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“Cassandra, with me, now.” Ghost grasps my arm tighter than I expected and pulls me back toward his room. Not expecting it, I’m stumbling over my feet trying to stay upright. The fact he hasn’t left me in the room with his boss tells me he no longer trusts him like Rocket thinks he does.
He lets go of me, only to quickly lean over his computer keyboard. His fingers move at speed and all the screens come to life at once.
Holy. Fucking. Shit!
I knew he had a lot going on with these computers, but the number of camera angles in front of me shows me how much I'm being watched. My body shudders in shock. I didn’t realize. Seriously, how many other people are watching my every move? My skin starts to crawl at how much others have seen.
The agility of his fingers on the keyboard has me mesmerized before he looks up at me with compassion.
“I never let anyone see what they shouldn’t. I delete and manipulate the video all the time, for your safety and our privacy.” Ghost's voice is barely above a whisper, so there is no way Rocket can hear him.
The ability to talk has left me momentarily, but I’m grateful in so many ways to Ghost. I just nod at him to show I heard him. He blacks out his screens again, and standing in front of me, he quickly leans toward me, kissing me on the forehead.
“We’ll talk later.” With that, he turns my body and pushes me back toward the hallway. It’s like my brain isn’t talking to my legs to make them move.
Before I make it out of the room, I get the feeling in my stomach that I’m about to be sick, and I can’t get to the toilet quick enough.
“I need the bathroom.” I run across the hallway and close the door of the bathroom behind me. Leaning forward, I lose what little breakfast I managed to eat into the toilet bowl.
He knocks on the door behind me. “Cassandra, are you okay?” Worry is evident in his voice.
I don’t want him to see me like this. It’s one thing to see and taste parts of me that are sacred, but watching me throwing up is totally off limits on the relationship scale.
“Yes. Don’t come in,” I shout back before he can open the door, which I’m surprised he hasn’t done already. Ghost yells a reply that everything is fine to Rocket, who must have heard him yelling at me.
I dry-retch into the toilet bowl again because there is nothing left to bring up. My head hurts.
“Cassandra, please, I’m coming in.” Damn, I hate that name, it just reminds me of how much I’m in danger. I know there is no stopping him, so I need to move. Grabbing toilet paper and wiping my mouth, I push myself to my feet as he cautiously opens the door. It surprises me, I was expecting the door to come flying open and him bursting in like his ass is on fire.
“I’m okay, just anxiety getting the better of me.” Turning to the sink, I run the water and cup my hands under it. Scooping water into my mouth, I rinse and have a drink to get rid of the taste.
“Are you sure? It might be food poisoning?” He places his hand on the arch of my back. Not that he should be touching me, but the comfort it brings me is helping.
“I feel fine now. Let’s get this over with,” I say, lowering my voice to a mere whisper. “I don’t like him being here.” I’m used to it just being us two, and I don’t have to worry about anything. I have managed to shut the outside world out. It’s not like there is anyone out there that will be missing me or wondering what happened to me. It’s strange to take comfort in knowing I haven’t panicked anyone by disappearing. The only person that will care is the person I ran from. But he is looking for Leah his girlfriend, and she doesn’t exist anymore. And to be honest, he is only after Leah for what she knows. No matter what happens in this whole debacle, I’m not sure I would ever want to go back to that sort of life anyway.
In this life, I am Cassie, Ghost’s girl.
That’s all the matters to me now. To be cared for, really cared for, and to be safe.
Looking at the man behind me in the mirror, I know I have all that here, so that’s where I want to be from now on.
“Okay, if you say so. But you tell me if you feel sick again. I’m not convinced you're okay, but I agree we need to get this over and done with.”
I want to fall into his body for a reassuring hug, but I know I can’t. So, I step sideways away from him, knowing it will be safer for both of us if I don’t touch him.
I hate this, and I want it over.
But deep down, I know that may never happen.
ChapterTen
CASSIE
As he leads the way into the dining room where we left Rocket, I can see his concern.
“Just my constant nerves upsetting me and getting the better of me,” I explain.
Without giving Rocket time to ask me anything, Ghost is already talking. “Done.” Ghost leads me to a chair, but I can’t sit. I shake my head and stand firm next to him. There is too much nervous energy racing through my body, fingers tingling and wiggling back and forth.
