STEAM & SMOKE | 18+

CHAPTER | 12 |

IT WAS HAUNTINGLY QUIET as we walked on the gravel to the building that loomed ahead of us. Ghost forced the rusty door open and we were greeted to silence. He stepped inside first, looking around. "They're hiding," he said, as we passed stacks of crates. Using my torch, I pointed it downwards, noticing the fresh sets of footsteps in the dust on the ground.

"They were here recently," I muttered. The air was bitingly cold making me shiver slightly. Ghost peered between each row of metal racks that went up to the ceiling.

"Clayton doesn't have the USB?" A voice asked. I turned off my torch and Ghost pulled me between two racks, covering my body with his muscular one. I was highly aware of the lack of distance from him but it wasn't the right time to think about him.

"The boss wanted us to bring Ghost to kill him," another person replied closer to where we were hiding.

"Apparently, he's here already."

The footsteps were too close. Ghost motioned that I should go down the aisle but I shook my head. He glared in response and grabbed my jaw before kissing me hard. At first, I tried pushing him but slowly melted into the kiss as he slid a hand over my ass, pulling me towards him. I moaned, revealing our hiding spot.

"What's going on-"

Ghost pointed his gun at them and fired without breaking the kiss. Suddenly, alarms started ringing and I took the moment to push him away.

"You said no guns," I panted.

"Then you shouldn't have moaned, angel."

Flushing red, I punched his chest annoyed. "I didn't."

"Liar. They already know I'm here so let's speed things up."

The sound of shouting grew louder and I glanced at the dead bodies on the floor. Ghost didn't even look at them as he slipped his hand into mine, leading me to the staircase. We ran up the stairs until we reached the top floor.

"Remember what I said," he said, trying to unlock the door.

"To do as you say?"

He patted my head, patronizingly. "If you don't, I will seriously drag you out. I don't care if bullets are flying around."

"Nice to know you care."

Laughing, he kicked the door open. "I don't."

I pulled out my gun and followed Ghost down the dark hallway. He cautiously began opening the doors, each one revealing to be empty until one opened and in the middle, tied to a chair, was a man. He started yelling despite his mouth being covered with tape, his eyes wide in panic. Ghost narrowed his eyes, looking around the huge room.

"This is awfully suspicious," he noted. "They left Clayton all alone, tied up with a bow waiting for me."

"Are you going to take him with us?" I asked, tense.

"Nope. He's seen you so I can't leave him alive either," Ghost answered and went up to the man, ripping off the tape. "You have thirty seconds. Where is the information?"

The guy giggled hysterically. "I'm not telling you. I'm going to die anyway."

Ghost nodded. "You're right but I wanted you to have some final words at least."

"Well, f*ck you and your b*tch," he spat angrily.

"Manners, Clayton. I can't force you to tell me but you're making my life harder and I don't appreciate it. Let's do an exchange. I'll tell you what I know and you'll do the same."

"You don't know anything," Clayton said. I could see the uncertainty in his face.

"That's where you're wrong. Your friend, Kroft, didn't mind telling me where your computer is and the password. I don't think it's in your best interest to let me go and check what's on it even after you die. So would you like to tell me what I want know or check myself?"

Tears welled up in Clayton's eyes. "There's no way you could know. Kroft promised-"

"Thirty seconds is up."

I screamed as Ghost shot him in the chest and shut my eyes. I had seen my fair share of people dying but not up close. Warm arms wrapped around me and I hid my face with my hands, refusing to look at the dead body that was alive seconds ago.

"You're such a baby," Ghost chuckled. "How did they let you become an agent?"

"So far you've killed eight people," I mumbled, ignoring his question. "All for a USB stick."

"I've already got it."

"So why are we here?"

"Because Clayton gave a fake which is why everyone was after him to find out where the real thing is."

"Do you think the other guys know where the information is?"

"They don't. Clayton's mad but also a genius so he's not joking when he says he's not going to speak."

"What do we do then?"

Ghost stepped away from me and pointed to the window. "You're going to leave."

I folded my arms. "You're being ridiculous. I'm not jumping out from here."

"You're not going to fight the guys who are coming with weapons."

"Yes, I am."

He growled, grabbing me by my arms and carried me over to the window. I punched his back repeatedly but he didn't budge. "Malia, you're not going to die."

Glancing down, I saw the piles of wooden boxes. "You can't be serious. Do you know how far down that is?"

"It's safe enough."

Gun shots started firing at the door causing us to both turn. "Ghost, don't do this to me," I pleaded.

"I'll see you at the gate."

He dropped me. It felt as if I was falling for a long time until my body came crashing into the crates. Because they were old, some broke easily from the impact leaving me bruised and out of breath. Groaning, I rolled over and pushed myself up, gingerly rubbing my arms.

"F*ck him. F*ck him," I chanted as I jogged towards the back entrance without being seen. Quietly moving the gate, I went over to Ghost's motorcycle and picked up my backpack that was hidden amongst the overgrown grass.

Leaning against the metal fence, I stared at the sky feeling exhausted. I had nowhere to stay, no transport and currently dependent on Ghost which wasn't a good thing. The creaking of the fence warned me that someone was coming. Gold eyes smiled down at me.

"You survived."

"Barely," I added. Ghost's hands were stained with blood but I couldn't tell if it was his because of the black top he wore. Getting on his bike, he glanced at his watch.

"This building is going up in flames in a few minutes," he said. "We are going to Paradise."

I sat behind him, still feeling sore. "What's Paradise and why are we going?"

"It's a town which has Clayton's laptop that we need to collect."

"I want to sleep first," I complained. "And a shower."

Ghost glanced back at me, probably noticing the bags under my eyes. "This is why I do things alone," he muttered under his breath. "Fine. I'll take you to a hotel."

"You're not staying with me?"

He rolled his eyes at the hopefulness in my voice. "Until further notice, you're sticking with me. I don't trust you on your own."

"I'm too tired to do anything," I told him honestly. "As long as the room is paid for, I won't go anywhere."

"As much as I want to believe you, we still have trust issues in our relationship."

"What relationship?"

"The one where you moaned when I kissed you."

My cheeks turned hot. "We are not discussing this again."

"We will, angel."