Sang's Freedom - The Song Of Ghosts

24:

Chapter 24

Mercenary Travis's POV-

Owen Blackbourne. Dr. Sean Green. Dakota Lee. Nathan Griffin. Victor Morgan. Gabriel Coleman. Silas Korba. Luke Taylor. North Taylor. Sang Sorenson.

This was everyone.

I glanced at Jakob who was leaning back in Owen Blackbourne's favorite recliner, legs spread and arms behind his head. Comfortable-as if he owned the place. Still...Jakob's slitted eyes watched everything.

He was quick. Manipulative. Terrifying. The perfect balance of egotistical narcissist and cold blooded killer.

In truth, Jakob was the first person I ever had the ability to stomach. There was charm to him. Something personable in his close-lipped smile before he revealed his sharpened fangs-the teeth he had cosmetically altered to rip out men's throats.

Vampire, some whispered, though I knew the truth behind the teeth.

Eight years ago, during one of his first missions, Jakob had been working undercover in attempts to assassinate a Japanese businessman responsible for blackmailing rich families to turn a profit. Killing pets.

Small time compared to what we handle now.

Jakob was out on the businessman's boat-let's call him Vang. They were drinking. Vang had his crew. They were out on the waters dumping bucket after bucket of bloody fish into the churning waters.

Chumming the waters is what it's called.

Vang had his heart set on shark fishing.

As Jakob and Vang chatted, Vang began to poke holes in Jakob's story. What brought you to Japan? How did you hear of me? How does working for me suit your interests?

The conversation ended with Jakob being thrown into the waters-backwards, or so Jakob tells the tale.

Vang threw Jakob a steak knife calling down some dramatic line regarding Jakob's betrayal, but Jakob was too busy flailing to hear...and then the boat drove off...and shark fins broke the surface of the water.

So began Jakob's obsession with sharks.

After a bull shark took a bite out of him and he killed fourteen sharks on his four-mile swim back to shore...he carried a heavy respect for the creatures.

Mindless. Killing. Machines.

He admired them.

And two months after dragging himself out of the blood red water. Rehabilitating himself. Sharpening his teeth...

It didn't take a genius to figure out how Jakob put an end to Vang.

Now, in Jakob's mind when he flashed those teeth, it projected the terribly beauty he saw that day in the ocean. The pain. The blood. The terror.

I found myself studying Sang Sorenson. She leaned against the back of the couch, arms crossed, her blonde hair tucked behind her ear as a few of her dogs asked how she was feeling.

The girl had been through a lot this past week.

Sometimes I forgot it wasn't the norm to skydive out of a failing helicopter, slice the throat of the pilot, steal their parachute to land in enemy territory and reclaim the kidnapped princess of Denmark. For me, that was Tuesday.

Sang's green eyes drifted to me, guarded, wary eyes. That was good. She was smart not to trust Jakob and I.

She wasn't our mission.