Ghost Skills

Ghost Skills Chapter 28

We sat on the thick tree branch, waiting for Vega and his men to give us the signal.

Melissa kept shooting small glances at me, and I was wondering why. “Why do you keep looking at me like that woman?”

She sighed and picked up the bottom half of her mask. “When I saw the way you acted at Haley's funeral, I felt horrible for you. Since then I've seen you in a different light. You weren't the conceited, narcissistic, full of himself teenager I had hired. You had grown into a man. And even though you were in a business that can change and warp a person, you stayed the same, and stuck by your morals. With the exception of the six months after the funeral, you were stronger, faster and better. You didn't let the blood, death, or anything for that matter affect you. It made me admire you, and soon after, love you. But you were still mourning for Haley, in some ways you still are. I'm just hoping this is real, that you're mine.”

I reached out and stroked her cheek. “It's definitely real.”

Just as I finished, an explosion ripped through the silence. My head whipped around and I brought the binoculars up to see the remnants of the gate flying into the courtyard. I moved a little to the right to see Rob hanging out of the rear window of the Hummer, lining up the RPG for another shot.

I stood on the bough, and looked to Melissa. “It's about that time darlin.”

She stood as well and flipped her mask down. “Right.”

We ran along the branch, then reached the wall and jumped, falling the fifteen feet through the air. I hit the ground and rolled, coming up running. I covered the fifty feet from the wall to the compound, and turned to check on Melissa.

The barrel of a M4A1 assault rifle stared back at me, the man behind it wearing the all black of the security personnel. His face twisted in what looked like pain before going slack, then the barrel of the gun dropped, and so did his body, face first. A throwing star was lodged in the back of his neck, between two vertebrae.

I was still looking down at the man when Melissa came up and ripped the star from his neck, then placed it back into the small sheath on her calf. “I guess I get the first one of the night,” she remarked snidely.

Smiling, I turned and ran for the nearest door, keeping an eye out for patrols this time. I came upon the door, but it was locked.

No need for subtlety now.

I brought my foot up in a thrust kick, then laid into the door with all I had. The top hinge broke, causing the door to hang askew. I jumped the bottom portion of it and ran down a white hallway lined with black doors, Melissa following close behind. Security guards started pouring into the hallway from the doors in front of us and we froze. They were running down the hallway, away from us.

“They must be going to meet Vega and his boys,” I whispered to Melissa.

We didn't move until we no longer heard their footsteps, then started running again. Turning a corner, I stopped and brought the blueprint up in my mind, trying to remember which route we wanted to take. Melissa pushed past me and started jogging, leaving me behind.