Sex & Mayhem 04 No Matter What (10 page)

Tooth sighed.
“Yeah. Boy, drink that coffee, you’re pale like a fucking vampire,”
he muttered before disappearing behind the door.

Luca sighed,
staring at his disfigured hand without much emotion. Or so it
seemed. Once the whole dressing was gone, Ghost noticed rough,
reddened marks around the wrist as well, and his body went
cold.

“He was angry
that I cheated on him,” whispered Luca.

The part of
Ghost that was still a doctor at heart wanted to get Luca to let go
of the sheet, so he could have a look at his body for other
injuries. The part of him that loved the person in front of him was
afraid to look under that wet fabric more than he’d like to
admit.

“He’s out of
your life now. I’ll take care of you.”

Luca exhaled
and gave him a small but sincere smile. It was as if those words
lifted some horrible weight off Luca’s shoulders. “I don’t deserve
you,” he said and brushed a strand of wet hair off Ghost’s
forehead.

“Drink your
coffee, and I’ll go get what I need to take care of your wound,
okay? Will you feel safe here on your own? I know this is all new…”
Ghost took a deep breath. The last thing he wanted was to smother
Luca with all his affection. “Nomad will keep you company.”

Luca nodded and
slowly made his way to the table where Tooth had left the beverage
and the blanket. “I’ll be fine now. Sorry to be so much trouble for
everyone here.” Now that Ghost was consciously looking for signs of
fatigue, it was clear that Luca’s gait was slow and stiff, as if he
was in pain, and it couldn’t just be because of the battered hand.
One thing was sure―Luca’s ex really was a monster.

“Don’t worry
about it. I’ll be back in a minute or two,” Ghost said with a tight
smile and walked out to fetch his instruments and pain killers. If
he could, he’d hide Luca away from the world and keep him safe, so
he wouldn’t ever have the eyes of a frightened puppy again.

The last person
he wanted was to bump into was his father, but that was exactly
what happened. Where the fuck was Tooth when he was needed?

“He in there?”
Don asked, pointing at the door that Ghost had just closed. He
rushed toward Ghost with a grim expression. He was quite fit for a
pot-bellied seventy-year-old man, though Ghost wasn’t sure whether
keeping his hair long despite a huge bald spot at the top of his
head made his father look older or younger than he actually was.
“Show me that little lying prick!”

“Dad, he’s
injured, leave him alone. It’s complicated. He’s been through a
lot, so he had his reasons to do what he did.”

Don shook his
head, staring him down. “I didn’t know your new nickname was
‘Saint’. What are you? Fucking Mother Teresa? That little faggot
twisted you up, and you’re just taking it lying down?”

Ghost took a
deep breath. “I just want to help him…”

Tooth emerged
from the corridor with his jaw set. “Can’t a man do some work
around here? Don, what are you doing here when there are fucking
taxes waiting on your desk? I can’t help out with your shit when
Priest’s gone!”

Don growled and
opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something more, but he
just shook his head and rushed past Tooth toward the office. At
least that was sorted.

Tooth sighed,
resting his hands on his hips. “That sounds fucking rough.”

Ghost ran his
fingers through his hair. “He probably thinks Luca’s gonna make me
gay, or something. I don’t really know what I’m doing right now, so
the last thing I need is his bad attitude. I haven’t even told Mom
about prospecting.”

Tooth pulled on
his beard, which was gloriously groomed today. The man was lucky to
have a barber for a partner because he hadn’t looked nearly as good
before meeting Lucky.

“Look, we could
put the two of you in our guest room,” said Tooth. “That boy’s in
no condition for shit like that.”

Ghost blinked
in surprise. He hadn’t expected an offer like that. “You sure Lucky
would be fine with that? I’d only come if it gets really bad at
home, but Christ… That bastard Italian cut off another of Luca’s
fingers. The last thing he needs is to hear homophobic slurs from
my dad, and my mom crying about me not getting married after
all.”

Tooth sighed.
“I’m pretty sure he’d want you over. We owe you one, remember?” He
was referring to Ghost saving Lucky from bleeding out two years
prior, something Ghost was sure anyone would have done in his
situation. He was just in the right place at the right time.

“Thanks. Luca
must be completely confused. New country, all these changes, now
the violence, and I’m the only person he knows. It’s early days,
but I’d love to help him meet new people. Some less fucked-up ones
hopefully.”

Tooth gave him
a slow nod, but Ghost wasn’t sure what to think about his
inquisitive gaze. At least he wasn’t making any stupid
comments.

“Yes, I’m still
upset about his lies, but… you know, he’s in a lot of trouble,”
Ghost muttered.

“Not my
business,” said Tooth. He waved at Ghost and went back to the
office.

Ghost stared at
the patches on Tooth’s back. Coffin Nails Motorcycle Club. A patch
of a demon nailing a coffin lid over itself, only its clawed hands
visible. Was his future now sealed within that coffin as well?

Ghost:
So sorry
it took so long. I was at the pool. Are you okay? :(

Zara:
I’m
okay.

Zara:
Sorry if I
scared you. Had argument with BF, but I cooled down.

Ghost:
Bastard,
what did he do this time?

Zara:
Don’t
worry. It’s fine now that you’re here.

Ghost:
… I mean…
Zara… I’m a doctor, if he ever does anything you want to talk
about, if you can’t see the doctor there, feel free to ask. I’ll be
here for you.

Chapter 7

In the end,
Luca undressed in front of Ghost. Bruises and scratch marks were
all over his body, and he’d be stupid not to accept help from a
doctor when he was in so much pain it was difficult to move. At
least the color of his skin made the marks look a bit less
horrific, apart from the cigarette burn, which was now a round hole
revealing naked flesh. Antonio told Luca Frederico never wanted to
see him again, which was welcome news, but then again Antonio also
tried to tempt Luca into entering an arrangement with him. Not all
rentboys were willing to let a stranger tie them up, he’d said. God
only knew what gave Antonio the idea that Luca would be willing to
submit himself to that horror again.

Frederico had
been right about last night, and Antonio hadn’t let Luca get much
sleep, leaving him raw and aching. The one thing Luca was grateful
for was the long, hot shower he’d been allowed before being shipped
to the clubhouse, but even after scrubbing every inch of skin and
using most of the soap, he still felt like his body reeked of
Antonio and Frederico. And as unreasonable as those thoughts were,
he couldn’t help but wonder whether Ghost could smell them on
him.

But what he
hated most was the reluctance to be touched by the one man whose
hands he really wanted on him. It was as if the brutality of last
night had built an invisible wall between him and the rest of the
world. It was faint, existing only in his head. Luca made a
conscious decision not to let fear overpower everything he did, but
the first brush of Ghost’s warm, gentle hands still had him on pins
and needles, as if the soft touch could turn against him at any
moment.

Frederico had
been gentle at first, too. He’d wooed Luca like one would a real
lover, not a young boytoy who didn’t have any choice in the matters
of his life anyway. The honeymoon period lasted until Luca was
broken in and his body could handle more than Luca actually wanted.
As much as Luca’s heart told him Ghost was nothing like Frederico,
fear still lingered beneath his skin.

But there was
nothing predatory about the way Ghost touched him. His hands were
so soothing, so gentle Luca hardly felt any pain at all during the
examination. No bones were broken, but he did get painkillers. The
longer they were alone, the more at ease Luca was. He answered most
of Ghost’s questions but didn’t mention the most intimate of
violations that had happened the night before. He wasn’t damaged
goods, no matter how much Frederico wanted him to think so, and
while he trusted Ghost not to think of him that way, he didn’t want
him to get all protective because of it either.

It was over. A
closed chapter.

Luca got a
T-shirt, sweatpants, and a raincoat, as well as a promise of more
upon arrival at Ghost’s home. Just the thought of wearing Ghost’s
clothes had butterflies flutter their wings in Luca’s stomach.
Ghost was so sweet when he kept apologizing for living with his
parents. Packed into the sidecar of Ghost’s motorcycle with Nomad
between his legs, Luca was ready to face Ghost’s parents. Would
they hate him? They probably would, but he’d make sure they warmed
up to him soon enough.

The dog kept
offering Luca his paw, and by the time they reached a more suburban
area, with tidy houses and grassy gardens, Luca was thoroughly
relaxed. Despite Nomad demanding lots of attention, Luca’s eyes
kept straying to Ghost. His features were handsome and strong, and
while the pale, almost translucent eyebrows gave his face a bit of
an alien look, the softness in his eyes made him seem like the
kindest man who ever lived. That was the person Luca fell in love
with, forgiving enough to look past Luca’s gender and help him out.
Ghost was a real man if Luca ever met one.

They parked in
front of a big house with a pristine lawn, and Ghost turned to Luca
with a smile that melted away all trouble. “This is it. My parents’
house. I’m working on figuring out something for myself, but I
wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so I got stuck here for a few
months.”

Luca smiled
back, letting Nomad jump out of the sidecar. “It’s so nice,” he
said, watching the lemon-tinted walls and white windows. It looked
like a good place to stay at. Like a home, not one of the countless
luxury hotels with no personality, not like Frederico’s cold,
pristine house.

“I’m glad you
like it, ‘cause you’ll be stuck here with me until I figure out
something else.” Ghost grabbed Luca’s hand to help him up. “Are you
in a lot of pain?”

Luca squeezed
his thick, warm fingers and got out of the sidecar, stepping so
close to Ghost they were almost touching with their chests. He
exhaled. “A bit, but it’s getting better thanks to the pills.”

Ghost let go of
Luca’s fingers as they approached the house in the neverending
heavy rain. Nomad followed, trying to lick Luca’s good hand.
Despite only having three legs, he seemed like the happiest dog
alive, running about like any other pup.

“Hey Mom, we’re
here!” Ghost yelled into the quiet corridor as they got in, soaked
despite their rain coats.

Luca’s gaze
wandered over the tidy display of jackets and shoes, and then to a
small gallery of watercolor pictures on the wall, but the serene
moment ended the moment a book flew across the corridor, hit the
wall, and fell to the floor.

“You promised!”
called a woman’s voice, and as Luca stepped back to stand behind
Ghost, the book hid in the shadow of a slim woman in her late
forties. Her hair was as bright as Ghost’s, very short, and she
wore long, glittery earrings, which gave her an elfin, youthful
look.

Ghost took a
deep breath, and stole a quick glance at Luca. “Don’t worry, I’ll
handle this.”

“What exactly
will you handle?” The woman, who had to be Ghost’s mother, yelled
again. “You have everything going for you! Why would you gamble
away your future like this? There’s so many jobs you could do, turn
your life around.”

Luca slowly
kneeled to pet Nomad, who kept whining at his feet. The dog had
really taken a liking to him, or maybe he didn’t appreciate people
yelling around, and that’s why he sought the touch of the calmest
person in the house. What was the argument about anyway?

“Mom, can we
talk about this another time? Luca needs to rest.”

The woman
frowned and pursed her lips, which were painted with a shockingly
pink lipstick. “That’s the guy who lied to you about being a girl?
What is he even doing here?”

Ghost put his
hands in his pockets. “He’ll stay with me for a while. Sorry I
haven’t told you about the club. Last few days were a bit crazy,
and it just all came together.”

“‘Came
together’?” she hissed and came closer. “You mean, came apart.
Hasn’t watching your father’s life been enough of a lesson? You
really want to end up like him?”

Ghost scratched
the back of his head. “I won’t be going on runs, Tooth says I’m
gonna be like the med officer.”

Ghost’s mother
kicked the book toward Luca. “Tooth knows shit! He’s as bad as the
rest of them. He just got out of prison a few months ago, for
Christ’s sake!”

Ghost sighed.
“It’s my decision, okay? I’ve thought about this for a long
time.”

“Clearly, not
long enough. Didn’t you go to college? Weren’t you supposed to be
smart?” She clenched her fists, but despite the fury in her voice,
a tear fell down her cheek.

Luca looked
down. He shouldn’t be here for a conversation this emotional, but
he wasn’t sure whether he should leave the house either.

Ghost exhaled,
and his boots moved forward, almost touching his mother’s slippers.
“Mom, it’ll be fine. I’m not like Dad.”

She had no more
words, just an angry growl as she hit Ghost’s chest, but she didn’t
move away when Ghost pulled her into a hug.

“I promise I’ve
got it under control,” he whispered.