Page 23 of Ghost

“Absolutely.”

With that, we started towards the bar. We were just about to reach the door when something behind us caught my attention. I glanced over my shoulder and spotted Whitney and Toby at the end of the hall. Whitney was kneeling, scrambling nervously to pick up some snacks they’d dropped. When she spotted me, her eyes locked on mine—wide and filled with something that hit me like a punch to the gut.

She looked so vulnerable, and not because of the bruises on her face or her bandaged wrist. It was more than that. There was hurt in her gaze—a hurt that seemed directed at me. Suddenly, I was second guessing my plans with Candace.

“Who’s that?” Candace whispered.

“No one.”

“Then, what’s the hold-up? Let’s go get that drink.”

“I’m gonna pass.” I loosened her grip on my waist and took a step back, putting some distance between us. “You two go ahead.”

“What?” Candace frowned, confusion clouding her expression. “Why? What’s going on?”

I didn’t answer her.

Instead, I turned and started down the hall as I told Rusty, “Take care of her.”

“You got it.”

“Whoa, wait... You’re leaving? What about...”

“I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Okay. Suit yourself.” The words had barely left her mouth when I heard her tell Rusty, “Come on, handsome. Let’s go get us that drink.”

I had no idea if they’d gone on to the bar or if they’d vanished into thin air. I didn’t care either way. My focus was on Whitney and Toby and finding out what they were doing up at this hour. Her eyes remained trained on mine as she collected the rest of the snacks and stood.

She looked like she was about to bolt as I made my way over to them and asked, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, we just went to the kitchen to grab a snack and a couple of drinks. I hope that’s okay.”

“Of course it’s okay. Get whatever you want.” I glanced down at Toby, and he refused to meet my gaze. “Prez told you to make yourselves at home, and that’s what you should do.”

“We’re trying. It’s just a lot.”

“Give it some time. You’ll get used to it.”

I didn’t move.

I wasn’t going anywhere until I knew for certain that she was comfortable. “You need anything else? Some extra blankets or pillows? Some different snacks or...”

“No, no,” Whitney replied, her voice quiet, but there was a sadness lingering in it. “This is more than enough, and the bed is just right.”

“Good deal.”

“We’ll let you get back to your friends,” Whitney murmured before turning and walking Toby down the hallway toward their room. “Goodnight, Ghost.”

“Night.”

I watched them as they disappeared down the hall and into their bedroom. Once they were out of sight, I went to my room and finally crashed for the night. As I tried to drift off to sleep, I kept thinking about my encounter with Whitney and Toby. While I still felt an unexplainable anger toward Whitney for not protecting Toby, those feelings were lessening the more I knew about her ex and his past. I hoped we could keep them both safe from that sorry motherfucker because they didn’t deserve the physical and emotional pain he had caused.

The days that followed were quiet. Some of the guys had gone to a homecoming gathering with the Memphis chapter. Goose and I held back with Seven and the prospects, so we could keep an eye on Toby and Whitney.

We’d given them a wide berth, allowing them to venture out on their own, and I was pleased to see that they took full advantage. Toby spent hours upon hours playing pool while Whitney busied herself with cleaning and watching movies. Toby had started hanging around some of the guys and had even had a full conversation with Memphis. Hell, he even smiled a time or two—not at me, but he smiled just the same.

Whitney was a bit quieter, but she seemed to be adjusting. She’d been helping in the kitchen and had spent some time with a couple of the hang-arounds. She’d also spent some time with Jenna and Antonia, a couple of the ol’ ladies, and while it was brief, she seemed to enjoy it. Her bruises had faded, and the cuts had healed, and if you didn’t know better, you’d think nothing had ever happened to her.

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