The raw concern in his voice caught me off guard.I dropped my gaze, unable to maintain eye contact.Tears pooled in my eyes then fell as I tried to blink them back."I cut it off," I said quietly."Tonight.Found out who he really was."
Ghost was silent for a moment, digesting this."How?"
I shook my head, pressing my lips together.
"Wren—"
"It's over.Done.I'm not seeing him again."
Ghost studied me, his sharp eyes taking in my disheveled appearance, the redness around my eyes, the slight tremble in my hands that wouldn't stop no matter how tightly I clenched them… and the man’s T-shirt I forgot I was wearing.Understanding dawned in his expression, followed quickly by a flash of rage that made me take an involuntary step back.
"Did he hurt you?"The question was dangerously soft.
"No," I said quickly."Not like that.I overheard a phone call… you know.After."I shook my head.“I wasn’t supposed to hear.”
Ghost's posture relaxed slightly, but the hard glint remained in his eyes."The Copperheads aren't like us, Wren.They don't have a code.They don't have limits.The things they do to women—"
"I know," I cut him off."I know what they do.I heard—" I stopped taking a breath."I know enough."
Ghost took a deep breath, visibly reining himself in.When he spoke again, his voice was calmer."You should have come to me the second you suspected something was off about him."
"Like you came to me instead of having me followed?"I said softly.
A hint of a smile touched his lips, there and gone in an instant."Fair point."
We stood in silence for a moment, the tension between us shifting into something more familiar.This was our pattern.He pushed.I pulled.Neither of us giving ground and both too stubborn for our own good.If I hadn’t remembered my life before Ghost found me with great, vivid detail, I’d have sworn he was my biological father we were so much alike.
Finally, Ghost stepped aside, clearing my path to the bedroom.“You came from Honey’s?”
I nodded, scrubbing a hand over my face tiredly.“Yeah.I told her and Jack everything.”
"Good.We'll talk tomorrow.When you've had some sleep."He sighed.“I’ll talk to Jack.Get it all from him.Tomorrow, you can fill in what you can of my questions.Will you do that?”
“Yes.I’ll help any way I can.”I wanted to voice my feeling that Rocky wasn’t like the others, but knew how childish and naive I’d sound.Instead, I moved past him.At the threshold of my room, I paused."I know you're trying to protect me.But I'm not a kid anymore."
"No," he agreed quietly."But you're still my baby girl.That doesn't change, no matter how old you get."
The simple statement hit me harder than any lecture could have.I nodded once, not trusting myself to speak but knowing I was going to anyway.“Ghost?”I waited until he tilted his head to the side, a quizzical look on his face.
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“Thanks for, you know, taking me in.You’ve been my dad in every way that counts and I’m sorry.”I had to suck back a sob.“For all this.I’m so sorry.”
Ghost moved toward me, concern stamped all over his face.I didn’t often cry.In fact, I’m not sure Ghost had ever seen me cry.Not since the first night he’d brought me home.“Hey.No.None of that.”He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tight, swallowing me with his much larger frame.I’d never felt anything but safe from the first time Ghost had wrapped his arms around me when I was just a skinny kid.He’d gotten me away from my own personal hell and kept the monsters away from me.“I’ll take care of this bastard.I swear.”
“Please don’t.”I couldn’t bite back the soft request.“I know it sounds stupid, but I don’t think he’s really like that.”
“Honey —”
“No!”I pushed back to look up at Ghost.“Something feels different with him.”I closed my eyes and shook my head, unbelieving what I was about to say.“I just can’t believe that a man who…” I swallowed and shook my head again.“Who was so gentle with me and gave me…” I took a frustrated, embarrassed breath.“A man who gives a woman that kind of pleasure can’t be the same kind of man who’d traffic women.”
Ghost pulled me more firmly back into his arms and rested his chin on my head for several seconds before he spoke again.“I’m not going to promise you I won’t kill him, Wren.But I will promise to make sure we investigate everything before I do.”
“That’s enough,” I said without hesitation.“I just need to know.You know.Before.”
“I can give you that, baby.I can give you that.”Ghost turned toward the door, his footsteps almost silent despite his size.Another reminder of how dangerous he could be when he wanted.At the door, he paused, looking back at me over his shoulder.
"Stay away from him, Wren."His voice was gentle but left no room for argument."Whatever he told you, whatever he made you feel, it was a lie.Men like that, they're skilled at making you believe what they want you to believe.Don’t go after him yourself.Let me handle this.OK?I promised to make sure he’s guilty before I kill him.I want you to promise me you won’t go off by yourself with this."
