A Ghost Encounter: My Time with Simon "Ghost" Riley

Part Eighty-Nine: Las Almas

Simon "Ghost" Riley's Point of View (POV)

*The events of this chapter are happening simultaneously with the previous chapter*

This mission is a sensitive one. Laswell and I have been assigned to follow and track a drug lord within the Las Almas cartel.

The last time a Task Force member was in Las Almas it had been Laswell—alone—and she, including Alejandro Vargas and Rodolfo Parra, had arrested Valeria: El Sin Nombre.

Since then, Valeria Garza has escaped custody from the Mexican authorities.

Alejandro and Rodolfo had been searching for her ever since and requested our assistance. Alejandro and Rodolfo have been following their lead for months now and provided Laswell and me with the name of a very notorious drug lord—Diego Delgado—who has had a connection with Valeria in the past.

Diego Delgado and his men had aided the Las Almas cartel in struggling drugs across the U.S. border, something their notorious for.

Delgado is known for his excruciatingly brutal displays of the dead bodies of those who have crossed him. As we've been driving through the city we've come across several of his displays: dead bodies hanging from bridges, spiked heads...

I'll leave the rest to your imagination.

This mission is sensitive because we're not supposed to be here. Since her capture, Valeria has placed a mark of death on Task Force 141, promising to claim her revenge. That's why the fewer operators on this mission the better, and since Laswell has prior knowledge of Las Almas and I have mastered stealth and covert missions, this mission was assigned to us.

Laswell and I have reached a dead end on our lead and we need to find a new course of action. Diego Delgado is a master at his craft, and as if he knows he's being watched, he's been suspiciously careful these past few months.

We discovered that Diego plans to visit one of his largest production factories tonight to check on the status of things. A large shipment of cocaine is scheduled to be smuggled over the border in a few days, so naturally, Diego needs to make sure everything is moving smoothly.

If Laswell and I fail to gather any valuable information during Diego's check-in, then we'll drop the lead altogether.

There are rumors of an "abandoned" building on the outskirts of town that may be a checkpoint for the Las Armas cartel. So if all else fails, we'll check that lead next.

This mission has outright consumed me, but every so often, my thoughts are consumed by something else: her.

It's been three months since I've seen her, heard her, smelt her, touched her.

I miss her and honestly, painfully so. In my downtime, before sleep, I find myself thinking about her: what's she doing? How has she been? And wondering if she's missing me too. I'm almost certain she is.

And it's embarrassing how often I've touched myself to the thought of her. Has she touched herself thinking about me?

My body begins to heat thinking about Breanna playing with herself. I clear my throat and quickly think about something else before the signs of my arousal become evident.

This mission has been painfully slow. I've no idea how much longer this will take, but when it's over, I want to take a look at my priorities.

When Breanna and I had our talk I said that I was made for this life, made to forever be a soldier. She told me that wasn't true, that no one was made for this life, and I had the power of autonomy.

I told her that with my autonomy I chose this life: the life of a soldier.

I choose this life, over a potential future with her.

She told me she would be by my side no matter what I choose, but how long will that last? How long until resentment sets in?

I'm starting to wonder if the choice I'm making is the wrong one, and if not, is this choice I made the one I even want anymore?

When I think about the future I see her: Breanna.

This world we're in is unpredictable and risky. I have never thought about the future before her and what it may look like. But now that I have her, now that I love her, I'm thinking about other things outside of this life that I may want: a home and...and a family.

My father was a monster. If I become a father, I'll do everything in my power to be everything he wasn't.

The biggest question is can I be wrapped up in this military lifestyle and have the life I'm dreaming about?

But I already know the answer to that question.

So when I go back to the base, to home, and to her, I'm going to tell her that I choose her. That I choose us.

I was a butcher before this life I have now and I can be a butcher again. Breanna's helped me see that I can be anything I want to be. Breanna and I have worked too damn hard to be together to give up now.

"Lieutenant Ghost," Laswell calls my name, bringing me back to focus "We're leaving soon. Ready?"

"Yes, ma'am," I reply. "This should be interesting."

"Let's hope so," she sighs through a soft and tired smile. "Then we can get the hell out of here."

"Let's hope." And with that, we make our way from inside Los Vaqueros base to the truck parked outside.

Laswell, claiming I'm a poor excuse for a driver, gets into the driver's seat.

Sitting in the passenger seat, I look over to her and ask, "What do you think about me? I mean...my ability to be normal?"

Laswell bursts out laughing.

"Your ability to be normal?" she asks curiously, her eyes focused on the road as she drives. "What do you mean?"

Embarrassed, my cheeks flush but I'm shielded thanks to my mask.

"You know..." I sigh. "Let's say, hypothetically, I no longer served the Task Force. Do you think I could live a civilian lifestyle?"

Something like intrigue and joy sparked in Laswell's eyes.

"Are you proposing to Breanna?" She grins widely; and cheekily.

"T-that's not what I said," I huff, completely flustered, and Laswell only continues to laugh.

"Yes," she says tenderly and earnestly. "I believe you can do anything you truly desire to." And her words resonate with me.

It's my choice: a choice that only I can make.

"She's the one for you, you know that right?" Laswell winks at me.

"I know." I nod softly. "I know."