18. Ghost

One Week Later

When I left Lennox in my bed this morning. I knew I was on the verge of uncovering all her secrets. I wanted to wait for her to tell me, but it has been a week and she's yet to tell me anything. E-Z and I had a quick phone conference with Ivan. I didn't realize that what I learned would rock me to my core. I'm not sure where this leaves me and Lennox. Hell, I don't even know how she's been able to be here at the club. It must bring up painful memories for her.

I called an emergency meeting, but there's only a few of us here. I don't trust this information with everyone. I spoke with E-Z, and we called in the main officers of the club. That's it. E-Z, Shadow, Rage, Iron and Brick.

We're in the room reserved for church. My brothers are all sitting around the table, staring at me. I'd rather be shot again than do this. The problem is, I don't know what Lennox has gotten herself into. I need to make sure the club watches out for her.

"Anyone going to clue us into what this meeting is all about?" Shadow asks.

The tension is thick in the group. They may not know what's going on, but they've definitely read the vibe in the room. I let out a sigh, and with a glance at E-Z, I begin.

"I need the club to have my back. I have a … situation," I mutter.

"What sort of situation?" Brick asks. As enforcer, I expected him to ask first.

"I'm taking Lennox as my old lady," I tell them, causing laughter to move through the room. If only they knew, there's nothing funny about any of this.

"Jesus Christ, Ghost. You had us worried. Why you sweatin' it? You might be private with your sex life, but I think you can handle one woman," Shadow ribs me.

"If he can't, he better not give her his cut," Rage adds.

"Lennox has baggage that could be a problem," I exhale, trying to get back control of the conversation.

"What kind of problem?" Brick questions, his voice completely serious.

"E-Z and I had a phone conference with Ivan Levkin this morning. We did it alone, because I didn't think what I learned would involve the club," I explain, not wanting to upset Shadow. As vice president, he should have been in on the phone conference if it was club related.

"Okay," he acknowledges.

"Lennox is a former hired assassin for the Bratva," I respond.

"Damn, why did my dick just get hard?" Rage jokes, and I slam my fist down on the table.

"That's my woman you're joking about," I warn.

"We are allies with the Levkin brothers. Anyone want to tell me why this is an issue?" Shadow grumbles.

"Lennox has done several jobs for the Levkin trio. In fact, she was on a job for them when she came up against the former leader of this club, Bones."

"Fuck!" Shadow roars. "I never wanted to hear that motherfucker's name again. He wasn't a fucking leader. He was a snake."

"Trust me, man, I'm not real thrilled about any of this myself," E-Z steps in. "Let Ghost tell you the rest."

Silence greets me as I look around the room. This place offered me a home after the hell I went through in Miami. I'm hoping to get the same from them for my woman. She needs a home and a safe place to live. Shit, I need that for her.

"She was in deep, pretending to be an art broker. She was trying to figure out what the bastard was up to. Ivan suspected he was double-crossing them."

"And he was," Brick muttered.

I nod but keep going. "She was dealing with Bones and the others to help them ship stolen artifacts filled with drugs. She'd feed them info on where the deliveries would go and when they needed to acquire them. The Levkins allowed some fake artifacts to be taken, so they could see exactly what Bones was doing. They wanted that information before Lennox took him out."

"Okay, keep going," Shadow prompts.

"I'm not sure how, but Bones apparently discovered she was a plant. He wanted to make her pay for setting him up and interfering with his plans. The bastard researched her and gleaned every bit of information he could on her. It worked because he discovered she had a half-brother who was younger than her. A half-brother that she doted on. He located the kid and sent men in to kill him."

"How old was the kid?"

"Just turned fourteen. He suffered from down syndrome. Likely thought the men were friends of his sister's. Bones had him shot and apparently filmed the entire thing it so he could play it for Lennox before he killed her."

"How did she get Bones to let her live?" Iron asks.

"He didn't. He beat the fuck out of her and shot her, leaving her to die in a back alley behind an art gallery."

"Holy fuck," Rage responds.

"I don't know how my woman survived. Ivan emailed me her hospital records. She spent over a month in the ICU. Then another three months in a long-term care facility," I explain.

It's hard for me to talk about this shit. I wish Lennox had opened up with me about all this, but I can't be mad. I know why she held it in. My woman has to hate this club. There's no way she will want to stay here permanently. How she even agreed to stay as long as she has is a mystery to me. I won't force it on her anymore, though. I'm going to turn my cut in and take my woman away from here. I have no idea how to confess everything I've done behind her back. I don't want her to hate me. That possibility is very real when you consider her history.

"I don't understand. If Bones is dead and all his assclowns are gone, how is this an issue?" Iron asks.

"Lennox is holding something in. I don't know what it is. Maybe she resents the club?—"

"Maybe she wants to make us pay for the sins of the past," Iron responds. I snarl at him. "Don't shoot the messenger, Ghost," he tries to placate me. "I'm just saying it's a real possibility. Should we worry about having a lit keg of dynamite in our midst?"

"No. Lennox is not like that. I'm worried there's someone out there. Someone associated with Bones that we aren't aware of. Someone she's been looking for and if she's been looking for him…"

"Maybe he's been looking for her," Iron supplies and I nod, the thought having bile settle into my stomach and begin to churn.

"It's possible. Bones had a lot of men working for him that weren't part of the club," Shadow mutters. "This could be a clusterfuck."

"Which is why I need you guys to help me watch her back. Until she's ready to talk about it, I'm flying blind. I need you to help me protect her. I don't want her going places alone. I need her as protected as we can make her."

"Sounds doable. She's bound to notice, though."

"If she does, she'll come at me, and I'll explain. I want to give her a little space to work through everything she's going through before I confront her, however. Ivan is out of town, but after he talks with Lennox he's going to call me. I want to see the video and any other information that he might have. Maybe that will give me an idea of what's going on."

"I want to be at the meeting," Shadow responds.

"I already have it cleared. It will be you, me, and E-Z. Brick will watch over my woman and the club."

Everyone nods in agreement. I breathe a sigh of relief. That went easier than I imagined it would. Now, if I can just get my woman to trust me before I admit I dissected her life behind her back.

Fuck …