Ghost (EBOOK)

Ava

"Do you have your knife?"
"Yes."
"And your gun?"
I grinned. "Yes."
"And your other gun?"
I rolled my eyes. "I'm good, Lottie." 

My sister twisted her hands nervously in front of her, her wide blue eyes filled with concern. 

"Are you sure you have everything?"

"Yes, for the millionth time." I reached out to cup my sister's face, pressing my forehead to hers. "I'll be back. Afghanistan, Iraq, that time in the Congo—I came back, didn't I? 

Lottie nodded, her small body hitching with a suppressed sob. 

Hold it together, sis.

"Don't worry. These bastards have nothing on me." I reassured her. 

She wrapped her arms around me, clutching me to her chest. 

"It's not the bastards I'm worried about—it's the idiots with guns. I just—promise you'll come back?" she asked against my shoulder.  

I squeezed her tight. "Promise. You won't even notice I'm gone."

Audrey—our fellow survivor, and the most intelligent person I'd ever met—interrupted our moment. 

"I'm out." She shook her head, her straight black hair whipping around her head in the strong breeze. "Ava, good luck. Don't get killed or I'll find a way to clone you and kill you again."

I grinned. "I don't doubt it." 

I stepped back from Charlotte, giving her a moment to compose herself as I wrapped an arm around Audrey, offering a quick hug. "Don't run into any trouble while I'm gone. And be nice to Pope, he can't help being a doofus."

She grinned, her dark eyes dancing with amusement. "No promises." 

Shit. We're dividing again. 

We'd already been forced to leave the majority of our number back in the Nameless Souls' compound down in Adaminaby. This mission had me torn. I needed to see if I could get my missing women back. But the constant fracturing of our group meant I couldn't keep them all safe. I fucking hated it.

But if it means we find Jules and Lilith then it'll be worth it.  

The hair on the back of my neck prickled in a way I was becoming far too familiar with. 

"That fucker's behind me, isn't he?"

Lottie glanced over my shoulder, her grin instantaneous. "Yep." 

"Fuck." 

I'd been able to ignore the infuriating man when we'd been back on club grounds, back in Adaminaby. But we were on a journey to support the other chapters of this motorcycle club. Ellie—our biochemist—had worked out a way to make biofuel. And, unfortunately for her, that made her a fucking attractive asset to have in the After. 

I'd fight tooth and nail for their safety. Which meant when this little jaunt between club safehouses had been proposed, I'd had no choice but to deal with the creepy fucker behind me. 

I purposefully kept my back to Ghost, hyperaware of his attention but determined to take the time to farewell the women I'd taken responsibility for. In addition to Ellie, Lottie, and Audrey; there was Jo, a mechanic whose sisters we'd left back in Adaminaby. She was older, like me, seasoned with the kind of pragmaticism I appreciated. Then came Kate, the daughter of the former club president, and our botanist. The woman had a backbone like steel and a face like an angel. 

I accepted her hug, then stepped back, picking up my trusty backpack and offering a jaunty salute. 

"See you in a few weeks. Make sure the Cunnamulla crew have a cold beer waiting for me." 

I turned on my heel, heading for the waiting SUV, Ghost already in the driver's seat, his gaze blank as he watched me walk towards him. 

Bastard. 

I threw my pack in the back, pulled the door shut and looked ahead to where the gate of the compound was slowly opening. 

I felt his gaze rest on me for a moment. 

"We sitting here all day or leaving?" I asked. 

After a beat of silence, he put the car in gear, the damn thing shuddering as it rocked across the gravel and dirt of the courtyard. 

I wanted to look back, wanted to see if Lottie was waving, or if Audrey was yelling some last-minute piece of advice. 

Instead, I faced forward—determined to ignore the pang, determined not to give in to the little doubts that whispered in my ear asking if this was the last time I'd ever see my girls. 

Not today, Satan. 

Behind us, the gates closed with a final, loud bang. Ghost shifted gear, our SUV bumping down the road sending us on our way to Dubbo.

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