Chapter 20
TWENTY
GHOST
Ivy & Piper’s Guide to Life Rule Number Two:
Trust your gut. That bitch knows what’s up.
T he morning sun filtered through the open blinds, illuminating the mountain of clean laundry piled high on Piper’s bed. Avery emerged from the closet with a scarf draped over her head like a wedding veil and one of Piper’s sky-high heels on her foot.
“Da-da-da!” she exclaimed, her wobbly but determined steps echoing off the hardwood.
It was a twisted ankle waiting to happen, but I was more concerned with the scarf.
“I see. Come here, princess,” I said, kneeling to tie it around her shoulders like a cape. “Your head’s still healing. Let’s try to get through the day without a visit to the ER. Can you do that for Daddy?”
She patted my arm before toddling back toward her bedroom, clearly unbothered that her foot kept slipping in and out of the shoe.
I chuckled and went into the closet for more hangers.
As I hung up the last of Piper’s shirts, the chirp of the front door sensor sliced through the quiet morning. My blood ran cold because I had Piper’s SUV, and Nikki would have knocked first.
I bolted down the hall, sidearm already in hand and my heart thrashing in my ears. Rounding the corner into the living room, I skidded to a stop to avoid colliding with Nails, the Dallas chapter president. An uncontrollable shudder swept through my entire body when I registered the figure leaning against his side.
“What the fuck happened?” I asked, shaking my head as I took in the bruises on Piper’s face and neck. “Who did this to her?”
Nails subtly positioned his body in front of hers before nodding to my sidearm. “You wanna put that away first?”
Fuck.
I holstered my weapon and forced myself to take a deep breath before reaching for Piper. She stumbled into my arms, her eyes glassy and unfocused with shock. I caught her gently, cradling her trembling body against my chest.
“Jesus Christ,” I breathed, gently tipping her face up toward mine. “Baby, can you tell me what happened?”
Her bottom lip quivered as she opened her mouth to speak, managing little more than a choked sob.
“Two men hit the bakery this morning,” Nails explained in a low voice. “Said they wanted to send a message to Ghost and Silent Phoenix through his Ol’ Lady.”
My jaw clenched so hard I thought my molars might crack. “And where are they now?”
“One’s dead, and my crew’s hunting the other.”
“A-ma owie?” Avery’s small voice cut through the tension. She stood in the hallway, still wearing Piper’s shoe and staring wide-eyed at her battered mother’s face.
“Hey, princess. Mama’s okay,” I lied, forcing my mouth into what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “Why don’t you go with GiGi for a little bit?”
Nikki stepped forward, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “Come on, sweetheart. You can help me feed Mr. Fish.”
Avery hesitated, her little brow furrowed as she looked between me and Piper. I nodded encouragingly, and she finally made her way over to Nikki .
“She can stay with me as long as you need. Until things…settle,” Nikki said, distracting our daughter with a list of things they were going to do as she carried her out.
“Nuh-no, owie?” Avery asked, peering back at us over her grandmother’s shoulder.
Nails squeezed my shoulder. “I’ll be at Nik’s, making calls to your chapter as well as the Tulsa crew. Might reach out to Carnage too, see if he and Jimmy can’t help us track down this other guy.”
I nodded, waiting until the front door clicked shut behind them before leading Piper to the couch and easing her down onto the cushions. Her entire body shook violently, teeth chattering together noisily. She looked so small, so fragile—nothing like the woman I’d dropped off at work hours ago.
“Don’t leave,” she whispered when I turned away.
“Just grabbing a blanket to warm you up,” I said, draping the soft throw over her shoulders. It was a piss-poor attempt at protection after what she’d endured, but it was all I could offer at the moment.
I carefully examined the swelling on her cheek, my hands trembling with the need to shed blood. Piper flinched at my touch, and a soft cry spilled past her lips, the sound gutting me.
“Sorry,” I said, carefully brushing away the tears leaking from her eyes with the pads of my thumbs. It was a foreign feeling, this mix of impotence and protective fury.
Things between us had been shit for the past week, ever since I found the note in her purse. It seemed like such a small thing now, in light of what had happened. None of that mattered anymore. All I wanted was to put her back together and make the bastards responsible pay.
My mind raced with vivid scenarios of vengeance, each one more gruesome and satisfying than the last. Images of bloodied faces and broken bodies played out like a horror movie in my head. I could almost hear their agonized screams and pleas for mercy.
Mercy that I would deny again and again.
I’d never gotten off on torture like some of the other men in the club did. But the thought of hunting down the person responsible for hurting Piper and slowly carving his body into little chunks left my heart pounding with a dark excitement .
“Baby, look at me.” I crouched in front of her, my hands hovering uncertainly over her thighs. “Need you to tell me what happened.”
Piper’s breath hitched, her gaze distant as she relived the nightmare. “It was just after four, and I was prepping the pastry dough.”
She described the robbery in halting fragments—two masked men storming the kitchen, a gun pressed to her temple as they forced her to open the safe.
“I did what they wanted. I thought they’d leave once they had the cash, but the taller man—he said he wanted to send you a message. The other guy said they were just supposed to scare me.”
Ice flooded my veins. It sounded as if the entire thing had been orchestrated solely to get to her, but why? Why go after her at all if it was me they wanted?
“He—he tore my coat and put the gun on my…” Piper’s voice trailed off, and she curled in on herself, fresh tears spilling over onto her cheeks.
The air left my lungs in a growl that was more animal than human. My hands clenched into fists, knuckles blanching at the thought of anyone putting their hands on her.
“I thought he was going to kill me, so I tried to fight back,” she continued, her hand unconsciously moving to her bruised cheek. “But he hit me. Said you wouldn’t be able to put me back together once he was done with me.”
My vision tunneled, rage building like a tsunami in my chest. I wanted to tear the room apart—to hunt down everyone involved and rip their throats out with my bare hands. My nostrils flared, the need to send someone to the Reaper threatening to consume me.
But she needed me calm. I pushed the fury back down, letting it simmer until the time when I’d have them on their knees.
“Did he…?” I choked on the word, unable to bring myself to say it.
“Derek showed up and shot the guy before he—before he—” Piper gulped in a breath of air before releasing a strangled sob.
Doing my best to avoid aggravating the injuries I could see, I pulled her onto my lap on the floor, holding her while she fell apart. She hadn’t been raped, but it was little consolation. Cold sweat ran down my back as I tried to piece it together, racking my brain for anything that might point to the people responsible.
Our enemies wouldn’t take a piss in our territory without getting permission first, and an attack on an Ol’ Lady was tantamount to a declaration of war. If a rival club were looking to send a message and start another war, they’d go after a ranking officer.
But Piper wasn’t my Ol’ Lady, at least not in an official sense. And that wasn’t the only thing that didn’t add up for me. Aside from GQ, Duke, a handful of the Dallas chapter guys, and our president, Bear, no one knew Piper existed.
“Baby, these men, were they wearing colors?” I prodded gently.
She tilted her head to the side, lips pursed in confusion. “Colors?”
“Kuttes, darlin’. Leather vests with patches,” I clarified, my fingers absentmindedly stroking her hair.
“No, they were wearing all black,” she replied, hiccupping through a ragged breath. “Their faces were covered with those ski mask things. I could only see their eyes.”
I nodded, filing the information away. No colors meant it likely wasn’t a rival MC, but the person had used my road name and made the connection to Piper.
Son of a bitch.
A vein in my forehead pulsed, but I tried to keep my tone calm as I asked, “Why was Derek there so early?”
Her eyebrows drew together as she tried to remember. “One of the afternoon girls quit. He said he was coming in early to rework the schedule.”
“Awfully convenient,” I muttered.
Piper studied my face with a frown. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
I sighed, knowing she wouldn’t like what I had to say. “The whole thing reeks of bullshit. Two guys happen to know you’re connected to the club, and Derek just happens to show up at the perfect moment?”
“What are you saying? That Derek’s behind this—that he’s trying to, what? Set you up?” Her voice rose an octave, disbelief clear in her tone.
“All I’m saying is it’s a hell of a coincidence,” I replied, holding her gaze. “And in my experience, there’s no such thing as coincidences. ”
“He literally saved my life?—”
“Or he showed up at just the right moment to play hero,” I countered, my own temper flaring. “Wake up, sweetheart. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…”
She scrambled off my lap, wincing as she straightened. “Do you realize how completely unhinged that sounds? Seriously, are you cracked out of your head right now?” Why would he want his own bakery robbed?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “I don’t know, Piper. Maybe he’s got a gambling problem. Maybe he owes the wrong people money. Or maybe he’s so fucking delusional that he thinks making me look like the bad guy will convince you to give him a chance. There are a hundred reasons why a prick like that might be willing to put your safety at risk.”
“Or maybe it has nothing to do with Derek!” she shot back, jutting her chin up at me like the defiant brat she was. “How do you know it’s not some enemy of your precious club?”
The rage I’d been holding back erupted, and I was on my feet before I realized I’d moved. “Because that’s not how it fucking works!”
Piper shrank away from me, and I forced myself to sit, trying to dial it back before continuing. “Family is off-limits. Always has been. There’s only been one group stupid enough to try it, and it led to an all-out war. After we wiped out the Sons of Death eight years ago, they reinstated the syndicate. No one in the country is willing to risk another war when the first one nearly destroyed us all.”
She swiped at the tears on her cheeks while slowly pacing the length of the couch. “Forgive me for not having a lot of faith in your ‘biker moral code’ at the moment, but I had a fucking gun held to my head, Dane. Because of you.”
I ran my tongue over my teeth with an exhaled chuckle. “You don’t need to have faith in it, darlin’. You just need to know it’s gonna be dealt with accordingly.”
“What does that even mean?” she grumbled, raking her hands through her damp hair. “I feel like you’re speaking in riddles.”
“It means your little buddy Derek better pray he’s not involved, or he’s about to have a really bad fucking day. ”
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to find a text from Nails.
Nails: ID on the dead guy. Timothy Ellis. 23. No known gang affiliations. Petty criminal record. Whoever these guys are, they’re not operating under another club’s orders. Looks like someone closer to home. Who else knows about you and Piper?
The list of people with that knowledge was even shorter, and I didn’t like the direction my thoughts were going.
Me: Look into Derek Williams. Convenient that he decided to show up early today of all days. Could be an inside job.
I glanced up to find Piper clawing at her arms, leaving angry red slashes across her skin. I set the phone aside, pushing my suspicions to the back of my mind for the moment.
“Come on, darlin’. Let’s get you cleaned up,” I murmured, gently taking her hand and guiding her toward the bathroom. She swayed unsteadily, and I locked an arm around her waist, supporting most of her weight until we reached the doorway.
“Please don’t leave me alone,” she pleaded when I turned to go, her face flushing with shame.
The fear in her eyes left me feeling sick, and I nodded before helping her out of her clothes, my eyes darting over the bruises mottling her breasts and belly.
I’d start with their skin, peeling it off layer by layer.
“I bathed at my mom’s, but I still feel so dirty,” Piper admitted, trying to cover herself with her arms.
Without a word, I carried her into the shower, not even bothering to strip off my boxer briefs. My hands moved gently over her skin and scalp, the hot water washing the suds down the drain.
“You’re safe. I’ve got you,” I said, wishing it was as easy to wash away the memories.
She sucked in a sharp breath and turned, striking my chest with her palm in a stinging slap. “You promised me you’d keep your club shit away from us!” she roared before collapsing against me with an anguished sob.
“I know,” I said, cradling her head against my shoulder. “I’m so sorry.” I held her tight as she cried, her tears mixing with the shower spray. Her accusation cut deep, but I couldn’t deny the truth of it. I had promised to keep her and Avery safe, and I’d failed spectacularly.
She blinked up at me, water and tears mingling on her lashes. “I can still feel him,” she choked out. “His breath on my neck. The gun against my skin…”
Helplessness clawed at my insides. “Tell me what you need, baby. Anything. I’ll do it.”
Her fingers curled against my chest as she met my gaze. “I need you,” she breathed. “I just... I need to feel safe. Even if it’s only for a few minutes.”
My throat tightened as she guided my hand to her bruised cheek. I pressed my lips to the tender flesh, releasing the sob that had been lodged in my throat since she walked through the door.
“Where else does it hurt?”
With a stuttered exhale, she guided my hands down to her breasts. “Here.”
I trailed kisses over the marks on her pink skin, my lips barely grazing the bruised flesh. When I pulled back to search her eyes, they were heavy-lidded, a mixture of pain and need swirling in their depths.
“Where else?” I asked, my voice rough.
“Here,” she whispered, guiding my hands down to her thighs.
I sank to my knees, skimming my fingers over the angry red crescents before pressing my mouth to each mark. “I’m sorry, baby,” I breathed against her skin. “I’m so fucking sorry.”
She shuddered at the warmth of my exhales against her sensitive skin. I wanted to erase every trace of his touch with my tongue, to reclaim every inch of her body as mine. But I forced myself to pull back, not wanting to push too far.
Then her hands were in my hair, urging me up. Our mouths collided roughly, her tongue slipping between my lips. Her hands moved frantically over my muscles before anchoring against my chest, her fingernails scoring my skin .
I gripped her hips to steady her as she pressed against me. Her mouth was desperate and demanding against mine, seeking comfort and oblivion. I wanted to give her both, to erase the horror of the morning from her mind, even if only for a little while. But I let her set the pace, afraid of pushing too far.
When we finally broke apart, both of us panting, Piper rested her chin against my chest. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize, darlin’. Not to me.”
She took a shaky breath, her voice cracking as she admitted, “I lied to you.”
“About what?” I asked, bracing myself for her confession.
Piper’s teeth sank into her lower lip, tears spilling onto her lower lashes. “The note that was in my purse. It wasn’t about baking supplies.”
I wanted to stop her, to tell her I didn’t want to know. But a larger part needed to hear the truth, no matter how much it hurt.
“Someone left it in my locker with some chocolates and painkillers when I was on my period,” she said, her flushed cheeks turning a darker shade of red.
“I know,” I said, swallowing past the lump in my throat. “I saw it when you were in the shower.”
“Why didn’t you say anything then?”
I shut off the water and grabbed a couple of towels before answering. “I thought about calling you out on it and forcing you to tell me the truth, but that’s not really a great way to build trust,” I said dryly. “Also, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know if you were involved with someone else. I’m still not.”
Piper’s eyebrows shot up. “You—you thought I was cheating on you? Oh my god, no wonder you’ve been sleeping on the couch,” she said, groaning into her hands before huffing out a breath. “I lied about the note because I thought you’d make me quit my job or, worse, show up and cause a scene.”
“Is it from Derek?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. I mean, it’s not his handwriting. Honestly, it’s not the first time stuff has been left in my locker, but it was the first time there was a note attached. And I don’t know who left it or if it’s connected to what happened today, but I wanted you to know.”
I took the towel from Piper’s hands and wrapped it around her body. “How long has this been going on?”
“A year, maybe?” she guessed with a shrug. “It’s typically little things like candy or gift cards for my favorite coffee shop. I assumed everyone was getting them until a few months ago when I mentioned it to one of my coworkers.”
“And you never thought to mention it?” I couldn’t keep the edge out of my voice.
“Because I didn’t think it was a big deal, Dane,” she said softly. “And things have been so strained between us lately. I was afraid you’d overreact.”
I bit back a growl of frustration. “Overreact? Someone’s been stalking you, and two men just held you at gunpoint. I’d say any reaction I have is pretty fucking justified.”
Piper winced at my tone, and I immediately regretted snapping at her. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down.
“I’m sorry,” I said, pulling her against my chest.
She melted into my embrace with a shuddering sigh. “I hate how things have been lately and just want us to be okay again.”
“Hey, we will be. I promise.” I lifted her in my arms, trying to ignore the penetrating ache in my chest as I carried her to the bedroom. Her skin was still damp from the shower, and she began shivering when I lowered her onto the bed.
“I don’t want to be scared,” she said, catching my hand as I slipped one of my T-shirts over her head. The dark bruises on her skin stood out in stark contrast to the pale blue fabric, each one a reminder of how I’d failed to protect her.
“You’re scared?”
She mashed her lips together before nodding. “Not of you, exactly. But of what being with you means.”
I knelt in front of Piper, taking her hands in mine. “Listen to me, baby. What happened today—that’s not normal. Not for me, not for the club. I know it’s scary as hell, but I swear to you, I’m going to find out who’s behind this and make it right. ”
My old man often said that if you put enough people down, the others quickly learned their place. That bastard had signed his own death warrant the second he entered the bakery, and I was willing to flood the streets with blood to send a message to anyone stupid enough to think they could lay a finger on my family and get away with it.