Page 87 of Ghost

“I will shoot you where you fucking stand if you try to stop me, Ghost.”

“Not before they do.” I move in front of him. “Your family needs you right now, Steel. We all need you. And if you walk over there and do what I think you’re going to, this isn’t going to go how you think it is. You’ll get one at most before they turn fire on you. There are too many of them, and that’s exactly what Zane wanted when he sent them here. Don’t take the bait. Be pissed later. Wait out the battle so we can win this fucking war.”

Steel tips his head back, dragging his hands into his hair.

“We’ll make him pay,” I promise. “And the first step is getting these pigs off our fucking land.”

Steel’s jaw ticks, and he grabs onto my shoulder. “You’re right. Thanks, brother.”

This time, when he starts walking toward Monroe, I don’t try to stop him, even if I still see the tension in every step. He’ll reign it in for his family because he knows, like I do, that taking anyone down right now will either send him to prison or land him six feet under. And then, we may never get the chance to make Zane and the Iron Sinners pay for fucking with us.

Soul meets Steel at Monroe, talking through whatever deal is being made. Agents start cutting the zip ties off the wrists of our brothers, setting them free. And once again, I start searching for Luna, finally spotting a flash of purple hair through the kicked-up desert dust.

Luna is sitting on the porch with her hand on her head, and Patch is kneeling in front of her, dabbing at a cut on her forehead. I’m tempted to take back everything I just said to Steel because the sight of her hurt turns the world around me to white noise. But when her blue gaze connects with mine, fear and hope swim together.

The only time I’ve seen Luna cry was when she was taking my cock so deep in her throat she couldn’t breathe. Except right now, she blinks, and something inside her cracks as she looks at me.

After Paulina died, I believed I’d never let anyone close again. All I bring is pain, and all the club brings is trouble.

I broke that vow, and now I need to clean up the pieces. Luna is the only light left in my world, and I refuse to let them put that out.

My feet finally unfreeze, and I head toward Luna.

She jumps up and runs into my arms. “Marcus.”

I hug her so hard I lift her off the ground. One arm holds her at the waist and the other wraps around the back of her head. I kiss the side of her face, and she’s so fucking fragile I can’t stand it.

“I’ve got you, beautiful. I should have been here.” Setting her down on her feet, I tip her chin up to me.

My thumb brushes over the apple of her cheek up to the angry bruise that’s already forming.

“I missed you.” She grips my cut.

“I missed you too.” Leaning down, I give her a kiss, but it might as well be my heart.

I’ve missed kissing her. Holding her. Touching her.

I want to tell her I’ll never be gone that long again, but it’s a lie. One time, I was gone for three weeks when the club took a trip to Maryland. Wearing this patch will always put a space between what I want and who I am, and she’ll have to accept that.

“I should have been here for you,” I mumble against her mouth, kissing her again.

“Don’t do that.” She shakes her head. “This isn’t your fault. I don’t hold it against you.”

Maybe she should. Us going to New Mexico to investigate Zane and the Iron Sinners might be what started this in the first place.

“Don’t do that,” she says again, gripping my cut as she buries her forehead against my chest. “Don’t start pulling away because you feel guilty about this. It’s not your fault. I’m okay. I promise.”

She’s scared.

And not because of what’s going on around us. She’s worried I’ll see this as a reason to shut myself off from her—that we’ll go back to how things were for the past year.

Tipping her chin up, I force her to look me in the eyes. “I’m not pulling away, Luna. And I’m not letting you go, remember? You’re all that matters to me. I’ll keep you safe. Always.”

“I believe you.” The words are nearly a whisper, but there’s something behind them that I can’t quite pinpoint as she looks up into my eyes.

As quickly as it flashes, it fades. And I hope she sees that I’m telling her the truth. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure she doesn’t hurt again.

She trusted me with her body and her heart, and they’re my most prized possessions.

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