Page 38 of Ghost
“I should have trusted him enough to tell him everything before he left,” I say dejectedly.
“Eh, I wouldn't worry about it too much.” He shrugs, and I wait for him to go on, and I wait, and wait. Nothing.
“Why not? You don't think he’s going to be mad? It's not something small, and it feels wrong that I hid it from him.”
“So tell him when he gets back.” Another shrug and another stolen bite of pie.
“You’re not much help, you know that?” I grump, which causes him to pause and look up at me.
“Want my honest opinion?” he asks, and I nod eagerly.
“Don't worry so much about it.”
“Grr… Just like a man to say. Do men just think we want to worry about every itty bitty thing? If we could turn it off like a switch, don't you think we would?” I harumph, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Do you know how many missions that man has gone on? Do you know every detail of his time as a captive? Do you know what lengths he’s gone to to protect and rescue his team members and not just the ones here? He has been on countless dangerous missions. He’s defied the government on missions he’s led to ensure his people came home alive. Has he told you about all those?” Caesar asks.
“Well, no, but I never really asked.”
“And did he come right out and ask you about your situation?” He raises a brow.
“Uhh no, I don't think so. He brought it up a few times but never straight out asked,” I say, thinking back on our past conversations about my young life.
“Well, then, don’t worry about it. If there's one thing I know about Prez, it's that if he wants to know every detail of a situation, he will straight out ask. I don't know if you know, but the man goes for what he wants and doesn't play games. He may have let you get away a few times in the beginning, but I can promise he knew what he knew where you were each time within hours of you settling and just gave you the time you needed. It's the same with information. He goes for what he wants. He probably didn't want to bring up anything painful from your past. My guess is he was trying to shelter you by getting the information in a way that didn’t bring it all back for you.”
I stop and think about it, and I know he’s probably right. Devon has asked certain things about my past, but never came right out, wanting all the details. Maybe I shouldn't be too worried. Maybe Ceasar’s right and….
“Little Mama.” I turn, surprised at the voice coming from behind me. Devon? I thought he would be gone longer… then again, with such little information he probably got from that place, it's no wonder. As I meet his eyes, I can't tell if he's angry, upset, or disappointed, and it only makes it worse when he crooks his finger at me.
“I think it's time we had a talk.”
Oh, swizzle sticks.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Ghost
I can tell Tizzy is nervous as we make our way down to our room. I had a lot of time to think on the drive back home, and I think I may know what happened that night. It wasn't just her getting kicked out, walking out of that trailer park, and leaving town. Yeah, that may be the main point, but I have a very big suspicion Tizzy left out the meat and potatoes of the story, and I'm determined to understand it. She wrings her hands again as we make it through the door. As it closes behind us, I don't even get the chance to open my mouth.
“Okay, just tell me. What did you find?” Before I can answer, she's off again. “Never mind, you couldn't have found anything, right? It was years ago. There's probably no one in that town that even remembers me or my family. I..”
“Actually,” I stop her before she has a chance to work herself up. I’ve been driving for days, freezing my balls off, and missing her like fucking crazy. The faster we get this conversation out of the way, the faster I can hold her in my arms and never let go.There's still the problem of who is actually after her, seeing as this last trip was a dead end. But that’s a problem for later.
“Actually, what? What happened?” she asks, even more anxious.
“I met one of your neighbors. Older man. A drunk, if I understand it correctly.”
“Well, that doesn't narrow it down much. Everyone that lived in that place was some kind of addict.”
“Well, this one in particular said he liked to keep an eye out for you. Threatened your stepdad once when he caught him hurting…” She gasps, causing me to stop.
“Mr. Withers? He’s still alive? Oh, my gosh. He was looking a little rough when I was a kid. Please tell me he got better. Is he doing okay? I’ve worried about him…”
“Bunny, Bunny, calm down. He’s completely fine. Old as fuck, but fine. Thought you and your family were all dead. He actually had a really wild theory about what happened. Seeing as he was the one who discovered the blood-covered floor.” I raise a brow at her and curse when her face goes pale.
“Are they after me? Did they figure it out? Do they know where I am now?”
“Baby girl, please, you're killing me here. Do you think I would let anyone get to you? Even the blue?” She exhales and then comes to me, placing her forehead on my chest and taking a deep breath.