Ghost

By Harrison Smith

The year is 2019 in Mirror City, a man-made island off the coast of Georgia. Jax Kourt, along with the few surviving members of his former Bloodrunner gang, discover that the most popular president in United States history is a deep cover terrorist set on reshaping the world the way he sees fit.
Fresh off a five-year prison sentence for armed robbery, and seeing an opportunity for one last score before retiring from the streets, Jax and his split personality alter ego ghost, along with the remains of his former gang strike a deal with a DOD agent who believes their story to expose the president for what he is in exchange for clean records. He and the rest of his friends will be forced to battle the mob, the United States government, a phantom terrorist organization, along with demons from their past that still haunt them if theyre to come out on top. Jax has never been one to do anything unless it involves a big payday or protecting the ones he loves but soon realizes hes undertaken a project that will push him and his team to their physical, mental, and emotional limits and well beyond to stand for something far greater than money or power.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 14, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499074970

Harrison Smith

Harrison Smith is nineteen years old, originally from the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia, and now lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He is currently studying abroad for a year in Valencia, Spain before returning to the United States to attend Florida State University to pursue a degree in mass communications and sports journalism.

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

The man lay on his scratchy, threadbare cot, slightly propped up against his pathetic pillow, tossing a tennis ball against the cinderblock wall that was starting to show the first signs of wear and tear it had endured over its fifteen-year lifespan. The tennis ball was missing close to half its original fuzz but still bounced well enough, which was why he enjoyed it so much. It bounced well enough to come right back to him, allowing his mind to wander away from the confines of the room, to drown out all of the sights and sounds from outside. The soothing, repetitive motion was exactly the same almost every time.

The metallic clanking of a door close by interrupted his thoughts, forcing him to grab the tennis ball, stopping its motion in his hand. His steely gray eyes flicked to the corners of their sockets, wondering what the commotion was.

You’re out, Kourt. Just got the phone call. I guess good behavior paid off after all.

The black suburban pulled up to the silver sheet metal garage door that was mostly covered in graffiti. The paint colors had once been vibrant and bright, but now they were faded and worn down. There were several dents along the door as well that gave it the look of being through one too many wars and hadn’t been meant to survive for as long as it had. The building that it led into wasn’t much better off than the door. The outside walls were gray brick with no visible windows showing except for three at the very top in the third floor and no other discernible entrance other than the garage door.

There was a set of railroad tracks that followed the river along the buildings in the neighborhood. Though like everything else, they had been abandoned a long time ago and the river wasn’t anything more than a sewage drain and smelled and looked to be about the same. The surrounding buildings were barely better if they were at all. They had smashed-in windows and doors broken off the hinges. Most of the buildings had once been warehouses but had since been abandoned. After the workers had left, they had been taken over by those that had no home and made it their own. However, very few of the people had actually stayed much longer than a few months after they had moved in. They just weren’t inhabitable. In the summers, they became superheated to well over one hundred degrees; and in the winters, they had no insulation, and temperatures easily dropped below freezing and occasionally down into the negatives.

However, some patrons had stuck it out and had found ways to avoid the extreme temperatures. The obvious answer for the summer was to simply stay outside as much as possible, though it wasn’t much better with the temperatures constantly breaking one hundred. For the winters, trashcans became bonfires and were maintained constantly to prevent the cold from creeping in.

The suburban stopped a few feet from the garage door; and it slowly creaked open, though the driver hadn’t pressed any button. The driver looked over at his passenger, looking for a sign of emotion. The passenger hadn’t shown even a hint of emotion for the entire trip.

This is where you live? the driver asked.

The passenger shook his head, not saying a word. He opened the passenger door and slowly got out, headed toward the opening. The man was wearing faded gray jeans and black tennis shoes that looked like they had been worn for a bit longer than intended. He was wearing a thick black jacket with a deep hood on it. It was zipped almost all the way up, only showing the collar of a white shirt beneath it. The deep cowl was pulled well over his face, to protect it from the rain that was pouring down; though if you really looked, you could see stubble growing on his tanned chin. It was the only part of his face that was showing. That was another thing that was gray. It seemed that this part of town never got much sunlight as if the skies were permanently stained gray. The man could be considered tall, standing six feet, two inches tall. He closed the car door and walked toward the door that had just gotten high enough to allow him into the building. The second his feet crossed the threshold, the door began to slide back down again. He glanced around, taking everything in. He waited until he was sure that the driver had gone before moving any further into the building. The door finished closing, leaving little daylight to stream into the building from the windows several stories above. The man walked slowly over to a trashcan, one of the few that were still standing upright. A metal chain flowed over the side down to the gray concrete floor. He pulled the chain up out of it. On the end of it was a small black box with a simple lock on it. He pulled off the lock without giving it a second glance. It had been broken for a long time, though it had been modified to look like it still worked perfectly fine.

Jax opened the box and pulled out the contents that included a 9mm handgun, three knives of different lengths, and a thick wad of cash. He flipped through it to make sure there were no marked bills and tucked the paper bills into his back pocket and stuck the gun into the back of his jeans. He placed one knife on his ankle beneath the jeans and another one in his right shoe, below the false bottom in the sneaker. He placed the third up his right sleeve and in a pocket on the inside of the sleeve. It was easily concealed and could be removed and placed in the palm of his hand just by flicking his wrist.

He glanced at the charred wooden door to his left. At one point, it had been in a fire but somehow survived. Jax made his way across the spacious area to the corner on the right of the garage door. Concealed in the shadows was something large, covered by a big gray tarp. He pulled the tarp back, revealing a smoky gray Ferrari that still found a way to gleam in what little light there was.

The man opened the door and climbed into the driver’s seat. The keys were in the ignition and turned easily. The engine revved to life, as all of the other systems came online. He pressed a button on the visor above the dashboard, and the garage door creaked back to life. He pulled out of the building, closing the garage door behind him. He peeled off along the streets and turned onto the main highway.

He planned to find the remainder of his friends, perhaps make just a little bit more money and then leave quietly, with as little fanfare as possible. Nobody leaves the game alive! the voice in his head screamed. He pushed it out of his thoughts, and memories came flooding in as he cruised through traffic on the main highway.

The last job had involved his archrival Shivs O’Connor, Alex O’Neill, Shivs’s assistant, and himself. The last job had been particularly dangerous, and he made sure as few people he cared about as possible were involved. The four of them had infiltrated the most secure bank in the city and one of the most secure in the country. It had all gone smoothly, and they had all gotten out safely. The one thing he hadn’t counted on was the backstabbing traitor O’Neill to shoot out his left kneecap, shoot Shivs, and take the money and run. Even with a blown-out knee, he had been able to limp another mile and a half before the cops finally caught him. That was the one thing that made it almost impossible to catch him. He was strong but by no means a body builder. But he had the speed to outrun everyone in the entire world, and most people weren’t even close.

CHAPTER 2

Scarlett Brookes scribbled her signature across the dotted line at the bottom of the slip of paper and sighed. It was a quiet voice, but one that emanated respect and one that demanded authority.

She pushed the paper off to the corner of her glossy wooden desk into the unimportant pile. She pushed her golden blonde hair out of her eyes and looked back at her computer screen. She reread the personnel file again.

She glanced back at the arrest record again. The word released stood out like a neon stop sign. So Jax had been right. He had been released early, she thought to herself. Of course, Scarlett had urged the warden not to relinquish him back onto the streets, but he had refused and who wouldn’t? As far as the warden was concerned, Jax was just a scared kid that had made one too many mistakes and he hadn’t done anything while in prison to convince the warden of anything else. But then again, the warden didn’t have the same personnel file that she was staring at right now. Very few people did have it.

There was a knock at the door. She hastily closed the computer window but relaxed when the man entered into her office. It was Grecko Sarzha, her secretary. He was one of the few people that had the personnel file also. But he didn’t know about the deal Ghost was involved in. Sarzha sat in the black leather chair across the desk.

Ghost was released yesterday from Gaoll Penitentiary for good behavior, he said this matter-of-factly, without any emotion at all.

I saw, she replied, her piercing blue eyes boring holes into his head.

What do you propose we do? he asked, wondering how this could possibly be good news at all. Then again, she hadn’t actually said it was.

She paused, mulling the thoughts over in her head. His freedom could be of use to us, she said after a few moments. He could lead us to the leak in the Head of Security’s office, she didn’t really believe this for a second but had to give Sarzha something to chew on.

Sarzha nodded silently then pulled out a slim manila folder with the words TOP SECRET stamped onto the front. He opened it to check that it was the right one and handed it to her. She opened it up and read the heading at the top of the page. Scarlett quickly scanned the first page and flipped it over to the second one. That was all that was contained in the folder. She raised her eyebrow when she was done reading.

This is all you could find? she said, disappointed. I gave you six months and you could only come up with two pages worth of information?

Sarzha shrugged dismissively. Jax Kourt covers his tracks well, is friends with the right kind of people that don’t give information freely on anybody, least of all him. And the few people that aren’t trustworthy are too afraid to betray him.

Scarlett’s upper lip twitched in irritation but knew that if this was all he could come up with, this was all there was out there. She didn’t say as much, but most of this information could be found in the first folder she had on Kourt.

So Kourt has no known family, living or deceased, and anyone who knows aren’t going to share? Is that it?

Again, Sarzha nodded. And other than his one arrest, those other suspicions on the other charges have no evidence whatsoever. The only reason he was a suspect in the first place was they needed someone to blame and they needed to arrest Kourt for any one of his other numerous suspicions.

So someone made him slip up somehow, she said this matter-of-factly with no question in it at all. He didn’t end up with a bullet in his knee because of himself. Someone intentionally tried to wound, but not kill him. The question is who was brave enough to betray him?

Or stupid enough, Sarzha offered.

Scarlett nodded. And how were they able to do it without Kourt finding out until it was too late?

Sarzha knew what she meant. Kourt knew everything about everybody, but nobody knew how he knew these things. He just did. That was another mystery that needed to be solved about the ever-elusive Jax Kourt. No one snitched, ever. If they helped him, they denied even knowing him, let alone working for him. There was always another secret to figure out: why he refused to work with the mob and even worked against them on several occasions and the all-knowing ability he had.

And then there was Ghost. He or she was even more elusive than Kourt. So obscure in fact that no one had even seen him in person—no one—but the city certainly saw the results when the mob did something he didn’t like. His name fit his personality perfectly.

Scarlett stood up from her desk and looked out the window behind her. Has he done anything yet? Of importance, I mean?

If you’re asking if any mob bosses have recently been found dead, the answer is no. As far as we know, that is. However, we are outgunned in this city.

Thank you, Sarzha. You may go now. I need to make a call. Her secretary stood up silently and walked out of the room without another room. Scarlett waited a full minute after Sarzha had left before pulling out a cell phone from her desk drawer. She flipped it open and pressed a series of buttons. There was a quiet bang a few seconds later.

She smiled, knowing that the room was now secure to speak freely. Now she pulled out a second phone and typed in the ten-digit phone number and pressed SEND. He picked up on the first ring.

I’ve got a job for you. I figured, since you’re out of jail, you could at least be of some use to me, Scarlett said, a slight smile twisting around on her lips.

Kourt sighed before answering. He already knew he was going to regret it but couldn’t resist. And what might that job be, Ms. Brookes?

CHAPTER 3

He drove for another mile and then started going in circles just to make sure he wasn’t being followed and then pulled into a second gray warehouse; however, this one was much smaller. He pulled into the loading bay and parked the car. He looked left and saw the motion sensor hidden in the storm drain. Jax couldn’t help but smile. He walked right in front of its laser and opened the door. He stopped as he heard footsteps echoing down the hallway. They were coming from around the concrete corner to his right. He waited until the footsteps were right on top of him and stuck out his arm, using it as a crowbar. He felt the impact just as he stuck out his arm, and a pair of legs went flying and landed hard on the cement floor. Jax rounded the corner and held out his hand to the man lying on the floor. The man took it, and Jax hauled him to his feet.

Nice to see you, Ace. He looked the man up and down. He was six foot three, slightly taller than Jax, and never let him forget it. He had long hair that came down to just below his neckline that was so blond it was practically white and always had on a sly smile that made it look like he had just robbed you and had gotten away with it. Every once in a while, it was because he had.

Jax picked up the 9mm off of the floor and handed it back to him. Ace Bailey took it without a word.

Yeah, I wish I could say the same. It’s been a long time, Jax. His voice cracked as he said the name.

Yeah, well, it would have been a lot longer if the judge hadn’t felt sorry for me. Where’s everyone else?

Ace nodded over Jax’s shoulders. He looked back and saw a sniper lying in the prone position on the floor about one hundred yards away. He smiled as Braylon stood up and slung the rifle over his shoulder. A woman stepped out of a doorway fifty yards closer than Braylon, with a 9mm in her hand. He nodded at them as they approached slowly. Braylon King was exactly as he remembered him: short black hair, pitch black eyes, dark skin, along with a six-foot-tall frame and slightly too skinny to be considered average weight.

Jax moved his gaze to Rayne Winters, the woman that had come from the doorway. She had grown a bit; Jax guessed she was about five foot eight or maybe it was just his imagination because she was twenty-six and stopped growing a long time ago. She had long brown hair and deep blue eyes the color of the frosty Arctic Sea after a storm; however, they had lost a considerable amount of their shine since he had last seen her.

How many of us are left alive? It sounded more desperate than he had intended, but it didn’t matter. He was desperate.

Rayne answered, Counting you, seven. Jax jaw almost dropped open. Before he was locked up, there had been well over two hundred.

Jax made an audible swallow. Who’s … who’s still alive? he asked, his voice cracking.

Well, there’s the four of us, Alyssa, Brandi—she was new at the time—and Autumn. A few more survived like AJ, Tank, and Blaze, but they left the city after the massacre.

I can’t blame them. This is all my fault, Jax said, crestfallen. I should have known about O’Neill. If he hadn’t gotten by me, none of them would have died.

You couldn’t have possibly known that. What actually happened anyway? We never found out how he got you.

We got away clean, and as we jumped from the rooftop of the Atagati warehouse to the top of the Verizon store, he shot Shivs in the knee. I still don’t know how he actually got away. Then he put a crowbar to my ankle and a bullet in my knee and left with all of the cash.

What I don’t get is why he didn’t just kill both of you when he had the chance. He must have known he would never get another chance like that. And when you were released from prison, he must have known you would go after him, right?

Yeah, that’s one thing I’ve never been able to figure out either. Anyway, that was on Lincoln. I made it to … Jefferson Street when the police caught up to me. And that’s pretty much the whole story.

You made it all the way to Jefferson before they caught you? That’s like a mile and half, Braylon said incredulously.

Jax shrugged. What can I say? I’m fast. And I was running for my life so that probably gave me an adrenaline rush that was able to carry me that far. Problem s, adrenaline only lasts like ten minutes so I couldn’t make it all the way home. So where are the others?

They’re out buying more ammunition for us. They should be back in a few minutes. So what now? What do we do?

Jax was taken aback. He had never planned to be put back in charge instantly, especially since he was still rusty from years of no real activity at all. Well, actually, he said looking at Braylon, I have a job for you and Autumn. I need your genius with computers. Braylon raised an eyebrow. I need you to find a mole at the Pentagon, and he may be in the White House also. Think you can do it?

You playin’ politics now? Braylon asked incredulously.

Not exactly. I heard about it from a guy in prison. Sounded interesting, Jax lied, happy he was still able to lie so easily, even to friends. It was an important skill in his line of work.

Braylon, Rayne, and Ace glared at him, disbelief evident in their eyes. Look. I’ve had way too much time to think. But I’m getting outta the game. I know I’m a little late, but I don’t want my sister getting mixed up in this. I’m lookin’ for one last score before I run. Obviously, you’re all invited to come with me. But if any of you would like to stay, you’re more than welcome to. No hard feelings. I swear.

The three of them glanced around at each other, not wanting to be the first one to speak. Finally, Braylon stepped up. This’ll be tough. What’s our timeframe on this project?

However much you need. It’s not like I have anywhere else to go right now.

Just then, Alyssa, Brandi, and Autumn walked into the warehouse. They stopped dead when they saw Jax standing there in front of them. Jax turned around and smiled a smile that would have earned him the heart of the First Lady if he wanted to. Alyssa Blaine was five foot nine, had long brown hair that went a few inches past her shoulders, light brown eyes that seemed completely innocent, and a gorgeous body.

He looked over to Autumn Jones, who was hastily closing her gaping mouth. She was about five foot six, had long blonde hair that was partially white, but nowhere near Ace’s color white. Her green eyes were twinkling with awe. She had on a skirt that showed a long scar running up her left leg from her calf to her thigh. It had turned white when it healed and had slowly become more and more invisible over time, but it still looked like it had been extremely painful.

He moved on to Brandi Adare who was the only one of the three that hadn’t moved from her spot in the open doorway. She had short blonde hair. Her dazzling blue eyes were slowly crystallizing up in front of him as if she was about to cry. One small tear escaped before she wiped it away quickly and got her composure together again.

Jax smiled again. It’s been a long time, he said, gratitude and happiness filling up in his voice.

Yes, it has, Alyssa replied, running over to give him a hug. So you got anything for us? Or has it not been long enough yet?

Jax couldn’t help but smile at her bluntness. Some things never changed, it seemed. Actually, I was telling Braylon about a job for him and Autumn. Supposedly, there’s a mole in the Pentagon and possibly the White house too. We gotta find him.

Autumn raised an eyebrow, joining the conversation. When do we have to have an answer for you? This is gonna be tough. I don’t know how long this will take.

Don’t matter, Jax replied slowly. I’m not goin’ anywhere for long ever again.

Autumn nodded. Sounds fun enough. Shouldn’t be too long ’fore we got something for you.

Jax smiled. He was astounded by how much they still trusted him after so much time away. So we just gonna stand here or can we go inside? They all smiled and hastily took his advice.

The room they walked into had a huge table of computers, screens, and other various pieces of technology throughout it. Jax cracked a grin when he noticed a pistol duct taped to the bottom of the tables below several of the computer monitors. He himself had placed several of them there in the first place. The concrete floor echoed their footsteps as they walked, another reason they were a good idea. It was nearly impossible to sneak up from anywhere in the complex. He also took in the just barely showing two-foot-by-two-foot square in the ground that could be removed and one could escape into the subway system below the city should anyone actually get past the building’s defenses. They passed through another doorway into the common area where there was a full kitchen, table and chairs, and a small door in the corner where several bathrooms were located. To the left was another doorway where he knew the big bedroom that had once housed every single member that had ever been a member of the Bloodrunners gang. He grew sad when he thought of how many empty beds there would be at night.

Ace turned around toward him, and they all stopped. Sorry, Jax. But we have to be sure you weren’t let out early so you could spy on us.

Jax nodded. I would expect nothing less. He lifted his arms in the air and spread his legs. He was quickly patted down and let go. They had checked all his weapons, but they were swiftly returned to him. He noted that they had neglected to check his tennis shoes, which had a concealed knife in the toe of the right one that could be opened by twitching his foot. He smiled to himself at how stupid people were sometimes. Pat downs were the least thorough security system he had ever been subject to.

He walked over to the refrigerator and opened it. He was disgusted to see that it was empty. He moved on to the pantry, which looked much more promising at first until he realized there was absolutely nothing good in it. Jax gave up and sat down at the table. They had all sat down, but none had said a word since they had walked in.

What are you looking at me for? he asked, smelling his breath, and looked in the mirror off to the side of the table; but he could clearly see the reflection without moving an inch so nobody could sneak up on him.

As soon as he said it, they all stood up and busied themselves with various chores. Braylon and Autumn went back into the computer room presumably to begin on the project he had given them. Alyssa and Ace stood up and walked out a side door to Jax’s right, directly next to the refrigerator that he hadn’t seen before. They closed the door quietly, which left Rayne, Brandi, and Jax sitting in the kitchen.

What’s through that door? Kourt asked, pointing to the one that Alyssa and Ace had just exited through.

Brandi answered, It’s a shooting range. We installed it last year for practice. It was appalling how bad of shots we had gotten over the last few years. You can shoot just about anything in there short of a rocket launcher. There’s reinforced concrete four feet thick in the back wall so there’s no chance of bullets flying out into the street.

Jax nodded, impressed. It certainly wasn’t a bad idea, especially since it had been over five years since he’d last shot a gun or threw a knife.

Well, I think I’m going to go get some fresh air, Brandi said, sensing the tension in the room. She stood up and walked through the doorway.

They both watched her leave and then looked at each other. Rayne was the first to speak. I can’t believe you! Of all the people in the entire world, you have more choice than anyone else in staying in jail or escaping! You left us here to die for five years. Rayne looked down at her lap for a moment and then started glancing from item to item around the kitchen.

Either die or go to jail, he said with depression in his voice. Let me tell you, that’s a hell of a decision, he said, with fake laughter. But you have to realize I didn’t have any other options.

Of course, you did! Rayne yelled back, panic, desperation, hatred, and love all wrapped up in her voice."

Jax kept his cool. Like what?

"I don’t know … something. You’re Ghost for God’s sake. You find a way out of everything. You beat up the bad guy, save the girl, and do it without spilling a drop of your coffee. That’s just who