30. Truth
Ghost
She doesn’t say another word all the way to the clubhouse, and I don’t either. She needs to process, and I need to fight the destruction inside me. To keep the cracks from becoming craters.
The one good thing out of tonight was finding out that shitstain Bowie didn’t force himself on her. That fucking question has kept me awake at night more times than I can count, ever since she told me her side of the story in the hospital.
The moment I put the van in park, she gets out without sparing me a look.
Fuck, did I share too much? Maybe I should’ve kept my mouth shut about the guards. Maybe she thinks I’m broken beyond help now. Maybe she sees me just as worthless as I feel. Maybe—
My rising panic halts when I round the van and see her standing there, waiting for me. Her shoulders lift with a deep breath as her eyes find mine.
“Thank you for answering my questions,” she says quietly. “For telling me the truth.”
I’m such a brainless fucker. She wouldn’t see me as worthless. Not over the thing with the guards. Not a woman like her.
“I’ll always answer any questions you have,” I nod, the echo of panic fading from my chest.
She throws a quick look over her shoulder toward the clubhouse entrance, worrying a corner of her lip between her teeth.
“Are you going to fight him? Luca?” She tries to sound unbothered. She fails. Curiosity hums beneath her words.
“He needs to understand who’s in charge here,” I shrug. “And that’s definitely not him.”
That dumb fuck would deserve to have his ass handed to him. But I’d rather avoid a physical fight for now. I have plans in the near future, and I need to be at my best, not walking around with a broken rib.
Then again, a fight might be unavoidable. He’s still acting like he’s part of the Famiglia. That ends tonight.
“Okay,” she sighs. “Assert your dominance, then.”
She turns away as she flings those words at me, already walking toward the front door.
“I feel like you just called me a dog,” I grumble under my breath as I catch up with her.
“Really?” she mutters with a serene look, offering no explanation.
Her tone makes me want to argue, but I don’t have time right now. I stop her with a hand on her shoulder just as she reaches for the door.
“Adora, you’ll need to go straight to your room,” I say. “Club business is about to go down in there.”
She rolls her eyes, nods once, and moves again. The moment we step inside, we both stop. The tension is thick. Suffocating. The silence is wrong. There’s always music playing here, even if it’s barely a whisper, but not tonight. Tonight, it’s just the brothers.
Each of them stands too still or moves too casually, fingers twirling weapons they don’t bother hiding — knives, guns, brass knuckles.
All of them pretending they’re not one second away from attacking the jackass Italian.
The same jackass Italian who’s leaning against a table right in the middle of the room, whiskey glass in hand, looking bored. Smug. Fucking Luca.
Everyone else looks angry. Well, everyone except Domino. He went ahead of us, now he’s perched at the bar, watching the scene unfold with a wide, eager grin, like he’s front row at a show he’s been dying to see.
“Go, Adora,” I murmur, nudging her forward as I pull the knife from inside my boot.
Metal kisses air. Every brother’s spine snaps straight. I swear I hear the pop of their bones.
Domino’s grin vanishes.
Where the fuck is Bones?
Adora doesn’t linger. She moves fast. The second she disappears at the top of the stairs, the room exhales as one. And then inhales again, hungry for blood.
I roll my shoulders. My grip tightens. The knife feels light. Familiar. I start moving. Straight to Luca.
In the blink of an eye, my blade presses against his carotid. He doesn’t twitch a muscle or say a word.
“I forced your hand when I asked for the tracker. I owed you one.” The coldness in my voice could freeze this entire fucking room. “Do it again and you’re worm food.”
His eyes narrow a fraction, but only for a moment. Then he smiles and leans into the knife. Blood starts trickling over the blade. I don’t move back. If he wants to taste my steel, he’s more than welcome to it.
“I’ll do it as many times as I like,” he says, voice calm. Collected. Smile still in place.
He thinks he can rattle me. Thinks he can make some stupid power move. Did he forget who he’s playing with? Time to remind him.
I push him harder against the table, getting right into his face, knife still at his throat.
“Do you think it’d be a fair fight between us?” My voice drops. Dark. Dangerous. A warning he’d better listen to.
“You have no one, fucker. You’re a mafia assassin without a family. A biker without brotherhood. You haven’t earned shit yet. But you’ve lost everything.”
I jerk my chin at the people around us. “All these men? They’re at my back. Not yours. I can have you tied up like a hog in less than a minute, without lifting a finger. And then I’d let you hang in the middle of that forest in the back.”
I take a step away, glance at the blood on my knife, study it like it’s nothing. “Of course, I’d cut that poisoned tongue out of your mouth first. Leave it for the animals. You’d rot while I watch. And you wouldn’t even be able to scream.”
I sigh. Tilt my head. Time for the killshot.
“How long do you think Theresa will be able to survive with you gone? Now that everyone and their mother knows she was your mistress? How many do you think are waiting in the shadows right now, ready to take her? Find out what secrets of yours she knows?”
At the mention of Theresa, his mask cracks. And then it crumbles. Rage burns in his eyes, but he doesn’t say a word. Good.
I look at the men around us. Make a little show of it. It’s time to bury this fucker.
“Mindfuck,” I call out.
He snaps to attention instantly, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He knows judgment is coming, and it’s going to be fun.
“Tonight was one hell of a party, wasn’t it?”
“Sure was, boss,” Mindfuck nods, mock-serious.
“I bet the prospects are tired. They deserve a night off.” I turn back to Luca. A deadly smile on my face. “Tell them they’re free to do whatever. Silk here is gonna scrub the toilets in their place.”
I tap my chin with the tip of my knife, pretending to think. “In fact, he’ll do it for the rest of the month. That’s how good of a brother he is to the entire club. Even the prospects. Isn’t that right, Silk?”
Luca starts working his jaw like it’s on overtime and the pay is double. But there’s no escape, and he knows it.
“Yeah, Ghost,” he growls after a long pause.
Right answer, fucker.
Adora
I’ve been staring into the eyes of a very angry Bones for a few minutes now. This… is getting awkward fast.
He was waiting for me outside my door. Leaning against the hallway wall, opposite none other than Ria.
They were both scowling at each other, arms crossed, feet tapping impatiently against the floor.
He said he wanted to have a chat with me.
Ria threatened him. He almost blew a gasket.
I felt like I was caught in the middle of a toddler spat.
Looking at Bones now, I feel like maybe I should’ve just dragged Ria into my room, slammed the door in his face, then blocked the knob with a chair.
Maybe it would’ve been better to have this “chat” a few days later.
Not on the same night I tasered his brother in front of the entire club. Let him cool down a little.
Shit, I always make the stupid choice. Why can’t you do better, brain? To be fair though, after everything I’ve learned tonight, my poor brain is mush.
I clear my throat, trying to break the uncomfortable silence. “Would you—”
“How long,” he interrupts rudely, “after you met Ria, did you realize you could use her to hurt my brother?”
He leans forward in his chair, fingers tapping the table twice. “Was it two days? One?” His eyes narrow to slits. “It was less than a day, wasn’t it?”
My mouth suddenly dries up. A zap of warning runs through me.
“Why would you ask something like that?,” I mutter, trying to hide the unease crawling up my spine.
He leans back, huffing out a breath heavy with disappointment. “Whether you admit it or not, it’s the truth. But I’d appreciate an answer.”
I shake my head, again and again. My jaw trembles with denial.
“No.” It’s a whisper, but it’s loud enough. “No,” I repeat, louder this time. “I just ignored him. That’s all I did. I didn’t tell Ria to poison him. I didn’t tell her to do anything.”
He tilts his head, considering my words. “I never said you told her to do anything. Just that you used her. Used her dislike for us in your favor. Intentionally.”
His eyes darken. His voice drops. “Look, I get it. I fucking get it. We all have our tricks. To survive. To get the justice we think we deserve. And you—” he points at me, “—you found your own way to get revenge. And that’s fine.”
A pause. His tone shifts.
“But now I need you to stop. Stop hurting my brother. He’s been through enough.” His entire face darkens. “You’ve put him through enough.”
“He’s put me through enough too.”
The words tear out of me, bitter and angry, spit through gritted teeth. I can barely hold back the rush of tears. I shouldn’t snap at Bones like that. I should remember who he fucking is. He’s a predator. And I’m on his territory.
My legs shake against the chair. My body feels cold. Too cold.
I suddenly want to get up, take Gary into my arms, clutch him to my chest like a shield. Hide myself from the ugly truth screaming inside my mind.
Bones sucks his teeth lightly and crosses his arms, his eyes still on mine. Then he sighs and drags a hand down his face. His glare vanishes.
“I’m not here to hurt you, Adora,” he murmurs. “I’ll admit I’m not particularly fond of you, because of the past, but that’s irrelevant. My brother loves you. Temper likes you. So I’ll play nice. I have been playing nice.”
He pauses.