The thought makes my chest ache, and I don’t examine that too closely. The desire for her is one thing;the deeper emotions, though, are even more of a head fuck. I can’t let myself fall any deeper for her.
“She’s not safe out there,” I point out.
He looks at me, and I hold his gaze.
“Would you even let her go, Jack?” The question is serious.
“Probably not,” I say with a small, twisted smile, then change the subject. “So, regarding Rook, what do we do? I was going to patch him in. Do we delay that?”
“Yeah, we can delay that and give him some truly shitty jobs for the next month? Cleaning the toilets, that kind of shit.”
“Okay, sounds good. You can put a roster together for him and tell him.”
Ghost nods. “On it, Prez.”
“I feel as if we’re all just minutes away from breaking apart,” I observe.
“We need something to come together.” Ghost steeples his fingers and taps his lips.
“Like what?”
“Why don’t we have a party night of good food, music, and beer? Get the ol’ ladies to put some plates together, and we have it outside this evening? Light a bonfire, rig up a sound system. Some dancing. You know. Something to bring the whole club back together.”
For the first time since we found Camile, something like a little kindling of hope warms my chest. “You know, Ghost. That might not be a bad idea.”
21
CAMILE
“Wordaround the compound is that there’s a get-together tonight. Big bonfire, music, food and beer.”
I look up at Ace’s grinning face. “Oh, right.”
“You’re invited,” he says, misunderstanding my lack of enthusiasm.
I force a smile. “Yeah, thanks, Ace. I figured that much. I’m just not sure I’m in the mood to be around a ton of people. Sorry.”
Will the rest of the MC all know what happened to me? Will they be nudging each other and whispering behind their hands? I feel self-conscious and embarrassed, even though what happened wasn’t my fault. It makes me want to hide away.
Ace drops onto the couch beside me and hooks his big arm over my shoulders, pulling me into him. I rest my head against the solid muscle of his chest. He kisses the top of my head.
“We don’t have to go. We can just stay here instead.I’m good with that.”
I lift my chin to look into his face. “You can go, Ace. I don’t want to spoil your fun.”
“No way, not without you. Besides, we’ve got strict instructions that you’re not to be left alone.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Strict instructions from Jack?”
“Who else?”
Even though he’s basically ignored me since I got back, I still can’t help being tempted by the idea of spending time in Jack’s company. I’m so fucking pathetic, but something about that man makes me ache for him. If he gave instructions to keep me safe, it must mean he cares on some level, right?
“Will he be there? Will Rook?”
“Jack will definitely be there. I’m not sure about Rook. It depends what the outcome of their meeting is.”
“You mean they might kick Rook out of the club?” I ask in alarm. “They wouldn’t do that, surely, not after he saved me.”
