Page 17 of Ghost

“Good. Glad to hear it. I’m sorry I haven’t been by sooner, but I wanted to come by and introduce myself.” There was kindness in his eyes as he smiled and said, “I’m Preacher.”

“Hi, Preacher. It’s nice to finally meet you... Viper had a lot of great things to say about you and your club.”

“Glad to hear that.” He had an air of confidence that could only come from a man with a great deal of power, but it didn’t feel threatening. Instead, I felt like we were in safe hands as he explained, “He filled me in on you two as well, and it sounds like you’ve had a time of it.”

“Yeah, you could say that.”

“Well, I plan to put an end to all that.”

“I’m not sure that can be done, but I would appreciate you trying.” I glanced down at Toby, “We both really appreciate you letting us stay here for a while. It means a lot.”

“No problem. Just glad we could help.” As he turned back for the door, he added, “You don’t have to stay couped up in here. You can get out when you get ready. There’s a full kitchen and a family room with a couple of TVs and pool tables just down the hall.”

Toby’s eyes lit up. “Pool tables?”

“Yes, sir. Pool tables and dart boards. There’s even a couple of PlayStations and X-boxes in there, too.” Preacher’s gaze softened slightly as he looked at Toby. “You’ll have to check it out.”

“Okay, sounds good.”

“Alright, I’ll leave you to it.” Preacher’s voice had a warmth to it now. “There’s lunch in the kitchen. You can come down whenever you’re ready. The guys know to give you both space, so you won’t be crowded.”

“Thank you, Preacher.”

“No problem.” He looked at me for a moment, and there was something in the tone of his voice that led me to believe him when he said, “You’re safe here. We’ll make sure of that.”

“That means a lot to me... It means a lot to us both.”

He gave me one last nod, then stepped out of the room. “Food goes fast around here. You might wanna go grab you some before it’s gone.”

“We’ll be down in a minute. Thanks!”

Preacher’s gaze lingered on us for a second longer, then he turned and closed the door behind him. Toby glanced up at me with a spark of hope in his eyes. “I like him.”

“I like him, too.”

“You think he meant what he said?”

“I don’t think he’s the kind of man who says things he doesn’t mean.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so either.” He eased the covers back as he said, “I’m gonna take a shower.”

“Okay. I’ll find you some clothes to put on.”

He nodded, then hopped down from the bed.

Seconds later, the bathroom door closed, and the shower was running. Knowing he wouldn’t be long, I sifted through our bags until I found him a clean outfit, then eased the bathroom door open and placed them on the sink. While he finished up, I changed and brushed my hair. I didn’t bother with putting on makeup. With my black eye and busted lip, there was no point.

When Toby came out of the bathroom, he was dressed, and his hair was already brushed. My boy was pumped about the pool tables, and that tickled me. After what he’d been through, it did my heart good to see him excited about something.

I, on the other hand, wasn’t exactly excited about leaving the room. We were told that the men of Satan’s Fury were good guys who would look out for us, and I wanted desperately to believe it. But I didn’t know anything about the club or the men in it. Ihad no idea what we would find when we left the room, and that made me a bit apprehensive.

I took a deep breath, trying my best to gather my nerve, then opened the door. Toby stuck his head out, and once he saw that no one was around, he stepped out and started walking down the hall. He hadn’t gotten far when he stopped and peeked inside one of the rooms. He glanced back at me as he whispered, “Hey, they really do have pool tables.”

I hurried over to him and peered inside the family room, and it was even bigger than I’d expected. There were TVs lining the walls—each one playing something different, and there were two pool tables off to the side and several dart boards. A couple of bikers were sitting around the room, each with a beer in hand, and the sound of their laughter rumbled through the room.

It was a far cry from anything Toby had ever seen, and I could see the awe in his eyes as he scanned the room. “Wow. It’s so cool and just like Preacher said.”

"You wanna check it out?"

---