Page 34 of Ghost

“Fuck.”

“She’s family, son. We’re not going to let anything happen to her,” Preacher assured him. “Zeke is bringing her home. It’s a haul, so it’ll take him a couple of days to get here. But they’re coming, and once they’re here, we’ll do everything we can to keep her safe.”

I could feel the tension in the room rising as the reality of the situation settled in. We all knew it was bad. The cartel wasn’t going to back down until they got what they wanted. Memphis knew this, so I wasn’t surprised when he asked, “Why don’t we just give up Carmine? He’s the one that caused all this.”

“Why don’t you ask Antonia that question?”

“She wouldn’t want his actions to put Mom or the club in jeopardy!”

“We committed to help him. We step away from that now, it will just come off as weak. And we are anything but weak.”

Memphis nodded, then watched as Preacher stood and said, “Our strength is in our loyalty. All for one, and one for all.”

We all nodded in agreement, determination marking our expressions. There was no doubt that we were in this together—we always were. Before dismissing us, Preacher told us to stay close and be prepared for the days ahead. The guys quickly dispersed and either headed back to their rooms or to the bar.

Memphis stayed back to talk to Prez for a moment, then stormed out of the room with a huff. He was upset, and I couldn’t blame him. It’s hard enough when someone you care about is in trouble, but it’s even harder when it’s your mother. I figured he could use a moment to vent, so I followed him outside to the parking lot.

He'd just pulled out a cigarette and was lighting it when I walked up next to him and asked, “Hey, brother. You alright?”

“Nope. Far from it.” He took a long drag, then said, “I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.”

“Maybe this whole house burning thing was just a coincidence or...”

“It was a threat. You know it, and I know it,” he cut me off. “I don’t want to wait around for them to make another move. We need to end this before it starts.”

I understood where Memphis was coming from, but knowing the risks, I pushed, “But do you really think giving them Carmine will make this go away?”

“He’s the one who started all this, not Mom. She had nothing to do with him taking that money. And neither did Antonia or anyone else in the club. The cartel’s not gonna stop until they get what they want.”

“And what they want is blood. You gotta know that Carmine’s only part of it, brother. They’ll take him and then come for the rest of us. You know how they work.”

“They might not even know we’re involved.”

“Maybe not, but it won’t take long for guys like these to piece it all together, and when they do...”

“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “There’s gotta be a way to end this.”

“I know you’re worried, but if we hand Carmine over, we’re sending a message that we’ll fold under pressure. If we come off looking weak, they’re liable to come after us even harder?”

“We’ve gotta do something.”

“And we will.” I let my words hang in the air for a moment before speaking, my voice softer this time. “But I’m telling ya, giving Carmine to the cartel won’t stop them from showing up at our door.”

Memphis nodded, his mind already turning over the next steps. “I’m gonna call Zeke and check-in, then go home to my woman.”

I gave him a nod, then turned and headed back inside the clubhouse. My mind should’ve been on the club and the possibility of war with the cartel, but as I started down the hall, there was only one thing on my mind.

Whitney.

I went down to her room, and being as quiet as possible, I eased the door open. The light from the hallway was enough for me to see that she and Toby were both sound asleep in their beds. Neither of them had a clue whether I was there or not, but I didn’t care. I’d promised her I’d stay, and that was exactly what I was going to do.

Besides, Seven had already proven that the guys knew where to find me if they needed me, so I quietly made my way back over to my spot on the floor. I leaned back against the wall andgrabbed the blanket from the floor, quickly tossing it over me. While I wasn’t exactly comfortable, it felt right to be there—even more so than I expected.

I didn’t know what it was about these two, but they brought out something in me that I hadn’t felt in a very long time. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not, but it didn’t matter. I wasn’t going anywhere now.

Whitney

“Hey.”I gave Ghost a nudge. “Ghost... Ghost, wake up.”

---