We make our way down to the restaurant in the hotel.
Ghost grabs my arm in his. Guess this is him playing the part.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Ahmad sitting at a table with a woman sitting next to him...who is she?
We approach the table and Ahmad and the woman stand to greet us.
"Thank you for joining us, my friends." Ahmad and the woman shake our hands.
"No, thank you for treating us," Ghost says expertly feigning friendliness.
Ahmad looks over at the woman and introduces her.
"This is my dear friend, Cyra. She's an incredibly successful entrepreneur. She'll be conducting business with us."
Oh, great. So he's essentially saying this woman is going to help with my "sale".
"Pleased to meet you both." Cyra has her eyes pinned on Ghost.
Her grin is a little flirtatious.
Whatever...
We all sit down around the table. Ghost and I are sitting side-by-side and Ahmad and Cyra are sitting across from us.
We engage in small talk until the waiter comes to take our order and bring us some drinks.
I'll need some liquid courage.
The small talk continues and then Ahmad addresses me.
"So Sarah..." I hate that he's calling me by her name. "I can't help but notice you look incredibly beautiful tonight." He smirks at me.
I instantly blush.
Who knew Ahmad would be such a sweet talker?
"It's all to impress you." I wink at Ahmad.
Ahmad looks me up and down with lust in his eyes.
Flirting with Ahmad hasn't been challenging. It's the physical part that I'm worried about.
I turn my head and notice Ghost is side-eyeing me.
"Michael, tell us about yourself. What got you into the trade business?" Cyra tilts her head on her hand while staring at Ghost.
Trade business? If you're trading people I'm pretty sure that's considered human trafficking.
"Ah well I've had my fair share of luck with ladies so I figured I'd make a profit off it," Ghost chuckles. "I started recruiting some women, made a smart investment in a partner to help me, and now I'm here making trades with one of the best traders in the world." Ghost nods to salute Ahmad.
He's good at charming others.
"You flatter me." Ahmad smiles pridefully.
We continue chatting until the waiter brings our meals.
After we conclude dinner, Ghost motions for me to return to our room. Apparently, the goods (aka me) isn't allowed to know insider secrets.
He stays behind to talk business with Ahmad and Cyra.
I wonder what they're talking about...he better fill me in.
I return to the hotel room and wait for what feels like forever for Ghost to return. And eventually, he does.
"Welcome back." I greet him.
Ghost says nothing as he enters the room and leans against one of the walls.
Seriously?
"You gonna keep in the dark or what? Believe it or not, we'll have a higher success rate for this mission if you keep me informed," I smirk, annoyed.
Ghost sighs.
"We scheduled a time to visit the sex club and meet Hassan." He looks serious.
"Holy shit, already? When?"
"Five days from now."
Things are moving quickly.
I sit there in silence processing everything he just said.
"You alright?" Ghost asks me.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I ask him, confused.
"You seemed uncomfortable at dinner," Ghost says in a strained manner.
Shit, really?
"Did I?" I ask, afraid that my performance wasn't passable.
"Just at the beginning," he tells me.
At least I managed to pull it together toward the end.
"Can I ask you something?" I look up at Ghost while I'm sitting on the bed.
He pushes himself off the wall he's leaning on and walks toward me.
He nods and waits for me to speak.
"Why Sarah?"
"What do you mean?" Ghost crosses his arms, arching a brow.
"Why is my code name Sarah? How did you decide that?" I press the question.
Ghost looks puzzled. "It was the first name that popped into my mind."
"But why?" I ask, desperate for an answer.
"What do you mean 'but why?', I just told you." His patience is already wearing thin.
I look down silently.
"Why do you ask?" He takes a deep breath, trying to soften his tone.
"Because that's my dead sister's name," I say quietly, distantly.
He just stands there, but his normally cold eyes seem a bit warmer.
"We already talked about how you read my file so I know my sister's name was in there. Did you pick her name to upset me?" I ask this genuinely, showing no signs that I'm angry, just curious.
"Are you upset? Those weren't my intentions. I probably did see your sister's name in there but it wasn't something I memorized. It really was just the first name that popped into my mind." He sits down beside me on the bed.
I can tell he's being honest.
He usually never lies anyway. In fact, he's quite brutally honest.
"Alright." I nod my head softly.
"Are you upset?"
"Not really." I shrug my shoulders.
"Not really?" He asks me, calling my bullshit from a mile away.
Now he wants to talk? Great.
"Ah well, I really shouldn't bore you with the details." I chuckle as I try to change the topic.
He simply stares at me, expecting a response.
Guess there's no getting around this...
YOU ARE READING
A Ghost Encounter: My Time with Simon "Ghost" Riley
FanfictionBreanna, an army Sergeant, has never been the easiest to get along with and has struggled to get close to people due to some past traumas. With a chip on her shoulder, Breanna ensured that everyone is kept at arms distance. She's been able to stand...
