Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Legacy was fall down drunk, Gio was screaming down his phone in angry Italian and Chloe was gone.
This was all such a mess.
Some funeral and wake it had been. Any normal person would be appalled. Except Ghost wouldn’t. He loved the drama more than any man I knew. He would have loved every second of this, apart from the fact his daughter was missing.
His daughter.
Across the bar, I followed Sy with my eyes. She was talking quietly to Keeley. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it looked heated. Like they knew each other and maybe they did. Nothing would surprise me anymore.
After finding out Chloe was Ghost’s daughter and not his lover, nothing would ever be a surprise ever again.
“Sy.” I called, and both women turned to me in shock. “Fancy getting some beers on the go and coming to talk to us?”
I didn't understand why no one had asked her more questions. Chance had disappeared with Domino, both of their bikes roaring in different directions and Gio’s security teams were out looking for Chloe as well, but none of those people seemed shocked by Sy’s revelation.
They knew, I realised. They had probably known all along.
“I’m not serving him,” she said, eying a slumped over Legacy with a sneer. “He’s cut off.”
“That’s understandable.” I didn’t know what was going on with Legacy, but it was more than losing his dad and finding out he had another sister.
“Hi.” A dark curly headed woman moved across the bar to sit on one of the bar stools. She reached across the bar, offering her outstretched hand to Sy. “I’m Elodie. I’m Ghost’s daughter, and that’s my husband Jax. You know my brother Legacy already, and I want to apologise about him.”
Sy studied her before slowly shaking her hand. “Don’t worry about it.”
I couldn’t help it. I moved to stand next to them and I wasn’t the only one. Duke was already there, leaning against the bar on his elbows. The others that had regrouped here were listening in. Everyone except Legacy, and I wasn’t sure he was even awake.
“Were you telling the truth about—” Elodie started to say and Sy threw down the cloth she was using.
“Look Elodie, I don’t want to get involved. I just couldn’t stand to hear that asshole go at her like he was.”
“I know he can be an ass. He’s my brother, but I want to know if that girl is my father's daughter?” Elodie didn’t back down. “Is she my sister?” She glanced behind her and scowled. “Our sister?”
“I refuse to get involved in Savage Son's business again. I won’t be dragged in. You guys sort it out amongst yourself.” She shot a look at Keeley, who was frowning at her.
They knew each other. It was official. Keeley sighed loudly. “Just tell them Sylvie.”
I frowned. Who the fuck was Sylvie?
“Fine. I only know what Chloe told me.” Her eyes met mine, and the look wasn’t friendly at all. “She was too busy gushing about you to go into too much detail, but, yeah, Ghost is her father.”
Gushing about me? Why did that make me so happy? I shook the happiness away and leant forward to listen to the story that Chloe had told her but hadn’t trusted me with.
“Her mum's name was Ciara Vienno. She was the only daughter of some guy who no longer matters.” She shrugged. “But their family was pretty powerful a few decades ago.”
Keeley nodded her head in agreement.
“She was married when she was sixteen to a man named Caleb Malony. It wasn’t a happy relationship. Ciara didn’t want to be there.”
“I’ve heard of Caleb. He used to run a huge part of the west coast. He pretty much controlled what went in and out of Ireland at one point. But what does he have to do with Chloe?” I asked.
“Because that’s who her mum was married to until she ran off with a biker who promised her the world and—”
Elodie groaned. “And knocked her up instead?” She rolled her eyes. “That sounds like Ghost.”
“Except he didn’t knock her up and leave.
They didn’t stay together, but Ghost was pretty active in their lives.
He looked after them. It wasn’t like Ciara could go back to her husband with another man’s baby.
” Sy shrugged. “Anyway, that was before. Caleb caught up with them when Chloe was twelve. His men shot her mum in the head in front of her. Can you imagine how that affected her?” She looked at each one of us in turn and no one spoke.
“She only got away because she was hiding. Ghost took her in after that. Made sure she was placed with families he trusted. And then, when she was old enough to work, he found her work. Firstly, as a childminder for Isla—”
“Isla?” Elodie looked taken aback. “As in Isla who used to date my husband?”
I had forgotten that part of the past. “Isla is with Chance now,” I muttered, and Elodie glared at me. “She has been for years. I don’t think you need to worry.”
“I’m not worried. I was just wondering how long this girl has been part of our lives without us even knowing it,” she snapped right back.
“Anyway.” Sy rolled her eyes. “Ghost tried to keep her hidden. She was always moving, and she had rules to keep her safe.”
“Safe?” I lifted my eyebrows until it felt like they would disappear into my hairline. “Why would he have to keep her safe?”
“Because of Caleb. He’s been looking for her for years.
As a kid I think he might have just killed her and been done with it, but she’s not a kid anymore and—” Sy fell silent before clearing her throat.
“There was some stuff sent to my flat even in the few days she was with me. And they weren’t the kind of things you would send to someone you wanted to kill. ”
I did a double take. “Are you saying her mother's ex husband has been stalking her since she was a kid? What kind of sick fuck does that?” At my side, my fists clenched.
All that time, and she hadn’t said a word. Not one word about what she was going through. I didn’t know how she had managed to function, let alone be the kind, sweet girl she was.
“What do you think he will do if he finds her?” Elodie’s voice shook with worry and I couldn’t blame her. I was worried as well.
From behind us, the door to the pub banged open and Sy lifted her head as Domino and Chance stomped into the room.
I twisted in my chair to find Chance just standing there. He had a bag in his hands. A simple black clutch bag with a silver buckle. It was the bag Chloe had been holding in front of her at the grave side.
“I don’t think he will kill her,” Sy said quietly but the weight of her words made my head snap to her. “I think he will do something so much worse. I think he plans on keeping her.”