15. Ghost

"Hey,Steel, what's up? We're on our way home. Did I call your phone? I thought I was calling Allison. Sorry…" I took a deep breath, "Please tell me I dialed your number."

"Ghost, we have no idea where she is. The house looked like there had been a struggle, and she's vanished. We're looking everywhere," Spartan explained, his tone grim.

I couldn't breathe. I handed the phone to Raider, and he met my gaze with concern. Rising from my seat, I strode to the back of the plane and let out a primal roar. Fury surged through me. I wanted to lash out at Spartan and Rebel. I walked back to Raider and snatched the phone back. I trusted you and Rebel to guard my wife. And because you left her alone, she was taken. I'm going to fucking kill you," I threw the phone into my seat.

Sinking back down, I bent my arms over my knees, running my fingers through my hair in frustration. "I don't even know if she's alive. It must be the same person who's been after Spartan all this time. He must live in the area or somewhere on the mountain; he sends notes and has the guts to go where Spartan lives. Doesn't he know how deadly we are? I need to sort this out," I murmured, pinching the bridge of my nose as tears welled in my eyes.

"Let's start from the beginning and we'll figure it out together," Raider spoke calmly. He has always been the calmer one if us. I looked at him and nodded. "Do you want to tell me when the guy first went after Spartan?"

I recounted the details while Raider noted them down. It reminded me of our dangerous recon missions, where Raider's meticulous note-taking had saved our lives more than once.

"This guy has to be extremely wealthy to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars just to get rid of Spartan. That also tells me he didn't want to come right out and hire someone to kill Spartan; he wanted it to happen while Spartan was away on a job. Where it looked like he died while on a dangerous mission. He's after Benni, and Spartan is in his way. Allison was alone at home when he finally took the plunge," Raider surmised, glancing at me.

"And he took her. Benni must know someone wealthy who wants her for himself. She'll have to use her brain and come up with a name and an address. Can you call? I can't talk to them right now. They knew they were leaving Allison alone; they should have checked the doors and windows," I said, frustration boiling over.

"Yeah," I watched as Raider talked to Benni on speaker. "There must be someone you know who wants to be rid of Spartan."

"Why would you think it was someone I know?" Benni questioned.

"Because this person has been trying to get rid of Spartan and knows he has no chance as long as Spartan is around. Think of all the wealthy people you know. There must be one you know who wants you," I urged.

"So, all of this is my fault. I don't know anyone who wants me."

"That's bullshit; you know someone. Think, damn it," I shouted. I couldn't stay quiet a moment longer. "You're beautiful, and there has to be someone who likes hanging around you."

Rebel's voice crackled over the phone. "You just made Benni cry. We're doing everything to find Allison. If you called to yell at us, I'm hanging up."

"Rebel, if you hang up this phone, I'll strangle you when we get home. It has to be someone Benni knows. I'm sorry if she's crying, but my wife is fucking missing, and I don't give a fuck if she cries if it means she'll come up with a name," I growled into the phone.

I heard Benni talking to Rebel. "I do know someone, but he lives in Spain; he is too busy to get involved in something like this. He would never do anything like this."

"What's his name," I demanded.

"He is not involved in Allison's disappearance," Benni insisted.

"What is his fucking name?" I pressed.

"His name is Thomas Kapper. He lives in Spain. He does not live anywhere around here. He would never do something like this," Benni replied, her voice wavering with uncertainty.

I hung up when I heard Spartan enter the room. I didn't want to talk to Spartan.

"Is Brian Possum still a Realtor?" Raider asked.

I glanced at him, realizing his intention. "Yes, maybe he knows if someone new has moved into the neighborhood. Perhaps someone wealthy individual purchased a home. We'll give him the name and see if he can find anything out."

"I'll give him a call," Raider said as our plane touched down.

I was relieved the family had chartered a plane for our trip home, and we didn't have to wait another day for our aircraft to be serviced. I was so worried about Allison being kidnapped and fighting for him to release her. I prayed he didn't hurt her. She has had enough pain to last her a lifetime. He didn't know it, but he was a dead man. Driving home, I couldn't shake the thought about how I would kill him when we rescue Allison.

"The office is closed today. Since it's Sunday, why don't we stop by Brian"s house? I'm sure he has all his work with him. All realtors take their work home with them. Cheryl was a great, sought-after realtor. Cheryl took her work everywhere with her. She didn't want to miss a call."

"What did you think about that?" I asked, glancing his way; this was Raider"s first mention of Cheryl since he moved here. "I wouldn't like it if my wife took her work with her everywhere we went," I said.

"I used to get angry with her when we would go away for a long romantic weekend together, just the two of us, and she would spend most of the trip on her phone or computer. We used to always argue about it," Raider confessed, his voice tinged with remorse.

"I think anyone would be upset if the person they love spent the entire romantic getaway glued to their phone or computer. You're not alone in that," I reassured him. I had to tread carefully with my words. Raider was still grieving over Cheryl's death, even though it's been a couple of years. He stood next to her when she was shot and killed in Afghanistan. Raider managed to eliminate four of the assailants, but he was captured and faced execution before we managed to rescue him.

We had been driving for over an hour when Raider turned left. When we pulled into Brian's driveway, He was getting out of his vehicle. Spartan pulled in behind us. He must have had the same thought as us. I wanted to punch his face, but I knew I wouldn't.

"James," Spartan called out. I turned and walked back to him. "I'm sorry, I left the house when I found out Amy was my daughter. I just walked out the door and took off walking for two hours. I'm sorry. I will find Allison and kill that bastard who took her.

"Liam, you weren't supposed to be watching Allison; the only one to blame is the bastard who has her. Let's find her."