Let him.
The club was checking motels, abandoned or empty homes, and low-rent hotels in the area. Anywhere that would take cash and not check ID. It took all night, but their hunt was nowhere close to being over.
The entire club was with him. Brothers Thorne, Goose, and Grimm were back guarding club property. All the ol’ ladies and club kids were on lockdown. Pumpkin was there, not wanting to leave his family as they grieved the loss of their friend and nanny. Ghost could not fault him that, and to be honest, he had not done enough to honor Frankie or Monica, who had been a dedicated employee regardless of her start in the club. But he could not risk losing focus. Maybe that made him heartless, but there was no time for mourning. Hehadto find Becks.
Kelly was still at the Mount Grove hospital with Grumpy, and Pumpkin promised to check in on him daily too. The four prospects, plus Apollo, were guarding Loretta, who had come up the day before, Tessa, and Ranger at the Cottonville hospital. Bear had wanted to stay with his wife, but she’d forced him onto his bike. There was no indication that either Cameron or Ritchie was working with anyone else, and neither of them was anywhere near Cottonville to come after Ranger or Tessa at the hospital. Bear was needed elsewhere.
Tessa knew there was no stopping Ghost from going, but she did forbid him from driving his motorcycle. So instead Ghost rode shotgun in Keys’ souped-up van while Jigsaw drove. Whenthey stopped somewhere, Jigsaw was able to hop into the back to help Keys on the computers and Ghost got out with the club to help search.
It was early in the morning when Keys traced a video call from an acquaintance of Ritchie’s to a computer at a campground less than forty minutes from their current location. The club rolled up just as the rain started to fall—but not even the downpour could stop Ghost from seeing his wife, battered and beaten, on the ground with Ritchie standing over her and an old man undoing his pants behind her.
He was out of the van before it even stopped.
He ran right past Becks, tackling the old man to the ground. The club would capture Ritchie, but the fucking man with the undone jeans was Ghost’s. He didn’t know the man’s name or his connection to Ritchie or even why he was at this rundown, mountainous campground. All Ghost knew was that he’d been undoing his pants while standing over Ghost’s wife.
Rain, mud, and blood splattered everywhere. Ghost heard nothing, saw nothing, but the man’s broken face as Ghost beat the very breath from his body. And when the man was past death, Ghost continued to pummel him. Over and over until his teeth and bones cracked beneath Ghost’s onslaught.
There was a sense of euphoria as he sat back on the man’s chest. Of rightness in the world. After six fucking days, he’d found her. Becks was here, and she was alive.
Ghost stumbled to his feet. He knew what Becks had just seen him do, and he didn’t care. She should know the man she’d married, know all of him. The good, the bad, and the ugly. She should know that there were no lengths, no limits, to his protection of her, including killing anyone who threatened both her and their future children.
He turned. Through the spring rain, he saw Ritchie on his knees, hands held behind his back by Bulldog. Some of the clubwas missing, and Ghost had to assume they were out looking for Cameron.
His eyes danced around. “Where’s Becks? Where is my wife?”
Becks heard footsteps behind her.Everything hurt, and a part that was bigger than she cared to admit wanted her to just curl up on the ground and die. But she couldn’t. She heard her name be called, along with the order to stop. Fear kept her pushing forward. The trees were dense and thick, and the rain both aided to hide her and hindered her ability to see where she was going. For all she knew, she was making a huge circle. Also, she was on a mountain. What if she kept going and felloffthe mountain?
But she couldn’t stop. Flashes of Cameron going down on Ranger kept appearing in her head. She’d been unable to save her brother that trauma. He’d been tied down, drugged out of his mind. She might be beaten, but she would fight to her last breath to keep that man from touching her.
A branch snapped nearby. Her ears felt like there were cotton balls shoved inside. That couldn’t be good. She tripped over a tree with a low-hanging branch. Someone called her name again as she righted herself.
“Becks!”
She looked up into the pouring rain. That had sounded like Ghost. Was he up in the tree? Fear gripped her as she heard the sounds of someone approaching her from behind. Was it the man? Had he gotten his pants off yet?
“Becks!”
Her heart raced. That was definitely Ghost! He’d found her. Why was he up in the tree? “Ghost!” she called out as quietly as she dared. “Ghost! I’m coming!”
Willing to do anything to get to her husband, Becks lifted herself up on the branch. Her sore, bleeding feet scraped along the bark and rough wood. Her arms felt like they had weights attached to them as she tried to fling herself over the next branch. She wasn’t a runner, and frankly, she was judging her own lack of climbing skills. Why hadn’t she at least joined Libby at the gym once in a while? Gained some upper body strength?
“Becks!”
That voice came from below. Oh no, the man with the pants was coming! She needed to climb higher! She needed to get to Ghost!
“Becks!”Ghost shouted again, trying to get her attention. Why was she climbing a fucking tree? She was in no condition, given the state of her hands, her feet, and her face. There was a good chance she had a concussion.
The rain kept falling, but the denseness of the trees helped protect them from the water droplets under the canopy.
Ghost had one arm wrapped around his middle. His ribs were protesting every step, but he kept pushing forward. She was so close, and yet she was still going up that goddamn tree!
Bulldog, Starbucks, Bones, and Demo stayed behind with Ritchie. Angel, Cage, Scar, and Poker went up the campground’s gravel road in search of Cameron. Pirate, Jigsaw, Jumper, and Keys were back at the van.
And the rest of them were spread out through the woods looking for his runaway wife.
“Becks! Stop!”
She shook her head, hugging the body of the tree. “He’s coming. I have to get away!”
