10. Ghost

10

Ghost

Silence is never a good thing. Most of the time, it’s louder than words. Especially when war is whispering on the horizon.

I monitor the feeds we set up at our meet point, and there’s still no movement. It should be a relief, but history tells me it’s a bad omen.

It’s too quiet.

We’ve been waiting for the Iron Sinners to retaliate ever since we rescued Tempe and Austin from their grasp, but they’ve yet to make a move, leaving the club in limbo as we wait. And it makes me nervous as we head out on something that should be a simple buy.

We hit a bump in the road, and I grip my phone tighter. Vegas is warming up, turning the van into an oven. I’d rather be on my bike than inside this cage.

Feeling the air on the back of my neck .

Hearing every crunch of my tires ripping against the pavement.

Instead, I’m crammed in the back of this van with Soul, Chaos, and Legacy while a few prospects follow us.

I wipe the sweat off my neck and lean back, irritated.

“Heard you disappeared after Luna last night, brother.” Legacy knocks me on the arm. “Something you want to talk about?”

I look up and see Soul grinning at me.

“I swear you all gossip like fucking teenagers.” I shake my head.

“And you’re avoiding the man’s question.” Soul chuckles.

“Because there’s nothing to talk about.” I turn to Legacy. “But if we’re digging into personal shit, where were you last night?”

“Fuck you.” Legacy flips me off.

Chaos laughs, resting his elbows on his knees. “Last I saw him, he disappeared with a fine-ass redhead.”

Legacy glares at him. “The bar was out of champagne, and she was celebrating. Helped her find a glass.”

“I’m sure you helped her find a little more than that.” I chuckle, and Legacy flips me off again.

“Bachelorette party? Birthday?” Soul tosses out guesses.

“College graduation.” Legacy tips his head back when the guys burst out laughing.

“Fuck.” Chaos holds his fist out, but when Legacy refuses to bump knuckles, Soul does it for him. “College. Fucking. Graduation. Damn, brother. ”

“Someday, our boy’s gonna make a young girl with daddy issues very happy.” Soul grins.

“I hate all of you.”

I’m sure he does. Especially since Soul is right. Legacy has a type. Early twenties, innocent, pretty, and looking to work out their fucked-up childhood with an emotionally closed-off biker.

“When did this become about me?” Legacy diverts the conversation, looking at me. “Are you fucking Luna now or not?”

“I thought she was fucking Venom.”

Chaos’s comment drags my attention from my phone, but when I meet his stare, he’s grinning. He baited me, and I fell for it.

“Got his attention.” Chaos elbows Soul, who’s quietly chuckling.

The guys have always given me shit about Luna, but it’s worse now that they know what I risked for her.

My resistance is corroding, and my brothers know it.

She knows it.

Last night, she was testing me.

She taunted me with Venom, and when she felt me crack, she broke through my defenses. That was the closest I’ve come to breaking the promises I made to myself five years ago.

Luna’s the perfect combination of heaven and damnation, and when she stood so close her tits brushed my chest, I almost snapped.

Her skintight dress hugged her petite curves and showed off every inch of her arms and legs. Her wavy purple hair framed her face, drawing out the richness in her eyes.

I shouldn’t let myself get that close to paradise because I’ll start thinking I’m allowed to taste it. But her sharp little exhales drew me in; I was desperate to lean closer. To kiss her neck and see if she tastes like she smells—like vanilla and honeysuckle.

And then she called me Marcus.

She whispered my name, and I was tempted to hear how loud I could make her scream it.

I wanted to know if she’s the kind of girl who will bend to my will or beg me for more.

“Three minutes.” Havoc yells from the front seat, and it’s enough to get the guys off my back so we can get back to business.

I scan the feeds from my phone, double-checking every angle. “Still clear.”

Havoc nods, and the guys start to prep.

It doesn’t matter how many drops we’ve done over the years; the edge never wears off. And if it does, that’s usually a sign you’re no longer sharp. Even something as simple as a buy can go sideways. You can never not be on your game.

The van silences, and we all settle into our roles, ready for the moment the doors open.

As the road captain, Chaos will do most of the talking. Havoc will monitor everyone’s movements and direct the prospects if shit goes sideways. Legacy will accept the payment transfer after all the product is accounted for. And Soul will make sure everything goes according to plan and report back to Steel.

Me, I’ll sit back and watch.

It’s my job to be invisible while having everyone’s backs.

If tonight goes well, I won’t have to do anything because the critical pieces have already been taken care of. The surveillance is done. The positions are set.

I have eyes in every corner because all it takes is me missing one little thing for this to fall apart.

All it takes is one blind spot, and we’ll be mulch by morning.

One mistake, and we could lose everything.

Everyone .

The van rolls to a stop, and I check the perimeter a final time before anyone moves, but there’s nothing.

“We’re good.”

Havoc nods, popping open his door. “Let’s do this.”

It’s been three weeks since our last run, so the club needs this. Legacy keeps the bulk of the club’s assets tied up in stocks and real estate, giving us security, but our cash on hand mostly comes from selling guns and ammunition.

With war on the horizon, every little bit helps.

Chaos opens the back of the van, and we all funnel out. Legacy hangs back with me until they need him, keeping watch. His gun is at his side, and he stands alert, ready to use it.

The Road Rebels are already waiting outside their vehicles when we approach. Chaos and Soul meet their VP, while the rest of us fan out. I toggle between the sensors and the nearby traffic cam footage, keeping an eye out for anything that might be out of place.

No movement.

No shadows.

I glance up and see Chaos smiling while Soul shakes their VP’s hand, and Legacy steps forward to handle the transaction.

Once Legacy confirms we’ve received payment, the prospects get to work unloading product and helping a few of the Road Rebels load it into their van.

It’s been getting more difficult to traffic guns with Iron Sinners trying to intercept our shipments, so I’m relieved when this goes down without a hitch.

“Good doing business with you.” Chaos and Soul shake their hands again, and we all regroup at the van.

Havoc directs the prospects to head back to the clubhouse before climbing in. The van starts, and everyone is quieter than they were when we left. It’s already four forty-five in the morning, and we have a three-hour drive back to Vegas.

Soul stretches his legs out, lacing his hands behind his head. “How about it, boys? Want to celebrate?”

“What did you have in mind?” Havoc asks from the front seat.

“Blow. Strippers. Booze. Take your pick.”

Havoc chuckles. “Sapphire Rise?”

“I’m down.” Chaos grins, always onboard to blow off steam at the strip club .

Strippers at seven in the morning isn’t how I prefer to start the day, but there are worse things than tits, ass, and whiskey.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I angle it away from Legacy so he can’t see what’s on the screen, and I flip through the clubhouse camera feeds until I find her.

Luna is still awake, sitting outside with Wren and looking up at the stars. She’s playing with the tips of her purple hair when a laugh bursts out of her.

That’s all it takes—her smile. My blood run so hot it might melt my fucking bones.

Locking my phone, I rest my head back and close my eyes, burning the sight of her into the back of my eyelids, when I should be trying to forget it.

Maybe strippers at seven in the morning isn’t such a bad thing. At least then, I can pretend it’s not Luna’s face that I see when I look anyone in the eyes. At least then I can convince myself I’m not going to break this girl like I’ve done everything else good in my life.