Page 25 of The Ghost

He got on the phone and spoke with his contact within the base. A moment later, he hung up with an apology. “It looks like the folks who were going to accompany you were pulled off to go with Ryan. Is that okay?”

“Suits me just fine,” I answered.

“Are you sure?” Clark asked. She was obviously worried about me going off on my own, which was sweet.

“I think I can handle it,” I said with a wink.

She sighed, reaching for my hand. “How much time do you have?”

“About a half hour,” I replied, checking my watch.

“Are we done here?” she asked Lukas.

“We’re done,” he confirmed.

“Let’s go topside,” Clark suggested.

I glanced at Lukas to see what he thought of that idea, but he wasn’t paying attention. He turned away immediately after his business with Clark was concluded, busy reviewing information over someone else’s shoulder.

“Sure,” I agreed.

We went back to the elevator together and rode up to the ground floor. Stepping out into the barn, I was almost surprised to see that nothing had changed. It seemed like forever ago that we’d walked into the bunker.

Ordinary farming equipment filled the space, reminding me how carefully Dark Sparrow had hidden the entrance. It would be a shame if New Dawn figured out where they were hidden. I looked around for the old lady and found her outside, hanging clothes on the line again. My original suspicion that she spent all day hanging and folding laundry was confirmed. She was no regular housewife, but a field agent on the lookout. I appreciated her dedication to her task but was glad that wasn’t me. There were only so many hours of laundry I could take, even if people’s lives were on the line.

“Do you think that’s always the same woman?” I asked, taking Clark’s hand and walking in the opposite direction.

“Probably,” she speculated.

“Or are there several agents who trade places but wear the same thing?” I teased.

“Maybe her husband takes a shift,” Clark suggested.

“What do you think he does?” I asked.

“Maybe chops wood,” Clark replied.

We walked up a small rise, which was probably just above the hangar bay, and gazed out over the landscape. I could see mountains in the distance and a cute little village tucked away in the foothills. It was so peaceful I could hardly reconcile the view with the enormity of the job before us. It seemed ludicrous that there was an evil organization bent on taking over the world. That Clark and I were uniquely positioned to stop it was another thing to grapple with.

A soft breeze floated by, bringing with it floral notes that were reminiscent of the vineyards in this part of the world. I wondered if we would ever get to a point in our lives when we could just relax and appreciate all that nature had to offer.

“It’s going to be okay,” Clark said, as if listening in on my thoughts.

“I know,” I responded, bringing the back of her hand to my lips. “I just worry, that’s all.”

“I worry too,” she replied. “I know you’re a man and all, but I would feel better if I could go with you.”

“So would I,” I answered, although I was sure my reasoning was a tad bit different. I wanted to protect her just like she wanted to protect me. But neither of us were going to get anything accomplished if we didn’t trust each other to handle our own chores.

“How are you going to find him?” she asked.

“They have some pretty specific intel on where he is,” I said. “I’m not worried about that. If you can keep a secret, I’m not sure I’m going to bring him back alive.”

“Good,” she decided. “Don’t. I want that sucker dead as much as you do.”

I laughed. It felt good to hear her express herself. In the company of all our superiors, we had to be careful about what we said. But when we were alone together, all bets were off. We could gripe about what really bothered us and be blunt about our future plans. I appreciated that Regg might have more information to glean if I brought him back unharmed. But I had an axe to grind. And I would make sure he told me everything I wanted to know before I killed him. So I was counting that as a win already.

“What did Lukas want to talk to you about?” I asked.