Page 1 of Command and Control: GHOST Operative

PROLOGUE-THE DAY THAT RUINED EVERYTHING

VINCENT

SIX MONTHS AGO.

“SIR?” THE VOICE at the door is quiet. Hesitant. Edged with intimidation and maybe a little fear.

I take another sip of the whiskey I’ve been nursing since finally escaping for a moment of peace. It’s been a long fucking day—a long fucking year—and it’s wearing on me. Making me into an even bigger asshole than normal.

Which is saying something.

I don’t turn to see who drew the short end of the stick this time. I don’t really care. “What is it?”

“There’s an issue.”

Of course there is.

“I’ll be in.” I continue staring out the single window in the building housing the company I built from the ground up. I had it installed a few years ago because I was starting to lose my humanity. The killing and violence that are abig part of the world I exist in were becoming too easy. Too normal. And I needed a reminder.

A reminder there’s a world outside this place. One I was a part of many years ago.

Before this window, I would have already been out of this chair. Rushing to take on whatever threat looms. Take down whoever dares go up against me.

But for every monster I take down, there’s always ten more in line. Waiting. Biding their time to make me show just how ruthless I’ve become in spite of the plans once made for me.

Draining the last of my drink, I line the empty glass next to the bottle I’ll visit again before the night’s over.

Not that I’ll notice when it is. Time bleeds together. One day feeding into the next in a never-ending loop of evil and depravity.

And some of it’s mine.

“Sir?” This time the voice is soft, but not hesitant. “You should hurry.”

“Should I?” Standing slowly, I straighten against the weariness creeping into me. “I’m sure no one’s going anywhere.” The urgency I used to thrive on is gone. Has been for longer than I realized.

“It’s him.”

There are few things in this world that make my heart race. Even fewer still I look forward to. This is one of them.

My attention snaps to the young man at the door.

“At first we thought it was Heidi.”

Of course they did. The hacker at Alaskan Security is always finding her way into my system. Her abilities would be a valuable asset for GHOST—the company I startednearly thirty years ago with nothing but grit and a line of credit—and at one point I tried to lure her into my world. She declined the offer.

Smart woman.

Heidi’s IP address is still allowed certain liberties in spite of her rejection. I like keeping her in my pocket, just in case.

Of course she frequently tries to push past the limits of those liberties, but that’s the nature of what she does and who she is. As long as she doesn’t fuck anything up I’ll let her think she’s annoying me.

It was more than disappointing when Heidi chose Alaskan Security over GHOST. I wanted her on my team—still do. Her abilities are unparalleled.

At least I thought they were.

But if what he’s saying is correct, someone else has gained some amount of access to a system I’ve spent huge sums of money to protect.

I cross the room, attention on the game of cat and mouse we’ve been playing with someone who might be even more skilled than Heidi. “How far did he make it this time?”

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