Chapter 68

Amanda sat on the edge of Ron’s couch, her nerves on edge as she waited for Ghost to arrive. The apartment was quiet, the only sound the soft ticking of the clock on the wall. Ron stood near the window, his arms crossed, tension radiating from him as he stared out at the city below. The air between them was thick with unspoken words, a mix of concern and frustration hanging heavily in the room.

Ron had been uneasy ever since Amanda told him about Ghost’s plan to retrieve the documents from Russell’s office. He hadn’t wanted her brother involved without a solid backup plan, but Amanda had insisted it was the only way to get what they needed. Now, with Ghost on his way over, Ron’s worry had turned into a simmering anger that he was struggling to keep in check.

“He should have waited,” Ron muttered, more to himself than to Amanda. “Going in there alone was reckless.”

Amanda sighed, understanding Ron’s concern but knowing Ghost wouldn’t have listened to anyone’s advice. “You know how he is, Ron. He’s not the type to sit back and wait. He wanted to do this his way.”

Ron turned to face her, his expression hard. “And what if something had gone wrong? What if Russell caught him?”

Before Amanda could respond, there was a knock at the door. She immediately stood up, her heart racing. Ron’s gaze shifted to the door, his jaw tightening as he walked over to open it.

Ghost stepped inside, his presence filling the room with an air of quiet intensity. His dark eyes flicked to Ron for a brief moment, acknowledging him with a curt nod before his gaze settled on Amanda. He was dressed in his usual dark clothes, his face shadowed by the hood of his jacket. He looked tired, worn out, but there was a determined glint in his eyes that told Amanda he had what they needed.

“Ghost,” Amanda greeted him softly, stepping closer.

He reached into his jacket, pulling out a worn leather folder. “Here,” he said simply, handing it over to her. “It’s everything I could get. There’s more, but it’s locked away in places I couldn’t access without alerting him.”

Amanda took the folder, her hands trembling slightly as she opened it. Inside were pages of documents—bank statements, contracts, emails—evidence that could tie Russell to a host of illegal activities. She glanced up at Ghost, concern flooding her as she took in the exhaustion on his face.

“Are you okay? Did anything happen?” she asked, her voice laced with worry.

Ghost shook his head. “I’m fine. It was quiet. He wasn’t there.”

Ron, who had been watching the exchange in silence, finally spoke up, his voice tight with anger. “You should have had a backup plan, Ghost. Going in there alone was reckless. What if something had gone wrong? What if Russell had come back unexpectedly?”

Ghost met Ron’s gaze, his expression unreadable. “I knew what I was doing,” he replied evenly. “I’ve been in that office a hundred times. I knew the risks.”

“That’s not the point,” Ron snapped, his frustration boiling over. “The point is that you took a huge risk with no safety net. You put yourself in danger, and for what? A few pieces of paper?”

“These ‘pieces of paper’ could be enough to put Russell away,” Ghost shot back, his tone edged with irritation. “I’m not afraid of taking risks if it means protecting Amanda.”

“That’s not your job!” Ron’s voice rose, his anger finally spilling over. “She doesn’t need you to protect her by throwing yourself into danger! You’re her brother, not some hero who needs to prove himself by getting hurt!”

“Enough!” Amanda’s voice cut through the tension, sharp and commanding. Both men turned to look at her, the room falling into a heavy silence. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm.

“Ron,” she began, her tone firm, “I know you’re worried, but this is how Ghost operates. He’s used to handling things on his own, and I trust him to know what he’s doing.”

She turned to Ghost, her voice softening. “But Ron has a point, Ghost. We can’t afford to lose you. You’re important to me—to us. If anything had happened… I don’t know what I’d do.”

Ghost’s expression faltered for a moment, a flicker of vulnerability crossing his face before he quickly masked it. “I’m fine, Amanda,” he reassured her. “I got what we needed, and that’s all that matters.”

Amanda stepped closer to him, her eyes searching his. “But you’re not just a tool to get this done. You’re my brother, and I care about you. We care about you,” she emphasized, glancing at Ron. “So, from now on, we work together. No more solo missions. We plan, and we stay safe.”

Ghost nodded slowly, his gaze softening as he looked at Amanda. “Okay. I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

Ron, still tense but slightly mollified, sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “We’re in this together, Ghost. I don’t want to fight with you, but I need you to understand how important it is that we all come out of this in one piece.”

Ghost met his eyes, the tension between them easing just slightly. “I get it,” he said quietly. “I’m not used to having people who care, but… I’ll try to do things differently.”

Amanda felt a wave of relief wash over her as the tension in the room finally began to dissipate. She looked between Ron and Ghost, a small smile tugging at her lips. This was far from easy, but for the first time, she felt like they were truly united in their fight against Russell.

“Thank you,” she said softly, her voice filled with sincerity. “Both of you. We’re going to make this work.”

Ron nodded, his expression softening as he looked at her. “We will,” he agreed, then turned to Ghost. “Let’s sit down and go through what you found. The sooner we get a clear picture, the sooner we can move forward.”

Ghost nodded, and they all moved to the couch, the tension between them slowly giving way to a tentative sense of camaraderie. As they began to sift through the evidence Ghost had gathered, Amanda felt a renewed sense of hope. They were a team now, and together, they were stronger than any of them could have been alone.

For the first time in a long while, she felt like they had a real chance to bring Russell down and finally put an end to the nightmare that had haunted her family for so long.