Page 48 of Understanding Fate

The spacious cab keeps me from panicking now that I’m back in control of the anxiety, but Cain has been avoiding the big questions since he got me out of there.

“Can you message Ghost? We need a safe house, and if anyone has a place we can hide out, it’s him,” he asks me, pulling the burner phone Ghost gave me out of his pocket and handing it over.

He’d taken it from me before I left with the men in suits yesterday, and I thought he left it with all of his technology back at the rental car.

“I thought we had to leave everything?” I ask, taking it from him.

“We did, but no one knows we have this one, and I know Ghost would never have a device that could be traced. So while he could probably find us, the people who we don’t want on our tails, can’t,” he says, smiling to reassure me.

I guess that makes sense.

After turning it on, I pull up the contacts and see the ghost emoji, which both makes me grin and gives me pause.

"What's Ghost’s real name?” I ask, realizing I’d never thought to ask before.

“I have no idea. I'm not sure anyone knows it. In his line of work, having a past means having weaknesses. I think he keeps his old identity hidden to protect himself and them," he shrugs with his response.

“That sounds lonely,” I say, thinking back to the picture in his bag.

I wonder if he ever sees his sister or if that would endanger her.

Shaking away the thought, I send off a text.

Hey Casper, we need a safe house.

specifics?

A safe one. One that no one knows about.

Yes, City. I’m aware of what it is. Where? For how long? How many people?

“He needs to know where and for how long,” I relay to Cain.

“Tell him we're in South Denver, and at least a week, maybe more.”

Near South Denver, just two of us, at least a week.

I copy and wait for his response.

K, give me a few

“How do you know Ghost? Because based on how everyone talks about him, it seems like he should be the boogeyman, and yet Hudson, you, and Dante all seem like you are old friends,” I ask to fill the silence while we wait.

“Honestly, I’m not sure anyone really knows him. We've heard rumors of other jobs he’s completed, and we worked with him for several months on a pretty big mission in Detroit, but until he texted Dante about your kidnapping, we thought he died that night,” he says with a faraway expression on his face.

“Why would you think that?” I ask, unsure how I would have survived if he hadn’t reached out or followed me to Boston.

“The Detroit mission went sideways. After four months of intel, stakeouts, and surveillance, we were ready to take down the whole operation there. Everything was set, but someone gave us away, and a lot of people died because of it. The team workingwith us consisted of almost forty people in various capacities. Six are still alive, and five of us are only alive because of Ghost. He caused a distraction, giving himself up and leading everyone away. His sacrifice allowed us to escape. We didn’t think he made it. Reports on both sides named him as one of those killed. So when people talk about him being a legend, he’s earned that,” he finishes, reverence in his voice.

Ghost’s a hero.

Something inside me always knew he was one of the good guys, and not just because he was always saving me.

“Wow,” I say, unsure how to respond when the phone vibrates in my hand. The message is only an address.

“Ghost gave us an address. It’s in Colorado Springs. I’ll look up directions,” I say, changing the subject as I type in the information.

“We aren’t too far from there, based on the signs I’m seeing. I’ll stop at the next grocery store to grab some food and drinks to make it the week,” Cain says as I send a quick response to Ghost.

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