“I ain't here to take you down just yet, brother.”
“Why not just end this, Hammer? Why drag it all out?”
“You wanna die that badly, brother?” He chuckles while I grab the wooden chair from beside the door. I plant it close to his knees backward. I straddle it, resting my arms across the back of it.
“It ain't a matter of wantin' to die, brother, it's a matter of having no choice.”
“There's always a choice, Ghost.”
“The only choice I have is whether I die by Vidal's hands or the hands of my club. There ain't no choice to be made, Hammer The only regret I have in this life is leavin' Avery.”
“Why didn't you just take her and leave?”
Ghost scrubs his hands over his tired face and sighs. I ain't never seen this man look so beat down. Where's the strong, cocky, never would give up in any situation, crazy motherfucker I once knew?
The man I see before me right now has given up. I never thought I'd see the day.
He looks up at me, eyes tired, “You think that thought didn't cross my mind? It did, for a moment. Where would we have gone?” Anywhere. He could've gone anywhere. “Vidal would never have stopped hunting us. Avery is, “Family property,” for cryin' out loud.” He rolls his eyes.
“Besides, I couldn't leave the Snakes, you guys are my family. I thought I could have Avery and keep my family. I guess, deep down, I knew I was kiddin' myself. But I couldn't give her up, Hammer. I fuckin' tried. Believe me, I did.”
“I know, man.” I reach over and clasp his shoulder. Ain't nothin' worse than waiting to die, I don't imagine. All the fuckin' time you have to think about the woman you love and the fact you have to leave her alone. Only a real man will walk away from the woman he loves and the life they thought would be theirs. This man did exactly that.
“You will make it quick, won't you? Don't think I want my last living moment to be filled with your kind of torture.” He's laughin', I'm not. I simply nod to let him know it'll be quick if it comes to that.
“Will you do somethin' for me, Hammer?” I nod. “Will you keep an eye on her for me? I know it's a lot to ask, and you don't have to do anything, just make sure nothin' happens to her. Please?”
I can do that for him at least.
“Don't give up just yet, brother.”
This place looks like any other restaurant. Top notch and probably costs a fortune to eat here. Stuck up motherfucker. I wonder how much Vidal pays and what he does to have the entire police force on his side. Hell, this prick owns the whole damn state!
Yeah, MC's rule the towns and cities around, but if this cunt wanted us all gone, we would be. Draven Vidal has more power than any of us first anticipated.
I've parked my bike across from the restaurant like I did yesterday. Bikers like me don't get to walk into Draven Vidal's restaurant without risking a bullet through the brain. I ain't that stupid. But I need to speak with Vidal today, I don't have time to fuck around. That's why I'm here.
Shepard knows what I'm up to, hence why he's kept me so damn busy. Oh, the motherfuckers threatening our club are still out there somewhere, although we're beginning to wonder. They're too quiet. They ain't made a move all week. Some of the brothers are wondering if Vidal ain't already begun sorting this shit as a gesture of goodwill.
Good fuckin' will? It would make more sense if Vidal was behind all this shit in the first place. It all started around the time he found out about Ghost and Avery. And there's no way I'd put it past him. When I look at it like that, I know there's no way he'll let Ghost live, no matter what I do. He wants blood and he'll make sure he gets it. The fact of the matter is, it's either Ghost or us.
The worst of it is the fact Shepard has informed me that Vidal wants to be there when Ghost is put down. By me.
Cunt!
“You shouldn't be here.”
“Nor should you.”
It doesn't surprise me that she's walking toward me, I should have seen her coming. Though it was pretty fuckin' stupid of me to be parked across from the Mafia Don's restaurant and space out, I could've been killed and I wouldn't've even seen it coming! Even little women such as this one carry guns.
“My cousin won't be happy that you're outside his restaurant again.”
“Couldn't give a fuck what he thinks. I'll leave when he grows the balls to talk to me.”
“Ghost always said you were a tough one.” Her pretty smile fades as quickly as it came. Eyes filling with tears. I know better than anyone what it's like trying to save the one you love only to have them taken from you. It's hell on earth. But I had hope inside of me back then that I'd find Cindy. Avery has no hope of saving Ghost, she's literally waiting around to hear her man is dead.
I also know what it's like to wish for one more moment with Cindy. Just so I could tell her all the things I should've told her back then. This woman in front of me has all that pain to come.
I won't stop fighting to save Ghost, even though I know deep down there is no saving him. If we want to keep our women and kids safe, if we want them home and living normal lives. We need Vidal to come through with his end of the deal. But for that to happen the Snakes need to come through too.
That doesn't mean I can't give the man something he longs for before the dreaded hour arrives.
“I know I have no right to ask, and you could easily tell me no. But,” She swallows hard and folds her arms around her waist.
She's a pretty girl, shoulder-length brown hair, big brown eyes, big breasts, curvy hips. Just Ghost's type, but not the kind of girl he usually ends up with. She's dressed classy in a deep blue colored dress that makes her look as though she was off to dinner in a big fancy restaurant. On a date, maybe. But I'm guessing she dresses like this a lot on the orders of her cousin. Just like his sister. Appearances are everything.
“Could you tell Ghost that I love him?”
Her eyes narrow when I hand her my helmet, she takes it nonetheless. “Put it on, and get on the back of my bike and hold on tight.”
“What...”
“Just do it before someone notices.”
She does, too trustingly for a mafia princess. I'm a fuckin' biker who has issues with her cousin, I could be leading her to her death because of Ghost and the situation he's in. But Averyl isn't to blame, Ghost chose to ignore Vidal, he chose to claim this girl, he's as much to blame as she is.
Ten minutes later we're at the clubhouse. I climb off my bike and she follows, taking off the helmet and placing it on the seat. “Why have you brought me here?”
“I think you know the answer to that, Avery.”
She nods. “I was scared to hope.”
“Don't be scared, just follow me.”
That's a lot for me to ask of her right now, don't be scared. She has a lot to be scared of. She's not thinking clearly, all she wants is to see Ghost. Does anyone think of anything but seeing the one they love when this could possibly be the last time?
The looks I get from those in the clubhouse... Idiots. Luckily for me, Shepard isn't around. I don't know where he is and I don't much care. He'd kill me for this, no doubt about it. But he's probably with his wife and kids while the rest of us ain't seen our families all week. Tank ain't seen Nova and Ember in four days, he ain't coping.
Shepard should know most of these guys don't work well when they go too long without seeing their families, getting their dicks wet, etc. I suppose the frustration they feel is keeping them angry enough to kill at will. But it feels like we're in fuckin' limbo!
“I'm gonna give you ten minutes alone,” I tell Avery as we stand outside Ghost's rooms. She nods her head erratically, eyes wide. “Say what you need to say. Say goodbye, but make sure he knows that you'll be okay when he's gone. Trust me, he needs that.”
She lowers her eyes for a moment. She's not going to be okay when he's gone, but she has to tell him that she will be. The last thing a man wants to hear before he goes off to meet his maker is that the woman he loves will be anythi
ng but okay without him.
She grabs my arm as I move to walk away, stopping me in my tracks. “Thank you, Hammer. I won't forget your kindness.” I simply nod and walk away from her.
I may well have signed my own death warrant by bringing her here, but so be it.
Chapter Fourteen
Avery