Page 52 of The Ghost of Rage's War

Everyone began arguing, and Ghost felt the hope that the club would act begin to fade. He didn’t understand how else to get the urgency across.

“That’s one hell of a tale. We need to think. Wait next door,” Drake ordered.

Ghost stared at him aghast.

“You need to think?”

“What the fuck did you believe would happen? That you’d walk in here, spew some story, and we’d leap at it and rise to arms. Rage ain’t one-percenter no more. We’re clean. Rage will fight to the last man, but I gotta fuckin’ think! You dumped this shit on our lap. No warning, no hints or tips. And I’ve got family that you knew about!” Drake roared, his temper catching. He rose to his feet.

“I brought you the truth!” Ghost yelled.

“You gave me your truth! Not mine or the clubs. Yours. I do not blindly believe some asshole who’s been dark for fifteen years. We do not act like one-percenters where we don’t give a shit if innocents are caught up in the crossfire. We care. Rage looks after its community. If we got a group of whack jobs heading here, we gotta mobilise Rage. I won’t allow innocent people to be shot because some prick wants my club. You hear me? I need to fuckin’ think!” Drake roared.

They continued arguing, and Ghost finally snapped. “How the fuck do I prove this is true and get you to act?” Ghost demanded.

“By giving me a few days, asshole! It’s time for you to leave. This church ain’t yours, Ghost. This is ours.”

Ghost recoiled. He rose to his feet and drew himself up.

“For fifteen years, I bled, hid, lied, and sacrificed so I could find out who was gunning for my club. Fifteen fuckin’ years of being lonely, handling this weight on my shouldersalone. You want time? Lookat what I lost. Being on the outside looking in, missing women being claimed, prospects becoming brothers, I missed everything. The vote to rebuild the compound, your kids being born.I sacrificed, Drake!”

“Whose choice was it to go it alone, Ghost? Because any brother here would have stepped up without question and been liaison. We could even have maybe helped you end this quicker. Don’t stand there telling us your sacrifice. What about our mourning? Our grief? The guilt we suffered when we realised you were gone. We fuckin’ sacrificed, too!” Apache yelled once more, leaping to his feet.

“You had spies! Jacked, Gid!” Ghost shot back.

“Where were you when the truth escaped concerning Ace? When that cunt of an ex of mine tried to rip my family apart? And when Silvie was run over? Oh, right, sat in the car that nearly killed her. When they came for her again, you were present in the woods. You could have come forward then. Reached out. You didn’t. Left us all fuckin’ wondering if you had a knife in our backs. And when Silvie birthed our kids and was crippled. Where were you,brother, walking that road with me?” Apache spat.

Ghost reeled at the pain and anger in Apache’s tone. He had expected fury at him being hidden. Shit, he’d anticipated hurt, but the level Apache and the others displayed was almost torture for him to witness.

“Where was I? I was crawling to Santos with my ass bent over to get close to finding out who pulled thestrings. I was licking his shoes to save Drake’s sister. That is where I fuckin’ was,” Ghost fired. He was hurting, too.

“But you didn’t have to be alone, Ghost! And that’s what I can’t forgive,brother.An entire club at your back. Could’ve reached out and contacted one of us. You didn’t. You just let us think we lost you and then forced us to wonder which side you were on,” Apache snapped.

“Enough! Go. If you’re really back, leave your phone number and wait for us. If not, walk now and don’t look back again!” Ace stated, standing and clapping his irate father on his shoulder.

Apache shrugged Ace’s hand off, but Ace replaced it and gripped him even more firmly.

“We’ll be in contact,” Drake mumbled dully.

Ghost looked around the room. Nobody met his eyes apart from Manny. Manny held his gaze steadily before inclining his head towards the door.

Ghost dropped a card on the table with his real phone number on and shrugged.

“See ya. But whether you bring me back in, Venomous Fangs have been seen here, and your boys have witnessed them.” Ghost said as his parting shot and left.

Chapter Twelve.

Ghost

Fuck them all. Rage thought they had it hard because they’d grieved him? He’d sunk to the depths of depravity. They could sit there in their sanctimonious church and bitch him out for what he did, but without his information, Rage would have nothing. Ghost hit his bike and rode through the gates.

He was full of negative emotions, and Drake… fuckin’ asshole, hadn’t even wanted to meet his sister or the kids. Fine. If Rage didn’t want Carmelle, Ghost did, and fuck them. He’d go nomad or black his ink and find another club because the club he’d just left had failed his expectations. Ghost wasn’t stupid enough to think it would have been plain sailing. But to ignore his warnings… screw them.

He rode home, letting the wind clear his thoughts; he never wanted any negativity to impact on his life with Carmelle. But when Ghost arrived and parked his bike, he saw Carmelle watching him from the porch with worry on her face.

“What happened?” Carmelle asked, coming down the steps.

“Babe, let it go.”

---