Page 30 of Ghost

I glanced between the two of them, feeling the weight of their decision.

The last thing I wanted to do was to put Toby in more danger, but I also couldn’t keep him locked away forever. “Is there anything else we could do?”

Preacher exchanged a glance with Creed and Seven, then sighed and rubbed his hand over his jaw. He thought for a moment, then leaned forward, folding his hands on the desk. “There is one option.”

“Okay?”

“We could bring in a tutor. Keep it private. No records, no names. He’ll still get his education, but there won’t be a paper trail.”

“That could work.” It wasn’t what I’d envisioned, but it was better than nothing. “At least for now.”

“Yeah, this won’t be for the long term—just until we find the best way to keep your son safe.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice breaking just a little. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”

“Glad we could help.”

I didn’t want to take up any more of their time, so I quickly turned and skirted out of the room. I felt a bit discouraged as I made my way down the hall and back to the room. Toby was excited about the thought of going to school with Garrison, and I hated to disappoint him. But I would have to find a way to make him understand that his safety was the most important thing.

Needless to say, the conversation didn’t go well.

In fact, it went even worse than I’d expected.

As soon as he heard that he couldn’t go with Garrison, he shut down and wouldn’t even listen to me. He wouldn’t even look at me. He just got up, and as he walked over to the TV, he mumbled, “Don’t worry about it.”

After that, he was pretty quiet for the rest of the night. He went to bed early and drifted off to sleep without even saying goodnight. He was punishing me, and it was working. Seeing him so disappointed was like a knife to the heart, and I hated that I couldn’t fix it.

All I could do was lay there and watch him sleep. On a good note, it was the first time in days that he didn’t spend most of the night tossing and turning in his sleep. He was still and peaceful. I, on the other hand, was wound tight. There was no way I could sleep.

I didn’t even bother trying.

I needed air.

Being careful not to wake Toby, I slipped out of the room and down the hall to the back exit. When I stepped outside, it was a bit cold but in a good way. I needed the bite of the cool air. I wrapped my arms around myself and tilted my head up, trying to lose myself in the night sky.

I couldn’t remember the last time I’d stopped long enough to actually look at the stars. My nights had always been so rushed with getting dinner ready and helping with Toby’s homework. It was nice to have a moment to catch my breath.

I hadn’t been standing there long when I heard boots grinding against the gravel, and they were coming right towards me. That’s when it hit me. I was out there alone. Dylan, or anyone for that matter, could take me, and no one would be there to stop them.

I was about to dart back inside and lock the door when I saw those broad shoulders and that familiar, confident stride.

Ghost.

His road name suited him—not only because of his long, whitish-blond hair and piercing blue eyes, but the fact that he had a way of sneaking up on you. My breath hitched, but for the first time in weeks, it wasn’t from fear. His soul-searching blue eyes met mine, and he held my gaze as he approached. Concern marked his handsome face as he said, “You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t sleep.” I gave him a slight shrug. “I thought some fresh air might help.”

“I get it.”

He came and stood beside me, and for a moment, we just stood there, looking up at the stars. After a while, he asked, “You okay?’

There was an unexpected gentleness in his tone that made my chest tighten. “I will be.”

Ghost nodded, his eyes holding mine for a beat longer than I expected before looking back up at the sky.

Neither of us moved.

We just stood there, and beneath the silence, there was an underlying tension between us. It wasn’t the bad kind, not like it was with Dylan. I wasn’t on edge waiting for the next blow. This was very, very different. This was intriguing—almost enticing.

---