Chapter 18 Ghost
GHOST
Jack is back at the compound with Camile.
He’s filled me in on everything that’s happened, so now I’m on high alert.
I’m pissed at myself for not having found the kid who shot at her yet, despite scouring the camera footage.
It’s going to take a long time to get through it all, though.
Now we know what happened in Mexico—or at least a part of it—it’s clear this was a coordinated attack.
I suspect Ledger will have retreated to come up with another plan.
A tiny smile tweaks my lips. Camile may be small, but she still gave Ledger a run for his money.
The smile falls away again as I realize things could have been very different.
He’d only gotten rough with her when she’d thwarted his advances, but what would have happened if she’d willingly had sex with him?
Would he have waited until she was in a post-orgasm doze—assuming he was capable of giving her an orgasm—and then shot her?
He’d clearly wanted to fuck her before he killed her.
God, what if he’d strangled her while he fucked her?
The thought of it makes my blood run cold.
I wonder if whoever is above him had given him the instruction to fuck her first.
Good for Camile for seeing through his bullshit.
I come across Rook working on a bike. He’s wearing a vest and has grease marks across his skin. I wonder if he knows Camile is back. Does Ace know, too?
That smile is back. I shouldn’t be fucking with them, considering it’s my role in the club to keep everyone under control, but I can’t help myself.
“Hey, I see your girlfriend is back at the compound.”
Rook jerks up at the sound of my voice and almost knocks over the bike. He grabs it just in time and rights it.
“What?”
He always acts like I’ve caught him doing something he shouldn’t. The guilt practically comes off him in waves.
“Camile is back. Sounds like some shit has gone down with her family back home. It’s our job to protect her now.”
His expression lights up. “It is?”
“Yeah, so you need to do a better job of it than last time. She’s sleeping now, but I expect Jack will want you around later to watch over her, at the house,” I add firmly.
“Message understood. I swear I won’t take her off anywhere.”
“I think Ace will be pleased to know she’s back, too,” I throw in. “He was practically heartbroken when he thought she was gone.”
Rook’s lips thin. “Is Ace around?”
“I haven’t seen him yet. He was still pining over her the last I saw. He’s probably off making himself feel better by snuggling a raccoon or some shit like that.”
Rook puts down the wrench he’d been holding and wipes his greasy hands on the front of his vest. “Maybe I should go and let Jack know that I’m here if he needs any help with Camile.”
“Sure, you do that.”
“You think he’ll give me a second chance?” he asks, getting suspicious.
I shrug. “I think you’re a pretty fucking shit bodyguard, but Camile could use a friend or two right now.”
Is that why I’m doing this? Not to shit stir, but because I’m thinking about her and what she might need?
Is Rook what she needs? Or someone like Ace?
One person I’m sure she doesn’t need is an asshole like me.
I know I probably made her hate me the last time we met, but I was just doing my job.
How can I keep order around here when people aren’t listening and doing stupid shit?
My instincts were correct, too. She is in danger. No one likes to be told what to do, but sometimes it’s necessary.
I’m not sure how I feel about the idea of her being back here.
It exposes us and the compound, and I don’t think Jack’s really thought about that.
If there’s another attack on her, it’ll put the rest of us in danger, including himself.
He might not admit it to himself, but he’s as hung up on her as Rook and Ace.
I’ve never known Jack to put anyone other than his family above the MC, and even though the girl is a friend of the family, she isn’t blood.
Rook lights up again. “Yeah, a friend. I can do that.”
“Nothing more, though,” I warn him.
He rakes a hand through his fair hair. “Fuck, man, I wasn’t planning anything else.”
I scoff. “Sure you weren’t.”
I do have a soft spot for the prospect. Maybe I see a bit of myself in him when I was younger. He hasn’t had an easy life, and I know how grateful he is that we’ve brought him into the club.
The hazing he went through was enough to make weaker men quit, so I believe he’s got real potential.
I think back to it and worry, not for the first time, how much Ace seemed to enjoy what he did to the prospect.
Ace is fucked up in ways his pretty face and happy-go-lucky nature hide, but I see the darkness lurking inside him.
I recognize it.
Rook scuffs his foot in the dirt. “I can’t help noticing she’s pretty, right? Don’t pretend you haven’t, too. I know you’re some hard as steel, cold son of a bitch, but you’re still a man.”
Rook is pushing his luck, and I scowl at him. “Difference is I know when something isn’t a good idea, and I have perfect self-control.”
I don’t tell him how I struggle to be around women.
What I went through when I was in active service, well, it left me with its scars, both physical and emotional.
I deal with pain, damaged nerve endings from war wounds, and some days even the material of my shirt touching my skin is enough to drive me insane.
My rigid self-control is all that’s between me being able to do my job and running off screaming into the mountains.
That’s before we get to the night terrors that have me breaking shit in my room in my sleep.
I don’t dare let women near me; not only because I fear their touch will hurt, but also because I can’t risk letting down my defenses for even a second.
There’s something about Camile that makes me worry she’d somehow manage to break through them, and that could be dangerous for us both.
Those big brown eyes, the silky hair, the way she’s so petite, it all makes me want to protect her with every inch of my body.
None of those things are good for a man like me.
It would have been better if Jack hadn’t brought her back here, but if he hadn’t, would she potentially end up dead?
Not wanting to dwell on the idea of her dead and pale, all lifeless and cold, I shake the image off. I’ve seen terrible things in my lifetime, and that’s one image I can live without.
My phone buzzes, and I glance at it. It’s a message from Jack, asking me to go stay at his house while he meets with Saul to update him on everything. Me? Why the fuck not Ace or Rook? They’re her little hangers-on.
I fire a text back, saying I should be there when he talks with Saul, but he replies that he’ll fill me in later, and he wants someone calm with Camile in case she wakes up.
Perfect.
He’s right, though. Ace is not calm, not by any stretch of the imagination.
“I gotta go,” I tell Rook.
Without waiting for his reply, I storm off in the direction of Jack’s house. I resist the urge to stop at my place first and grab a cigarette. I rarely smoke, but some days, when the stress gets a lot, I’ll have a cigarette. I think it’s having something to do with my hands, and it soothes me.
I arrive at Jack’s place and raise my fist to knock, but the door swings open before I can connect. God, he’s eager to get going.
Jack waves me in and in a low voice tells me that Camile is fast asleep in his bed.
“I’ll make this quick,” he says. “I need to let Saul know what’s going on, though. You guys are all aware of the basics, but he’s not.”
Maybe he should be, I think, but don’t say it out loud. Saul has been with Jack forever, but sometimes I think he’s a lazy fucker, and he’s not the best person for the VP role. It’s not my place to say, though, so I merely nod.
“I’ll make sure she’s safe.”
“Don’t let anyone in but me, and this evening, we need a Church meeting. Security has to be upped, and we all need to be extra vigilant.”
When he says a ‘Church’ meeting, I know he’s not planning on praying. They’re what we call our formal meetings where club structure and discipline are maintained. Only patch-holding members get to attend, and the attendance is mandatory if you want to remain part of the MC.
“Sure thing. What time? I’ll send a text around.”
“Let’s make it about eight, as the day is already getting away from us. We can ask Ace to stay and guard Camile.”
“He likes her,” I point out.
“Yeah, and maybe she likes him, and that’s all for the best.” He speaks from between clenched teeth, like it physically hurts to get the words out.
“You wouldn’t care?” It’s a risky question, but, come on, he’s in so much denial.
He glares at me. “Why the fuck would I? I’m going to be late.”
Jack pushes past me and lets himself out of the door, leaving me alone in his silent house.
There are a few simple homes on this compound, and the dorm building provides places for members to sleep, too. Some practically live on the compound full time, while others have homes to go to on the outskirts of town, but even they still spend plenty of time here.
The more senior members all live here for now. We’re setting up a business, too, and we can’t be leaving the place open to attack. It means this is our home for the immediate future.
Jack’s couch is big and comfy, so I make myself at home and turn on the TV. I keep the volume low and turn it to a sports channel, so I can mindlessly watch something.
I’m almost dozing off when I hear a sound come from upstairs. It’s a faint, low moan, and I sit up so I can hear better. It comes again, the sound pained, and I’m on my feet before I even think.
In the hallway, I toe off my boots so I won’t make a ton of noise on the stairs and head up to see if Camile is okay.
I’m not remotely ready for the sight that greets me. When I push open the door to Jack’s room, my mouth falls open.