Page 40 of Heartfelt Pain
“I don’t think he’s expecting us,” I tell Isolde a minute later. I turn right as the fucking door heaves open.
Lennie sucks in a breath and my curiosity piques as I face the doorway again.
Holy shit.
No wonder Isolde blushed when we asked her what the Ghost looked like. Len’s teased her ever since then about her crush, but I do not fucking blame her.
A tall man leans against the door. There’s not a downright scowl on his face, but grumpy would be a good description.
It doesn’t take away from his handsome face, his square jaw, and high cheekbones. Dark hair is shaved short. He’s lithe but muscular, a black shirt hugging his chest. Music plays in the background.
His dark eyes narrow on Isolde.
Isolde nods in greeting. “Hey.”
He’s put out by the one word.
“I’m guessing you didn’t make an appointment?” I whisper to Isolde.
She hasn’t broken eye contact with the man in front of her once. “Can we come in?”
A sigh breaks from his chest. This is a real hardship for him.
But he pulls back from the door, allowing us space to move. He frowns, though, when Len steps through the door.
“She’s with us,” Isolde tells him.
“I turned off my phone.” Len pulls it out to show. “Elijah’s not tracking me.”
I’m slightly concerned that she understood the Ghost’sapprehension so quickly. Plus, “What if something happened?”
The Ghost shuts the door, the locks clicking heavily.
“She’s right,” he agrees, in a dark, gruff voice. “That’s not smart.”
“I’m with Ren Callahan and Isolde Mattheson,” she boldly declares. “I’d love to see you try to pull some type of shit.”
I bite back a laugh. She’s like a little pixie fairy, with her bright eyes and amusement. A stark contrast to the hulking, sulking Ghost.
He pushes through our small trio, trudging ahead in what looks like an empty mechanic shop.
There’s a black SUV parked, but the place is rather sparse. Other than a work table full of guns that he must’ve been cleaning, the room is empty.
“What are you doing here?” he asks Isolde, casting another hard look at her.
“I wanna hire you,” she says.
Lennie and I exchange a look. We’re equal parts intrigued and concerned.
“You finally here to admit I’m a better shot?” He straightens slightly. There’s a playful hint to his words. I wonder if this is who he’d be if we were at a bar on a Friday night.
“You can’t admit something that’s not true.” The Ghost stills when Isolde steps closer to inspect the weapons on the table. “You wanted to open that new business, right? You got any customers yet?”
The Ghost sets down a Glock. I don’t think he’s happy, but he considers Isolde’s words.
“Come on,” she tempts him. “You know if this works out you’d have testimonials coming from Ren Callahan herself.”
I straighten at my name. “What?”
