GHOST OF CHAOS: GODS OF CHAOS MC (BOOK TWELVE)

by Honey Palomino

  “Just doing my job, ma’am,” he said. “Slade sent me. Said there was some guy messing around here.”

  “Slade sent you!” I cried. “I told Diana everything was fine.”

  Shadow shrugged. “Don’t know what to tell you. He told me to come. I’m here.”

  “Well, it’s not necessary, Shadow. You can leave.”

  He scoffed and looked at me like I’d just told him to drive to the moon.

  “No way,” he shook his head. “Gotta stay.”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” I shouted.

  “Hey, watch your mouth!” he admonished me, pointing a finger at Jeremiah.

  I scowled and turned away, completely disgusted.

  The last thing I wanted was Shadow hanging around. Everything had been so great and peaceful. I knew I never should have told Diana about Hawk. I should have known they’d overreact.

  “Look, why don’t you just take a quick look around?” I asked, turning back to him. “You’ll see there’s nothing wrong, you can tell Slade, and then you can leave.”

  “That’s not the job,” he said. “But yeah, I do need to look around. But leaving? Nah, that’s not happening.”

  “Oh, for fu—.”

  I stopped short when he shot me a look, an eyebrow raised.

  “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” he nodded, turning for the front door.

  “Whatever,” I said, stomping away into the kitchen, now completely pissed. The last thing I needed was Shadow hulking around. I mean, he’s fine, all the Gods are great guys. But I was looking forward to being alone and now I had to deal with his ‘dude’ energy.

  And that’s what he was.

  He was definitely ‘one of the guys’, if you know what I mean.

  The beer drinking, football watching behemoths that talked slow and talked about pussy and cars? Yeah, he’s that type.

  We have absolutely nothing in common.

  I get enough of these guys at work. This was supposed to be my vacation, now it’s like work has come to my paradise and invaded my territory.

  I certainly won’t be seeing Hawk again now.

  My thoughts turn to him once more, thinking about how different he was. Hell, Shadow’s probably never read a poem before in his life.

  Now, I’m fuming.

  I have to get rid of him, but how?

  “I’m hungry, Evie,” Jeremiah says, standing behind me. I turned to look at him.

  “I’ll make dinner, babe,” I said.

  “Why don’t you like Shadow?” he asked, staring up at me curiously.

  I stopped, staring down at him.

  “I like him just fine,” I said. “I just wanted to spend some time alone with you, that’s all.”

  “We had a few days alone. Now we can spend some time with Shadow. He’s really fun.”

  “Right,” I nodded, feeling a twinge of guilt that I quickly pushed away.

  “I’m going to go set up the video games, okay? Shadow’s really good at my favorite one.”

  I suppressed a groan and flashed him a smile. “Alright, love. Dinner will be ready soon.”

  “Awesome,” he said, bouncing away a few steps before turning back. “Oh, and Auntie Evie?”

  “Yes?”

  “Make sure you cook a lot of food. Shadow eats as much as a horse!”

  He raced away, leaving me standing in the kitchen alone with my mouth agape in disbelief.

  What the hell just happened?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  HAWK

  With great dismay, I watched as Shadow stormed around the cabin, venturing a small ways down each trail, peering into the dark surrounding woods. His large frame frightened all the critters away, the small mice and chipmunks and snakes scurrying under rocks and fallen logs to avoid his wrath.

  After a few moments, he retreated back to the front porch, his arms crossed, his eyes almost daring someone to come forth. He stood guard there for a full five minutes before he went back inside.

  From outside the kitchen window, I surveyed the scene inside. Evie looked angry as she banged around in the kitchen. Jeremiah, on the other hand, looked pleased as punch to have Shadow join him on the couch. My eyes trailed back to Evie, her body language screaming her rage with each swipe of her arm. When she turned towards me, I caught a glimpse of her eyes and saw the irritation dripping from them.

  Oh, how I longed to tell her a joke, make her laugh. I hated seeing her upset.

  It was obvious Shadow’s presence was something that displeased her.

  I nodded, slowly, knowing what I needed to do.

  Shadow must go.

  It was my fault he was here, and therefore, it’s my responsibility to see that he is removed.

  I’ll do anything it takes to put a smile back in those pretty blue eyes of Evie’s.

  Anything.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  EVIE

  So, now I’m Shadow’s personal chef?

  To avoid making waves, I made enough dinner for a stable of horses, but I vowed to myself that I wouldn’t make it a habit. In fact, while I was cooking up dinner, I was also cooking up ways in my head that I could get rid of him.

  I figured I only had a few options, though. I could insist that he leave, but I was sure he wasn’t going to go for that. I could suggest that he stay at the clubhouse, instead of here with us. The chances of him agreeing to that seemed slim, as well. But then, I had another, better idea.

  If he wouldn’t leave, then I would.

  Jeremiah is the real reason he’s here. And if Shadow’s here to take care of him, then why should I stay?

  I decided to test out my options as we sat at the table eating the meatloaf and mashed potatoes I’d made.

  “Shadow,” I said, my tone measured and calm. I’d let him see that I was upset earlier, and I never should have done that. “This cabin is small. I’m sure you want your privacy. Why don’t you stay at the clubhouse? That way, you can be in your own space and you’ll feel more at home. You can just check in on us every now and then, or we can call if we need you.”

  He shook his head, grimacing. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “Can’t do my job if I’m that far away.”

  I nodded, slowly, my anger bubbling underneath the surface.

  “I don’t want him to go anyway,” Jeremiah said. “I love having you both here! It’s like my own little party!”

  I smiled at Jeremiah, my lips tight and forced.

  “Yeah,” I muttered, shoving meatloaf in my mouth, and avoiding Shadow’s smirk.

  “Can we watch scary movies tonight?” Jeremiah asked.

  “No,” I said. “You’re too young for that stuff.”

  “I watched Dracula with my dad,” he said, shrugging. “It was an old movie. It wasn’t even in color!”

  “Is that so?” I asked.

  “Yep,” he said. “Mama said the same thing you did. That I was too young. But Daddy said I could watch the old ones, because most of the time, they don’t even show any blood.”

  Shadow laughed, his whole body shaking. “He’s got a point. Maybe we can find something age-appropriate.”

  “Yay!” Jeremiah said, throwing up his hand so Shadow could high-five him.

  “Well, sounds like you guys have your evening all planned,” I said. “In fact, I think I’m going to go for a run. Get a little fresh air.”

  “Now?” Shadow asked, raising a disapproving brow.

  “Yeah, why not?” I said, standing up and clearing the table. Shadow had devoured the meatloaf and potatoes, leaving not a crumb behind. I turned and walked away, ignoring his squinted eyes, silently daring him to try to stop me.

  “It’s already dark out,” he said. His voice was as low and measured as mine. I turned to look at him and his eyes were stoic and determined. I looked away quickly.

  “I don’t care,” I said. “I’m going.”

  I put away the dishes and went into the bedroom to change. Quickly, I put on my yog
a pants and a fleece and sneakers. When I walked back out, Shadow was on the front porch and Jeremiah was in front of the television.

  I knew he was waiting for me. Most likely, to try to convince me not to leave. But I am smarter than him.

  “I’ll be back soon,” I said, kissing Jeremiah’s head and heading toward the backdoor of the cabin.

  I opened it slowly to avoid the usual creaking noise it made and softly padded down the steps.

  He was right. It was dark.

  But I just needed to get away, to make a point, to make a stand so he knows he can’t control me. There was nothing in the world that I hated more than having someone tell me what to do.

  Quietly, I headed for a nearby trailhead and pulled my phone from my pocket. I waited till I was a bit away from the cabin before I turned on the flashlight.

  “Ah, that’s better,” I whispered, as the bright light of my phone lit up the trail in front of me. It wasn’t that late, really, but with sundown happening these days as early as six, it could have been midnight and you wouldn’t have known the difference.

  As I ventured down the trail, I wondered if the wildlife knew the difference. This was just a leisurely after dinner stroll, not a middle of the night hunting session. I sure hoped they knew the difference. The last thing I needed was an encounter with something bigger and hungrier than me.

  I shook off my fears and lifted my chin, determined not to let my anxiety get the better of me. I just needed to go for a little while, just to set a precedent.

  I don’t know why I felt such a strong need to do that, but here we were. I giggled as I imagined Shadow still waiting on the porch for me. He’d be so pissed when he realized I slipped past him.

  He’d just have to get over it, though.

  Undaunted, I ventured further into the woods, heading for the creek.

  Crickets chirped loudly around me, their song echoing through the darkness. The leaves dripped huge droplets of rain onto my shoulders, even though the rain had stopped hours ago. Biting cold hung in the air like a blanket, the air clean and brisk. I inhaled deeply, the cold burning my lungs.

  I found the creek easily, shining my light onto the bubbling water, the foamy waves cascading over the rocks. At night, the water was a deep endless pool of blackness, the frothy foam a stark white in contrast, the rocks below jutting out through the surface of the water like black ice.

  The wind picked up, a sudden whoosh of leaves and rain falling down around me, the leaves landing in the water and being carried away by the current. I watched in awe at the last dance of those leaves, knowing they were being carried away to their resting place, where they’d disintegrate and return to the earth.

  It was beautiful really. To be there to witness their fall, like watching their last breath before dying.

  “Goodbye, leaves,” I whispered, watching them swirl in the water before the current carried them away.

  Footsteps crunched behind me and I turned around quickly, my heart skipping a beat.

  There was nobody there, though.

  I shined my light into the woods.

  “Shadow?” I whispered, my heart racing again. I was pissed. Just as I was enjoying a little bit of time to myself, it was quickly replaced by annoyance.

  “If you’re trying to fuck with me, it’s not going to work,” I said, a little louder. I waited for a reply, but was greeted with silence.

  “Fine, screw you,” I said. “I was about to go back anyway.”

  I tromped back down the trail angrily, ignoring the lump in my throat, expecting him to jump out at any moment.

  By the time I made it back to the cabin, I was convinced I’d been hearing things.

  Jeremiah and Shadow were snuggled up on the couch watching an ancient version of Frankenstein, and laughing their asses off.

  I snuck back in the back door and silently retreated back to my room.

  I wanted to feel satisfied that I’d done what I wanted. I’d shown him who was boss, right?

  But why did I just feel like crap?

  Like I’d done something wrong?

  The peacefulness I’d felt for a fleeting moment at the creek was gone. Now, I felt a stirring inside I couldn’t quite put my finger on and it was completely unnerving. I took a shower and headed to bed, hoping like hell the feeling would be gone in the morning.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  SHADOW

  My fists unclenched when I heard her sneak back in the cabin.

  Looking over my shoulder, I saw her walking back to her room and I couldn’t help but let my eyes linger on her round ass in those yoga pants.

  God, she’s hot. But what a bitch.

  I would have followed her, but I didn’t want to leave Jeremiah alone. She knew that, and was using it against me. How the hell was I supposed to protect them both with her acting like this?

  Fuck, you’d think she’d be happy to have someone around.

  She was the one who sounded the warning bell anyway. If she wasn’t afraid, she should have never mentioned the guy to Slade and Diana. What did she expect them to do, after all?

  And now, she acts like I’m the biggest inconvenience ever. God, she could barely make it past dinner, avoiding my eyes at all costs.

  What was her freaking problem, anyway?

  Whatever it was, she was going to have to deal with it on her own.

  Because this is my time to shine and I’m not going to let her get in the way of it. Slade chose me for a reason — because he trusted me to do the job right. That, and because I’m big as an ox, apparently.

  And come hell or high water, that’s what I’m going to do. The Gods have been good to me. Too good. I’m not going to betray that trust just because Ms. Pissy Pants doesn’t want me around.

  No fucking way.

  I don’t care how hot she is, or how stubborn, I’m not going to let that little firecracker ruin this for me.

  She can sashay around in her yoga pants with that little pout all she wants. She can roll her eyes and complain, she can even go off on her little jogs in the dark. Let her feel her feelings and express herself however she chooses.

  But, I’m not leaving.

  Not until Slade gets back.

  No matter what she does.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  EVIE

  Sleep was fleeting.

  Tossing and turning all night, I couldn’t make sense of all the frustration I was feeling. Part of me wanted to just leave at this point. I could bond with Jeremiah some other time. Why stay if Shadow’s here now?

  The last thing I wanted was to hang out with someone I had so little in common with.

  Unfortunately, Jeremiah’s sweet smile and hopeful words left me conflicted. He wants me here, that’s why I should stay. Plus, I’m not real sure Shadow knows how to take proper care of a little boy. If I left them to their own devices, I could just imagine the trouble they’d get into.

  So, here I am, up at the crack of dawn, before either of them has woken up, resigning myself to seeing this whole thing through.

  That doesn’t mean I have to be here every moment, though.

  My little adventure off by myself last night had left me slightly shaken, but even more than that, it had left me motivated. I wanted more.

  More time to myself.

  Another slice of the peacefulness of these woods.

  More time away from Shadow.

  Rarely did people rub me the wrong way, but he sure did.

  So, I left a quick note and ran out the back door again.

  Fearless in the bright light of the sunshine, I ran down the trails with complete confidence today. My legs pumped with life, my body quickly bounding down the trails, dodging rocks and trees easily. I ran along the creek this time, not stopping to enjoy the beauty of the bubbling rapids, as I usually did.

  I just wanted to move.

  Thirty minutes later, my chest was heaving as I gasped for breath. I stopped and hunched over, sweat dripping from my brow onto the fal
len leaves at my feet.

  “Hello.”

  I jumped so high, that I stumbled when I landed, my body tumbling into the wet leaves.

  I looked up and my gaze locked with Hawk’s pale blue eyes, as he towered over me.

  “Oh, dear! I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said, his voice a deep, vibrating growl, so slow and low that it was almost impossible to hear. “Are you okay?”

  Quickly, I scrambled to my feet, my heart racing for an entirely different reason now.

  “I’m okay,” I said, brushing leaves off my knees.

  “Lovely,” he replied, smiling. “I’d hate to be the cause of injury.”

  I stood staring back at him, drinking him in.

  He was dressed the same as the last time I’d seen him. Hat, long coat, dirty black boots.

  And his eyes.

  They were just as enchanting, seeming to bore into my soul as he peered back at me. I blinked. Swallowed.

  Remember to breathe, Evie…

  “I’m surprised to see you again,” I said, my voice shaky.

  “Out looking for mushrooms today,” he said. “I ran into a little patch of them the other day and came back better prepared this time.” He held up a little spade and a canvas bag.

  I nodded, smiling. Of course. That makes sense.

  See? Harmless.

  “Well, it’s nice to see you again,” I replied.

  “How was your run?”

  “Exhilarating, to be honest,” I said, smiling openly at him. “I needed this.”

  “It’s a wonderful morning for a run,” he agreed.

  “Yes,” I said, trying to remember the list of questions I’d regretted not asking him before. “Where do you live, Hawk? If you don’t mind me asking.”

  “Oh, not too far away,” he said, vaguely pointing East.

  I nodded, yearning for a more specific answer, but not wanting to pry.

  “And you, Evie?”

  “Me?” I asked. “I live in Portland. Not far from downtown.”

  “I see,” he nodded. “And what do you do for a living? When you’re not hiding out in the woods, I assume you have a career?”