Page 36 of Ghost

“I got my coffee. I’m good.” I motioned my head over to Toby as I said, “He’s got his, too.”

“Good. Why don’t you two head over to the family room, and I’ll come check on you when I wrap up things here.”

“Sounds good.” As I started for the door, I smiled at Skid and Grim. “You guys have a good one.”

“You, too.”

By the time Toby and I got to the family room, it was after eight, and his tutor was already there waiting for him. She was a beautiful girl in her mid-twenties, and she had a bright smile, which drew Toby in from the start. He didn’t even hesitate whenshe suggested working at one of the back tables in the family room.

He simply followed her over, and they got to work.

I sat on the sofa across the room, watching as she pulled out the books she brought. I hadn’t been sitting there long when Bridget came over and plopped down beside me. “Hey, girlie. How’s it going?”

“It’s going.”

“I see Toby’s starting his tutoring.”

“He is.” I gave her a slight shrug. “It’s not exactly what he was hoping for, but it’s a start.”

“And it seems to be a good one.” Bridget smiled as she added, “He seems pretty taken with her.”

“Yeah, and I can’t really blame him. She’s a beautiful girl.” I took a sip of my coffee before adding, “Jenna was really sweet to work this all out for us.”

“Jenna is the best, and her daughter is just precious.”

“Yes, she makes me want a daughter.”

“Me too!”

Our attention was drawn to the door when Ghost and Goose walked in with Seven and Grim. They weren’t laughing or talking like usual, and they paid no mind to either of us. It was strange. It was like we were in the room with completely different guys. I thought I was the only one who’d noticed until Bridget glanced behind her, making sure none of them were within earshot before she whispered, “Is it just me, or does something feel off today?”

“It’s not just you. Something is definitely off.”

Since day one, the guys had been nothing but friendly to me and Toby, and they were the same with each other. They were always goofing around and telling stories, but today was different. The energy in the clubhouse had shifted, and I had no idea why.

I glanced over at Ghost, and he was pacing at the back door with his jaw clenched tight. Goose and Memphis were standing at the window, watching the parking lot like hawks, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. Bridget sounded equally curious as she whispered, “They’ve been acting strange all morning.”

“Yeah, they’re more anxious than usual.” I glanced back over at Ghost, and his face was void of expression. “Do you think something is wrong?”

“I don’t know,” Bridget grimaced. “But usually when it gets like this, it means trouble is brewing.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“We’ll never know,” she shrugged. “Just try and keep your head down for now, and whatever is going on, they’ll handle it.”

I nodded, and my eyes immediately drifted back over to Ghost. I trusted him. In fact, I trusted all of them, but the shift in the air made my stomach tighten. I’d had the feeling enough times to know that something was coming—something big.

Bridget sat with me a moment longer, then excused herself to go check in with the guys. The tension in the room seemed to grow by the second, and I was relieved when Toby’s tutoring session came to an end. I gathered up Toby and his things, and we headed back to our room. I helped him finish up his schoolwork, and then we found a movie to watch on TV.

I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that something was going on, so we only ventured out to grab a bite to eat for lunch and dinner. We were on our third Marvel movie when we heard strange voices and footsteps echoing down the hallway. I glanced down at Toby, and he was looking at me with wide eyes.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t know.” I eased off the bed as I told him, “Hold on, and I’ll check it out.”

I went over to the door and cracked it open—just enough to peer out into the hallway, and immediately spotted Ghostand several of the guys standing at the back door. They were gathered around an attractive older woman, and they all looked happy to see her.

I’d never seen her before and had no clue who she was.

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