Page 23 of The Ghost

“So when do we leave?” Clark wanted to know.

Lukas glanced at me, again wanting to communicate something that I couldn’t read. “Theo will be going after Reginald on his own.”

I opened my mouth. Though that had been the plan all along, I wasn’t about to shut Clark out of the deal if she wanted to come with me. She would only be an asset, and it might allow us to complete our mission quicker.

Lukas cut us both off before we could object. “Clark is needed here.”

“Is this about the tracker?” I demanded.

“What tracker?” Clark asked, her eyes lighting up with fury.

“I’ll brief you privately,” Lukas promised. “But for now, let’s just say that you have more information about New Dawn than anyone else. We need you here.”

“This mission to go get Regg,” I began, “it will be quick. Clark can be right back the next day—”

Lukas shook his head. “We can’t risk Clark falling into New Dawn’s hands.”

“Why not?” Clark asked.

Lukas gave her a stern look, telling her that all would be revealed in time. She stomped her foot like a frustrated teenager but kept her mouth shut. I had to grin. Sometimes she was the ultimate professional, and sometimes she wore her emotions on her sleeve.

“I’ll get ready to head out,” I said, turning to Clark.

“If you don’t come back, I’ll kill you,” she muttered.

“In that case, I guess I’d better come back,” I teased. “I was considering running off to Malibu by myself.”

She pinched my arm hard. I gathered her close, not caring that Lukas was there to witness. Kissing her firmly, I made my promise through nonverbal cues. She relaxed in my grip, letting me know that she would wait for me.

“Ryan’s been assigned to a group that’s going to the Southern Hemisphere to check for New Dawn cells,” Lukas added. “So he won’t be here at the base.”

I released a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. Just because Ryan was square with the higher-ups didn’t mean I trusted him. And that was one less thing to worry about when I left Clark on her own. Of course, now there was the threat of a nuclear attack, and we still didn’t know if New Dawn had tracked us here. Walking away while both Lukas and Clark were holed up in the Dark Sparrow bunker was still risky. But at least Clark wouldn’t have to face Ryan alone in the hallways.

I would have to comfort myself knowing that they were hidden underground, and that a nuclear strike wasn’t likely to reach them where they were. But knowing how effective New Dawn was, I wouldn’t put it past them to find some other way to get at Clark.

She held the key, and everyone knew it. The problem was that Dark Sparrow, the CIA, and MI6 were operating in the dark as to exactly what that meant. And that didn’t sit well. Just because Ryan was gone and the base was underground didn’t necessarily mean Clark was safe. I would just have to return as fast as I could and get whatever information Regg had to protect the people I cared about.

There was a laundry list of things I was supposed to ask the man. What had happened to the nuclear scientist and his family? Was there really a tracking device implanted in Clark, and if so, what did it mean? Was New Dawn aware of the Dark Sparrow base? What were their ultimate goals, and how could we stop them?

But the overriding question that weighed on my mind was why. Why had Regg betrayed my trust and served me up to the enemy? What was in it for him? Did our previous friendship mean so little that he was willing to sacrifice it for world domination?

I wanted to know how much he was being paid. Or if money wasn’t his motivation, what was it that allowed him to betray all of humanity? My instructions were to bring Regg back alive, but I wasn’t sure I was going to follow that bit of advice. I had too much hatred in my heart for him.

As a spy, I didn’t have very many normal relationships. My handler was supposed to be the one person I could trust, the lens through which I could view the world. Regg had betrayed not only me, but at least half a dozen other agents who’d wound up dead. I would be damned if I was going to let him get away with that.

I would capture him if that seemed simple, but if push came to shove, I was going to put him in the ground. That route was safer by far for both me and Clark, and I didn’t think that Regg deserved any less.

He had crossed the wrong couple.

“Here is the latest information on Regg’s whereabouts,” Lukas said, clicking over to another tab.

I glanced at it, memorizing the information displayed. They obviously had him under surveillance. That was comforting. At least we had a read on him, and he wasn’t in danger of going off the grid any time soon. I wouldn’t have to worry about arriving too late or losing sight of him altogether. Whoever it was who kept tabs on him was obviously doing their job.

“I’ll give you a moment,” Lukas said, ducking out of the conference room.

It was a good bet that the place was rigged with all kinds of listening devices. Though they probably wouldn’t appreciate any outside actors knowing what went on, I wouldn’t put it past Dark Sparrow to be spying on their own people. That meant no hanky-panky and no revealing of personal details. But I didn’t care. All I wanted to do was hold her for a moment and kiss her goodbye. If that scene was broadcast over social media, it wouldn’t make any difference.

Clark lowered her head to my shoulder. She was tired, and I wasn’t surprised. No amount of sleep would make up for the weight of the world. We were tasked with the impossible: stop an angry supervillain from unleashing a nuclear apocalypse, untangle the mystery of her recently resurrected ex-lover, and stay alive long enough to retire. It was a massive to-do list, and I wasn’t looking forward to getting started.