“That’s what I thought because if I have to tell Grandma Silvia that you're not doing your job, which is doing nothing but healing, she’s going to get after you. Or did you forget what she had Joker do during Christmas dinner?” Ghost comes back with the rest of the food and drinks and takes a seat across from me.
I can’t help the laugh that escapes. I definitely remember she had poor Joker running around that day. “Grandma Silvia can be a little scary sometimes. I remember watching her chase some teenagers outof the store who thought it was funny to stack her canned goods up and try to bowl with a watermelon. She threatened to call the sheriff, and when that didn’t work, she told them she’s gonna call their mommas. They smartened up right quickly. I really don’t know how she does it.”
Ghost loads my plate up with home fries, sausage, eggs, and toast. I don’t know how he thinks I’m going to eat all that, but the smell is making my mouth water. Grandma Silvia went all out. She even brought me my favorite coffee from Madison’s bakery.
“Trust me when I say Colton and Little Terror kept her on her toes with all the shit those two did. So she’s no stranger to bad behavior and how to handle it.”
I take a sip of my coffee and sigh. As we both dig into our food. “Were Colton and Willow really that bad? I mean, I’ve heard some stories, but surely not all of them are true, right? I got to say, some of them don’t seem real with how everyone talks about all the stuff they got into.”
I push my plate away as I watch Ghost go for seconds. Lord, the man can eat. “Believe everything; trust me.”
I let out a yawn, the pain pills finally kicking in, and now that I have a full stomach, all I want to do is lie down. Ghost, seeing me yawn, smiles, gets up, and rounds the table towards me. I can’t seem to take my eyes off him, wondering what he is doing. He grabs my hand and gently leads me towards the living room, saying nothing. I see a big sectional couch that looks so comfortable, begging me to sink into it. Leading me to the couch, I sit down as he places a pillow at the top of the couch.
“Lay down, Babydoll, and take a nap.” He grabs the blanket off the back of the couch as I lie down.
“Are you sure?” As my head hits the pillow, my eyes are already closing, unable to stay awake anymore.
Ghost lays the blanket over me, and I can feel his lips touch my forehead in a light kiss, making me sigh. “Get some rest, babydoll. You're safe.”
A few minutes of rest won't hurt. With that, I fall into a deep sleep, knowing once again I’m safe with Ghost.
Five
Ghost
I stand there and watch as her breathing evens out, knowing she’s already asleep. The bruises covering her face are more prominent today, making my anger rise. I try to keep that shit hidden from Scarlett, not wanting her to be scared of me, but it’s becoming difficult every time I look at her and what her father did to her. I can’t wait until I can finally get my hands on him. He's going to wish he had never laid a hand on her, and those he’s working with will suffer too. He’s not going to see me coming, but he will feel everything that I do to him. I don’t care how pissed off you are, you never lay a hand on a woman or child.Scarlett might not know it, but the moment those green eyes looked my way, she’s been mine, and her piece of shit father is going to feel the full wrath of The Lost Saints MC.
I watch the rise and fall of her chest, knowing that she is safe, but I can tell she’s not having a peaceful sleep. What I want to do is lie down with her, just holding her in my arms like last night. When she’s all healed, I’m taking her ass out on a date to show her what we could be and show her the real me. Scarlett will want for nothing in life. It will be my job to provide for her in all things. Whatever she wants to do, I will make it happen for her. She deserves the world, and I plan on showing it to her. My phone buzzes in my back pocket. I pull it out, seeing a text from Blade.
Blade: I’m heading over with the guys for a meeting. Figured that Tink was too sore to head over to the clubhouse.
Ghost: She’s definitely feeling it today. She’s sleeping on the couch right now, so just be quiet when you guys come over. We can have the meeting in my office.
Blade: Be there in 5.
I stuff my phone back into my pocket and, with one last look at Scarlett, I turn and head towards my office. Walking inside, I beeline for the coffee machine in the corner. We've had many impromptu meetings here, so I make sure the coffee bar is fully stocked for the guys. I make each of us a cup, but I draw the line at putting their shit in it. I’m not just not that fucking nice.
Just as I take my seat, the guys walk in and head to the coffee bar, giving me a chin lift. Each guy takes his seat, looking tired. It seems like none of us got any sleep.
“How was Tink last night? Any problems?” Joker asks as he takes his seat.
“No problems, but I know she’s in a fuckton of pain today, even though she’s trying to hide it. I gave her two pain pills while we were having breakfast. Joker, I want you to look at her when she wakes up, just to be sure.” I know she’s okay, but I want to make sure she has no setbacks.
“You don’t even have to ask. I brought my bag with me just in case.” Joker nods his head at me. He takes his role as pseudo-big brother seriously, so I know this has him fucked up, just like the rest of us.
“Alright, let's get down to it. Crow, tell us what you found.” Blade starts the meeting as we watch Crow pull out his laptop and turn it on.
We watch as his fingers fly across the keyboard. I’ve got to give it to him; the fucker is smart when it comes to this shit. “Ian Lewis, 48. His wife, Marlowe, took off when Scarlett was 5 and never looked back. From what I gathered, she also took to doing drugs and died of an overdose 2 years later. So, he had to work two jobs just to make ends meet. I guess that’s where the resentment and drinking came in and turned his anger towards Scarlett. Add in what Scarlett said last night, and the abuse has been going on for years. Ian has also racked up a hefty debt through gambling and borrowing from loan sharks. Let’s just say we aren’t the only ones looking for him at the moment. He’s now involved with some small-time guys who are trying to make a name for themselves but went to ground when they found out we were involved, but they won’t be hard to track down if I need to. As for Ian, he’s gone. He hasn’t shown up at the house, nor has he used his cards, but I’m sure he’s still here in town as he has no money inhis account. I’m sure whatever money Scarlett made working at the general store he was taking from her because he hasn’t worked in over a year.”
With each word spoken, my anger notches higher and higher with everything Scarlett had to go through. “What about the fucker Ian was going to sell her to?” My knuckles turn white as I grip the table. Everyone at the table stiffens, waiting to hear what Crow has to say.
Crow runs his hands through his hair in frustration. “Not a fucking thing. Either Ian was talking out of his ass and didn’t even have a buyer lined up yet, or he left no paper trail on who it could be. I’m going to scour the dark web and see what I can come up with.”
Let’s hope he didn’t have a buyer lined up just yet, but either way, I will eliminate all threats towards Scarlett. “Thanks, Crow.”
“Anything for family.” He nods his head and goes back to concentrating on his computer.
“Alright, with Crow doing that, I want everyone else to reach out to their contacts and see what you can find. Someone had to see this fucker running off. Hawk, I want you and Stone to take a couple of prospects and look around the abandoned houses and shit. I bet anything he’s hiding out in one of those.”
