Chapter 28 Ash
ASH
The map on my desk shows every entry point to the compound, weak spots and vulnerability.
Mona knows all of them.
She lived here for three years. Watched us come and go, learned our patterns, our routines, our defenses. And now she’s gone, carrying the paternity test results and God knows what other information she plans to sell to Marcus Stone.
It’s been four days since she disappeared, and we’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I trace the compound’s perimeter on the map with my finger. Three main entrances. Two emergency exits and multiple buildings that would be impossible to defend if we’re attacked from multiple angles at once.
And Bonnie is here. Right in the center of the target.
She has to go.
The decision solidifies in my mind. It has been forming for days, but now it’s concrete.
I pick up my phone and text Ghost and Titan: I need a short meeting with you two in my office. Now.
They arrive within five minutes. Ghost closes the door behind them. Titan drops into the chair across from my desk.
“What’s up?” Titan asks.
I don’t waste time with pleasantries. “Bonnie needs to leave the compound. Tonight.”
Silence.
Then Titan says, “No.”
“It’s not a question.”
“Like hell it’s not.” He leans forward. “She stays here. With us. Where we can protect her.”
“We can’t protect her here. Not if Savage Legion attacks.” I tap the map. “Mona knows everything. Our layout, our defenses, our numbers. She’s been gone four days. That’s four days to give Marcus every piece of intel he needs to take us down.”
“We should fortify,” Titan argues. “Double the patrols. Lock down the perimeter. We’ve defended this compound before.”
“Not with a pregnant woman inside who’s worth fifty thousand dollars to our enemies.”
“Then we keep her in the safest room.”
“It won’t be enough.” I stand and brace my hands on the desk. “When they attack—and they will attack—this place becomes a war zone. Bullets flying, brothers dying, everything on fire. I’m not having Bonnie caught in the middle of that.”
“Where else is she going to be safe?” Titan’s voice rises. “Out there alone? Away from the club? Away from us?”
“The safe house.”
“The safe house is fifty miles away. If something happens—”
“Nothing will happen. Nobody knows about it except us.”
“Mona could know about it.”
“She doesn’t. We acquired it after she left Iron’s inner circle. It’s off the books and untraceable.” I look between them. “It’s the only place Marcus won’t think to look.”
Ghost has been quiet this whole time, arms crossed, watching us argue. Now he speaks. “How long?”
“Until the threat is neutralized. Until Marcus is dead and his club is ashes.”
“That could take weeks. Months.”
“Then it takes months.”
Titan shoves his chair back and stands. “This is bullshit. You’re sending her away because you can’t handle the pressure of keeping her safe while running the club.”
My jaw clenches. “Watch it.”
“No. You watch it.” He points at me. “You’re the president. You’re supposed to make the hard calls. And the hard call here is keeping our family intact, not scattering us across the state.”
“Our family stays intact if Bonnie stays alive.”
“She stays alive if we’re with her!”
“You think I don’t know that?” I’m yelling now. Can’t help it. “You think I want to send her away? But I’m not risking her life because you’re too stubborn to see the reality of our situation!”
“The reality is you’re scared!” Titan yells back. “You’re scared of leading. Scared of failing. So you’re removing the one thing that makes you vulnerable!”
“I’m removing the one thing Marcus wants most!”
We’re both on our feet now, facing off across the desk. Ghost steps between us. “Both of you shut up,” he says quietly.
“Stay out of this,” Titan snaps.
“No.” Ghost looks at me. Then at Titan. “You’re both right and you’re both wrong.”
“Helpful,” I mutter.
“Ash is right that the compound is a target. Mona knows too much. We’re exposed here.” Ghost’s voice is calm, measured. Military training kicking in. “But Titan’s right that splitting up weakens us. Bonnie shouldn’t be alone.”
“She won’t be alone,” I say. “She’ll have guards. Protection.”
“Guards aren’t family.” Ghost pauses. “I’ll take her.”
I stare at him. “What?”
“I’ll take Bonnie to the safe house. Stay with her. Keep her protected.” He looks at both of us. “You two need to be here. Ash has to lead the club. Titan has to run security. I’m the only one who can leave without crippling our operations.”
“Ghost—” Titan starts.
“I’m the biological father.” Ghost’s voice is flat, emotionless. “It makes sense. I take her. I keep her safe. You two defend the compound and end this war.”
The logic is sound. Rational. Exactly what I would’ve suggested if I’d thought of it first.
But hearing Ghost volunteer—hearing him claim that right because he’s the biological father—sends a spike of jealousy through my chest.
“How soon can you leave?” I ask.
“Tonight. As soon as we can pack and leave.” Ghost looks at me. “Unless you have a better plan?”
I don’t. And we all know it.
“Fine,” I say. “You take her tonight.”
Titan’s hands curl into fists. “I don’t like this.”
“You don’t have to like it. You just have to accept it.” I pull out my phone. “I’ll text Bonnie.”
“She’s going to fight you on this,” Titan warns.
“I know.”
I send the text: My office. Now. Important.
She arrives ten minutes later, still wearing the same clothes from this morning. Her eyes are red like she’s been crying, but her jaw is set. Ready for a fight.
“What?” she asks, crossing her arms.
I don’t soften it. Can’t. “You’re going to the safe house. Ghost is taking you. You leave tonight.”
Her eyes widen. “No.”
“It’s not a discussion.”
“Like hell it’s not.” She steps closer to the desk. “I’m not running. I’m staying here to fight for my club.”
“This is your club. And your club needs you alive.”
“My club needs every fighter it can get. I can shoot. I can fight. I’m staying.”
“Bonnie—”
“No, Ash. I’m not leaving.” Her voice rises. “You don’t get to ship me off like I’m some damsel who can’t handle a war. I’ve been part of this club my entire life. I’m not abandoning it now.”
“You’re pregnant.”
“I’m aware!”
“Then act like it!” I slam my hand on the desk. “You’re carrying a baby. You’re a target. Marcus wants you. Mona betrayed us. If Savage Legion attacks this compound, you will die. And I’m not letting that happen.”
“You don’t get to make that choice for me.”
“Yes, I do. I’m your husband. I’m the president. And I’m telling you—you’re going to that safe house if I have to drag you there myself.”
She opens her mouth to argue.
Ghost stands. “Bonnie.”
Just her name. That’s all he says.
She turns to look at him. Something passes between them—silent communication I can’t read.
“You need to go,” Ghost says quietly.
Her shoulders slump. The fight drains out of her.
“Fine,” she whispers. “I’ll go.”
Just like that. No more arguing. No more protesting.
Ghost said her name, and she folded.
I watch this happen and don’t know what to feel. But there’s jealousy. Sharp and bitter. She listens to him. In a way she doesn’t listen to me or Titan.
Is it because he’s the biological father? Because somewhere deep down, she’s bonded to him differently than the rest of us? Or is it something else? Something about Ghost specifically that makes her trust him more?
I don’t have time to figure it out.
“Pack light,” I tell her. “Only essentials. Ghost will handle the rest.”
She nods and leaves without another word.
Ghost follows her out, pausing at the door. “I’ll keep her safe.”
“I know.”
The door closes. Titan and I are alone in the office.
“This is the right call,” I say, more to myself than to him.
“Doesn’t mean it feels right.” Titan stares at the closed door. “She’s going to hate us for this.”
“She’ll be alive to hate us. That’s what matters.”
“Is it?” He looks at me. “Or are you just telling yourself that so you can sleep at night?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re sending away the one person who makes any of this worth fighting for.” He heads for the door. “Hope it’s worth it.”
He leaves.
I sink into my chair and stare at the map on my desk. The compound. The territory. The targets. Everything I’m supposed to protect.
Except the most important thing is about to leave. And I’m the one who ordered her to go.
An hour later, I watch from my office window as Ghost loads bags into his truck. Bonnie climbs into the passenger seat, small and fragile-looking in the dim light. Ghost gets in beside her. The engine starts. Headlights cut through the darkness.
And then they’re gone.
The compound feels emptier already.
Titan appears beside me at the window. We stand in silence, watching the taillights disappear. “Now what?” he asks.
“Now we end this war.” I turn away from the window. “Call the brothers. We’re going on the offensive.”
“About damn time.”
We head downstairs to the meeting room. To plan. To strategize. To do what we do best. But my mind keeps drifting to that truck. To Ghost and Bonnie, driving into the night.
To the woman I love and the man she listens to more than me.
The right call. This was the right call.
So why does it feel like I just made the biggest mistake of my life?