Disappointment filled her as he pulled to a stop in front of her rather than near Sophia’s parked car, and then she got a sinking feeling when he pulled off his helmet to reveal ginger hair. Ghost did not hesitate or try to intimidate her as he stared her down. Rather, he hooked his helmet strap over his handlebar, got off his bike, and walked right up to her in that commanding way that told her he was about to get his way.
Except, she honestly didn’t know what he wanted. Why was he here? Taking a step back, she found herself pressed up against the door of her parents’ apartment. Steel had told her to trust Ghost, and while he was Ranger’s best friend, she didn’t know him. Hell, she didn’t know Ranger. Even her relationship with Steel could be counted as purely professional.
What did Ghost want from her? What if it wasn’t something, buther? She was secluded on her mountain property with a man who could very easily overpower her. What if the favor he told her she didn’t owe him was sex? What would she do? How would she handle that? She couldn’t—wouldn’t—have sex with him. Not willingly, at least. And if he did force himself on her, what recourse would she have? She couldn’t go to the police because he now held her father’s murder over her head.
She was doomed. Her life and her career were no longer her own. The club controlled her, and if she had been thinking clearly the night before, she would have thought this through.
“Whatever nefarious thoughts are running through your head, Toni, stop them. I am not here to harm you or to condemn you. You left the club property without notifying anyone.”
Toni didn’t move. “I wasn’t aware I was a prisoner there.”
“You’re not.” He kept a good amount of distance between them. Further than what was considered standard. “But we also don’t know what happened here last night, and whether you’re in danger. The idea is to keep you safe, not keep you prisoner.”
Toni studied his expression as he spoke. Heseemedhonest. “I just… I needed my briefcase and to see if I could figure out where my mom is.”
Ghost nodded once, crossing his arms over his chest. “We ran a check on her last night. Actually, I say ‘we’ but I’m useless on a computer. Keys and Rose ran the check. They found no activity on her phone, bank account, or credit cards. Her cage has not been seen on any traffic cams in the area either.”
Toni stared at his casual confession of violating several state and federal laws. “That’s…illegal.”
Ghost raised an eyebrow but did not say anything.
Toni fidgeted uncomfortably. “I just… I don’t need any more trouble. I can find my mom on my own.”
“Debra Anderson can last be traced to this property. Since her vehicle isn’t here, it begs the question of how she got off the mountain—orifshe did.” Ghost spoke as if she hadn’t. “Lots of hiding places around these parts,” he indicated the heavy woods around them.
Toni felt the blood drain from her face. “Is that what you did with my father’s body? Is he buried up here?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing about your mother.”
Her heart sank into her stomach. “What? You thinkI…” Then her voice trailed off, because of the hypocrisy of her aghast reaction that he thought her capable of killing her mother. “I don’t know where my mom is, Ghost. That’s the God-honest truth.”
He seemed to study her just as closely as she did him, and then he nodded. “Fair enough.” He indicated the door behindher. “The bigger question is if you know what is behind that door.”
She didn’t, but she could guess. Toni squared her shoulders, her eyes narrowing on him. “Fromyourquestion, I take it you do. You broke into my parents’ apartment last night, didn’t you?”
“Scar has a thing against boundaries,” Ghost deadpanned.
And the list of the club’s crimes just kept growing. Jesus. Who had she invited into her life? Shame washed over her as she realized that she’d hid the meth from the club for no reason. If the club, if Scar, had already been inside her parents’ place, then she knew what he’d likely found.
Letting out a long sigh, her shoulders sagged. “My parents are addicts. Meth,” she added for clarification. “But they were clean for eight years,” she defended. “I don’t know what happened. I don’t know when they relapsed, but there’s no doubt in my mind that my dad was high last night. It’s the only explanation for why he broke into my house and ransacked it.”
“It’soneexplanation,” Ghost corrected. “We already know he was looking for valuables. Who’s his supplier?”
Toni shook her head. “I don’t know.” At Ghost’s doubtful expression, she pressed, “I don’t! I told you, they were clean. And even before they were clean, my grandma kept me far away from that shit. I don’t even know who their supplier had been when I was a kid. But,” she added regretfully, “I do know that it wouldn’t have just been my dad. They…fall together.”
“So if your mom was in the house last night, chances were, she was high, too,” Ghost surmised.
Toni, hating that she couldn’t deny it, nodded. “My dad had a baggie on him. It fell out of his pocket when I rolled him.”
“What did you do with it?” Ghost asked.
She wasn’t sure, because she’d never been in this sort of situation before, but there was something almost reassuringabout how he wasn’t accusingherof wrongdoing. The lack of pointing fingers made her like himslightlymore, and she no longer felt like he was here to harm her.
“Flushed it when Ranger took me upstairs to get dressed.” She shrugged. “I didn’t know what else to do with it.”
“Have you ever used?”
Her eyes went wide. “God, no! I’ve never even done marijuana! I like wine, but even that’s in moderation. Last night was just… I didn’t drink that full bottle,” she defended. “I had two and a half glasses after…” Her cheeks flamed as she recalled the state Susie had found her and Ranger in on the side of the road last night. “After my car broke down.”
