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Once that was done, he then did a lot of the inside work himself—well, as much as he could, but for some of the more intricate steps, he wasn’t qualified. Mind you, even if he wasn’t trained, he would teach himself off the internet. I wanted to help, but of course there was no way my husband would let me, so I became the person who would hand him the tools or pass the food and water up to the man who was working all sorts of stupid hours on the house. He was worried I would be disappointed I didn’t get a say in the design of the building, but I was just so excited at being allowed to decorate the inside from scratch. Choosing the colors, furnishings, and finishing touches has been amazing.
Fast forward seven months and now I’m relaxing on our balcony as Ghost is inside touching up the last of the paint work. We have all the furnishings in storage, so when he says the word, Badger is going to organize to have a truck arrive and deliver everything to us. Again, just like when we go into the nearest town, which is not often, we will have our wigs and disguises on for the delivery. I hate being a blonde, or redhead, or a woman with short curly black hair. We have several different ones so we don’t become familiar to anyone.
Once my pregnancy really started showing and it couldn’t be hidden with clothes, I stopped leaving the property. It would look too suspicious if there was a random pregnant woman who kept turning up with different-colored hair. People would start to talk, and we can’t have that, even in a small town up in the mountains. So, the trips have been left to Ghost while I stay in the car, behind the dark glass and my wigs and hats. We don’t park in the common areas, and don’t ask me how, but he has several license plates from different states that he swaps on the car. Then when he leaves me, he is a quick as possible.
Ghost has gone from clean-shaven to full beard and everything in between, with different wigs, hats, and bandanas tied on his head. He complains how hot it is working in a disguise with other tradespeople on site. He’s careful never to mix the tradesmen, so each group sees a different-looking Ghost. He also brings new groups on site from farther areas who wouldn’t have any chance of knowing each other. Sometimes people that Badger recommends just turn up, do the job, and don’t ask any questions. We can’t do it any other way.
I don’t know if I should be worried or not, but I decided early on to let Ghost do the worrying for me in relation to Jason. Things have gone quiet for months now, but that is not necessarily a good thing. Jason walked away with a clean record from all the charges. As Rocket told us when he turned up at the safe house, Camilla was charged and painted in the media as the scorned lover. They said that she was jealous of my relationship with Jason, so she decided to get back at him and frame him. Before she could even make it to trial, she “accidently” fell down the stairs in her apartment and died. Ghost and I don’t believe that for a minute. But of course, there was enough evidence presented to the courts that Jason was totally cleared, and his financial backers and followers helped build the media coverage of the poor man who only wants to do good in the world, and he was attacked by such an evil woman.
And apparently, I couldn’t take the stress of it all, so I have left him with his blessing to move to a quieter life. That made me almost choke on my water when Ghost read me out that article fromThe Washington Post.
Part of me is sad for Camilla that she died, but I can’t help but believe in my gut that she was involved in it as well. And anyone who is condoning the trafficking of women or risking the safety of our country’s servicemen and women, then I can’t feel too sorry for them. Hearing Camilla’s conversation that night in the garden, it was obvious something was going on. I didn’t know what at the time and still don’t know who that man was, but they were involved, of that I’m certain.
We know there are still several hits ordered on me out there on the dark web, and Ghost tells me they won’t go away until they believe I’m dead. Of course, Ghost built the story and evidence that I freaked out when he was trying to get me to safety, and I disappeared without a trace. He had searched for me but to no avail, and he is devastated he failed the department, his client, and himself.
Ghost has done his best to send updates from his work computer while he was supposedly searching for me. Of course, he’s sending them through secure networks that they can’t track. He even placed a few phone calls via his computer so they couldn’t track what cell tower it was bouncing off. The alarm at the safe house alerted him to the agents arriving but still hasn’t given us any insight into who the mole is yet. I don’t know all the details, and to be honest, I don’t need to. That’s what Ghost is good at, and I leave him to do what is needed.
Rocket was furious, and I’m not sure he believed him, but in the end, he had no other choice, and the facts in front of him backed up the story.
It was mutually agreed that he would continue to do some work for Rocket, undercover and off the grid, without the knowledge of WITSEC. Ghost has looked hard into Rocket and has settled back into thinking he’s on our side, and if he isn’t, his plan is to keep the enemy close just to be safe. But the condition for the job was that he would take some time for himself first to get over losing a client and from his broken heart. Well, that is what he told Rocket. If he truly knew Ghost, he would have called bullshit on that, but luckily, he didn’t. The rest of the team, including Bull, was told he needed time out after the job went wrong. Nothing was mentioned about the broken heart. The truth was he needed to get our house complete, the baby born, and us all locked up tight in his high-security home before he could concentrate on anything else. It’s not that he needs the money to work, and in fact won’t be paid, but he has to have something to do. Plus, he will get to keep Bull and his friends safe from a distance, which is all he truly cares about.
They say vitamin D is good for you and the baby. My naked belly on show, I can tell by the amount of kicking under my ribs and what feels like an elbow poking in and out, that my little one is enjoying the rays as much as I am. The baby has been moving a lot the last few days and has dropped down, so there is not as much pressure up on my ribs, but instead, they’re now sitting constantly on my bladder, and I feel like I’m walking with a beachball between my legs.
I’ve been able to move around the property without fear since Ghost set up the best high-tech security system he could find, and of course, he then tweaked it and made it even better. This man could run security for the Pentagon, but he just laughed when I said that. He thinks that would be a waste of his time; he would rather be helping people out in the real world who need him. That the government have all the power and money at their disposal and they just abuse it anyway. Not everyone is like Jason, but I’m afraid he has made Ghost skeptical of all politicians. Then again, who am I to argue? Ghost sees so much hidden evil in this world, more than I ever want to know about. As long as he keeps our little family safe, including himself, that’s all I care about.
At first the reason we came here was to hide, but the longer we have been here and the house has taken shape, I don’t think I ever want to leave. One day we hope that I will be safe to travel farther than the little town here, but it’s no guarantee. That frightened me, and I thought I would feel claustrophobic, but instead, I have never felt so free. There is something about this place that makes me feel at home. Maybe it’s where I’ve always been meant to end up, and with the man who completes me. This baby is just our added bonus.
“How are my two precious people?” His deep voice from behind me makes me jump a little, and that of course sets the baby off with what feels like break dancing inside me.
He reaches over my shoulder with his hand, roughened from all the manual work he has been doing, and he lays it on top of the baby, rubbing my sun-warmed skin as his lips find mine like a magnet.
“Mmm,” I murmur, looking up into his eyes. “You taste good, all salty from your sweat.” What is it about a sweaty shirtless man that just makes me get all hot and bothered on the inside.
He’s chuckling as he walks around and squats next to me.
“And in answer to your question,” I said, “your wife is doing great, just relaxing here, but your baby is attending some dance party, and my bladder really wishes they would just chill out for a little while and give me a break from going to the toilet what feels like every five minutes.”
“I think we might be in trouble with this one. Our little one might have my energy, and I’ll just say I’m sorry in advance.” He kisses me and his baby on my stomach, with the all the tenderness he keeps only for us.
“It’s okay, Daddy, that just means you will have the job of chasing after this one once they’re moving. That is your punishment,” I tease, running my hand over the top of his head that is shaven, with just a small amount of stubble regrowth.
“My energy level and your stubbornness, oh man, what are we in for?” Standing beside me, he holds his hands out to take mine and help me up. Both of us laugh at that thought. Laughing is never good when you’re this pregnant, I’ve found that out in the last few weeks. Again, I’m leaking a little as I get to my feet.
I try hard to stop the flow, but shit, I can’t, and I actually have no control over the fluid running down my legs. I grip his hands a little tighter as a sharp pain pulls across both my front and lower back.
“Ghost!”
“Cassie, what’s wrong?” Looking down at our feet, he sees the puddle on the wood floor.
“Fuck! It’s too soon.” It’s all I can get out as another pain grips me, and I hunch forward to lean on Ghost.
For all my confidence that we will be okay, I’m ready to throw that all out the window.
“We can’t do this, we aren’t doctors, what were we thinking?!” I’m now screaming into his chest with fear.
His smooth, calm voice rumbles in my ear as he starts taking control. Thank God, because I can’t even manage to think straight about what I need to do. It’s not supposed to be this intense this quickly, is it?
“I’m taking you to the cabin. We will be fine. It’s only a week early. You’ve got this Cassie, trust me.”
