Page 51 of Rebel Protector
“The day after tomorrow. I’m flying out to Bogotá tomorrow to oversee it. You wanna tag along?”
A grin split Pat’s face. “Wouldn’t miss it for the world. Nothing like a good showdown to make things interesting.”
Ghost chuckled, but it was short-lived. He still had one more bomb to drop, and he knew Pat wasn’t gonna like it.
“There’s... a complication,” he said, his tone shifting.
Pat’s grin faded. “What kind of complication?”
Ghost dragged a hand over his face. “Becca. She’s not just Markov’s assistant... she’s his daughter.”
Pat blinked, staring at him for a long moment before leaning in, his voice low. “How much does she know?”
“About her father? Not much. About me? Everything.”
“Shit, Ghost.” Pat’s face twisted in frustration. “You’ve been sleeping with Markov’s daughter?”
He didn’t bother with excuses. Pat would see through him in a heartbeat. “She’s back at my place right now.”
Pat swore under his breath. “Do you trust her? What if she tells him who you really are? She’ll blow the whole fucking op wide open.”
“She won’t,” he said firmly, ignoring the tight knot in his gut. “She’s leaving tomorrow. I told her to get out, that it’s not safe. Once we grab Markov, everything’s gonna go sideways. I can’t risk her being around for that.”
Pat gave him a long, hard look, then sighed. “You better be right, man. If she doesn’t leave...”
“She will,” Ghost cut in, his voice steady. He had to believe it. “I’ll make damn sure she does.”
“Good.” Pat rubbed the back of his neck, exhaling sharply. “We can’t afford loose ends. Once the fireworks start, no one’s safe. You know that better than anyone.”
He nodded, feeling the weight of it pressing down on him. There were too many loose ends already. But Becca... she wasn’t part of this world. She shouldn’t have to deal with the fallout.
He needed to get her out, keep her safe. Even if it meant never seeing her again.
“In the meantime,” Ghost said, shifting back into mission mode, “get in touch with your contacts. We need every piece in place. I’ll send you the coordinates and the time of the handover when I have them.”
Pat gave him a curt nod. “I’m on it. After the Suarez bust, the higher-ups are all over us. They’re ready for round two.”
Ghost nodded. That was Pat’s domain—the bureaucrats and suits. Ghost’s job was simple. Get Markov to the drop. Catch him red-handed. And get Becca the hell out of dodge before the whole thing went nuclear.
The two men sat there in silence for a minute, listening to the waves. There was a quiet understanding between them, the kind only men like them could share. They’d been through enough ops to know how this would play out. They’d catch Markov, take down his empire. And then? Then it was back to the grind, back to the shadows.
And Becca... Becca would be gone.
Ghost shook his head, pushing the thought away. There was no room for sentimentality in this line of work. Not when lives were at stake. He’d done what he could for her. Now it was up to her to listen.
“You better book that flight,” he said, standing up. “I’ll see you in Bogotá.”
Pat stood and clapped him on the back. “Take care, Ghost. Watch your six.”
Ghost nodded, his mind already shifting back to Becca, to what the next 48 hours would bring. “Always.”
CHAPTER 23
“Where’d you get to?” Becca asked as Dom climbed back into bed. His skin was cool to the touch, and he smelled of the sea and the sand.
“I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a walk.”
She wrapped herself around him, sharing her warmth, pressing her body against his. “You should’ve told me. I’d have come with you.”