Code Name: Ghost - Sawyer Bennett Page 0,2

them so he can hoist me out of the hole. He’s strong, so he manages to launch me right out. I land hard, knocking the breath out of me. Bill is as spry as he is large, and he easily vaults out of the hole behind me.

He roughly grabs my arm, then hoists me to my feet. Giving me a rough shove, he propels me out the doorway into the night air. It’s freezing, but it’s refreshing at the same time. I have a brief moment of clarity and a slight surge of strength. Should I turn and attack him? Try to wrestle his gun away?

My gaze lands on his partner—my other captor whom I’ve named Mortimer. He sits next to a small fire, chewing on some sort of bone with gristly meat. Most likely goat. I’d kill for a bite, but I know it won’t be offered.

Unexpectedly, Bill shoves me again. My head whips back and I stumble forward, going down on one knee. I’m past the humiliation of not being able to fight back. I long ago stopped caring that I don’t even have the strength to stay on my feet when I get pushed.

Yelling something in Arabic, Bill hauls me up until I’m standing. Mortimer calls out, and they laugh.

I just stare at Bill, wondering if he has a family and why he does the things he does. Is he being paid good money? Does he believe in whatever cause my captors are pursuing?

He says something else to me… something I’ll never understand in a million years. Just as I don’t understand when I hear a slight zinging noise… and then his head bursts apart in a spray of blood, bone, and brains.

Mortimer gives a sharp curse—at least I think that’s what it is, then I hear that zinging noise again and Mortimer’s head explodes, too.

Both men slump to the desert pavement, Bill right at my feet. Mesmerized, I watch as blood seeps out of what’s left of his head, forming a large puddle that starts sliding toward my socked feet. It sparkles in the moonlight, actually looking quite beautiful.

And then it hits me… I’m free.

I glance around, peering into the dusky night, but the glow from Mortimer’s fire makes it impossible to see much.

“Hands up,” an American voice orders from the perimeter of darkness. I don’t hesitate in putting my roped hands high in the air as I search around me.

And then… they all seem to step forward out of melted shadows, my teammates from Jameson. Tank and Merritt, along with a handful of other men, all dressed to the hilt in camo with guns and grenades.

Tank and Merritt were with me back in June on a hostage rescue mission when we were ambushed. Until this moment, I had no clue if they survived.

My head starts to swim with the enormity of what I’m seeing. I had given up all hope of this ever happening.

Suddenly, my friend, Cage Murdock, is standing in front of me as I feel my legs giving way. His arms come around me, holding me upright. Tank and Merritt move in closer to get a good look at me while the other men check on what remains of Bill and Mortimer.

“I got you, buddy,” Cage reassures me. “No one else guarding you, right?”

I shake my head. “I don’t think so. I only ever see two at any given time.”

Tank glances around, nodding over at the building where I was held. “We’ve been watching for several days now. We didn’t see anyone else, either, but we need to make sure we’re secure.”

“We’re secure,” I mumble, although I’m not really sure of anything at this point.

“That’s good,” Cage replies with a smile, giving me a not-too-rough slap on my shoulder. “That means we can get your ass home. Bet you’d like that, huh?”

I grit my teeth together, knowing my words will never be sufficient to answer that question.

Instead, I give the desert something I’ve withheld all these months.

I let my tears finally flow free.

CHAPTER 2

Anna

It’s amazing how efficient I’ve become at getting Avery and myself ready in the morning. Not that getting a four-and-a-half-month-old baby ready takes a lot. I give her a bath at night, so mornings are mostly about changing her diaper, putting on the cutest of outfits I can’t stop myself from buying, and breastfeeding her. The last is the longest part of the process, but it’s also the most fulfilling. Almost meditative as I can get lost just watching my