Page 33 of Ghost

“Sounds like there’s a story there.”

“Yeah, a story for another day.”

“Okay.” Her tone grew soft as she said, “I still say you were right. I had my part to play in things. I’m the one who brought him into our lives. I should’ve picked up on the fact that something was up with him long before I introduced him to Toby.”

“Guys like him are really good at putting on a show.”

“Yeah, he was good at it. A regular charmer...until he wasn’t, and then, he was anything but. I just hate I didn’t see it sooner.”

Whitney’s voice started to fade, and her eyelids were starting to get heavy. She was exhausted and needed rest, so I told her, “It’s late. You should probably get some sleep.”

She nodded, then closed her eyes. It didn’t take long for the tension in her face to fade. Moments after, her breathing became slow and steady, and she drifted off to sleep. I could’ve gotten up and left. She would’ve never been the wiser, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave her—not after seeing how scared she was after that nightmare.

I wanted to stay there and make sure she didn’t have another one, so I eased my head back and propped it on the wall. As I sat there staring at her, I was struck by how beautiful she was. I’d always found her pretty—even with the black eye and busted lip, but at that moment, she looked at peace in a way I’d never seen her before—like an angel.

Her long, jet-black hair was down and splayed out on her pillow. It was a stark contrast against her pale skin, and it made me wonder if she’d dyed it when hiding from her ex—and if so, she might’ve been a lighter brown like her son. Her hazel eyes, which were usually filled with uncertainty, were now hidden behind her lashes, and the lines of worry and fear that haunted her features were now gone.

But that quiet strength of hers was still there.

Even in her most vulnerable moments, it was always there, lingering beneath the surface. And she was going to need it over the next few months. She had a lot of changes ahead of her, but she wouldn’t have to face them alone. I would make sure of that.

The soothing sound of her breathing had me nodding off. I was fighting to stay awake when I heard a tap at the door.

“Hey, Ghost,” Seven whispered. “Are you in there?”

“Yeah. Give me a sec.” I didn’t want to wake Whitney, so I jumped to my feet and answered the door. “What’s going on?”

“Prez called church.”

I could tell by the urgency in his voice that something was wrong, so I stepped out of the room and closed the door. “I need to change.”

He nodded, then followed me down to my room. He waited as I threw on a pair of jeans and my boots, then, we were on our way. As we started back down the hall, I turned to him and asked, “You gonna leave me hanging, or are you gonna tell me what the hell’s going on?”

“It’s Kay.” He grimaced as he told me, “We just got word that her house in Memphis just got torched.”

“Ah, hell.Does that mean what I think it means?”

“Don’t know for sure. That’s why Prez is calling us in.”

I nodded, then followed him down to the conference room. When we walked in Preacher was already at the head of the table, and the other brothers were filing in around him. I could feel the weight of whatever news Preacher was about to drop, and it had me feeling on edge as I took a seat next to Goose.

Once everyone was settled, Preacher leaned forward, his expression hard. “As some of you might have heard, Kay’s home was torched tonight.”

A wave of murmurs spread through the room, but Preacher raised a hand, quickly silencing us.

“Our contact talked to one of his guys at the fire department, and there were accelerants all over the property and house.”

“So, someone’s sending a message.”

“Afraid so.” Prez ran his hand over his beard. “We believe this was tied to Carmine and the money he stole from the cartel.”

I exchanged a glance with Goose, and I could tell by his expression that we were both thinking the same thing. The cartel didn’t play around. If they were making moves like this, things were going to escalate fast.

“Carmine’s done well. He’s managed to stay under the radar, and it’s looking like they’ve grown tired of looking for him.” Preacher's jaw clenched as he looked over to Memphis. “Looks like they’re targeting anyone they think might be connected to him, and that includes Kay and possibly Antonia. But she’s here and safe.”

“But Mom’s not.” While they had their differences and lots of them, Memphis had always been protective of his mother. “You really think they know she’s in California?”

“No way to be sure,” Preacher said, his voice grim. “We’ve been careful, but it’s possible.”

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