Page 37 of My Ghost

When the elevator dings open and I step out into the private lounge of Second Circle, my club in the underground of The Bastion, D and Luc are already there, sipping whiskey.I sent them a group text last week, requesting a meeting tonight.

I join them and signal the waiter to bring me a glass.They both nod at me as I sit down in the booth.This one is private, tucked away in a room no one except select people have access to.It has been our informal meeting spot since I opened the place.

“Teo, what’s the matter?”Luc goes straight to the point.

I don’t beat around the bush.“I’ve unmasked the Ghost.”

“Motherfucker.No way.”They both say in unison, suddenly leaning forward.

“Who?”D asks.

“Before I tell you, I want you to swear that you won’t intervene or confront them.Let me handle it.”

They cast a glance at one another then D nods.

“Who?”he asks again.

I let out a breath, bracing for impact.“It’s Erin.”

There is a stunned silence.Then Luc lets out an unbelieving laugh.

“That’s not funny, Teo.”

“I’m not joking.She is the Ghost and she hid it well.But I confronted her with proof she can’t deny.”

They remain silent for another beat, then Luc exhales loudly.

“Damn, man, that’s fucked up,” he mutters.

“It makes sense,” D says after a long silence.“She revealed her existence when Lily was in danger.Only someone close to her would risk doing that.”

I nod.“Exactly my thoughts.”

“So what you’re saying is that our sunshine Erin is a hacker tracking bad guys on the dark web?”Luc asks.

“Yeah, and she’s skilled.”

“I can’t fucking believe it,” he goes on.“So, what now?”

“She’s working with me on the Manticore case.”

Luc’s jaw hangs open.“You almost got me until now.”He snorts.“There’s no way she’s working with you, she hates your guts.”

“Fucker.”I send him a withering look.“I had…incentive.”

They both stare at me with alarmed looks.My kind of ‘incentive’ usually involves bleach and a shovel, or at least gasoline and matches.

“I didn’thurther,” I grit out, annoyed.

That placates them and they down their drinks with pensive faces, processing the information.

After several minutes of contemplative silence, Luc breaks the quiet.“This came in two hours ago.”He unlocks his phone and taps the screen.D’s and my phones chime at the same time.I take mine out of my suit jacket to read through his email.

Luc fills us in while we read.“Source is solid, from New York.A shipment is being routed through our port.ETA is tonight, around midnight.Unmarked containers, flagged for ‘private logistics.’”He pauses.“Our source confirms it’s human cargo.”

A heavy silence falls.

My jaw tightens.“They’re running humans through our city?”