Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
GHOST
The Code: Rule #6
No information gained in the field shall be shared unless explicitly ordered by the Sanctum.
I scowl as the microwave beeps, the scent of greasy freezer-burned taquitos wafting to my nose and making me slightly nauseous. Orion skips toward the microwave, wiggling his brows as he sets the steaming plate in front of Brett. She squeals, clapping her hands together excitedly before shoving one in her mouth.
“Ah! Hot!” She curses, waving a hand at her open mouth to give her some relief. My fist tightens at my side, and I consider how crazy it would look if I took a bat to the microwave .
It hurt Brett. My Brett. It will pay.
Orion chuckles, popping two rolls into his mouth while smirking at Brett. “Weak shit, Brett. You gotta build up your mouth strength.”
“Mouth strength?” she asks, her mouth popping with indignation. “That’s not even a thing!”
“If it wasn’t a thing, then how come I can do this?” Orion grabs three more taquitos and swallows them down without so much as flinching.
Brett shakes her head, her shoulder shaking with a giggle. “You’re a monster.”
“Yup, that’s the word on the street.” Orion winks, grabbing a taquito and throwing it to Rupert, who’s waiting diligently at his feet. The little black cat sitting in his lap lets out an angry mew, and Orion sighs before breaking off a small piece to give to him.
“I still can’t believe he lets you pet him,” Brett murmurs, resting her chin in her hands as she stares lovingly at her cat.
“That’s Snow White for you,” I say, chuckling at the murderous glare Orion sends my way. “Strays love him. I’m always coming home to some roadkill-wannabe being nursed back to health. It’s endearing, really.”
“I do not!” Orion grumbles, crossing his arms .
“Oh, yeah? Want to tell Brett about the crow sitting in your room?”
“That’s different! He can’t fly anymore. He needs me.”
I sigh, leaning back in my chair with a glance at Brett. “You see what I have to deal with?”
She giggles, reaching over and giving Rupert some scratches behind his ears. “I think it’s sweet. Everyone needs help sometimes, right? Does the crow have a name?”
At this, Orion brightens. “Yes! His name is Bacchus. He’s literally so cool. Sometimes, he’ll find me coins and shit from outside, and?—”
“And Orion is not supposed to have an animal.” I interrupt, crossing my arms. “It’s too dangerous.”
“You have Rupert! Why can’t I have a pet?” Orion grumbles, crossing his own arms to mimic Ghost.
“ Because. It’s for the animals' safety.”
Orion’s eyes glaze over, and he pounds his fist on the table, sending his glass falling to the side, spilling water across the table and floor. “I won’t hurt him, I promise!”
I groan, shaking my head slowly. “Orion?—”
“No. Fuck you!” he yells, shoving away from the table and standing. “You don’t know ! Bacchus is the only one who makes me feel better about what I… what I…”
I see the rage clouding his eyes, and I know I need to stop this now. “Orion. It’s okay. You can keep… Bacchus . At least until he can fly again.” Brett reaches under the table and squeezes my leg, and I have to stop from leaping into the air as the electricity thrums beneath my skin. “Does that sound fair?”
Orion’s eyes clear, and he plops back down in his seat with a nod. “Yeah. I guess…”
I nod, satisfied. “Good. Now, I wanted to talk to you about the information you’ve gathered.” Orion shoots a nervous look at Brett, and I wave him off. “Anything you found out can be said in front of Brett. She is trustworthy.”
He nods, dropping his eyes to his hands resting in his lap. “I just… I don’t want to scare her.”
This piques Brett’s interest. “What? Don’t want to scare me with what?”
He shrugs, refusing to look at either of us. “I’ve heard… rumors.”
“Out with it, kid,” I growl, my fist tightening at my side as I run through the possibilities.
He sighs, jerking his chin toward Brett. “They’re looking for her. The FBI, and the Sanctum. She even has one of the lower-ranking MCs out on the streets, looking for info—the Hounds, I think?” Orion sighs, running a hand across his face. “And that’s not the half of it. They’re looking for you, Ghost. Madam—she doesn’t trust you anymore. She’s starting to suspect that you’ve flipped.”
Fucking motherfuck. This is so not good.
“And? What do they know?” I demand, gritting my teeth as my heart picks up pace. “Do they know Brett is with me?”
“They suspect it,” Orion says, shooting an apologetic smile toward Brett. “I guess you’re pretty glad to be here with us, huh?”
Brett grumbles something I can’t quite make out, but my mind is too far from it to think about it for long. Madam suspects me, which means my plan is officially in motion now. I thought I had a few more months to work out the kinks, but… There’s no other option now. She’s coming for me, and I have to hit her before that happens.
It’s the only way any of us will make it out of this alive.
After cleaning up dinner, Brett, Orion, and I retire to the living room with the pets. A large flat-screen TV hangs opposite the massive leather L-shaped sofa, and it turns on as soon as Brett plops onto the sofa.
“Whoa. That’s kind of cool,” Brett murmurs, taking the remote Orion thrusts at her while Venom snuggles onto her lap. I go to take the seat next to her, but Rupert has other plans. Before I so much as bend my knees, he hauls his furry ass onto the leather cushion, placing his large white head in the small space Venom left unoccupied on her lap.
Damn traitor. I give Rupert a few scratches on his head before stepping around the coffee table to sit on her other side. Orion notices what I mean to do and gives me a wicked smile before sliding into the seat I planned to occupy.
“I call next to Brett!” he announces, wrapping his arms around her shoulders playfully. “She’s way more fun than your dusty ass.”
Brett flinches as he makes contact, and a murderous rage pulses through my veins. “ Orion… ” My voice rumbles across the space, and Rupert and Venom raise their heads, noticing the change in my demeanor. “You’re making her uncomfortable. ”
“You’re no fun.” Orion sighs but drops his arms, clearly blind to the danger he just put himself in. I don’t care that he’s my apprentice. He will not make her uncomfortable. There’s already one of us who does that enough.
Brett looks at me, shaking her head silently, and I take the hint. “What would you two like to watch?” Brett looks at Orion, who has a mischievous smirk on his mouth. Oh no. I know that fucking look.
“Brett. Have you ever seen Team America World Police? ” She shakes her head, and I know my fate is sealed.
An hour later, Orion’s feet are resting on my lap with his head toward Brett, a bowl of popcorn sitting squarely on the cushions between them. The last sixty minutes of my life have been absolute torture—and I actually mean it when I say that shit. For 3600 seconds, I have been forced to look at the most abominable cinema product ever created. And this isn’t even the first time I’ve done this with Orion.
I watch the expressionless puppets on screen, desperate for something with which to gouge my eyes out. The only tools available are the soft, fluffy black cat in my lap, and it doesn’t seem like he wants to help me out with those claws of his at the moment. He’s been happily passed out since the opening credits started rolling, yet I’ve been forced to be conscious during this white torture movie night.
Goddammit. That is hands-down the least funny, revolting piece of trash film I have ever ? —
I’m brought out of my thoughts as Brett’s laughter fills the room, loud and clear. Like the angels singing from the heavens, those sounds coming from her parted lips fill my ears, my lungs, and my veins. I’m suddenly full of life, full of light. For the first time in years, I want to laugh, as well.
Fuck, I love this movie.
“ Why are the puppets fucking? I’m in a fever dream, right?” Brett cackles, popping another fistful of popcorn into her mouth. “This whole movie is so fucking wrong.”
Orion shakes his head, unable to speak as his own wave of laughter takes over him. “God only knows. But whichever creative genius came up with it needs to be shot. It’s amazing , isn’t it?”
Brett shakes her head, another giggle pouring from her mouth. “It’s… something else.” Her eyes lock on my face, and my heart skips a beat at the tiny smile frozen at the corner of her mouth. My God, she gets more beautiful each time I look at her.
I clear my throat, causing Venom to stretch and leap from my lap. I take the opportunity to stretch my legs, grabbing the empty bowl of popcorn as I pass Orion and Brett on the couch.
I’m popping a fresh bag of buttered kernels into the microwave when a noise rings out behind me, and I reel around with my knife drawn. Brett takes a step back, her ocean eyes wide and hands in the air.
“Whoa. Don’t stab me. I come in peace.”
I shove the dagger into the holster, my chest pinching with shame. “Is everything okay out there? Orion didn’t?—”
“No, he’s fine.” She laughs, shaking her head. “I don’t know how, but he just passed out a few minutes after you left. Like in the middle of a sentence.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, he does that. Stays awake for days, then crashes when his body can’t take it anymore.”
Brett nods, twisting her fingers together tightly and looking off to the side. She wants to say something, but she won’t. Why?
“Is… there something you want to talk about?”
It might be the light coming from the microwave, but I swear her face flushes. “I just came to see if you’re okay.”
I nod, my chest squeezing as the light dances like firelight across her cheeks. So fucking beautiful. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be fine?”
“I don’t know… you just seem off .”
“Off?” I lean my forearms against the marble countertop, a coy smile lifting my lips. “How very descriptive of you.”
Brett rolls her eyes with a huff, her hair flying out behind her as she turns on her heel. “You know what? Never mind. If you’re going to be an asshole?—”
“You’re right,” I say, causing her to halt and turn back toward me. “You’re right, I-I am off. I’m… worried. It’s something I haven’t felt in quite some time, and I don’t know what to do about it.”
Brett steps closer, taking a seat on a barstool on the opposite side of the island. “You can talk to me about it, you know. Only if you want,” she adds hastily. “I know how you like to keep your secrets.”
“Oh, you think I keep secrets?”
“No. I know you keep them. You wouldn’t have gotten to this point in your life if you hadn’t. Now, either spill or tell me to fuck off. Your move, Ghost.”
I sigh, allowing my shoulders to slump as I hang my head. My eyes find a spot in the marble where the white and black veins converge seamlessly, and I focus hard on that point. I have to focus on something other than the beautiful siren in my kitchen to stop me from going mad.
“I’m worried about you ,” I admit, my voice raw even with the voice mod. “I’m worried I’ve done all this for nothing. That you or Orion will be hurt because of my actions—my desires.” I clench my fist, wishing I could feel the bite of nails into my palm or something— anything— to take away this horrible nothingness.
Then like an angel, she’s at my side. Electricity thrums from my wrist where her lovely hand rests, rubbing gentle circles around the inch of exposed skin.
“Is there something I can do?” she asks, her voice so gentle and caring, I’m worried I’m dreaming again. “I want to help. Tell me what I can do.”
Wordlessly, I turn to her, memorizing every inch of her lovely heart-shaped face. My hands slide up her arms, curling around her shoulders and pulling her toward me. Brett doesn’t resist, her face heating the slightest shade of pink as her chest brushes mine.
“You’ve already done so much, darling,” I whisper, resisting the urge to crush her against me and steal another kiss. I would, but I’m worried this time will crack me wide open, and no amount of stitches will be able to piece me back together. I’m already so close to the edge, looking for a reason to fall into her. I just need that last little nudge, and I won’t be able to hold back.
Suddenly, Brett presses on her tiptoes and plants her lips squarely against my mask. I close my eyes, imagining the feel of her against me, of her taste consuming me and driving me mad. It’s almost enough to satisfy me.
A moment later, she’s gone, halfway across the room to the door. I’m about to call out to her when she gets to the doorway, but she stops the words in my throat as she turns her head, eyebrows raised with an expectant expression.
“Well? Are you coming to bed or not?”
She doesn’t need to ask twice.