Chapter Twenty-Six #2
Faith took a step closer and wrapped her arms around me.
I was grateful for the act, but I refused to fall apart.
I couldn’t, not now. Gemma would need me, and honestly, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be whole again if I fell apart now.
“No,” she finally answered my question. “At least not that we know of.”
I took a step back and then another, and another, until I could finally take a full breath without the familiar sting of loss. “What does that mean?”
T-Bone moved at a slower pace after he closed the door, locking it completely.
I was pacing the floor in agitation, I needed to move, to do something.
He sat down on the sofa and gave me his full attention. “After your call we decided to check. Slate looked into Pike’s cell phone data, while Faith and I checked to see if he’d had an accident.”
“What did you find?” I asked frantically.
“His bike,” Faith answered on a heavy sigh. “It was turned over on the highway. At first glance a trooper might chalk it up to an accident, but it was definitely an ambush.”
T-Bone nodded his agreement. “Highway patrol found his bike, but there was no sign of him.”
Ambush. “Ghost Riders.” It wasn’t a question. Right now they were the threat. Because of me.
Faith swallowed but she didn’t answer.
T-Bone had no such qualms. “Yeah, Slate couldn’t get the CCTV footage, but we’re sure it’s them.”
His words were calm and without emotion, they were just what I needed in that moment but after a full moment of silence, I felt the dam burst. It wasn’t just tears, it was the weight of grief and loss, it was all the things that could’ve been that would never get to be.
Because of me.
I let the tears fall but muffled the sounds of my sobs to avoid waking Gemma.
I knew better than most that tomorrow wasn’t promised so I let myself cry for the uncertain future I’d just started letting myself dream about, for the smile I’d never get to see again.
Pike hadn’t proclaimed his love for me and he hadn’t promised me forever.
But he’d been kind and steady and patient.
He didn’t deserve a brutal, violent end.
“He’s dead,” I said between sobs.
Faith put her hand on my shoulder. “We don’t think so.”
I looked up, confused. What other explanation could there be?
“If the Ghost Riders killed him, they’d have let us know. They’d want to gloat about it. We think they’ve taken him,” T-Bone said, his voice flat.
He made me believe in good again. He showed me that not every man I met would hurt me and I owed him for that. I owed his memory as much as I owed Ashley’s. But what if he wasn’t dead? If he was alive, then there was only one way to get him back.
“Chloe,” Faith said softly, as if she was afraid of what she saw on my face.
Good, she should be afraid. I was. “Take Gemma.” I stood, wiping away my tears as resolution settled deep in my gut. “Take her with you.” I said the words to Faith and then T-Bone.
“What? No!” Faith shouted. “You’re emotional right now.”
“Damn right I am,” I shot back. “Take Gemma back to Steel City and keep her safe.”
“Chloe, stop this,” Faith began. “There is no fucking way—”
“I’m not asking,” I shot back in a firm voice I felt down to my bones. “I won’t let anyone else get hurt because of me.”
T-Bone sat taller, resisting the urge to stand and tower over me. “Chloe.”
I was settled. This plan that had barely formed in my head suddenly seemed like the best idea I’d ever had. I turned to T-Bone. “Tell Diesel to give me up.”
“Fuck that,” Faith shouted. “We are not doing that.”
I nodded. “Yeah, we are.” There was a tingle humming through my veins that I’d never experienced before and couldn’t explain.
“We have to.” This was the only way. I knew it.
“If there’s a chance that Pike is still alive, this is the way.
Take Gemma back to Steel City, then tell them she’s here, or better yet tell the Ghost Riders that Marcus’ killer is here.
It’s me they want.” I said, feeling powerful and strong that finally I had some control over my destiny.
How could I keep hiding when everyone who’d ever been nice to me, who was ever kind to me, ended up dead? I couldn’t. “Just do it. Please.”
“That’s crazy. You think I’m going to stand back while you offer yourself to them? What about Gemma? She needs her mom.”
“She needs to live her life in peace without having to move every few months. As long as the Ghost Riders are after us, that will never happen. No matter what happens, Gemma will live. She’ll get to be free to live a long, happy life.”
“Without you.” Faith’s voice broke and tears pooled in her eyes.
“She’ll have you and you’ll let her know that I didn’t fuck up everything. Let her know that for once, I died a hero. That I did this for her.” Tears stung my eyes and the idea of never seeing my sweet girl again made me want to fall apart completely, but I refused to let them fall.
“Diesel will never allow it,” T-Bone spat out.
“Then make him see it’s the only way!” I pleaded.
“You can’t do this,” Faith said. I hated to see the pain in my sister’s eyes. But I’d caused too much pain. Now was the time to end it.
“Maybe we can spare some men for backup…” T-Bone muttered.
“What? Set a trap?” Faith asked.
T-Bone shrugged, “Something like that. I don’t know if Diesel will go for it. But Ghost Riders need to be put down right now. I’ll take the idea to him and see what he says.”
This was the right course of action.
This was what I should’ve done sooner.
I should’ve left Marcus the first time he put his hands on me. After the first miscarriage. This was it, for all the times I kept quiet and remained docile, this was me fighting back.
“Please. We have to do this. Tonight.” Maybe it wasn’t too late to save Pike.
No matter what, this was the end.