Page 39 of The Ghost Assassin

“Can one of these guys replace Laslo?”

“Laslo was a unique person. He exuded authority but was not a natural killer or even a leader, for that matter. I won’t find those qualities in someone else anytime soon.”

“Then you need a way to control anyone else you prop up.”

“And I’m not sure that’s possible with the level of power they’d be given.”

My cellphone starts ringing again, and I don’t bother to check the caller ID. It’s Adams. Of course, it’s Adams. “I have to go. Anything from Ghost?”

“You know how this works. He’ll contact me when he decides it’s safe.”

“Which may be never if he’s the assassin. Could it be Ghost?”

“Yes,” he says. “It could be Ghost. Be careful. I already told Kit and Jay they’re with you.”

“They can’t come with me.” I settle my bag on my shoulder. “I’m flying on a government chopper. I don’t even know where I’m staying.”

“I don’t like this, Lilah.”

“I’m not a director,” I say walking toward the door. “I’m not a target.”

He catches up with me at the bottom of the stairs. “If you get close enough to an assassin, you become a target.”

“If you get close enough to any killer, you become a target,” I say, pausing at the apartment door to add, “it’s what I do, Kane, but if you want to send Jay separately, send him. I can’t promise I can connect with him until I am either going to a hotel room or trying to chopper home.”

“I’m sending him.”

“Of course, you are. Keep Kit with you. I don’t like this meeting you have. Call me after.” I turn and exit before he tries to stop me, but there’s a part of me that wants to turn back.

Something still feels off with Kane.

I’m afraid he’s going to do something we’ll both regret.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The driver is a Black man named Ted.

“As in Bundy?” I ask.

He grunts and says, “He’s white. I’m not.”

“Means nothing,” I assure him. “The name is a legacy, but I’m still probably better at killing people than you are.”

“She’s not joking,” Adams says, as Bundy pulls us into traffic. “Everyone she hunts, dies.”

“If you try to kill me, Adams you will, too.” I call out over the seat, “As will you, Bundy.”

Bundy grunts again. I judge grunters as socially awkward, therefore they choose wordless expressions. Either that, or they have indigestion and relay this in a language the rest of us don’t speak. They aren’t talkers, so I want to like them but by the third grunt, I start wanting to punch them, too. It’s contrary, I know, but no one really expects otherwise from me.

I retrieve my phone and eye my screen, decisively tuning out Adams.

Some people might find it hard to ignore someone sitting right in front of you, but I don’t have one little bitty bit of a problem with it. I shoot off a text to Tic Tac, my brother, and Lucas: Another victim. The director of the DOD, but that’s top secret despite the fact that there are leaks on the dark web, per Jack.

Holy shit and who the fuck is Jack?

This is from Andrew, who is starting to sound like me. My hard work to convert my brother to a true lawman, not a geeky boy in a uniform, might not yet be a true failure.

Tic Tac knows about Jack. He can inform Andrew. I’m not, but on that note, this is easier by phone. I dial Tic Tac. “Find a connection between the DOD director and Murphy, which obviously could simply be their job titles, but look deeper.”

---