GHOST: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Evil Dead MC Series Book 5) (24 page)

Florida looked down at the face of the woman that had haunted his dreams since Sturgis. “Goddamn it. She’s in
Atlanta?
”

“Was. Left with the Dead.”

“Which chapter?”

“Birmingham.”

Florida stared down at the picture of the only woman who’d ever slipped through his hands. And that wasn’t something he took lightly. And it wasn’t something he could let stand.

“She knows our plans, boss.”

“Yeah, she does, and whose fucking fault is that?” Florida snapped, glaring at his man before returning his gaze to the picture. “You think she talked?”

“Must have. There’s no other reason for her to be there. Had to be what the meet was about. The Dead found out what she knew, brought her to the DKs, probably to make a deal.”

“So, now they know they’ve got a rat.” Florida mulled it over in his head. “But they don’t know who it is. Least we still got that goin’ for us.”

Quill spit on the ground. “Only a matter of time before they figure it out.”

“That’d be unfortunate.”

“We may still be able to get some useful information out of him before that happens.”

“Yeah,” Florida replied absently, but it wasn’t their plant he was thinking about, it was the girl. He wanted her back. And he wanted her back now. Not only because she looked like Rose, but also because she’d run. And that wasn’t to be tolerated. Luckily, they now knew where she was. A slight grin pulled at the corner of his mouth. “Bring her to me.”

Quill looked over at him, frowning. “What’s the point? She already told what she knew. Be a waste of time.”

Florida looked over at him, a little crazy starting to show in his eyes. “Nobody runs out on me.”

His VP took in his expression. The man knew better than to question him.

“You want her dead?”

“No. It’s personal now. I want her back so
I
can deal with her.”

Quill grinned, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t want to be that girl when you get her back.”

Florida smiled and ordered, “Make it happen. And no fuckups this time.”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Jessie, Skylar and Tink were all in bikinis, stretched out on beach towels on Shades and Skylar’s dock. Two empty bottles of wine sat next to them. The lake was quiet, it being the middle of the afternoon on a workday.

Jessie let her head fall back, enjoying the feel of the sun as it soaked into her skin. “God, this feels so good. Thank you. I needed this.”

Skylar rolled her head on the wooden dock, pulled her shades up and looked at her. “No problem, honey. Now, spill. I want to know everything about you and Ghost.”

She shook her head. “Where do I even start? It’s such a mess.”

Skylar went up on her elbow reached for one of the bottles and turned it upside down over Jessie’s red plastic cup. A tiny bit dribbled out, and she twisted, looking back at a dozing Tink.

“Tink! We’re out of wine.”

The girl shot straight up, groggily looked around, and said, “You drive.”

Jessie and Skylar both burst out in giggles.

Tink lay back down on the pier. “You both suck. I was having a fantastic dream.”

Skylar looked over at her. “Let me guess. Did it star someone named Hammer?”

“Shut up. Go back to bothering Jessie about her love life. And what do you care about the wine, you’re not even drinking it!”

“How am I supposed to get Jessie to spill her guts if I can’t get her drunk first?” Skylar replied, stuck her tongue out at Tink and turned back to Jessie.

Jessie replied, “Gee, thanks, Tink.”

“You’re welcome, girlfriend.”

“So, are you in love with him?” Skylar asked, getting right down to business.

“You don’t beat around the bush, do you?” Jessie asked with a laugh.

“Nope.”

“Don’t feel like you have to spill your guts to us if you don’t want to, Jessie,” Tink added.

“Speak for yourself,” Skylar insisted. “I want the dirty details!”

“Dirty details?”

“Is he good in bed?” she asked, her brows waggling.

“Oh, Lord,” Tink laughed.

“Skylar!” Jessie shrieked.

“What? I’ve seen his package, so I know he’s got to be good.”

This apparently was news to Tink, who shot upright again.

“
What?
You’ve seen Ghost naked?”

“Only once, just for a brief second. But what I saw was
amazing
.” She finished in a high-pitched, singsong voice.

“When?” Tink insisted.

“On that trip to New Orleans, when they took me to meet my father. We all had to share a motel room.”

“Wait, the three of you…”

“No! There were two beds, silly. Shades would have flipped his shit if another man even thought about touching me. There’s no way in hell he’d share me, let alone with one of his brothers.”

“So, Jessie how was he?” Tink teased.

She rolled her eyes. “Amazing, okay? And I’m not giving details.”

Skylar giggled. “Okay, fair enough.” Then she sat up, her gaze out on the lake. “I’ve got a secret, and I’m dying to tell someone.”

Tink and Jessie both looked at her.

“Ooo, a secret, do tell,” Tink said.

“Can I trust you both not to say a word? I haven’t even told Shades.”

Jessie looked at Tink, who assured Skylar, “Of course you can trust us, right Jessie?”

“Well, according to Ghost I’m pretty good at keeping secrets,” she tried to joke, making fun of her own predicament. She wasn’t sure why she did it. Maybe it was the suddenly serious and perhaps a bit nervous expression on Skylar’s face. She had to admit she didn’t know the woman all that well, but what she did know, she liked. She felt like the kind of woman that could become a friend, a good friend.

“Skylar, are you okay?” Tink asked with a frown, perhaps sensing the same uneasiness. “You’re not sick are you? Is that why you’re not drinking?”

Skylar shook her head, trying to laugh, but her eyes filled, and she reached up a hand to wipe at her eyes. “No, silly. It’s nothing like that.”

“Then what is it, honey?” Tink asked, taking her hand.

Skylar laughed away her tears. “I’m being silly. I guess I’m just really emotional right now.”

Tink gasped, sitting up straighter, her mouth falling open.

Jessie looked at her, frowning, wondering what it was she’d suddenly seemed to have figured out. “What?”

“You’re pregnant!” Tink guessed.

Jessie’s eyes shot to Skylar, who nodded and burst out laughing as Tink was suddenly hugging her neck and squealing in delight.

“Oh, my God! I’m so happy for you!” Tink released the hold she’d had on Skylar’s neck to pull away and look at her friend. “My God, you’re going to have beautiful babies. Wait. Why haven’t you told Shades yet?”

“I’m nervous, I guess.” Skylar began fiddling with the engagement ring on her finger. “I know he loves me, and he gave me this ring. But…”

“But what?” Tink gently probed, rubbing Skylar’s arm. “What is it, honey?”

“We’ve never talked about the actual wedding and getting married part. He just sort of gave me this ring and moved me in, and we never made any more plans.”

“But you know he wants to marry you, right?” Tink asked.

“Yes. I just…I want to be married before the baby comes, and I don’t want to be a big pregnant cow walking down the aisle. And now it’s too late.” She burst out in tears.

Tink hugged her. “Oh, honey. Don’t say that, you’d be a beautiful bride, no matter how pregnant you are.”

Jessie bit her lip, an idea forming in her head. “Maybe I could help. I mean, I think I have a suggestion.”

Both girls turned to look at her.

Skylar wiped her eyes and asked, “What?”

“How about you get married right away, before you start showing? You’re father is in town. Now would be the perfect time.”

Skylar chuckled, shaking her head. “I don’t want to just go down to the courthouse and do it. I want a real wedding, and that takes time. You have to find a venue and—”

“I know a place,” Jessie offered.

Skylar frowned. “You do?”

Jessie nodded. “Ghost’s. That place he’s fixing up. It would be perfect. We could have it in the courtyard.”

Tink looked at Skylar. “I’ve never been out there, so I’ve never seen the place. Have you?”

“I was there once.”

“Do you think it would work?” Tink asked.

“Maybe. It’s certainly big enough. I suppose if we decorated—”

“I’ve got all kinds of ideas! It’s got all those exposed beams. We could hang little battery votive candles in glass mason jars from the ceiling. And little twinkling fairy lights! We could really make it look magical. And there’s that big fireplace. We could set up the altar in front of it. And we could have the reception out on the terrace and—”

“Whoa, whoa, girl,” Tink cut in, turning to Skylar. “Is this what you want to do? Don’t you think you need to talk to Shades first?”

“I say you surprise him,” Jessie suggested.

“Surprise him?” Skylar turned to her, frowning.

Jessie grinned big. “Yup. And I know exactly how to do it. You know he loves you right?”

Tink cut in, answering that one for her. “He’s crazy about her. He’d do anything to make her happy.”

“Good. Then it’s settled. Tomorrow we go shopping for everything we need,” Jessie advised, grinning ear to ear. Excited to be involved and building new friendships.

An hour later, Jessie was enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin. It was so soothing that soon it and the sound of the water lapping against the dock had almost lulled her to sleep.

Almost.

Until she heard the distant rumble of a couple of motorcycles
.

She cracked one eye toward the house, but couldn’t see anything as the drive was on the backside.

“That’ll be the boys,” Skylar confirmed for her, never turning her head.

“Great,” Jessie mouthed unenthusiastically.

That had Skylar giggling and turning toward her. “Just pretend you’re asleep, maybe he’ll leave you alone.”

“Right.”
Like that had a snowball’s chance in hell
.

A few minutes later the dock shook as some heavy boots walked down it. They came to a stop just above her head, and she cracked an eye open looking up. Ghost stood over her, his eyes meeting hers before they took a leisurely path down her body then moved to Skylar.

“Your ol’ man wants you up at the house.”

Skylar got to her feet.

“And take Tink with you,” Ghost added.

Tink got to her feet as well, but not before giving Jessie a look that said,
you’re in trouble.

Oh, hell no.
If Ghost thought she was going to sit here and listen to another barrage of how she’d fucked up, what a liar she was, and whatever else he had to throw at her, he had another thing coming. She felt her temper flaring, and that pissed her off even more. She’d been in such a nice Zen state of mind there for a minute.

“You’re in my sun,” she complained, not even cracking an eye open.

“You’ve had enough sun from the looks of it.”

“You’re right. Time to turn over.” She flipped to her stomach in a pissy movement, and she knew his eyes were running over her ass.
Good. Let him look
.

“Any longer and that sweet ass of yours is gonna be red as a lobster. Of course, if that’s your goal, I’d be glad to help you with that.”

“You won’t be touching my ass or any other part of me for that matter.”

“Wanna bet?”

She had to laugh at that one. “I remember the last time you said that to me.”

“Yeah, you ended up cuffed to my bed.”

“And how long did that last?” She smirked, knowing she was rubbing salt in the wound.

“Seems not long enough.”

“Bite me.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

A second later he reached down and yanked her to her feet. She pushed him back with a hard shove to his chest, which caught him off guard. He lost his balance and fell off the dock into the lake.

She covered her mouth, not having meant to do that, but couldn’t help the laughter that squealed out of her as he came up sputtering. Then she hauled ass up the hill to the house.

“Yeah, you better run, you little brat! You’re ass is mine when I catch you!”

She ran shrieking into the house.

“Hide me, quick!” she said, slamming the door behind her.

Skylar and Tink turned from the kitchen bar area, wide-eyed and surprised.

Shades turned to look out the wall of windows that faced the lake in time to see Ghost hefting himself out of the water and up onto the dock, water pouring off him.

“Babe, you pushed him in
the lake?”

“It was an accident.”

Shades burst out laughing. “Yeah, right.”

“Quick, lock the doors, he’s coming up the hill!” Jessie shrieked.

“I’ll do one better than that,” Shades suggested, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her toward the door.

Jessie didn’t realize what he was about until he’d shoved her outside and locked the door behind her. She whirled to pound on it, but a moment later Ghost’s arms clamped around her waist and lifted her off her feet. He trudged down the hill with her kicking and screaming the whole way and unceremoniously tossed her off the end of the dock.

When she came up sputtering, the shock of the cold water taking her breath, all she saw was his back as he strode back up to the house.

“I hate you!” she screamed, her voice echoing across the lake.

She heard his laughter echoing back down to her. “You can prove just how much later tonight, brat. I may even let you prove it twice.”

“Aaarrr!! I wouldn’t touch you again if you were the last man on earth.”

“For you, babe, I
am
the last man. So you better fucking get used to it.”

That night when they got back to Ghost’s place, they were barely speaking. He left her in the living area as he stalked into the bedroom. A moment later, she heard the bathroom door slam. She moved silently into the bedroom, put her ear to the door and heard the shower come on. She hesitated, wondering how he would react if she joined him. She laid her palm on the door. She’d been wrong to keep things from him. He was right. If she didn’t trust him, how were they going to make this work? They didn’t stand a chance.

A man like Ghost couldn’t have a woman that didn’t believe in him. It just wouldn’t work. Not a chance in hell. She knew that, she
knew
it. So why had she gone ahead and messed everything up by lying to him? Was she sabotaging her own happiness for some fucked up reason? Deep down, did she think she didn’t deserve him? Or did she think she wasn’t good enough for him, that she would never be enough to make him happy?