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Ghost
AftermineandBridget'strip to the store, I dropped her off with Les and Evie, so they could have a girl's day. Now, I’m waiting to see if Caden will show up.
I feel like shit for having kept something else from him, but I never knew how to bring up my past. It’s something that I try damn hard to block out. But he deserves to know how I got the name Ghost in the first place and how Shadow fits into my life.
Just when I think he’s not going to show, I hear his Mustang pull right into the front yard. I’m so fucking relieved I can’t even be mad that he parked in the yard. Again. I finish setting the table and wait for him to come inside.
He pushes in the front door and makes a straight shot to me. I brace myself, waiting for him to punch me in the face. But his lips land on mine, kissing me hard. The shock lasts less than a second before I wrap my arms around his waist and drag him closer. Kissing Caden will never get old.
He pulls back to look into my eyes. “Thank you for coming last night.”
I raise a brow. “You knew I was there?”
“Yeah.”
“I’d never miss that. I’m proud of you, Baby love.”
He smiles and steps back. “I’m proud of me too.” He looks at the table. “You cooked for me?”
I nod my head for him to sit, and when he does, I take the chair in front of him. “I figured we could eat and then talk. If that’s still what you want.”
“I know that part of your life was hard, but I don’t like being blindsided like that. And I’m not mad. I was, but I get it. I just needed a minute to get my shit together.”
I start making our plates. It isn’t much because like I told Bridget, I’m not a chef. But steak, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese are Caden’s favorites. And I’d do anything to make him happy.
“This is why you’re the best boyfriend,” Caden says, cutting into his steak.
“Is that what I am? Your boyfriend?” I ask, my heart thumping out of my chest.
“Duh. You think I’m going to have you and not claim your fine ass as my boyfriend?”
I relax back in my chair, all the tension of the last two days leaving me at his admission. We eat in silence, and I can’t help but look at him. Our lives have changed since we took the last steps toward what we had been fighting against. Meeting Caden is the best thing that ever happened to me. And then with Caden came Bridget.
When I called her my girl, it just slipped out, but it felt fucking right. I just hope that she doesn’t get caught up in the inevitable showdown with my dad. I got a message from Nik earlier that said he delivered our present to my dad. His spy’s heart was in a goddamn box, just like he joked about. There’s no way he’s going to let that shit go, but this time I’m ready for him and more pissed off than ever. There’s no doubt that he sent someone to run Bridget and Banger off the road, and he’s going to pay for that in blood.
Finally finished eating, Caden and I clean off the table and I lead him back to the living room. He sits on the couch, and I sit in the chair so I can see his face. I take a minute to get my shit together.
I run my hand through my hair and blow out a breath. “For as long as I can remember, my dad has run Rose Hills. It wasn’t until recently that he became Mayor. He was never a good guy, and his form of punishment was shoving us in a concrete box in the basement that you couldn’t even straighten your legs out in. My mom couldn’t give less of a fuck as long as she had whatever she wanted. She didn’t care how often he cheated or how many prostitutes he used to make me and my brother watch him fuck.” Caden’s eyes widen slightly, but he doesn’t comment. “It looks like my brother is falling into my dad's footsteps instead of getting the fuck out.” I’m ninety-nine percent sure Gavin, my brother, is the one who ratted out that I was in Rose Hills. Gemma had looked genuinely happy to see me, but Gavin had that calculating look in his eyes that Dad always has.
“How does Shadow fit into all this?” Caden asks.
“I grew up with him. His dad is best friends with mine, and he’s just as fucked up. When I was twelve, my dad hired a new guard, Arthur. He was big, broody, and ex-special ops. He realized quickly how our dads treated us and took us under his wing. He taught us how to hide in plain sight.”
“That’s how you got the names, isn’t it?” Caden asks, sitting forward on the couch.
I nod. “We spent every waking minute learning everything he knew. He taught us hand to hand combat, trained us on guns and gun safety, and gave us the courage to eventually fight back.” I’ll never forget the day he cornered Shadow and me, telling us that he knew and wanted to help. Before that day, he barely spoke a word to us. Training with him was hard as fuck. He didn’t go easy on us even though we weren’t even teenagers yet. But we respected the hell out of him in a short amount of time. He’s the closest thing I ever had to a real dad. “When we got older, we started using the skills he taught us to get into trouble.”
“Why didn’t you want to tell me this? Was there something with you and Shadow?”
I shake my head. “Shadow is like my brother, nothing more.” I swallow the lump in my throat, willing myself to tell him the rest. “My dad found out when I was nineteen that Arthur was the one who aided in us getting into trouble all the time. Which he wasn’t. He gave us the tools to escape, and like two dumbass kids, we used it for other things.”
“What happened?” Caden asks quietly, already knowing this is going to end bad.
“He confronted me, and I tried to lie, but he wouldn’t let it go. He pulled me to the basement where Arthur was already waiting and told me if I didn’t kill him that he would take it out on Gemma.” I’ll never forget the look in Arthur’s eyes. He told me to do whatever I needed to protect my sister. “I shot him at point blank range because I knew Dad would do horrible things to Gemma, and she was just a goddamn kid.” It’s something I still haven’t forgiven myself for. Arthur gave me the life I have today, and I thanked him by shooting him between the eyes.
“Holy shit,” Caden whispers. “Where was Shadow?”
“Jail. He got busted breaking into a house for fun, and his dad wouldn’t bail him out. I got a letter a month later telling me to leave Rose Hills and that he would be fine. I guess that’s because he ended up with the Saviors.”
