Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
hades
The chapel at the Saint's Outlaws clubhouse has seen its share of difficult conversations, but this one might be the hardest yet.
Ghost sits at the head of the long wooden table, his president's patch catching the overhead light.
Rogue, Tempest, and Sniper flank me on either side, their faces grim as they study the documents spread between us.
"Walk me through this again," Ghost says, his voice carefully controlled. "From the beginning."
I take a breath, organizing my thoughts. These men are my brothers, but they're also calculating strategists who need facts, not emotions.
Rogue stares at the stack of printed emails. “She gave him all this?”
“For three years,” I say, jaw tight. “Club routes, contact names, law enforcement ties. Everything.”
"Multiple clubs?" Rogue asks, his teeth grind. He knows better than anyone what betrayal from the Bennett family feels like.
Sniper flips a page, eyes scanning. “Vegas, Denver, Atlanta. Same shell corp in all three.”
I nod. “Three states. Multiple fronts. And not just street thugs. Real syndicates are behind this.”
"Because he didn't need the intelligence anymore.
He'd already used it to build his client base, establish his network, and eliminate competition.
" I pull out more documents. "These transfers trace through Nevada, Texas, even up into Illinois.
Three states. All clean on paper, all dirty underneath. "
"And your sister found out about this," Ghost says. It's not a question.
"She found financial irregularities. She couldn't figure out how a consultant was living like a millionaire. That's when she hired the PI." My hands clench into fists at the memory. "If she'd lived another week, she would have uncovered the whole scheme."
"So Morrison had her killed to protect his operation."
"And to keep Evangeline in the dark. As long as she doesn't know what she's really providing access to, she stays useful. High-society connections, charity events, wealthy contacts who need their money cleaned."
The weight of it settles over the room like a lead blanket. We're not just talking about revenge for Calla anymore. We're talking about dismantling a network that spans multiple criminal organizations.
"What's the scope of his operation now?" Ghost asks.
I flip through more financial records. "Bigger than we initially thought. He's not just laundering money for small-time criminals. Some of these clients are major players. Organized crime families, international syndicates."
"The kind of people who don't hesitate to eliminate threats," Rogue says quietly.
"Exactly, and right now, Evangeline is the one in the firing line."
Tempest leans forward. "The phone calls?"
“Unknown numbers. Breathing. Nothing else. Just… listening.”
A pause. Ghost scowls. “He’s not just calling. He’s watching, testing her nerves, seeing how much pressure she can take before she breaks."
"Or before she does something stupid like confront him directly," Sniper adds.
The possibility makes my stomach turn. Evangeline's strong, but she's also protective of those kids to a fault. If she thinks Morrison is threatening them, she'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe, even if it gets her killed.
"So what's the play?" Ghost asks, and I can hear the president in his voice now. Not my friend, not my brother, but the man who makes the hard decisions that keep us all alive.
“We eliminate the threat.”
“Morrison.”
Ghost folds his hands. “Quiet. No splash. No one links it to us.”
“Needs to look like internal fallout,” I add. “A mistake he couldn’t see coming.”
The simple statement hangs in the air between us. We all know what it means, what I'm asking for.
"This is personal for you," Ghost says. "Too personal. Emotions compromise judgment."
"She's family now," I reply. "We protect family."
"Not if protecting her means making mistakes that get us all killed."
"I won't make mistakes."
"Won't you?" Ghost's blue eyes are hard, calculating. "Because from where I'm sitting, you're already compromised. You're in love with her, which means you're not thinking clearly."
The words hang there. My throat tightens.
I glance down, then back up. “Yeah, I am. But Morrison killed my sister. He's threatening the woman I love and five innocent kids. Compromised or not, I'm the right man for this job."
"Are you? Or are you the man most likely to fuck it up because you can't see past your own feelings?"
Before I can answer, Rogue speaks up. "I was compromised when I went after Lochlann. Emotions, personal stakes, all of it. But you backed me up because it was the right thing to do."
"That was different."
"How?"
"Because Willow was already part of this world. She knew the risks, knew what she was getting into. Evangeline doesn't. She's a civilian who's been manipulated and lied to. When this comes out, it's going to destroy her."
The weight of that truth settles over me like a stone. Whatever we do to Morrison, however justified it is, Evangeline will learn that the man she almost married was a criminal who had her brother killed. She trusted him, and that’s what’ll hurt the most.
"Maybe," I say quietly. "But if we don't move against him, she might die. And those kids will lose the only mother they have left."
"So you tell her," Sniper says. "Lay out the evidence and let her decide how she wants to handle it."
"She'll want to go to the police."
"And?"
"Morrison has people in law enforcement. The case will disappear, evidence will get lost, witnesses will have accidents." I shake my head. "She'll be signing her own death warrant."
"So what's your alternative?" Ghost asks. "Kill Morrison without telling her why? Let her spend the rest of her life wondering what happened to him?"
The question cuts to the heart of the dilemma. Do I prioritize her safety or her right to know the truth? Her life or her peace of mind?
"I don't know," I admit. "But I know I can't lose her the way I lost Calla."
The room goes still.
No one breathes.
“Then we make sure you don’t,” Ghost says. “And if eliminating Morrison means losing her anyway? If she finds out what you did and can't forgive you for it?"
The possibility that Evangeline might hate me for protecting her is almost too painful to consider. But not as painful as the alternative.
"If she never forgives me, I’ll live with that. Better angry and alive than mourning her too."
Ghost studies me for a long moment, weighing options, calculating odds. Finally, he nods.
"Alright. We move against Morrison, but we do this smart, clean, and with minimal blowback. We tell her afterward, when it's done and she's safe."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. This kind of operation requires resources, planning, perfect execution. One mistake and we're all fucked."
"I understand."
"Do you? Because once we cross this line, there's no going back. Morrison disappears, his operation gets dismantled, and anyone who asks too many questions becomes a problem we have to solve."
The weight of what he's saying settles over the room. This isn't just about eliminating one threat. It's about taking on a network of criminals who won't hesitate to retaliate.
"What do you need from us?" Rogue asks.
"Intelligence gathering, financial tracking, coordination with our contacts in law enforcement. This has to look like an internal dispute within Morrison's organization, not an MC hit."
"Consider it done," Tempest says. "What's the timeline?"
"Soon. Morrison's getting desperate, which makes him dangerous. Those phone calls are just the beginning. Next comes direct threats, maybe even an attempt to take Evangeline or the kids."
"Then we’d better move fast," Ghost says.
"Rogue, I want you coordinating with our police contacts.
See what kind of official cover we can arrange.
Sniper, start tracking Morrison's movements, habits, security.
Tempest, you're on financial intelligence.
I want to know every account, every asset, every business connection. "
"And me?" I ask.
"You stay close to Evangeline and those kids. Keep them safe while we set this up. And try not to let your personal feelings compromise the mission."
It's a direct order, but also good advice. The next few days are going to test every instinct I have, every principle I've tried to live by.
"There's something else," I say, my voice rougher than I intended. "When this is over, when Morrison's gone and the truth comes out, she’ll need time. So will the kids. And us? I don’t know what we’ll be."
"You think she'll blame you?"
"I think she'll blame herself. For not seeing it, for almost marrying him, for trusting someone who had her brother killed." The thought makes my chest tight with pain. "She's going to feel like everything was her fault."
"Then you make sure she knows it wasn't," Ghost says simply. "You remind her that she was the victim, not the villain. And you give her all the time and space she needs to heal."
"How do I live with doing the right thing if it means losing her?"
The question hangs between us, heavy with implication. Because that's the real risk here, the price I might have to pay for keeping her alive.
"Then you'll have done the right thing anyway," Rogue says quietly. "Because loving someone means putting their needs above your own wants. Even when it destroys you."
He would know. He lost Willow for five years because he put her safety before his own happiness. He got her back eventually, but only after paying a price that nearly killed him.
"Besides," Tempest adds, "she might surprise you. Women are stronger than we give them credit for. Especially when they have something worth fighting for."
"Like what?"
"Like a man who'd go to war to keep her safe. Like five kids who need both of you. Like a family worth protecting."
The possibility that Evangeline might choose to stay, might choose us despite everything, is almost too much to hope for. But it's the only thing keeping me sane right now.
"Alright," Ghost says, standing up. "We know what we're doing. Let's get to work."
The others file out, already making plans, coordinating strategies. But Ghost stays behind, his expression thoughtful.
"You know this changes everything, right?" he says when we're alone. "Once we eliminate Morrison, once Evangeline knows the truth about what you did for her, there's no going back to the way things were."
"I know."
"She'll either accept what you are, what we are, or she won't. But she'll know. There won't be any more pretending you're just the helpful uncle who fixes broken fences."
The weight of that truth is almost overwhelming. Right now, Evangeline sees me as safe, dependable, the man who helps with bedtime stories and homework. After this, she'll know I'm someone who kills to protect the people he loves.
"Will you be able to handle it if she can't?" Ghost asks. "If she looks at you and sees a killer instead of a protector?"
"I'll have to."
"That's not an answer."
I think about Evangeline's face when she laughs at something one of the kids says. The way she looks at me when she thinks I'm not watching. The way she felt in my arms when I kissed her.
"If keeping her alive means losing her, then that's a price I'll pay," I say finally. "Because her being safe and happy somewhere else is better than her being dead."
Ghost nods, like that's the answer he expected. "Good. Because the next few days are going to test that conviction."
He heads for the door, then pauses. "For what it's worth, I think you're making the right choice.
Morrison's a threat that needs eliminating, and you're the best man for the job.
Just remember that family isn't just about blood.
It's about choice. And she's already chosen to be part of this, whether she knows it or not. "
After he leaves, I sit alone in the chapel, staring at the documents that will either save Evangeline's life or cost me everything I want with her.
Three days. That's how long Tempest estimates it'll take to set everything up, to coordinate the hit, to make Morrison disappear in a way that looks like business as usual in the criminal world.
Three days to keep her safe while lying to her face.
Three days before I have to tell the woman I love that I killed someone for her.
Three days before I find out if loving her means losing her forever.
I gather up the documents, lock them in Ghost's safe, and head back to my bike. Whatever happens next, whatever price I have to pay, I'll face it.
Because some things are worth fighting for.
Some things are worth killing for.
And some things are worth losing everything for.
Evangeline Peterson is all three.