Page 43 of Emmy's Ride

Cole nodded. “I was thinking the same thing. Someone wanted this to land on your club.” He turned to face me fully. “But that’s not the worst part.”

My gut clenched. “What?”

He hesitated. “The feds are sniffing around. They’ve been keeping tabs on your club for a while now, but this murder? It’s got their full attention. If they find any dirt—any real dirt—on the Kings, they’ll use it.”

This was exactly what I didn’t need. “So what do I do?”

Cole leveled me with a serious look. “Find out who really killed Jeffries. Fast. Because if you don’t, Crow’s going down for it. And if the feds start digging too deep, they might not stop at just him.”

My fists flexed on my thighs. The Kings didn’t operate clean, but we weren’t murderers. At least not without cause. And if The Ghost thought he could frame one of my brothers and get away with it, he was about to learn just how wrong he was.

“What do you know about The Ghost?” I asked, keeping my voice low.

Cole tensed. His fingers gripped the steering wheel harder, his whole body going rigid. That reaction told me everything.

“You do know him,” I said, watching Cole carefully.

The detective exhaled noisily. “I don’t know him. But I know of him.” His voice was strained, like he wasn’t sure if he should be talking about this. “You don’t hear that name unless someone’s already in deep.”

He turned his head slightly, fixing me with a pointed stare. “And if you’re asking, that means you are.”

I leaned back, crossing my arms. “I’ve been in deep since the day I patched in. But this is different. He seems to have a vendetta against the Kings. I think he framed Crow for Jeffries' murder. Planted evidence, set him up to take the fall. And is possibly the reason one of my guys disappeared.”

“Yeah. That sounds like him.”

“What do you know?”

“Nothing solid. Nothing I could ever prove. But The Ghost? He’s a puppet master. He’s got people in his pocket—cops, politicians, criminals. Hell, he could be the president for all I know. He doesn’t pull the trigger himself. He makes sure someone else does, then he disappears. Leaves no trail, no witnesses. Just rumors. If anyone gets close to making him, he just vanishes without a trace.”

“Like a fucking ghost. But everyone’s got a weakness.”

Cole glanced at me. “Yeah? Well, if you find his, let me know.”

I smirked, but there was no humor in it. “Good. That means when I take him down, it’ll be worth it.”

He sighed. “Jesus. Just don’t make me arrest your ass when this is over.”

I glanced over and grinned. “You won’t have to.”

Because when I was done, The Ghost wouldn’t be a problem anymore.

"Let me ask you something. Theoretically, of course. What would you think if the Kings weren’t into dumb shit? How hard would it be to get on the good side of the law?"

He chuckled, then when he saw the seriousness in my eyes, he exhaled a slow breath, rubbing a hand over his jaw. "You're actually thinking about taking the Kings legit?"

"Yeah. Thinking about it real hard."

"Damn. Never thought I’d see the day."

I didn’t take offense. The Kings of Chaos had been running on the wrong side of the law for as long as I could remember. It was in our blood. But now, having just learned how deep The Ghost’s influence ran, how many people suffered in the shadows because of men like him, I knew change was coming. And fast.

Cole stared at me for what felt like minutes. "It’d be a hell of a transition. You’d be walking a fine line. Some of your guys might not go for it."

I nodded. "I know. But I think it’s time. I’ve been watching these kids at Emmy’s office—hell, just talking to a few of them got me thinking. If they don’t have a home, don’t have school, don’t have anyone to turn to, then what’s left? The streets? Gangs? Getting caught up with the wrong people?" My jaw tightened. "If the Kings could be something else—something good—we could change that."

His expression darkened. "Emmy, huh. Good to hear she’s back. I always thought you two would end up together. Tell her I said hi."

“I’m not telling her shit from you.”

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