31. Ghost

31

Ghost

We’ve been on the defense too long.

Tonight, it ends.

One of my contacts in the Road Rebels pulled through and got intel on a shipment the Iron Sinners have coming in, and we’re shutting it down.

First, we’re going for their weapons.

Then, their money.

After that, all bets are off; we’re going for the jugular.

“Be safe.” Luna lifts to kiss me.

I wrap my hand around the back of her head and deepen it, drowning in her. “Always.”

I’m buzzing as I step off the porch and climb onto my bike. Glancing over my shoulder, I catch sight of Luna and Tempe standing with linked arms on the porch, watching us. It stirs something in my chest to know I have someone waiting for me, giving me a reason to return .

Rolling out of the compound on my bike, I think about Luna waiting for me like Tempe waits for Steel. I think about Austin going to bed an hour before that and try to picture what that would look like for us. I never thought of myself as a father when mine was such a shit example, but what if that’s what Luna sees for her future?

Could I be someone a kid depends on?

It’s one thing to look after Austin or Bea, but having a kid of my own would be different. They’d be my blood. They’d live this life.

Do I want that for them?

Bringing Luna into the world of the Twisted Kings is one thing. She’s strong; she can handle it. But I’ve seen what happens to kids raised here. Legacy, Steel, Havoc, and Soul are all shining examples.

None of them come from well-adjusted family situations. If Luna and I tried, would she think I’m worth the trouble of what this life could bring our kid?

Passing through the gates, I try to leave those thoughts behind before they get me into trouble. Or worse, before my hesitation gets me killed. I’m still not sure Luna’s going to stick around, so why the fuck am I thinking about having kids with her?

The moon hangs in the desert sky.

Night hasn’t had a chance to cool off the heat of the day, so it’s a warm ride. I move as one with my brothers, detouring before we hit the main highway to the Strip.

The Road Rebels let us know the Iron Sinners buy isn’t happening for another two hours, but we need to beat them to it if we’re going to set up a perimeter and get the jump on them. I wish Titan would show up so we could cut the head off the snake and get this over with already, but he’s been underground since his men kidnapped Tempe and Austin.

He knows we have eyes all over the city waiting for him to be vulnerable, and he’s being careful.

When we get to the warehouse, we pull around back and hide our bikes so the Iron Sinners won’t know we’re here. It’s quiet, and I do a quick scan for sensors to see if we tripped anything. The Iron Sinners might be upping their security game with their new tech specialist, but the warehouse is unguarded.

Which means they won’t see us coming.

I activate a signal blocker to cut off any outside communications. Once the Iron Sinners step into the grid, they won’t be able to alert anyone of the attack. It’s never my first choice since it cuts off our outside service as well, but we can’t risk this going sideways.

“We’re clear,” I tell Havoc, who makes his way over to Steel.

They direct everyone into their positions. A few prospects will monitor the perimeter while Legacy and I are sent to squat at the upper level of the warehouse. It’s my job to send out a radio signal if anything goes wrong, and since Legacy is the best shot in the group, he needs to be in a position to take out anyone who tries to run.

Legacy wipes a spiderweb off his shoulder as we move to our position in the dusty warehouse.

“Why can’t this kind of shit go down somewhere not so grimy.” He frowns .

“Scared of spiders?”

“Fuck you.” He pulls his gun out, squatting down and getting into position. “Nothing should have that many legs.”

I chuckle.

I’ve seen Legacy run straight at a lineup of Iron Sinners who were shooting at him, so it’s hilarious to me that something as small as a spider bothers him.

“Besides…” Legacy brushes dust off his arms. “It’s getting harder to explain to Bea why I’m coming home in the middle of the night covered in dirt and blood stains.”

I tuck my phone away, watching the front of the warehouse. “Never thought about it like that. How’d King handle it with you?”

“The same way Dad handled everything.” Legacy snorts, shaking his head. “He gave me a knife for my sixth birthday and taught me what arteries to cut to take someone down in less than thirty seconds. He didn’t hide me from this shit, so I never had any questions.”

“Does Bea have questions?”

Legacy frowns, resting his gun on the railing to keep it in position. “Yeah, and I’m not ready to answer them.”

I think about Bea running around his backyard in a tutu, kicking a soccer ball, and I get it.

“But you’re not moving her off the compound?”

“Fuck no.” Legacy glares at me. “It’s safer behind the gates.”

“Well, then you’re gonna have to face this sooner or later. And I’m not saying that to piss you off, brother. But you’ve got two options in this life, and you know it. Get her out or be honest.”

“She’s five.”

“I’m not saying you have to do it now. But she’s a smart girl, and she’s gonna start asking questions. If you want to keep her safe, you’re going to need to tell her some version of the truth before she starts to think you’re keeping shit from her.”

Legacy looks over at me, narrowing his eyes. “When did you get so fucking good with this shit?”

“When it’s not my life I’m talking about.” I drop my chin, raking my fingers into my hair.

“You’ll make a good dad, Ghost.”

“I’m not having any fucking kids.” Whatever doubt I had riding off the compound has only been made clearer through this conversation.

“Okay.” Legacy grins.

“Really, okay? You’re just dropping it.”

“Sure am, brother. And when you realize you’re full of shit, I’ll be here to point out how supportive I was right now so you can thank me for it.”

I open my mouth to tell him that’s never going to happen, but movement at the front of the warehouse stops me.

The doors slide open, and five Iron Sinners step through.

They’re laughing and bullshitting, and we listen while they wait for their shipment to arrive. I’m on edge until that happens because the in-between is the unknown. While we know how many guys Titan usually sends on a buy, we don’t have the Satan’s Reapers pinned down.

Lucky for us, when they back into the warehouse with the trailer full of guns, there are only four of them.

We barely outnumber them, but we have the advantage of surprise on our side.

Watching them, I wait until they’re in a better position. I can’t signal our men to move in until the best possible moment. When they all turn to face the shipment, distracted by counting the product, it’s our time.

Hitting the radio signal on my phone sends a single beep to Havoc below. He motions for everyone to move in, and the Twisted Kings swarm.

Two Iron Sinners try to get the jump on Steel, but Legacy takes them out easily with headshots. I take out one at the side, and Havoc finishes him off down below.

Chaos wrestles with an Iron Sinner, who stabs him in the arm. He flinches, but it doesn’t slow him down, and when he manages to get the upper hand, he plants a bullet between the Iron Sinner’s eyes.

It takes less than three minutes to put our rivals down, and apart from Chaos’s wound, everyone is fine.

Steel and Havoc make sure one Iron Sinner stays alive so we can question him as Legacy and I make our way down from the upper level to meet up with the rest of the group.

Havoc peels back the remaining tarps in the truck, and there are more rifles. “It’s at least seven hundred and fifty grand. ”

Steel nods. “Have the prospects follow you back to storage and pack it up for now. We’ll decide what to do with it later. And have Chaos go with you. Patch can meet you there and stitch him up.”

“It’s just a little cut, Prez. I’m good.” Chaos takes a swig from his flask, ignoring the blood trickling down his arm or the knife still sticking out of him.

“That’s an order,” Steel says. “You’re no good to the club if that gets infected. And if you end up in the hospital, your parole officer is going to ask questions.”

Chaos grunts, annoyed by being benched, but he doesn’t argue. He climbs into the passenger seat of the van, while Havoc and the prospects secure the back.

Steel, Legacy, and I stay behind to question the lone survivor, while Havoc leaves with everyone else.

“We need to make this quick before Titan realizes something is off.”

Steel kicks the biker in his side, forcing him to roll over. He’s groaning as he comes to, and Steel presses his foot on his neck to stop him from trying to sit up.

“Then I guess we better get started.” Steel adds more pressure.

I squat down, pulling my knife from its holster. I thought this day couldn’t get any better, but apparently, I was wrong.

“Yeti. Cute.” I point the edge of my blade at the name on the Iron Sinner’s cut.

“Fuck you.” Yeti chokes on his words as Steel puts more weight on his throat.

Steel doesn’t stop until Yeti’s eyes start to roll back .

Grabbing his T-shirt, I pull it up, digging my blade into his stomach. He tries to flail, but Legacy grabs one arm, and Steel holds onto the other.

“Where’s Titan storing the shipments?” My blade slips into him like butter.

Smooth.

Painting a beautiful red river down his side.

“I’m not telling you shit.”

“You sure about that?” I drag the blade over his stomach, peeling up a layer of skin and loving the decibel of Yeti’s scream. “Usually, I’d take my time with this. Make it special for both of us so you have something nice to remember when you’re burning in hell. But fortunately for you, I don’t have that kind of time right now.”

He grins, showing off his blood-stained teeth. “You think you’re doing me a favor? Just fucking kill me. I’m not telling you anything.”

“Can’t do that.” I glance up at Steel. “Right, Prez?”

He shakes his head, and I look down at Yeti. “See, the boss says no. Which means you get me until you give us some answers.”

I drag the blade deeper. Still not deep enough to reach an organ because I wouldn’t want to lose him now.

“Fuck.” He screams, and his eyes get hazy.

“Don’t black out.” I slap the side of his face. “We’re not even at the fun part yet. See this knife? You probably didn’t think much of it because it’s small, right? But that’s all I need. Something sharp enough to make a hole to rip your intestines out. How much of your own guts do you think I can shove down your throat before you choke or bleed out?”

Yeti’s eyes widen. They dart around, and he’s probably debating whether I’d actually take it that far. Or he’s wishing he took a bullet like his friends.

Too bad he didn’t. Now he gets me—the man I warned Luna about.

Someone who has made men scream to the brink of death only to bring them back again.

Driving my knife into his side, I find the perfect spot. His screams mute from the pain, but I won’t hit anything vital.

“Where’s Titan storing his shipments?”

“Boulder City.” Yeti groans, and I pull the knife out. “He’s storing the guns in a condo at the east end of town.”

“He’s storing ammunition in a fucking condo?”

“Yes!” Yeti screams when I shove the blade in again.

I look up at Steel. “You believe this shit?”

“It makes sense. Would you have guessed the location?”

Looking at Legacy, he shrugs. Because no, we wouldn’t.

“What condo?” I look back at Yeti.

“Boulder Terrace Estates.” Yeti groans. “Unit three seventy-two.”

“We’re running out of time,” Legacy warns.

I lean down, looking Yeti in his eyes. “Hear that? We’re out of time. Lucky for you.”

I drive the knife into his gut, making sure I strike a spot that will be slow and painful. He’ll last long enough to suffer while still being past the point of saving .

Pulling the knife out, I wipe the blade on Yeti’s cut, standing up to shove it back in the holster.

“A fucking condo.” Legacy shakes his head.

“Guess we’re going somewhere nicer than a dusty-ass warehouse after all.” I chuckle.

We have their guns. And next, Legacy will drain the bank account the Iron Sinners are using to store their excess funds from Zane.

Things are turning around. A win when we’ve been stacking up losses.

Finally, shit might be going right for the Twisted Kings.