Page 53 of Ghost's Obsession

Siege finally stops pacing right in front of Merc and stares at him for a long, hard moment.

“You didn’t pull the trigger,” he says, voice like gravel. “But my old man’s blood is on your hands just the same because you were part of the conspiracy.”

Merc licks his split lip. “It wasn’t my idea, and I didn’t pull the trigger.”

Rigs pushes off the wall. “But you went along with it.”

“I didn’t know they were going to fuckin’ kill your old man. You think Butch told us that kind of shit? He was a paranoid fuck who didn’t trust anyone.”

“You knew,” Siege snaps, taking a step forward. “You knew Butch and Carnage were planning something, and you kept your mouth shut. That makes you just as dirty.”

Merc shifts in his seat, trying to square his spine. “I’m not the monster. Carnage is. He was the one who took pleasure in watching your old man die.”

Siege hits him hard across the jaw, sending Merc’s head sideways. When he spits blood out of his mouth, a couple of teeth come flying out as well.

“You stood with Butch and Carnage,” Siege says. “And because of that, my father died with his eyes open, bleeding out beside his bike while the club he built tore itself apart.”

“I’m not responsible for what other fuckers did,” Merc groans, spitting out more blood.

“You are, though,” Rigs says, quieter now. “Even if you didn’t throw the match, you stacked the kindling.”

Siege’s hands curl into fists again. I can see that he wants to end this. Wants to let rage finish what grief started. But then Rigs steps forward—not towards Merc, but towards Siege.

“Let me take care of this fucker,” Siege growls.

Rigs just shakes his head. “No,” he says. “I’ll do it, so you don’t have to carry the guilt. It’s too much of a burden.”

Siege calms down some. “You don’t need to carry this forever either. You’ve got Mattie, Rosie, and Evan now. You can’t slip back into the darkness.”

Rigs looks Merc dead in the eye. “And I won’t let you make Siege carry the burden of ending your sorry life either. So, we’ll give you one chance to walk out of this situation alive.”

Siege frowns and forces himself to get on the same page as Rigs. “Okay, you give me Carnage, and in return, you leave here breathing. Betray the Legion again, and you’re a dead man.”

Merc’s chest is heaving now. He knows this is it. Finally he cracks.

“There’s a cabin,” he chokes out. “It’s in the middle of nowhere. I drove him out there once. He’s a paranoid fucker who doesn’t stay long in one place, but he stashed gear. He has a burner. He checks in every few days.”

Siege narrows his eyes. “Where?”

Merc gives us coordinates. My hand’s already in my pocket, texting Zen.

Then Siege crouches down, eye-level with the man who helped gut our club back in the day.

“You help us find Carnage. You deliver him to us, and you get to go home—wherever the fuck that is. You show your face in Las Salinas after that, and I’ll finish what I started tonight.”

Merc nods, trembling. “I’ll turn him over to you. He was always the most unhinged fucker in our group. He’s nothing but trouble.”

Siege straightens, turns to Rigs, and nods once.

When I glance at my phone, Zen’s already pinging location data. It’s time to hunt.

I need to touch base with Heather, to see with my own eyes that she’s okay. I find her in the upstairs suite—the same one where she got ready for the gala. Apparently, it used to be Rigs’ suite before he got a place for him and his family. Right now, she’s curled up in one of the chairs by the window, still in that glittering dress. She’s barefoot and quiet. Her face is stained, like she’s been crying.

Her eyes find mine the second I walk in.

“I heard you found one of the other betrayers. Brittany said you were interrogating him for information on where to find Carnage.”

I’ve always thought Tusk tells his old lady too much about club business. But I guess seeing as she used to be a club girl, she’s probably seen enough club action to know what goes down. But I don’t want that for Heather, I don’t want her to be scared when I walk out the door. “Yeah, we know where he is.”

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