Ghoster

by KJ Dahlen

  Deke chuckled. “Oh, that I have no doubt old man, just be careful out there. Catch these bastards if you can and hold them till this is done. I don’t know how many will come but even one is too many.”

  “What about the old man?”

  “I’m leaving him to the Blue Devils. They have a score to settle with Flynn Dell and his sons and I won’t deprive them of that pleasure.”

  Amos was quiet for the longest time. “Deke, you know those bastards are gonna kill him, is that what his daughter really wants to happen?”

  “After what he put her through, yeah, it was her call. He was no father to her, only to her brothers. She just wants the nightmare to go away and after what she told us, I don’t blame her a bit.” There was silence between them for a moment then Deke spoke again, “Oh and Amos, don’t be a hero out there. Don’t get yourself or anyone else dead. Cassie and the girls wouldn’t like that.”

  “God, we love that woman,” Amos whispered.

  “Yeah, I can understand that.” Deke grinned as he hung up the phone.

  Deke pulled his drawer open and took out a bottle of Black Velvet. Pouring a shot of the Canadian whiskey into his coffee cup, he downed it and set the cup down. Leaning over his desk, he began dialing another number.

  The President of the Blue Devils was a man by the name of Calvin Barnes AKA Ryder. He was a mean sonofabitch and not many liked him. But as long as he stayed in his own town, the other clubs around their area left him alone.

  Ryder liked running his drugs and guns to Canada. He said he got a better price for them up north. Nobody messed with him for the simple reason that he was indeed half crazy and mean as ever. He ruled Glen’s Falls, until Flynn Dell and his Raiders got there. Then he had to share the town and Deke knew without a doubt, Ryder hated having to share anything.

  While he hated having to make a call like this one, to a man like this guy... he knew his MC couldn’t be in two places at the same time and he wasn’t crazy enough to enter another MC’s territory to clean up a mess. Not unless, he just couldn’t avoid it. All he could do was pray Ryder could handle things in his own town and clean up his own mess.

  When Ryder picked up the phone on his end, he was met by a snarled question, “Who the fuck is this?”

  Deke shook his head. “Deke Tory from the Sin’s Bastards MC, down in Troy.”

  “What the fuck do you want Deke Tory from the Sin’s Bastards MC down in Troy?”

  “I got a deal for you, one of a kind shot for you to take your town back.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?” Ryder snarled.

  “I got two of Flynn Dell’s boys in my cells and they claim their daddy is coming to get them soon. “ As for me, personally? I don’t think Dell is coming here, I think he’ll send his Raiders down to pick up his boys but that’s just me.”

  “Go on,” Ryder urged. “What you got in mind?”

  “We both know what kind of man Flynn Dell is don’t we?” Deke reasoned. “We both also know how he came to be so powerful. Dell likes to bend the law so far and then break it. I also know he’s got you and your boys under his miserable thumb.”

  “Now just wait a damn—”

  “I don’t know the details,” Deke cut him off. “And I don’t want to know them. I mind my own business but I do know the Blue Devils meant something to your town at one point and now that’s changed.”

  “Go on, tell me about this plan of yours.”

  “Not my plan, your plan,” Deke insisted. “Flynn is going to find himself spread out thin with sending his boys down to Troy. We can take care of our town and you can take back your town if you strike while the iron is hot.”

  “You think I wouldn’t if I could?” Ryder snarled. “Dell has evidence on us and if he leaks it, the pigs will give us all a one way ticket straight to prison. I hate that little motherfucker.”

  “What would you do if I could tell you right where to go to get into his safe?”

  There was a pause at the other end of the phone. “And just why would you do something like that?” Ryder paused and added, “What do you get out of a deal like this?”

  “The world would be a better place without the likes of Flynn Dell and his sons in it, don’t you think?”

  “Why are you doing this? You don’t owe the Devils anything.”

  “No I don’t and I don’t want anything in return. We are bikers, you and me. You run drugs and guns and I don’t but we both live by a code, and we don’t hurt innocents. A man like Flynn doesn’t have a dammed code. He hurt someone in his own family, someone he should have loved and taken care of. His own daughter. Did you know he wanted her to break into your place and steal your secrets so he could blackmail you guys? When she wouldn’t do it, he had her beaten so bad they damn near killed her.”

  “They? He had his Raiders do that to his own kid?” Ryder growled.

  “No not the Raiders, her brothers. He had her own brothers beat her.”

  “Tell me something Deke, why did he think she could steal our secrets?”

  “She remembers everything she reads. Has a gift for it, if she had gotten in there, she would have remembered and told her dad all your secrets. She told him she wouldn’t do it. It took him four more years to get what he wanted.”

  “Fucking hell. Ten years ago?”

  “Yup. She ran away from him and has been in hiding for ten fucking years.”

  “You know what Dell does don’t you?” Ryder finally asked. “His main income comes from blackmailing people in high positions. Are you sure you want us to get our hands on that information? We could use it to our advantage.”

  “I don’t want to know. I haven’t anything to hide myself. That’s your business and I mind my own, like I said before. All I do know is that the world would be a better place without people like the Dell’s in it. I’ll be turning the two I got over the police when I get done with them, although they might not survive what’s coming to them when a couple of friends of mine get here but I won’t shed a tear if they don’t make it.”

  “You got some friends that powerful?” Ryder snorted.

  “Yeah, I got some friends that powerful,” Deke assured him. “We all got our own secrets though don’t we?”

  “Indeed we do,” Ryder agreed. “We’ll watch and wait for the right time to strike then. We’ll take out Flynn Dell and his fucking Raiders and no one will find the bodies. Do you need confirmation for her peace of mind?”

  “She’s risking her life over this so maybe.” Then Deke proceeded to give him the information he would need to take down Flynn’s empire. Before he hung up, Deke again stressed, “I’m not doing this to hold it over you and yours and neither is she. She just wants peace with the knowledge she doesn’t have to look over her shoulder anymore.”

  “You tell her from me she won’t have to by the time I get done with him.”

  When the call ended, Deke just sat back in his chair and poured another shot. He hated what he’d just done. It went against everything he believed in. Even though he wouldn’t be doing it himself, it still felt wrong.

  Then he heard vehicles coming into the compound. Getting up, he looked out the window and saw a large car park near the front door. He watched as the doors opened and four people get out.

  Bastian Castle and his wife Sawyer, along with Theo and Sarah. Deke couldn’t help but think of the names...Priest and Bane. He felt a ball of dread fill his belly. This would not be good. Whenever these two men got together things tended to go bad in a hurry. He couldn’t help but wonder what brought them here to Troy. He had a feeling it had something to do with why James was here and what was bringing the Raiders to his town.

  He turned, downed the whiskey, then walked toward the door.

  When he joined the rest of the group, he saw Bastian and Theo speaking to James off to one side.

  Sawyer was holding her small son in her arms and she was talking to Cassie and Reva. The women had returned while he was on the phone.

&nb
sp; Deke came up behind his wife and greeted the other women. “Welcome back, Sawyer.”

  Sawyer turned her head toward Deke and nodded. “Deke I’d like to introduce you to Sarah, Theo’s woman.”

  “Sarah, welcome to our home.” Deke nodded at her. Then he noticed she was a just a little bit nervous. He didn’t know why but he was sure he would find out.

  Then he was joined by their men and James.

  Gator, Sam and Mountain also joined them.

  Deke stepped away from Cassie and began walking back toward his office.

  Everyone joined him and as they gathered, Deke turned to look at the three outsiders. “Anyone care to tell me why you’re here?”

  James held up his hand. “First off, we had no intention of involving you and this group at all. We didn’t come here for the Dell family.”

  Deke looked around. “MY office. NOW.” He turned and headed down the hall.

  The men all followed him.

  They all went in after him and some stood while others took seats.

  After they all were in and the door shut Gator asked, “Who did you come here for?”

  Theo looked at the men facing him. “You know exactly who and what we are. Or at least you know what we did for a living. I’ve been here before and I think you know who I am.”

  Deke knew who he was then he remembered him coming out of the trees after he took out Bulldog. That all could have turned out worse if not for him. Cricket had called him, but Deke and the Sin’s still owed him.

  He figured they owed him and he didn’t like owing.

  Theo went on, “I’m not trying to hide this from you, but I am trying to turn my life around. I have someone in my life now that I actually feel something for and I want to start fresh. New name, new face, and a new purpose in life. But there are men out there that threatens my woman and I can’t allow that to haunt her or for them to harm her. These men are evil and will stop at nothing to get to her and her mother and I’m not going to let that happen.”

  The door opened.

  All the men looked over.

  It was Sarah.

  Theo stood up. “You don’t have to be here.”

  “I do. This is because of me.” She turned to Deke. “They came here for me. They never meant to insult you or get in on your territory.”

  Deke took a deep breath as he shook his head.

  “Please just hear me out?” she spoke softly.

  Deke nodded and motioned for her to sit.

  Sarah swallowed hard and seemed to try to gather her thoughts.

  The men all waited patiently.

  “My mom was widowed when I was a baby. She got married again, a year later and she picked the worst man but it really wasn’t her fault. He hid his bad side until he couldn’t hide it any more. He never really liked my brother and me. He ran my brother off when he was eighteen. He made it impossible for him to stay in that house. I was a lot younger than Stone, so I was stuck living with him and mom. I got to see the real Jack in a way my brother never could. You see, Jack liked to drink a lot and when he drank, he got mean and nasty. Mom always sent me to my room and told me to lock the door when he began drinking. She tried to keep me safe and that worked for a while but pretty soon a locked door wouldn’t keep him out.” She paused and swallowed hard. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. “When I was fourteen he tried to rape me. My mom stopped him but she took a beating for interfering. He hurt her so bad I vowed that it would never happen again. Then I think it was when I was fifteen, he began drinking and staring at me too much. When he got up to get another beer, Mom knew what was about to happen and she sent me to my room. She told me to lock the door. She told me not to come out no matter what I heard.”

  “What did you hear?” Mountain asked.

  “When Jack came back, he noticed I was gone and he blew a gasket. They began yelling and screaming at each other. It got real bad really fast. I heard my mom screaming and I knew he was hurting her and I couldn’t stand it. I came out of my room with my baseball bat in my hand. He was strangling her and I swung my bat. He hit the floor with a thud but he let her go and I kept hitting him again and again. It was like all the rage and fear I lived with over the years was right there and I just couldn’t stop.” She shuddered as the memories came rushing back. “There was so much blood, it was scary.” Her voice had dropped to a bare whisper and she looked at him. “Mom tried to stop me but I couldn’t. It wasn’t until she wrapped her arms around me that I stopped. Jack was dead and I was so scared. Jack Connors had three brothers and a father that never liked me. Hell, they could barely handle being around my mom but me? If they knew I killed Jack, they would have killed me on sight. After the funeral, I had to leave. I wouldn’t put anything past those bastards, so Mom and I left town. I didn’t trust leaving mom behind. They blamed her for his death and they were coming to settle the score. I got my mom settled in another town under a different name and then I left. I couldn’t risk staying around her and bringing Jack’s family to her door. I changed my name and never looked back. I’ve been running for almost fifteen years now.”

  The men in the room all looked angry.

  “Damn, that’s a long time to be looking over your shoulder. My wife would understand how you feel. You need to meet her...” Gator looked up at his prez. “Oh, sorry. It’s just a helluva story.”

  Mountain looked disgusted. “I hope they rot in jail.”

  “I had to leave, don’t you see?” Sarah defended. “I had to protect my mother.”

  “Of course you did,” Sam said. “If I’d been there...” He gritted his teeth in rage.

  Sarah smiled slightly. “Stone said the same thing. He never knew about it and I wanted it to stay that way. He had important things to do and a great future with the military.”

  “I know. He led me and many others along the right path,” Sam added. “We cannot even count the lives that Pappy has helped to save and he continues to save many. You did the right thing. I know he wouldn’t agree but you did.”

  Sarah sniffled. “I knew they would have him killed. I didn’t want the Connors to take anything else from us. Nothing. I would have just went on as I was. Running from place to place and hiding, until I met Theo.” She looked over at him. “He convinced me to take a stand. Of course, it is him and VIM that will do it. But I had to come in here and explain why they are here.”

  Deke nodded as he stood. “Well, thank you for that. I know it must have been hard to do.”

  Sarah nodded and walked to the door. Then she turned at the last minute. “Theo is not him anymore. He’s not. I would know. I love him dearly and I would know.” She then swiped a tear away and shut the door behind her.

  Deke let out a long sigh as he turned and searched Theo’s face. He then looked over at Bastian.

  Bastian nodded giving him his assurance that this was true about the man.

  Deke knew that it must be true. A few months ago, this man Theo was here for a different purpose. He had proved that he would do what was needed for family. Cricket was all he had left and he came at her call.

  Theo continued, “Bastian and I are willing to balance the scales as far as justice is concerned. Sarah had every right to defend herself the way she did, but now the bastard who would have raped her has a family who is hunting her and her mother down for retaliation.”

  Bastian spoke now, “It’s more than that. They want to crucify her and her mother to set an example and get the youngest son into the political ring. Oden Connors thinks he can shuffle his son, Jeremy all the way to the governor’s office with this case alone. Unfortunately for him, we’re not going to allow that to happen.”

  “What do you plan to do?” Deke asked.

  “We’re going to expose his crimes and let the police sort things out,” Bastian assured him. “I want the people to know who he is for real. Right now, he thinks no one knows what he’s doing, he’s collecting money every month from people who have secrets to hide.”

  Deke look
ed over at Sam then back at Bastian. “We’re dealing with the same situation with Sydney’s family.”

  James nodded. “With her help, we can take down both men and their offspring.”

  “How?” Sam asked.

  “I think Sydney knows exactly what Oden has in his safe,” James told them. “And I think it’s enough to prove our case and get the ball rolling to bring this bastard down.”

  “Then maybe we should ask her,” Deke stated.

  Theo stepped forward and stopped Deke from moving out of the office area. “I think you need to know something here. I will do whatever I have to do to protect Sarah, same as I know you would to protect your own women. I will send that man and his sons straight to hell on my own if I have to.”

  Deke glared at the man. “I know you would and you’re right, I would do the same to protect my woman. I’m not saying we aren’t going to help you in your quest. In fact, we will help all we can. But first we need to know all she knows. I really hate the Flynn Dell’s and the Oden Connors’s of this world.”

  “They do like to make life difficult for people don’t they?” Bastian remarked. “But that’s why there is a need for people like us. To balance the scales, so to speak.”

  “That’s a noble sentiment,” Sam replied. “But sometimes the sentiment isn’t enough. Are you prepared to go the whole way and see this through to the end?”

  “I won’t stop until my woman is safe, if that’s what you’re asking.” Theo stared at him. “She, like Sydney, shouldn’t have to look over her shoulder the rest of her dammed life either. I remember when that was true for...” He shook his head. “Everyone has a past, but she didn’t do anything wrong, her stepfather did. He paid the price in full for what he tried to do to a fourteen year old girl, now it’s our turn to take out the rest of the trash.”

  “Oden thinks his son Jack did nothing wrong,” James growled. “He claims every man has needs above and beyond the wedding vows and the woman should just be grateful for the man’s name and position. That’s just wrong anyway you fucking slice it. If this helps free Sarah, I’m willing to do it.”