Chapter One

Ghost

S ITTING IN PHANTOM Ink with Vault in my chair as I give him his latest tattoo, I can’t keep my mind from staying off of Alana. It’s been five months since I last saw her, since she was in my arms on the dance floor and every fucking day is the same. I wake up with her on my mind, wondering what she’s doing in Clifton Falls. No matter what I’m doing each day, little things make me think of her and I wonder if she’s thinking of Geek and myself at all as she goes about her day. When I get in bed each night after exhausting myself, I can’t fall asleep until I’ve jerked off to thoughts of Alana and what I want to do to her luscious body. Every fucking night I dream of her. No, they aren’t all dreams revolving around sex and the various positions I want to see her in between Geek and myself. I dream of building a life with Alana and what our future has the potential to look like.

Alana is sexy as fuck. She’s short as hell, the top of her head barely coming to my chest when she stands close to me. My girl has curves in all the right places and isn’t as thin as a fucking board. She’s not shy about eating and the food she loves is all over the place. Alana has the softest, palest skin with freckles covering her nose and just under her eyes. Her lips are soft and full, the kind of lips you want to kiss and get lost in on a daily basis. Alana’s eyes are the brightest blue that are light enough to remind me of a cloudless sky with bursts of darker blue all around. She’s got one tattoo on her ribs that her uncle Irish gave her the second she turned eighteen. I can’t remember what it says right now, but I have plans to see it up close and personal again very soon. In my eyes, Alana is sexy as fuck and I want to feel her body wrapped around mine as I slowly sink into her pussy.

Geek and I have had extensive talks about Alana in the last several months. We’re both on board with wanting her and sharing her. This isn’t some kind of game to us and we’re thinking long-term when it comes to her. We’ve all grown up and changed over the years, but I believe we’re all going to be explosive together and will make this work because in my eyes, there’s no one else for me. There’s no one else for Geek either. We want Alana and will do whatever it takes to make her ours and prove to her we’re the men she’s been looking for her entire life.

“You good, Ghost?” Vault asks me as I bring my focus back to the tattoo I’m currently inking into his body.

“Yeah. Got somethin’ on my mind and just tryin’ to figure out how to make shit happen since things aren’t goin’ how I planned or thought they would,” I answer him, wiping off the ink I’ve already put in so I can check what I’ve done so far.

“What’s goin’ on with Alana?” he questions me, letting me know he’s not as out of things as I thought when it comes to this.

“I don’t know. I’ve messaged her a time or two and haven’t had any responses back from her. Geek has messaged her too. Not gonna try to call her when we have no clue what’s goin’ on with her. I’m ready to head to Clifton Falls and bring her back here where she belongs,” I tell him honestly as I get back to tattooing his newest piece.

“Have you called and talked to Cage or anyone?” he questions, closing his eyes as he relaxes under the tattoo gun.

“Not yet. Gonna call him if I don’t hear from him soon,” I tell him honestly as my phone starts to vibrate on the counter next to me. “Geek and I talked to him at the weddin’ and he wasn’t sure if Alana was gonna go back to the asshole. He was gonna keep an eye on things and keep us updated on the situation.”

Looking over, I see Cage calling me. Speak of the fucking devil.

“Get it,” Vault tells me, getting out of the chair and stretching out his back.

“’Lo?” I answer the phone, not sure why Cage would be calling me.

“Ghost, need to talk to you about somethin’. You got a minute?” he responds, his voice almost devoid of any emotion and it instantly sets me on high alert.

When Cage loses all emotion in his voice, he’s about to fucking explode. I’ve witnessed it countless times over the years when shit has been going down with the clubs. Cage doesn’t let himself get to this point very often so I know whatever he’s calling me about is serious and I’m not gonna like whatever he’s about to say.

“I got all the time you need, Cage,” I inform him as Vault takes a seat once more and watches me. “I’ve got Vault here with me and I’m gonna put the phone on speaker so he can hear you as well. You good with that?”

“Yeah. This concerns him too. I’m only callin’ you because my girl wants me to and what Alana wants, she gets,” he states, clearing his throat and taking a brief pause before saying anything else. “When Alana got back from King’s weddin’, she went back to that stupid fucker, Terrence. He’s never been good enough for her and we’ve since learned exactly how wrong he is. Ghost, I know you and Geek want my girl. She’s a good one and I know you’ll do right by her. Both of you are the kind of men she needs in her life.”

“What happened to her?” I grit out, knowing deep in my gut and heart Alana is hurt.

Vault sits up straighter in the chair and his eyes don’t leave my phone as we wait for Cage to respond. We’re both on high alert as all sorts of scenarios run through my mind.

“She came over to decorate as normal for Christmas. Apparently before she even got to the clubhouse, Terrence picked a fight with her and she showed up with red, puffy eyes and the tracks from tears still on her face. She didn’t confide in any of us what happened that day before she showed up. Alana never does and that’s on us. A lot has come out in the last few weeks and it’s things we should’ve realized much sooner. Things we could’ve changed so Alana didn’t feel as if we didn’t give a fuck what was goin’ on in her life. Pops is the only one she’d turn to and she didn’t even turn to him with this information about her life.

“Anyway, when she got home that night, Terrence beat the shit out of my girl. She called me and passed out as soon as I answered the phone from her injuries. We all raced to the apartment they shared. Ghost, my girl . . .,” Cage stops talking, his voice breaking on the last word as rage fills my body and I know this fucker is gonna need to be taught a lesson that involves a ton of pain and very little break from the pain I plan on inflicting.

“What do you need from us?” Vault questions Cage.

“I need to get this out. I know she’s already talked to you about movin’ there so she can get the fuck outta Clifton Falls. For now, you need to know what you’re dealin’ with. Alana had so many injuries we couldn’t take her to the clubhouse. We had to take her to the hospital and she just got out two days ago. My baby spent almost two full weeks in there from her injuries. He broke her nose, hand, and ruptured her spleen. She’s got bruises and cuts all over her body and face, a gash on her head, and he fuckin’ sliced her with a knife down her chest. She’ll have a scar from that for the rest of her life. Alana is movin’ slow and all she does is cry when she’s awake.

“It took several days for her to talk to us and fill us in on what’s been goin’ on with her relationship. Terrence has been slowly abusin’ her emotionally and mentally. Six months ago he started beatin’ the fuck out of her. For six fuckin’ months this bastard has been puttin’ his hands on her and she didn’t say a fuckin’ word. Well, puttin’ his hands on her more than he was previously. She fuckin’ hid what was goin’ on to her even from her mom because Skylar didn’t even see the signs. Fuck! Skylar told them all about her past and that we’d always be there for them to help get them out of any situation they found themselves in. Alana wanted to take this shit on her shoulders and refused to say a word,” Cage informs us, his voice hard and cold as his breathing is picked up like he’s run a fucking marathon race.

“The second she’s ready to get here, we’ll be ready for Alana,” Vault assures Cage as I finally listen to what is being said by Cage.

“I know. There was never a doubt in my mind about you not takin’ her in if she’s already talked to you about movin’ there. I also know Ghost and Geek are the reasons she wants to be in Pine View. You’ve both got our blessin’ to be with her. However, Alana is adamant that she won’t go there until she knows Ghost and Geek want her there. Her next move is gonna be up to the two of you,” Cage states, a tenderness to his voice as he thinks of his daughter and what she wants.

“I don’t want her anywhere else,” I state my voice filled with determination. “Geek doesn’t want her anywhere else either, Cage. When it comes to Alana, we’re both all in and always will be. This isn’t some passin’ phase we’re goin’ through or any shit like that. We want Alana long-term and will give her whatever the fuck she needs because she’s that important to the both of us.”

“I know, Ghost. I could see it when we were at King’s weddin’. If I wasn’t ready to give my baby girl over to the two of you, we wouldn’t be havin’ this conversation. Alana is ready to get out of town and make her way to you. It won’t be immediately though. My girl is gonna head to the Fallen Brethren clubhouse to see Jameson and Reagan before makin’ her way down to Cedar Bay to spend a few days with Haley. I’d like Ghost and Geek to meet her in Cedar Bay so you can see for yourself just how much she’s changed before you get to Pine View. Can you give Ghost and Geek a few days off?” Cage questions Vault as I turn to look at my President and wait for his answer.

“You got it, Cage. The second we know she’s in Cedar Bay, I’ll send Ghost and Geek there to be with her. They can take the time they need to be there for her. What does she need when she gets here, Cage? The truth of what she needs. Counseling? More doctor visits? Tell me what she needs and we’ll make sure she has it without fail. Alana is family and we’ll always be there for family,” Vault says, his voice serious as he motions for me to grab the paper and pen on the counter behind me.

“She’ll definitely need a counselor and will need to have doctor’s appointments set up for her hand and to make sure she’s healin’ from the surgery she needed to remove her spleen. We’re hopeful she won’t get any kind of infection from the surgery since she hasn’t already shown signs of one,” Cage answers as Vault writes things down on the paper and I have one question only on my mind.

“Where the fuck is he, Cage? Where is the stupid fuck who thought he could get away with puttin’ his hands on Alana and get away with it?” I question him, my voice hard and low as my body trembles with the rage filling me.

“We don’t know where he is, Ghost. He disappeared before Alana even called me and we haven’t been able to find him since then. There’s no way in fuck he has money because the twatwaffle has never worked since he’s been with my daughter. He’s used her money and car to cheat on her and make sure she couldn’t leave him. Alana’s given us the names she has of the women he typically goes to when they have one of their breaks and we’ve checked in with all of them. They supposedly haven’t seen him,” Cage informs us and I can hear the pain in his voice as he realizes he can’t protect his daughter the way he needs to in this situation.

“When you get your hands on him, I wanna be there, Cage. I need to be there. He put his hands on my woman and has beaten her down for a year. I could see the pain in her eyes when she was here for the weddin’ and I said nothin’ about it. I wanted to get to know her as she is now and take my time with her. Geek feels the same way. Whatever happens between the two of us will be at Alana’s pace and she’s in charge of everythin’,” I assure Cage after making it known that I will be there for her and want to get my hands on the stupid fuck who attacked her because he’s a fucking pussy.

“You’ll be my first call, Ghost. If everyone here agrees, we’ll bring him to you so you don’t have to leave Alana. I don’t want my girl alone again, Ghost. I believe that you and Geek are all in. So, you need to prove it to her because she’s gonna need to know it’s not just about sex. I don’t honestly know how she’ll be mentally and emotionally by the time she gets to you. The only reason I’m thinkin’ she’s headin’ to see her brother and sisters because that’s what she needs to recover and start to get back to who she is. Alana hasn’t ever figured out who she is as a person and that’s somethin’ else we’re just learnin’ about our girl,” Cage says, his voice breaking once again because there’s more damage that’s been done to Alana than what anyone realized over the years.

“Do you want one of us to meet her at the Fallen Brethren clubhouse? Make sure she gets there okay and she has what she wants. Especially when Jameson learns the truth of what has been goin’ on in her life. You know he’s gonna be all up in her business. Jameson will try to figure out every little fuckin’ thing that’s wrong with her. He’ll beat her down until she doesn’t have a choice but to give in to his demands about what’s been goin’ on in her life,” I ask Cage because I know how Jameson can be when it comes to his family. Especially his sisters.

“I’ll talk to her about it but it’s up to Alana. This is her life and it’s time she lives it on her terms,” Cage responds, before letting us know he’ll give us an update soon and hanging up the phone.

Vault and I don’t say a word. He takes his seat once more and I get back to work finishing up his tattoo. I’m lost in my thoughts about Alana and what she’s been going through over the last year of her life. We’ve all heard bits and pieces of Skylar’s story over the years and what she suffered through at the hands of an ex before she met Cage and Joker. It’s not a good story and it’s one that Skylar had to overcome with the help of her men and the Wild Kings MC. Now, Geek and I need to be there for Alana in any capacity. We’ll be her rock and strength when she needs us.

“You gonna let Geek know what’s goin’ on?” Vault asks me as I finish up his tattoo.

“Yeah. I got no choice but to let him know. Anythin’ that concerns Alana concerns both of us. Cage might have called me, but he knows I’ll let my best friend know what’s goin’ on. We can’t do this if only one of us knows. We’ve already had the talk about how things were gonna go between the three of us. Communication is the most important aspect of our relationship and it needs to happen from the very beginnin’,” I state my mind clear and focused on Alana and what Geek and I want when it comes to her.

“Good. Want to see you go into this with a clear head. We all love Alana and don’t want to see this shit bite any of you in the ass. I’ll tell you right now, you won’t have everyone at your back if you choose to fuck this girl over. She’s too loved and cherished among everyone here,” Vault states the truth of Alana and what she means to everyone who’s grown up around her.

“Not gonna fuck her over, Vault. She’s the one for us and we’ll do everythin’ in our power to make sure she knows it every single day for the rest of her life,” I tell him as we make our way to the front of the shop where Vault tries once again to pay for his tattoo.

No one from the club ever pays for their work. This is a club owned business and Vault always tries to figure out a way to pay for the work he has done. All the guys do. Even the women try to pay on the rare occasions they come in to have something done. None of them will ever understand I won’t take their money because we’re family and this shit is all of ours. Vault leaves the shop once again after shaking his head when Beckett won’t take money from him. Now, I need to figure out how the hell to tell my best friend that our girl was attacked and that we have no clue how she’s gonna handle the year of abuse she’s just been through.