Page 26 of Ghost

“How can you help us, loverboy?” Brick snapped.

“I have this ability tofind things and people,” Owens confirmed.

“I’m going to need morethan that to get you on a plane,” Brick said.

“I’m like a humanbloodhound but with a twist.”

“Twist?” Brickasked.

“Yeah, instead of smellingfor the missing person, I see shadows of where they’ve been, like atrail, and I follow that to wherever they are,” Rockoexplained.

“What if he was taken in avehicle?” Conor asked.

“It won’t matter, I’ll feelhis vibration.”

“Truth.”

“Okay, bring him. And you’dbetter be as good as you say,Rocko,” Brick commanded. “Orelse.”

CHAPTER TEN

Ghost

Everything ached. His back,legs, hips, arms, hell, even his eyeballs hurt. His ears rangincessantly, giving him a headache. Ghost couldn’t contain a painedgroan as he turned over on the bare mattress lying on the floor ofhis cell. He could use some healing from Mrs. Greer right aboutnow.Damn, I hurt.He attempted to pull his left arm closer to his side only to be metwith more pain as his wrist slammed back onto the concrete floor,as the chain he was attached to held him in place.

“Fuck,” hegroaned.

There’d be no ghosting for him. Sure,he could get naked and blend into his background so his captorswould think he’d escaped, but how the hell was he supposed to sneakout if he was chained to the floor? Would he be able to even walk?Considering the pain radiating up his legs, Ghost doubted he’d getfar.

Next problem: who the hell hadkidnapped him? The Noah Group or the Berry family? It was sad henow had a list of persons willing to run him down and chain him tothe floor.

Lucky me. The situationthat keeps giving.

Ghost began to notice strange thingsaround his cell, and as the pain-filled fog cleared, he realized hewasn’t actually in a cell. The metal bars he’d first seen when he’dregained consciousness were in the top half of a sliding door of astall. Was he in a barn? Who dropped someone off in a damnedbarn?

Bales of straw were stacked againstthe opposite wall. Tack and harnesses hung on hooks and he couldhear hooves stomping in what he assumed was a stall on the otherside of the wall from him. Could he be on the Berry farm? Did theyhave horses?

Ghost didn’t want to jump toconclusions, but all the signs pointed toward the Berry family. Hecouldn’t help but wonder how long he’d been unconscious butcouldn’t see outside to know if it was day or night. The moment heattempted to straighten his right leg, Ghost had to fight back thecry of pain to not alert his captors that he was awake. Carefully,he pushed himself up using his right arm as best he could to get alook at the damage.

Ghost wished he hadn’t.Seeing the leg of his jeans covered in blood made his stomach turn,and he fought not to throw up all over himself. He was missing hisright shoe, and his white sock was now red. He wouldn’t be walkinganywhere even if he could ghost. Taking stock of his injuries madehim conclude that he needed a doctor, but Ghost doubted there’d beone on the way anytime soon.Maybe they dowant me dead.

His right leg was definitely broken,his left arm was, at minimum, sprained, and he likely had aconcussion. His rib cage hurt on his left side, and he felt bruisedfrom head to toe. Ghost lowered himself back down and lay flat onthe thin mattress, desperate for any relief from the pain butfinding none. How did people push the pain away? Meditation?Strength? Pure grit? Unfortunately, he was in short supply of anyof those right now.

The team had told him he was indanger, but had he listened? No. Now he was bruised and bleeding,chained to the floor in a fucking barn. As it usually did, his minddrifted to Ray, and he couldn’t help but wonder if the man knew hewas missing.

“I see you’reawake.”

Ghost was surprised he hadn’t heardthe guy coming, but ringing in his ears was no doubt the reason.He’d expected to see the vet or that Jackson guy from the hardwarestore, but the man in front of him was neither.

“Who the hell are you?”Ghost asked, his voice cracking with the pain in hisjaw.

“Still got some fight inyou, I see. Good, it will make breaking you much more interesting.My name’s Edward, and we’ve been hunting for you for some time now.It was very thoughtful of you to make yourself so easy toacquire.”

“Funny, I met you, and Ialready know you’re an asshole,” Ghost growled.

“You’ll learn soon enoughto be respectful to your owner.”

“Owner?”

---