Sex & Mayhem 04 No Matter What (29 page)

Luca quickly
shifted closer and pulled Ghost against him, memorizing how their
bodies felt only partially clothed, on a strange bed.

“I’ll be
there,” Ghost said, and a moment later he turned off the phone with
a pained groan. “We gotta go, Coach.”

Luca kissed
Ghost’s cheek, holding him to provide some comfort. Tooth would be
fine once he got out a few angry sentences.

Zara:
Sorry. I’m
wanted. BRB.

Ghost:
Ok

Zara:
Back.

Ghost:
That took
a while.

Zara:
Yeah,
there’s always something wrong. I put the remote control into the
wrong box. FFS.

Ghost:
Jeez,
can’t he just put it in place like a normal person?

Zara:
Damn! BRB
again.

1 hour later

Ghost:
Hey? You
there?

Ghost:
Zara?

Chapter 15

Ghost hoped to
leave Luca someplace safe and find Tooth on his own, but the
bastard was sitting on the bench by the goat shed, along with Lucky
and his sister. Even with the darkness, Ghost could swear he saw
the frown deepen on that serious face. Ugh.

“Hey,” Ghost
muttered, hoping his zipper was at least pulled up. He was sure
he’d pulled it up.

Tooth got up
from the bench and walked over, and yes, that frown was fucking
scary.

“You done
getting your dick sucked, Prospect?” hissed Tooth, getting into
Ghost’s face. He pushed Ghost’s feet apart as he leaned over him
with a grim face.

Ghost’s heart
started pumping blood faster. He didn’t want to do this in front of
Luca. And Lucky was just petting the goat in the background as if
he didn’t care. Ghost took a deep breath.

“It’s not like
that,” Ghost muttered and put his hands in his pockets, trying to
keep his cool. It wasn’t easy next to a man the size of Tooth.

Tooth’s
nostrils flared, and he glanced at Luca. “You, go and stay with
Lucky. You,” he grabbed Ghost’s arm, “are coming with me.”

Oh God, save
me.
Ghost liked his teeth where they were, and he didn’t want
to lose even one prematurely. He sure hoped the VP wasn’t angry
enough to use his infamous pliers on him. He glanced at Luca over
his shoulder.“Stay with Lucky.”

Luca’s dark,
expressive eyes looked between them. “Are you sure?”

Tooth pinched
the bridge of his nose. “Don’t stretch my patience, or I’ll tell
Grim you’re fair game after all.”

Luca drew in a
sharp breath and rushed toward Lucky without another word.

Ghost let Tooth
pull him along. This was a good moment to change the topic. “You
talked to Grim? Did you hear what he did?”

Tooth showed
him his gums, storming into the clubhouse through the entrance that
led to the offices. “Your boy punched him in the face, that’s what
happened. You should be grateful he still has teeth to cover with
his lips.”

Ghost shut up
with a scowl. What was he going to say? That Grim wasn’t allowed to
be a scary fucker? “He took Luca by surprise,” Ghost muttered in
the end.

“Luca went with
him. Alone. What the fuck did he think would happen?”

“He just wanted
to see his bike…”

Tooth rolled
his eyes and walked into the office. “Yeah, right.”

The sound of
the door slamming behind Ghost felt final. “He’s not from around
here.”

“What’s even
going on between you two? What do you think you’re doing?
He
is not a girl,” said Tooth, shaking his head.

Ghost sighed
and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. “I’m trying to
work it all out…”

“What does that
even mean? You’re part of the club now, and if he’s to be a
hangaround, I don’t want any fucking problems when you realize
he’ll not grow any tits.” Tooth approached Ghost slowly. “Told you
it was a fucking bad idea to follow someone you never met. Now
you’re all confused, and it’s gonna end badly.”

“No― I mean…
he’s still the same person.” Ghost sucked in his bottom lip, unsure
about where this was going. “What do you want Luca to be a
hangaround for, anyway? Can’t he stay out of it?”

Tooth’s face
got serious. “Club business. Stop changing the subject. He’s got a
dick. He’s not the same person, and you should stop lying to
yourself. You haven’t gotten laid in a long time. I get it, but
just think about it. You’re straight, why not finish things before
he falls for you completely? You will hurt him. Get yourself a
girl.”

Ghost was more
taken aback by the second. “What’s your problem? How do you know
what I am? Just because I’ve never explored this side, doesn’t mean
I’m not interested. If you want to know,
I
was the one
giving head tonight. How about that?” He raised his eyebrows,
challenging the dark stare

Tooth stepped
back, his eyes scanning Ghost as if this were the first time he
ever saw him. “You’re gay? That’s why it never worked out with
girls for you?”

Ghost’s mind
went blank. “No! That’s not what I’m saying. I’m
not
gay.”

“Then what? You
dig both?” Tooth slapped his hand on the desk. “I’m fucking worried
about you.”

“Y-yeah, I’m
pretty sure I’m bisexual. But I don’t wanna have people know about
it. They’re just gonna say I’m gay. I still like women. I just… I
like Luca more than anything.” Ghost let his hands drop and glanced
at the documents piled up on Don’s desk. Tooth picked up on that
stare.

“You gotta talk
to your father. He’s pissed. And think of a way to keep your boy
safe from both him and Grim. He feels he’s been led on.”

“You wouldn’t
be happy if he felt Lucky ‘led him on’, would you?” Ghost spread
his arms. “For fuck’s sake! I’m sure Luca didn’t tell him he wanted
to suck his dick and then backed out of it. It’s Grim who got some
fucked-up ideas in his head. And I don’t wanna talk to Don. I’m not
telling him anything,” he added in a grumble. The last thing he
needed now was Don grilling him about his love life.

“Then don’t
leave him alone with Luca. Might end badly,” said Tooth, tousling
his hair with a low sigh.

“Hasn’t he been
through enough already? He got left with nothing by Villani, and
now two people want to see his face smashed in? Seriously? I’ll
deal with Don. And I’ll go talk to Grim, if that’s necessary.”

Tooth nodded.
“You didn’t pick up your phone. That’s fucking not on,
Prospect.”

Ghost took a
deep breath, but didn’t fight it anymore. He’d tried on the phone,
and had gotten an earful about not being ‘buddies’ when Ghost was
on duty. “I was in the middle of things,” he mumbled. Maybe it was
too much information, but he was kinda excited about actually
having a sex life for the first time in three years. And with
someone he truly cared about at that.

“Won’t happen
again. Am I making myself clear?”

“Yeah, it
won’t. I just didn’t want to leave Luca alone out there. He doesn’t
have a ride, and there’s the thing with Grim…”

Tooth grabbed
his belt and nodded. “I need to get you more busy. You’ll go and
watch the Rabid Hogs clubhouse. Text me every fifteen minutes and
photograph people of interest. Just be stealthy.”

Ghost nodded.
This was going to be a long night. “When do I come back?”

Tooth shrugged.
“I’ll tell you. Now wait here,” he said, storming out the door.

“What now?”
Ghost moaned to himself, hitting his head against the wall. It
wasn’t even a real job, just punishment for not being
available.

Time dragged
on, but at least he had a few minutes to cool down. Luca should be
safe around Lucky. Ghost knew he’d have to eventually talk things
through with Don, but given the choice, he’d speak with Grim twice.
He looked up when Grim came in, followed by Tooth, who closed the
door behind them.

Grim frowned,
looking Ghost up and down. He put his hands down his pockets, which
only made the leather tighten around his dick. “I heard you wanted
to talk.”

Ghost tried not
to, but he still stole a glance at the outline of Grim’s cock. “You
had a little misunderstanding with Luca?”

It was odd to
meet a club member who looked as pristine as Grim. Did he iron that
tank top, just to make his muscled shoulders stand out more? His
handsome, symmetrical face held no traces of violence even as he
cocked his head, inhaling a bigger gulp of air. “What is it to you?
The little bitch hit me in the face.”

Ghost glanced
at Tooth before speaking, and he couldn’t help the tightness in his
stomach at what he was about to say. “He’s my boyfriend. But I’m
not out, so… you know.” He put his hands in his pockets, feeling
out of place in a room with two men who could stab him to death and
make all traces of his body disappear.

Grim snarled.
“Put a tighter leash on him then. You know what they did to dogs
that don’t listen in the old days, before this whole animal rights
bullshit?”

“Um… no.” Ghost
frowned, unsure where this was going.

“Hung them off
trees or beat them to death.”

Tooth shifted
uncomfortably but stayed at the door, not joining the
conversation.

“I mean… you
freaked him out. He’s gonna be sticking around, so I just wanted to
clear the atmosphere,” Ghost said and rolled his eyes.

Grim rushed
toward him, pushing at his chest so hard Ghost almost fell on the
desk behind him. “Your bitch disrespects me, and you’re fine with
it,
Prospect
?”

Ghost was
beginning to crave becoming a patch just so he could stop being
‘Prospect’. He caught his balance, wary of what Grim might do. “I
mean, what can I do? This stuff happens…”

Grim grabbed
his jaw in a way that made Ghost shudder with pain. He leaned in,
hissing through his teeth, “Does it? Maybe it’s you who should be
dealt with for being disrespectful?”

“Just fucking
hit me and let’s have it over with!” Ghost wasn’t going to have
Luca in danger anymore, so if this was what it took to get Grim off
his back, Ghost would take one for the team.

Grim’s mouth
stretched into a grin so vicious Ghost felt his insides twist, but
he didn’t back away when Grim stepped back, making a show of
relaxing his shoulder. The punch came suddenly, swift and precise.
It spun Ghost around, sending him face-first to the table with a
bell ringing in his skull. He could swear something crackled in his
face, but he was too dazed to comprehend it. His jaw exploded with
fireworks of pain, but it was his brain that was scrambled. The
unexpected force of the hit reminded him of being knocked over by
rubble falling from the sky after a bomb went off just a block away
from where he had stood, in a city back in Syria. The metallic
taste of blood in his mouth was pulling at his stomach.

“There you go,”
said Grim. “We’re even until your boy tries his luck again. I would
fit him with a shock collar if I were you.”

“You two are
fine now,” said Tooth from his place at the door.

Ghost wasn’t
fine at all. He could barely hear on one ear and felt blood trickle
down his nose. This was his life now.
Fuck
. He would sport a
bruise on his face for weeks. But he nodded and faked a smile. He
even dragged himself up and squeezed Grim’s hand. “Good.”

Tooth sighed,
pulling on Grim’s shoulder. “Go on, the guys want to have some fun
with you.”

Grim wiggled
his eyebrows. “Can’t disappoint them, can I? Hope everyone keeps
their back to the walls when I go back,” he said and swiftly left
the room.

Tooth stared at
Ghost, looking tired as fuck. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,”
Ghost said. He kept bleeding all over the place from his nose, so
he pulled the hem of his T-shirt to his face.

Tooth scratched
his head. “When it stops bleeding, grab a cold beer and hold it to
your face. Get Luca home, change, and go to the Rabid Hogs
clubhouse. Can you do that for me?” he asked a bit softer than he
usually spoke. And he didn’t even say the dreaded P word.

Ghost sighed
and nodded, before walking out without another word. This night
wasn’t going as planned at all. He went to the bathroom and cleaned
up a bit. He didn’t want Luca to see him wrecked, so he took his
time and grabbed a chilled can of beer on his way out into the
backyard where Luca was still hanging out with Lucky, his sister,
Asty, and the goat. Luca jogged to meet Ghost halfway as soon as he
spotted him, but his eyes told Ghost that all attempts at hiding
what happened in the office hadn’t been successful.

“Oh God, did
Tooth do that to you?” he asked, reaching out to touch Ghost’s
face. He dropped his hand in the last moment and looked around.

“Nah, I had a
conversation with Grim. It’s all good now, don’t worry.” He waved
his hand dismissively. “I’m taking you home.”

Luca exhaled.
“I’ll try to kiss it better.”

“See you,
Lucky!” Ghost raised his hand, but the guy didn’t notice, too busy
smoking and talking about something to his sister. “Let’s go, I
have to go on a run after I get you home.”

Luca bit into
his lip, following him as they went around the building. “Is it
something dangerous?”

“Nah, I bet
it’s ‘cause Tooth wants me out of here. I gotta go do some
Bond-style spying.” The can of beer felt so pleasant on his aching
cheek.

“So you’re just
gonna be alone for hours? Maybe I could go with you?” suggested
Luca.

“I don’t know…
What if Tooth goes home and sees you’re not there?”

Luca nudged him
with his elbow, his hand sliding into Ghost’s as they walked alone
in the shadow of the building, with no one to see them. Luca’s
hands were incredibly smooth, and their warmth was enough to lift
Ghost’s mood. “I could say I went for a walk.”