Ghost’s expression did not change, but there was a glint of amusement in his green eyes that made her wonder if he knewexactlywhat had happened when her car broke down. Given how he hadn’t seemed surprised by the way she’d clung to Ranger the night before, it was probably a good bet that he did.
“You knew last night,” Toni realized, feeling all kinds of stupid. “You knew I lied to you.”
“I knew you were lying about something, but Keys reported back that there was no drug usage in your history. I appreciate you being honest with me now. Does Ranger know?”
Toni shook her head. “Not unless you told him. We didn’t…” Fuck. She wasn’t ashamed of having sex with Ranger again that morning, but it really did sound bad. Even in modern culture, she saw it in her job all the time. Women were still subjected to slut shaming, especially in a small town. She was living proof of that, given the circumstances of her birth. “We didn’t talk much,” she amended, “and then he needed to go.”
Ghost watched her carefully. “We’ll find your mom, Toni. I know it might be hard to believe, but I am on your side. I am here to help you and to keep you safe, but I also have to think about the safety and wellbeing of my club. I won’t allowany danger near them, especially not after all we’ve suffered in recent months. Are you a danger to them?”
Toni respected the frank question and did not back down. “No,” she declared like a vow. “But,” she also added, “I can’t guarantee my mom isn’t. I don’t know where she is or what she’s capable of right now, especially if she’s high. I know you have women and children you need to protect on the property, so I completely understand if you can’t allow me back there.”
Ghost lifted an eyebrow. “Did you not just hear me say that I’m here to keep you safe, too? Besides, Ranger would flay me alive if I kicked you out now.”
“Ranger and I aren’t…” Toni scrunched her nose. “We’re nottogether. I mean, I like him, but I don’t know him. But we’re not… I’d like to… But it’s so early, and maybe he doesn’t feel the same way. Sophia and Jasmine seemed surprised he had me on the back of his bike. And I know something happened with his last girlfriend. Monica, right? She died. I don’t want to get in the middle of that. Despitethis,” she waved her hands around her property, “I don’t want to cause drama. I just want to be left alone with my books, but now I don’t even know if I can ever go into my own house again. And it’s just a mess, and I really want a hug, but you’re not the person I want to hug, and I really just feel like a pint of ice cream would be good right about now, but I already had three donuts this morning and my hips are big enough as it is…” Glancing up, Toni’s cheeks flamed as she saw Ghost just staring down at her. Embarrassed, Toni dropped her face into her hands. “I’m actually a really smart person. I promise.”
Ghost chuckled. “With your court record, I don’t doubt it. Steel wouldn’t have hired you otherwise.” He tipped his chin towards the door behind her. “I didn’t feel right leaving all that paraphernalia around, so we destroyed it last night. All but a small batch that we’re going to analyze to see if there’s anythingin a trace analysis to indicate where it came from so we can pinpoint your parents’ dealer.”
Toni let out a sigh of relief, dropping her hands. “Thank you. I knew what I was likely going to find going in there, but I still didn’t want to see it. I don’t want to believe any of this is happening, frankly.”
“Understandable.” Ghost glanced over his shoulder at her house. “It’s clean. You can go in if you wish, but if you don’t, I can get what you need. Just tell me what and where.”
“Are my books okay?” Toni hastily asked. She was only a few hundred short of being able to declare her collection a library.
“Um,” Ghost looked perplexed, “my prospects created a list of things that they weren’t able to salvage. I don’t think I saw any books on that list.”
Relief filled Toni. “Good.” It took her several minutes to realize, he was just standing there, still waiting on her answer. “Oh! Shit. Um, my briefcase, please. I’ll…figure the rest out, but I need that to be able to work remotely.”
He nodded. “I’ll grab it. Are you coming back to the property? Like I said, you’re not a prisoner, but I would like to assign a prospect to protect you if you leave.”
Toni bit her lip. “There’s a few places I want to try to look for my mom.”
“Has your mom ever been violent with you?”
Toni shook her head. “Short-tempered, sure, but not violent. It was my dad who’d been known to throw things,” she gestured towards her house as if showing him Exhibit A.
Ghost gave her a reassuring nod. “I’ll get your briefcase and call a prospect. He’ll take you wherever you need to go and stay with you while you’re there. I know it might be strange, but I promise you, he’s there for your protection. Please don’t try to ditch him or run off on your own.”
Toni didn’t like it, but she nodded her understanding. “I do appreciate your help, Ghost. I’m just used to doing things on my own. Asking for help isn’t easy for me. In my line of work, it’s rare that I actually come across good people,selflesspeople. There’s always some sort of exchange, making most good deeds transactional. I’m sorry if I’ve been…less than forthcoming with you.”
Ghost studied her for a moment. “I’m not a good man, Toni. Don’t mistake me for one. My priority is my club, and I will doanythingto protect it. Steel, despite that he no longer wears his colors, is still very much a part of my club. He asked for this favor, and that got me to your doorstep. But do you know what got me to stay? What has me here now chasing you up a mountain when I could be at home with my pregnant wife?” He paused for barely a second, not breaking eye contact with her. “I saw the way Ranger looked at you last night. You questioned if he feels the same way? I know my brother, and I can say with certainty that he does. He deserves happiness, and I hope he finds it in you. But make no mistake, if you harm him, I won’t hesitate to destroy you.”
A cold chill ran down her spine. “He’s twice my size. I highly doubt I’m any threat to him.”
“Given the books on your shelves, I would think you would know by now that there’s more than one way to harm a person.” Ghost stepped back as if to head towards her house. “Oh, and Toni? Monica did die, but she wasn’t who he was dating.”
Toni frowned. Based on what Jasmine and Sophia had said, and what Ghost just now said, she knew with certainty that Susie’s guess about Ranger had been wrong. But he definitelyhad beenseeing someone. Who? And what had she done to break his heart? Because Ghost was right, there definitely was more than one way to harm someone.
Feeling like she had more questions now than when she arrived, Toni headed back to Sophia’s car to wait for Ghost to bring out her briefcase.
* * *
Since Cross hadanother engagement that night, Ranger was flying solo in Morgantown. Becks offered to go with him, but he was already feeling like a burden to her, so Ranger declined. He knew she was worried about him. He never wanted to add to that, but she also had to live her own life. She was about to be a mom, and stress over him couldn’t be easy on her. Ranger hinted that she and some of the ol’ ladies should do something relaxing that night before he left for his meeting.
Besides, he wanted to stop by the trailer to see Toni, but unfortunately, she hadn’t been in. Despite that he’d been in possession of her phone for nearly twelve hours, Ranger didn’t have her number or know where she was. It was disappointing, and he resolved to try again after his meeting.
He didn’t share that night. It was enough to listen, hearing the stories, fears, and assurances of the others in the room. Unlike the AA meeting he attended in Mount Grove, this one was more specific to narcotic users. In a way, he attributed it to visiting with another motorcycle club and being at his clubhouse. Both were motorcyclist groups, but only the VDMC werehispeople.
The overall atmosphere was sad that evening, with the news that a member’s grandson had started using. She cried, barely able to stand upright, as she shared, blaming herself for not being able to stop him and voicing her fear that her own addiction influenced him to use. It was a scary reality that Ranger had never considered. Would any of his club nieces and nephews, would Ghost and Becks’ kid or kids, ever be influencedbyhimto use? Even if he kept his sobriety? The very thought turned his stomach so much that he thought he might hurl at one point.
