DECLAN

 

“Motherfucker!”

I threw my fist into the drywall and put a hole in it.

“Hey! Take it easy!”

Ghost grabbed my arm before I could throw another punch.

“Look at me, pres… Come on… Relax…”

I turned to him and he widened his eyes at me. He always knew what to say to relax me but this time was different.

“I’m gonna fucking kill him,” I said.

“There’ll be a time and place for that,” Ghost said. “But you heard Michelle. We can’t go about this like we usually do.”

“Michelle—”

“Michelle told you she would handle it. I’ve known a lot of strong women in my life. My mother. My aunt. Anna. Michelle’s just as smart and strong as them. She knows what she’s doing.”

The rest of the club was sitting at the table in silence. I sighed a deep breath of frustration. The last thing I wanted to do was sit back and do nothing but it was all I could do.

“Have a seat,” I said to Ghost.

“You good?”

“Sit down.”

My VP gave me a nod. I managed to compose myself enough to take my place at the head of the table.

“This isn’t the first time Michelle has ever been in some shit,” Ghost said. “Remember that time she was in the hospital?”

“I remember,” Needle said. “Garnet here wanted to tear my head off.”

“That’s not the point. The point is she made it. This isn’t any worse than that. From what I can tell, Michelle is the least of our worries.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I said.

Ghost looked around the table. Everybody remained silent as they waited for him to say something.

“Something’s up,” he said.

“What?” I said in frustration.

“Listen. I love Michelle. She’s a sweet lady. But are you telling me this motherfucker came all the way to Ivory after more than a decade just to spend a night with her, knowing she won’t do anything?”

“What are you saying?” Sully said. “You saying Cross is here for another reason?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“And what reason is that?” I asked.

“…I’m still trying to figure that part out.”

Ghost gave me a shrug. I stared at him for a few seconds to make sure that he was serious before rolling my eyes.

“Good one,” Needle said. “Nice to know that you’re adding nothing to the discussion, as usual.”

“Look,” Ghost said. “I’m telling you this shit doesn’t add up. He didn’t come to Ivory to have a chat with a fling. Think about it. Do you even remember the girls you were hooking up with 10 years ago?”

“I do,” Needle said.

“Well, you weren’t getting any pussy back then, so it’s no wonder you kept track. This Cross guy is different. He’s up to something.”

Everybody at the table looked around at one another. Ghost was the smartest man in the room. I always turned to him when I needed advice on anything. The club depended on his wisdom more than anything else. I knew that I had to hear him out.

“All right,” I said. “Cross is up to something. Where does that put us?”

“We gotta stay patient,” Ghost said. “Michelle will talk to him. If Cross really does want to spend a night with her, he’ll leave when he realizes there’s nothing here for him. If he’s here for something else…”

“Then what?”

“Then we’ll find out soon enough.”

I put my fingers to my temple and massaged the side of my head. Rolling on the pavement wasn’t exactly doing wonders for me but that shit was the least of my worries.

“Why the fuck did I let her go with him?” I sighed.

“You heard Michelle,” Ghost said. “We could’ve put him down right then and there but that’s not what she wanted. The same for the rest of his club. But we don’t kill men in cold blood. Michelle was looking out for us. She didn’t want us to get into a shootout.”

“I should’ve told you to put a bullet in every last one of them.”

“Listen to me.”

Ghost leaned forward in his seat and looked me right in the eye.

“You love Michelle. I get it. We all do. But right now, going to war with another club is not the right thing to do. Not with the feds watching our every move. You kill Cross and the Vultures without knowing what they’re up to, there might be repercussions we never expected.”

I knew Ghost was right. Michelle was the only person in the world that would make me kill without thinking about it. Ghost knew that I would’ve spent the rest of my life behind bars if it meant keeping her safe, which was why he was trying to stop me from looking for the Vultures and killing them in the first place.

The rest of the table remained silent as I tried to piece together the rest of my thoughts. It didn’t take me long to figure out what I was planning on doing next.

“So, what’s the plan?” Brawn said. “We gonna kill these guys or what?”

I nodded to him.

“They’re already dead,” I said. “They made that decision themselves when they decided to come to Ivory. Michelle’s the only person that can stop me. She’s the only reason Cross is still alive.”

“You don’t think he’s gonna do anything stupid with her, do you?” Needle said.

“No. He won’t lay a finger on her. Because if he does, he knows I’ll do whatever it takes to put him in the ground.”

“Then that’s it? We’re just gonna sit around and wait?”

I didn’t like the way it sounded. I sighed to myself and shook my head.

“What kind of a man just sits around while his old lady has to deal with his problems?” I said.

“Hey!” Ghost said. “You heard her yourself. Cross is her problem.”

“Her problems are my problems. I should be there for her right now.”

“Right now, the best thing for you to do is wait. Michelle will find out what he’s up to.”

“…Everybody get out.”

All of the club members stood up from their seats.

“Except for you, Ghost. Stay here.”

He sat back down in his seat while the rest of the club left the chapel. The door clicked shut.

I stared down at the table as everything that just happened played back in my mind.

“Tell me I didn’t make a mistake,” I said.

“You listened to your old lady. That’s never a mistake.”

“It feels like it. I just fucking let her ride off like that—”

“That was her decision. She’s trying to save you. Just like any good old lady should.”

“He busted my ride. He busted my leg. And I just let him walk.”

“Garnet. Look at me.”

I slowly turned my head up and stared at him. Ghost didn’t blink.

“You’re not a murderer,” he said. “I know for Michelle, you would be. But now is not the time. There are other people who need you. The club needs you.”

“And what about Michelle? She needs us.”

I shook my head at him.

“You should’ve seen her,” I said. “When she told me what it was like spending time with him. The look in her eyes… I can’t even fucking remember when she was that worried.”

Ghost looked away from me and sighed a deep breath.

“I know what it’s like to be in love,” he said. “Lord knows what I’ve already done for Anna. I wouldn’t hesitate to do the same shit again if it meant keeping her safe. I know where your head is at.”

“Then tell me what I need to hear.”

I’d known Ghost longer than any other club member. He wasn’t just my VP. He was a brother. But right now, all I needed him to be was the man that was gonna stop me from committing a murder in the middle of Ivory.

He looked back at me and nodded softly.

“We’ll wait,” he said. “I know it’s hard but that’s what we need to do. That’s what Michelle wants. We wait and then we figure out our next move.”

“I already know what our next move is. Cross is gonna die.”

“He will. But not until Michelle says so.”