Page 13 of Rebel Protector
His jaw tightened at the way she called himAlek.That felt too familiar, too casual. Was he reading this wrong?Werethey together?
His scowl deepened as he watched her stand up, smoothing down her skirt as she moved. She knocked on Markov’s door and slipped inside.
Ghost couldn’t help but strain to hear the conversation. Their voices were muffled, but something about it rubbed him the wrong way. When she came back out, her expression gave nothing away.
“I’m good to go,” she said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. “When are you leaving?”
“Twenty minutes,” he replied, his tone gruffer than he meant it.
“I’ll meet you outside.”
They set off,both blindfolded. Becca with one of those cushy eye masks you get on a plane, and Ghost with the same old crude hessian sack. He was getting used to it by now.
The first few times, it had been suffocating—brought him back to when things went sideways in Basra. He and his teammate had just dropped two CIA agents at the Kuwaiti border when their vehicle got flagged at a police roadblock. They were marched to a ratty outhouse beside the checkpoint, stripped, handcuffed, and blindfolded. The bag over his head had smelled just like this one—sour with the stink of sweat and fear.
But that wasn’t even the worst of it. As the SUV rumbled over the dirt track, Ghost’s mind flashed back to the van they were shoved into and the cold, grimy cell they were tossed in at the police station. That’s when the mock executions started.
Each time the muzzle pressed against the back of his skull, he’d braced for his brains to be blown across the room.
Then—click.Nothing. Except their laughter, taunting him, soaking in his terror.
Closest I’ve ever come to death,he thought, grinding his teeth.
To shake it off, he breathed in Becca’s soft floral scent, just inches from him. She was strapped into the seat next to him, and even though they weren’t touching, her presence hit him like a jolt.
He hadn’t seen the driver, but he’d glimpsed Carlos in the front passenger seat, gun resting on his lap, right before they’d bagged him.
Ghost found it odd they were cruising in such a top-of-the-line SUV. The thing was a bullet magnet. If it were him, he’d pick something local, something low-key. But, hey, this wasn’t his op.
When they hit the city, they were finally told they could ditch the blindfolds. Ghost ripped off the bag, exhaling hard,pushing those bad memories down deep. He glanced at Becca as she quietly removed her mask, slipping it into her purse with practiced ease.
The rest of the ride was silent, but Ghost was hyper-aware of her beside him. He looked at her hands, fingers delicate and manicured. She took care of herself, and he liked that. Her cream skirt hugged her legs, and he could just make out the shape of her thighs beneath the fabric. She wore a soft pastel blouse tucked neatly in, and her sandals showed off those toned calves.
Everything about her screamed grace, beauty. Not exactly the kind of woman who’d be caught dead hanging out with a thug like him.
“Carlos, can you drop me at the market?” Becca asked, as they passed a bustling street lined with stalls. Ghost figured, having worked at the U.S. Embassy, she knew the place better than he did.
“That works for me,” Ghost added, trying to sound casual.
Carlos glanced back at him through the rearview mirror and gave a nod.
Now came the tricky part. He had to find a way to spend some time with her without looking like a total idiot. He couldn’t just come out with something cheesy like“Hey babe, wanna grab a coffee?”That would get him laughed out of town.
Besides, he wasn’t the type of guy women like her went for. She was elegant and put-together, and he was, well… rough around the edges. A brute. Someone she probably wanted to steer clear of, not get close to.
Problem was, he wanted her close.
The SUV pulled to a stop near the crowded market, and they both climbed out. The street was lined with rows of makeshift stalls selling everything from fresh produce to colorful trinkets and hats.
“Can you pick me up outside thesupermercadolater?” Becca asked Carlos. “I’ll have bags of stuff with me.”
Carlos gave her a short nod, then gestured for the driver to pull away.
Perfect. That was his opening.
“See ya,” Becca said, throwing him a polite, almost awkward smile as she turned to walk away.
“Wait,” Ghost called after her, his heart beating faster than it should.