Page 54 of The Ghost of Rage's War

Firstly, my so-called half-brother could go kick rocks. It was as much as a shock to me to discover I had family. And I was coping with a huge upheaval to my life. What the fuck was Drake Michaelson dealing with? Nothing! What a total loser he was. If Drake wasn’t interested in me and my girls, then fine. I didn’t need Drake Michaelson in my life. What a complete asshole.

Ghost didn’t have to worry about Drake and me having a relationship. I wanted nothing to do with him.

Ghost had to talk to someone about what he’d seen, done, and experienced. I couldn’t imagine Ghost going dark and committing the crimes Santos and Fury did. But he’d have played a small role, and that was eating him up. Ghost needed to understand that he wasn’t guilty, he had had a job to do, and he’d done it. I wondered if Anderson even realised what it had cost Ghost.

I’d met Anderson a few times; he was a little standoffish, but I could see he loved his brother. Somehow, I doubted Anderson knew anything about this. Ghost wouldn’t tell him because then Anderson would feel guilty.

I’d seen the bullet scars on Ghost’s body, and he’d told me how he got them. Bulldog, working for Fury, had meant to have Ghost killed. That I couldn’t get my head around; without Ghost, the world would have been drastically more dangerous and depressing.

I’d not known how much what Ghost had done bothered him. In hindsight it made sense, but living day to day and being as selfish as I had been, I’d not recognised the pain in Ghost’s eyes. Well, I couldn’t miss it now.

I placed a coffee in front of him, sat down, and reached for Ghost’s hand.

“Listen,” I said, and Ghost cocked his head. From the back garden came the sound of laughter. “That beautiful noise there exists because of you and Volcano. Volcano got us out, but you, Ghost, kept us alive. You cared for me and made us safe, and when you saw the chance, you grabbed it.”

“Carmelle—”

“No, I’m speaking,” I snapped, and Ghost looked amused. His fingers held onto mine as if I was a lifeline.

“Fine.”

“Since then, you’ve broken your back to make things good for the girls so they could laugh again. If your brothers can’t see who the hell you are, they don’t deserve you. I didn’t see Rage sacrificing thirteen years of their life to bring Fury down. No, those assholes carried on living, partying, fucking, and having families. Not you. No, you swallowed shit, so they could do that. If Rage didn’t open their arms to embrace you, fuck them all. Find another club, one who can see your true value.

“Don’t let Rage MC drag you down and make you grovel. I know you’re loyal. I understand what brotherhood means. But if Rage can’t give you what you need, then they can suck each other’s tiny dicks. They hurt you, and they had no right. How dare Drake spit in the face of what you sacrificed for them? They’re all cocksuckers.

“You have the right to feel betrayed. Damn Ghost, you ought to be devastated. Without you, they’d be sitting ducks, and they’re not. You know why?Because you fucking sacrificed thirteen years of your life for them!So, yeah, fuck Rage!” I snapped.

“Who’d have thought you had such fierceness inside, babe?” Ghost teased with a tiny smile.

“Please don’t say that’s the Michaelson in me!” I gasped, horrified, and Ghost laughed. And I revelledin the sound because maybe I was falling a little bit for this tattooed biker.

Drake

He swapped glances with the inner circle as they listened to the recording Hawthorne had brought them. Hawthorne hadn’t stayed; just said they needed to listen and recommended the inner circle be called.

“Fuck,” Manny whispered.

“Yeah,” Axel mused. He rested his chin on his hand and looked thoughtful.

“Didn’t consider any of that,” Apache murmured.

“Too caught up in our own self-righteous anger,” Ace stated, and his father glared.

“Don’t need reminding, son,” Apache hissed.

“I can’t agree with how Ghost went it alone. But I understand why, and his gut was right. We did still have traitors in our midst,” Texas said, and Drake shot him an incredulous stare.

“You’re one of the hottest tempered amongst us!” Drake declared.

“Yeah, but I can hear Ghost’s pain. He didn’t expect a hero’s welcome back, but Ghost expected us to accept him,” Texas replied.

“So, what do we do?” Gunner asked.

“We let Ghost come to us. There’s no other choice. Hawthorne, point blank, refused to tell me where they’re holed up. The ball is in Ghost’s court,” Drakeresponded.

Would Ghost reach out to them was the question? Hearing the hurt and grief on that recording, Drake realised they may have lost their brother for good. Forgiveness was needed on both sides.

Ghost – four days later

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