16. MAVERICK
My gaze switched between Giulia, whose head was on her folded arms, snoring away from her place at the dining room table, and Ghost, who was trying, and failing, to eat a sandwich she’d been given forty minutes ago.
All the women were finding it hard to acclimate to eating regularly, and after being starved, that didn’t come as much of a surprise.
In a way, you’d think it would be easier to stuff your face after being denied, but the stomach adapted, and after so long in captivity—not that any of the women knew how long exactly, because they’d had no concept of time where they’d been held—they were simply not used to eating.
Amara would routinely puke if she ate too much, and Tatána wasn’t even trying all that hard. Ghost, on the other hand, was trying, but she didn’t get very far.
I had a feeling Ghost tried for my benefit, and I wasn’t about to stop her from doing that—even if she often failed.
There was a time when my past, present, and future had all blurred into one, and for those moments, I’d had nothing.
No one.
Not even the family I’d chosen for my own.
On a roadside in Benghazi, my body broken, my eyes wet from pain, and the sun and smoke burning them, a part of me had died.
Only now, when I looked at Ghost, did that part feel like it was alive again.
I wasn’t sure why.
She didn’t really talk to me, and when she did, her eyes were always downcast.
I preferred to think she was shy rather than scared of me, because if it was the latter then I’d probably feel like blowing my brains out…and I thought about doing that way too much as it was.
When I looked at her, I felt hope. I felt something. And it was weird. Really weird. Really, very weird because I didn’t know why.
I hadn’t had sex in so long that my cock didn’t even twitch at all the shit I saw in the clubhouse.
I didn’t think about sex, didn’t want it, because my brain was focused on other things. Like the will to carry on. Like the fact I was needed in the clubhouse, by my brothers, my family.
Sex wasn’t something I needed because, though my body wasn’t broken, my head was.
I accepted it, and I thought the broken parts of me were attracted to the broken parts in Ghost.
Which, when I thought about it, was the most fucking depressing shit I’d heard in like, forever. But it was true.
I didn’t mean attracted in the regular sense either. Even if I could see she was a beautiful woman when she wasn’t forty pounds underweight.
I meant ‘attracted’ like with a magnet.
Something about her pulled me in, reeled me toward her like I was a fish on a line, only death wasn’t in my future when I looked at her. Life was.
Which was stranger still.
Who looked at a woman and saw all that?
I never had before, and I’d been in love once, back before I’d enlisted, and I hadn’t felt that way about Lesley.
Although, now that I thought about it, that was probably wise considering the second I had enlisted, she’d gone off the rails during my first deployment.
“You are thinking very hard.”
Ghost suited her nickname, even if, with his usual lackadaisical ways, Link had given a woman, near death, the worst name ever. But she was delicate, fragile, and whispered like she was a spirit, so I got it.
She also had a faint accent, but surprisingly not much of one. Just enough to make her roll a few syllables and to go guttural here and there.
I studied her wispy blonde hair, the brittle bones that revealed a woman desperately in need of nutrition, and just felt everything inside me sigh.
“You make me think hard.”
My honesty had her brows rising. “I do?” She narrowed her eyes at me. “We don’t talk about important things.”
“Don’t we?” My lips twitched as I curved my hands around the armrest of my wheelchair before I slipped them down to the wheels. I rolled them back and forth in my grip, rocking the seat in place as I eyed her. “I think we talk about important shit.”
She frowned. “We talk about people in your house.”
“Clubhouse,” I corrected.
“Yes, well, those people. We talk about them.”
“We talk about politics.” I pursed my lips. “As in, should Kendra be allowed to stay when she was pivotal in breaking up Storm and his Old Lady?”
Ghost tutted. “I do not understand this saying. How is she ‘old’ when she is also young?”
My lips curved. “It’s just a saying.”
“As you have told me already, but I still don’t understand it. Why not ‘young lady?’ It is far more complimentary.”
“It’s just how we roll.”
She clucked her tongue. “It is still senseless. But then, so is what Kendra did. Such cruelty should not be tolerated, however, she did not make this Storm do the things he did. He is to blame.” She shot me a glare. “But because you are a man, you will side with him.”
I raised my hands as I grinned at her. “Babe, if you see Kendra and Keira, you’d wonder why the fuck he’d want anyone on his dick other than his woman.” I ignored her pink cheeks. “Storm is an idiot. I just don’t like that Kendra purposely hurt Keira and hasn’t been reprimanded over it.”
“Who would reprimand someone like this?” Her brow puckered. “How would it be done? Would she be hurt?”
“Um, nope. This is America, baby. Though we’re hard asses, we don’t beat women.”
Well, some of my numbskull brothers did, and usually Nyx was the one to dole out punishments if that happened.
But adultery didn’t fall under Nyx’s purview of punishments.
Sadly.
“What would happen?”
“She’d get tossed out of the MC which, to a woman like her, is pretty painful. They live for this life.”
She shook her head. “I do not understand this. Why would they enjoy sleeping with so many men all the time?”
“To each their own.”
There’d been a time when I’d been pretty fucking grateful for clubwhores. Now, not so much. Maybe that was age or my PTSD.
Either way, sweetbutts didn’t give me boners anymore.
Not even with the random shit they did to get our attention.
“I figured Giulia would start to curb the bunnies’ behavior, but ever since this stuff with Lancaster, things have derailed.”
Ghost smiled at me faintly. “You mean, ever since we came into the picture.”
“I do,” I admitted. “I don’t think any of us really expected her to volunteer to do all she has.” I peered at her over my shoulder, unsurprised to see she was still sleeping. “I didn’t think she had it in her.”
“She is very kind.”
“Yes, she has been, and that’s what I mean. Giulia isn’t kind. Yet, here she is.”
“People can surprise us.”
“That’s true. Giulia has surprised us all. She’s a good mate for Nyx too.
“Once things get back to normal, she’ll keep the bunnies in line until Rex decides to take that stick out of his ass and?—”
When my cell rang, I grunted as I reached into my jeans pocket and eyed the screen.
Anyone except for Nyx and Rex, I’d have ignored. Storm included. He might have been the VP, but I only really listened to the Prez and the Enforcer anyway.
Unfortunately for me, it was Rex.
Speak of the devil…
“What?”
Rex grunted. “So polite.”
“Didn’t realize I was on your council because I minded my Ps and fucking Qs.”
Another grunt. “We have something that will bring down the Lancasters.”
My eyes widened as I glanced at Ghost and saw her watching me with curiosity in hers. When she saw me watching her back, her cheeks grew pink and she ducked her head.
Fuck.
I wished she didn’t do that.
She was so pretty, and I liked having her gaze trained on me.
“How?”
I was a man of few words on the phone. Fucking hated them.
“Video evidence that Luke and his father used the women.”
Those words tore into me in a way I knew Rex wouldn’t understand.
Ghost had been through so much at Luke Lancaster’s hands. That alone was bad enough. But to know that two men had used and abused her?
I had to blow out a breath to release my anger. It was either that or start throwing shit, and the women were already terrified without me pulling crazy stunts like that.
“What’s the next move?”
Rex rubbed the back of his neck. “Getting Lancaster’s ass in jail. We’ll be bringing Lily Lancaster into the clubhouse. Can you get Giulia to open up one of the bunkhouses for her?”
“She’s resting. Can’t someone else do it?”
“Steel? Jaxson? See who’s about. I just want somewhere for her to sleep. This score is on her. She found the evidence. I want her nearby for her safety.”
I whistled under my breath, taking that to mean psychological and physical safety. “Fuck. That’s a nightmare waiting to happen.”
“Yeah. Link is going to be with her.”
“Can’t she just stay in his room then?”
Everyone knew of Link’s reputation with the ladies. It wasn’t too much of a leap to think he was boning Lily Lancaster too.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“It’s complicated.”
I thought about that, thought about how uncomplicated Link was, and came up with a random guess. “He likes her?”
“Loves her. At least, that’s what I’d call it.” Rex sniffed. “But that’s neither here nor there.
“Just get her somewhere to sleep. It’s only for a couple of nights. Until he’s arraigned.”
“Okay. I’ll get that done.”
“Mav?”
“Yeah.”
“I know you visit with the women.”
“Just Ghost. The others don’t want me around.”
“Could you…”
When he broke off, I prompted, “Could I what?”
“Talk to them about speaking with the sheriff’s department?”
“Why’s that necessary? If you have video footage I mean.” I scowled, and I knew it was dark with anger. “You know their situation is precarious.”
“I do, but I’m going with my gut here.”
“What, oh great leader, does your gut say?”
“That if there’s a woman on the stands, the jury will send his ass to jail forever.”
“And they won’t if…” My voice trailed off when I remembered Ghost was here, sitting and listening to me talk.
“I don’t know. Money talks. Ninety billion has a way of greasing people’s palms and getting them to do someone else’s wishes. But if a woman is there, crying on the stands, telling the truth? Jurors would listen.”
“That’s weak ass logic.”
“I’m speaking with my gut.”
“That’s why all I hear are verbal farts.”
Rex growled down the line. “Fuck, Mav. Just for once in your life could you do as I goddamn ask?”
“If you were talking logically I would.”
Another growl. “Ever thought maybe the women would want the chance to face their attacker in court? To see them burn on the stands? Get the damn bunkhouse ready for guests.”
Then he hung up.
I scowled at the screen before I slipped it back into my pocket, and when Ghost asked, “Is everything okay?” I wasn’t sure how to answer.
Figuring the truth wasn’t a bad place to start, I muttered, “No, not really.”
I rubbed my chin as I thought about Rex’s logic.
If they had video footage, then I didn’t get why they’d need one of the victims to come forward…
Especially when all these women were illegal.
What he was asking didn’t make much sense.
At least, not in my opinion.
Pursing my lips for a second, I stared at Ghost and saw that she didn’t dart her gaze away the second I looked at her for once, and sighed. “You heard, didn’t you?”
“I did.” She tipped her chin to the side. “I can hear well now.”
“Superhearing is your new superpower. At least you got something out of that fucking episode.”
“That and I can see well in the dark.” She leaned back against the pillows, and the tray on her lap jostled some as she did.
The level of milk in her glass hadn’t altered much, but the sandwich had been nibbled, even if it hadn’t been a lot.
“You were angry,” she observed simply. “Why?”
“Because what he wants doesn’t make sense.”
“I have met with your president. He seems like a very sensible man.” She smiled. “I think I would like to sit in a stand and see one of the men who hurt me in chains.” Her chin tilted up. “I did nothing wrong. He did.”
“I know, but?—”
“If I get sent back, I get sent back.” She shrugged. “My sister would…” Ghost winced. “Has Link spoken of her? I asked him to find her.”
“Link is brilliant at finding people. So am I. If he hasn’t found her, then I’ll give it a shot, okay?”
“Thank you.” She studied me for a second, then murmured, “It is strange, isn’t it?”
“What is?”
“I have known you a few days, yet I look forward to you coming and sitting with me. I don’t know you, you don’t know me, but I feel like I do.”
Because I felt the same fucking way, and because I was just as confused by it, I beamed at her. “Yeah, it’s weird as fuck.”
“Maybe then you will understand why I would be willing to return to my country, even if it meant putting my sister’s future in jeopardy just to see that man suffer.”
“He wouldn’t suffer as you did.”
“Men like that are used to too many freedoms,” she countered. “Being chained and restrained would be a satisfying sight.”
“Babe, I don’t even know if things would get that far. Half the clubhouse wants to take down his son.”
“But Luke’s already dead.”
“Yeah, but he’s still got a body and he hasn’t been interred yet.”
“Interred?”
I waved a hand. “Buried.” I grimaced. “Got so many men wanting to defile that corpse of his, he’d?—”
“What? Get something he deserved?”
I grinned at her, liking this savage side that was coming out. “If we stole the body, would you like to?—”
“You could steal it?” Her brows rose. “That is strange.”
“We have friends everywhere. What would you do?”
“Everything he did to me.” She cleared her throat. “Well, some of the things he did to me.”
“Would that make you feel better?”
“No.”
“Would seeing the older Lancaster in court make you feel better?”
“Not really. But I’d feel better than if he just carried on living his life.”
“That makes sense.” I firmed my lips. “Your sister…where is she?”
“I think you call them orphanages.”
“Child services, huh? That’s shit. What happened to your folks?”
Ghost pulled a face. “My mother was what you call a ‘Russian bride.’ Her husband paid to have her brought over here. She left me with my grandmother. I don’t know who my father is.”
“That sucks.”
She nodded. “It does. She died, leaving my half-sister behind. She was fine until her father died in a car crash.
“Before my mother passed, she had put us in contact with one another. Her father didn’t want us to associate, but when he died and she reached out to me, I promised I’d come for her.” She blinked fast enough to tell me she was hiding tears. “That did not work out.”
Those broken pieces of me began to throb, vibrate with the need to collide with hers.
I sucked in a breath as I rolled forward, needing to connect with her, needing to touch her.
I’d only dared venture in here since a couple of days after they’d arrived. Something in me had wanted to avoid the bunkhouse.
Knowing that Stone had turned it into a temporary medical unit wouldn’t have brought back happy memories for me.
Then, I’d heard about Amara almost dying and Tatána trying to kill herself, and…I’d wanted to come by. Wanted to see if I could do anything.
I knew what it felt like to have nothing to live for. I knew what it felt like to feel as though you were living without hope.
Then I’d seen Ghost.
Suddenly, twice daily visits were the norm, and if I could get her to forget about the fact she needed to eat what Giulia put in front of her, I considered that a good goal to have crushed.
I barely knew her.
The length of time we’d been aware of each other could be calculated in hours…
Yet I had no compunction in saying, “I think we can get you your justice while making sure your sister grows up knowing you.”
She frowned. “This isn’t possible.”
I grinned at her, baring my teeth. “Impossible is my favorite word, Ghost.” I rolled closer to her. “I can give you what you want.”
“How?” she asked, her voice whisper soft as usual, but forceful enough then to tell me she wanted to know.
She wanted justice.
She wanted her sister.
And she deserved to have both.
“Marry me.”