Nothing comes.
“Signal jammer,” we say at the same time.
“Walker’s smarter than I anticipated,” I say.
“What do you want to do? Abort?” Ghost asks just as a car turns into the lot.
“Too late now. Follow my lead, and act like we don’t know anything.”
“Knowing nothing is Zeus’s specialty, not mine.”
I smile. “That would be a lot funnier if he could hear it.”