Ghost

by Jessica Coulter Smith

  “It won’t do any good. He’ll just come after me. He owns me, just like he owns the others. We’re his property and we have to do what he says. And if we don’t….”

  “He beats the hell out of you.”

  She nodded.

  “Why did he beat you, Shelly?”

  “I came home empty-handed. Preacher pays for us to come to the clubhouse, but that isn’t enough for Richard. We’re supposed to pick the pockets of the bikers while we’re there, bring home some extra cash to him, and the bikers generally don’t say anything because they don’t want anyone to know they were taken by a woman.”

  “Aw hell, honey. How did you get mixed up in all this?”

  “It’s a long story.”

  Ghost nodded. “Let’s get you dressed and then we’ll get you out of here.”

  He helped Shelly off the bed, then rummaged in the dresser drawers until he found a tank and some shorts. He tossed a few more things onto the bed then went to the closet and dug around until he found a backpack. Stuffing the clothes inside, he helped her put on a pair of tennis shoes.

  Shelly rose unsteadily to her feet and he wrapped an arm around her waist. She stared up at him with uncertainty and a bit of hope. “Why are you helping me?”

  “Because it’s the right thing to do. You don’t belong to this way of life, not if you didn’t choose it.”

  “You’re never going to get past Richard. He won’t let me walk out of here.”

  Ghost pulled a Glock from his holster. “I don’t recall saying I was going to give him a choice.”

  She stared at the gun then nodded.

  Ghost took her by the hand, gave her the backpack, which she slung over her shoulder, and then he guided her down the stairs. Richard was standing at the foot, smirking, until he saw Shelly.

  “You can’t take her with you. She has other customers to take care of.”

  Ghost cocked his weapon and pointed it at Richard’s head. “Are you sure about that? Because my hour isn’t up yet and I’ll take her wherever I damn well please. And if you disagree? Well…” Ghost gave him a sinister smile. “Your brains won’t be the first I’ve splattered. Pimps are somewhere below cockroaches, so if you think I’d lose sleep over it, you’d be wrong.”

  Anger simmered in Richard’s eyes, but Ghost could tell the man knew he’d been bested. He gave a curt nod and stepped out of their way. Ghost kept him in his line of sight until Shelly was safely on the back of the bike, her arms wrapped around him. He holstered his weapon and they took off, not even pausing to look back. Ghost had no doubt that he’d be hearing from Richard sooner or later, but for now, Shelly was safe.

  At the clubhouse, she hesitated at the foot of the stairs, looking frightened as she stared at the double doors with the club’s logo burned into the wood. The fear and indecision in her eyes infuriated him. This was the one place a woman should feel safe. Ghost was part of Axel’s crew, a group of five who rescued abused women. Crimson was part of that group, but obviously, he was fucked in the head at the moment. Or he hadn’t realized what was really going on. For the moment, Ghost would give him the benefit of the doubt, but if he said one wrong word to Shelly, Ghost was going to knock his teeth down his throat.

  “Come on, doll. No one inside is going to hurt you.”

  “Crimson said he would turn me over to Preacher. If Preacher gets mad, he’ll tell Richard, and then…”

  Ghost shushed her the only way he knew how. He gently placed his lips over hers, silencing her protests with a gentle kiss. When he pulled back, she fingered her lips and stared up at him with a bewildered expression. You’d think she’d never been kissed before. And for all Ghost knew, she hadn’t. Kissing wasn’t exactly a requirement for fucking. How many times had he taken a woman without kissing her first? Suddenly, he didn’t feel so great about his many one-night stands, or quick fucks against the wall.

  Ghost took her hand and led her through the doors. He knew what he was about to do was dangerous, but it was time the club knew what their illustrious leader had been up to. He knew several would be just as angry as he was over the use of prostitutes in the clubhouse. They rescued these women! They didn’t exploit them. What the fuck had Preacher been thinking when he’d set up this deal?

  Ghost stopped in front of Preacher, ignoring the curious looks from Reaper and Scorch.

  “This is what your money has paid for. You’ve exploited the very women we’ve sworn to protect; and when they don’t do exactly as their pimp says, they get the holy hell beat out of them and then they’re forced to service customers while they have busted ribs and bruised faces.”

  Preacher scanned Shelly from head to toe before his cold eyes settled on Ghost again. “Are you saying I’m responsible for this girl’s bruises?”

  “You know damn well what I’m accusing you of. You’ve been purchasing girls for the club, exploiting the women we’re supposed to save. Did you think it could go on forever? That no one would figure it out? What? We’re such a sad lot we can’t get pussy on our own?”

  Preacher shrugged. “We needed easy pussy around the club and I knew these girls would put out without question. Do anything the boys wanted them to. It was a business deal, nothing more.”

  Reaper looked at Shelly a little closer.

  Ghost lifted her shirt to show off the bruising on her body. “Can you sleep at night knowing that you funded this kind of abuse? That you let it go on under your very nose and did nothing to stop it?”

  Reaper rose from the table. “Church. Now. Bring the girl.” His voice carried across the room.

  Silence rang out in the clubhouse as the brothers marched to the boardroom and took their seats. The women were relegated to the main room while business was conducted, except for Shelly, who gripped Ghost’s hand like she was afraid he was going to run out on her, throw her to the wolves.

  As the doors clicked shut, the brothers looked around at one another uncomfortably. Preacher took his seat, but Reaper snatched the gavel out of his hand. The VP studied the men around the table before his gaze settled on Shelly again. He motioned for her to come forward and she gave Ghost a beseeching look. Her grip on his hand was making his fingers numb, but he walked with her to the head of the table, where Reaper waited.

  “A serious charge has been issued,” Reaper said. “Ghost has charged our Pres with funding a prostitution ring. And with my own ears, I heard Preacher admit that he had purchased the girls in the club for our use. As you’re well aware, Ghost is part of a crew that we send out to rescue abused women. He has every right to be angered over this atrocity.”

  Reaper motioned for Shelly to come closer. He lifted her shirt to expose the marks on her skin. “This is what has happened to this poor girl because of our President’s misdeeds. He should have shut down the pimp the moment he heard whispers about the operation, but instead he chose to purchase her services for the club.”

  Ghost looked around the room, watching as it slowly sank into each of the men at the table that the only reason Shelly had been willing to sleep with them, the only reason she’d gone without complaint and done whatever they asked, was because she’d been forced into it. She hadn’t been a willing participant like they’d thought and several looked sickened by the idea.

  “When we pay for prostitutes to service our needs, we become no better than the 1% clubs we’ve taken down over the past year. We become no better than the pimps who steal these women off the streets and force them to do their bidding. We become no better than slavers. Is that what we want for our club?” Reaper asked.

  There was some murmuring around the table.

  “I vote that we remove Preacher as President,” Ghost said, his voice carrying across the room. “I don’t know about you, but I didn’t sign up for this shit. If I wanted to pay a woman for sex, I’d look for a prostitute. But the pussy in this clubhouse is supposed to free and willing. Not bought and paid for.”

  “I second the motion,
” Bone said.

  “I third,” said Viper.

  The vote went around the table, a unanimous decision, until it reached Reaper. The VP looked at the President with a hint of disappointment and more than a little distaste. “The motion passes. Preacher, remove your President patch and remove yourself from the head of the table.”

  Preacher stood, but instead of ripping off his patch, he removed his cut and tossed it onto the table. “I’m out.”

  “And we should just let you walk away after what you did?” Switch asked.

  Reaper’s gaze swept the table. “He’ll be punished. Axel and I will take care of it. In the meantime, is there anyone here you’d like to nominate for President?”

  Curious glances went around the table, but finally Crimson lifted a hand. “I’d like to nominate Ghost. He knew something was up even when the rest of us didn’t. He’s always observing everything around him and making cold, calculated decisions. I’d trust him not to fuck us over.”

  “Anyone else?” Reaper asked.

  After another round of voting, Reaper looked at Ghost with a hint of a smile on his face. “Give your cut to Hound’s old lady and she’ll make sure the Pres patch is in place before morning.”

  Ghost wasn’t sure how to feel about the change in position. He’d been a leader before, in Afghanistan, leading his men on missions that would make most people piss their pants. A position of authority wasn’t new to him, but this was different. These people had chosen him to be their leader and it humbled him. Although he wasn’t too sure about that cold, calculated decision bit. Not where Shelly was concerned. He definitely ran hot when it came to her.

  Reaper slammed the gavel on the table. “Church is dismissed.”

  “I’ll drop my cut off with Sheila, then I want to get Shelly settled.”

  Reaper tipped his head. “And just where do you plan to keep her?”

  Ghost shrugged. “She can take my room.”

  “I’m not kicking you out of your room.” She spoke so softly he almost didn’t hear her. “I owe you my life. The least I can do is share the bed with you.”

  Ghost frowned. “You don’t have to whore yourself out anymore, Shelly.”

  She winced.

  Reaper slapped him on the back. “I’ll let you two sort things out. I’m going to deal with Preacher so we can have a fresh start tomorrow.”

  Ghost led Shelly from the room and down the hall to his bedroom. He pushed the door open and ushered her inside. He supposed it wasn’t all that great a room. Short green carpet covered the floor. A double bed and dresser took up most of the space, but there was an armchair in the corner. The door to the bathroom stood ajar, allowing her to see the sink, toilet, and small standing shower.

  “It’s not much, but it is home,” he said.

  “Why are you helping me?”

  He motioned for her to sit on the bed and helped her remove the backpack. He dropped it on the floor and folded his arms over his chest. Ghost wasn’t sure he could explain why he did the things he did, what drove him to save helpless women. Not that they were helpless necessarily. Axel’s mate could kick some ass when she wanted to, but whether women liked it or not, they were smaller and weaker than men. They would always be at a disadvantage when it came to a fist fight, unless they had specialized training. But average women, like Shelly, didn’t stand a chance.

  “Doll, I can’t stand to see a man hit a woman. The thought of women being sold and used as sex slaves or worse, turns my stomach. You heard what Reaper said. I’m part of a special team that rescues women who get into a bit of trouble.”

  “So I’m a job?”

  He shook his head. “Honey, when I saw the marks on your body, when I realized that he was forcing you to sell yourself, I felt a cold fury settle in my bones unlike anything I’ve ever felt before. I watched you, you know? As you strutted around the clubhouse. If I’d thought for one minute that you didn’t want to be with any of those men out there, I’d have stepped up and put a stop to it.”

  She smoothed her hands up and down her thighs. “I don’t remember the last time I was with a man just because I wanted to be. I don’t…I don’t know that I’ve ever had an orgasm. Sex is just…business.”

  Holy hell. The thought that his brothers had taken her against her will, and not even thought about her pleasure, was enough to infuriate him all over again. She looked so fragile sitting on the edge of his bed, and so very lost. He knew the first thing she would need was medical attention. Pulling out his phone, he sent a text to Doc, then knelt at her feet and took her hands in his.

  “I’ve asked Doc to come take a look at you, okay? But if he says you need the hospital, I don’t want any arguments from you.”

  “I just need some tape for my ribs,” she said softly.

  “How do you know?” His brow furrowed.

  “Because this isn’t the first time I’ve disobeyed.” She slowly stood and turned around, showing him her back. Faint white lines crisscrossed the skin and he reached out and lightly ran his fingers over them. There was a small circular scar at the back of her shoulder and he turned her around, finding its match on the front.

  “He fucking shot you?” Ghost was incredulous. He’d known she’d had a bad life at Richard’s hands, but he hadn’t realize just how fucked up it had been.

  “I refused to obey, so he made an example of me. Another time, I tried to run away.” Her hands fidgeted in front of her. “When he gets me back this time, I have no doubt that he’ll kill me. After he forces me to service the worst of his customers, one after the other. It’s what he does. What he’ll always do, because no one can stop him, Ghost. Not you. Not anyone.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  There was a knock at the door and Ghost opened it to find Doc on the other side. He opened the door wider, letting the Doc come in. There weren’t a lot of doctors in Ashton Grove, and the club had been lucky to find ex-Army doctor, Montgomery Sayle. He was happy to take cash under the table to treat their boys when things got out of hand. A trip to the hospital for a gunshot wound would garner too many questions, questions they weren’t able to answer.

  Doc looked Shelly over, poking and prodding. When he stood back, he gave Ghost a sad smile. “It’s not as bad as I’d thought. She has two bruised ribs, which are going to hurt like hell for a while, but at least they aren’t broken. The marks should fade over the next week or two. I don’t recommend that she take up jogging right now, but if she wants to be intimate, she can, as long as she’s careful.”

  Ghost knew intimacy was the last thing on Shelly’s mind just then.

  “Thanks, Doc. What do I owe you?”

  Doc waved his hand. “No charge this time. Just take care of her, Ghost. Do whatever it takes to get that fucker and either put him in the ground or behind bars. Either way, make sure he can’t do this ever again.”

  Ghost nodded and let Doc out.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked as he faced Shelly again.

  “I think I just want to sleep, if that’s okay?”

  Ghost smiled. “That’s fine, Shelly. I’ll sleep in the chair tonight.”

  She shook her head. “I’ll sleep by the wall. There will be enough room for you.”

  It seemed she was a stubborn one, but he didn’t want to spend his time arguing with her. Not when he could be plotting the mayhem he was going to rain down on that sack of shit’s head. As much as he’d love to crawl into bed with her, the first thing he needed to do was check on the other girls. If they were in the same situation, he needed to make sure they didn’t return to Richard tonight. If they’d chosen this life, there wasn’t anything he could do to keep them here, but he’d give them the option of staying.

  Hell. Being President was going to be harder than he thought. But he was confident he would do a good job. The men had chosen him, and he would honor their wishes. And god help any fucker that stood in the way of Ghost and the justice he was more than rea
dy to dish out.

  Chapter Three

  Shelly woke the next morning to a warm, hard body snuggled up against her and an arm draped over her waist. The bruising still hurt and breathing wasn’t her favorite thing to do right now, but she felt better after a good night’s sleep. Easing onto her other side, she turned to face Ghost. In sleep, he looked so relaxed, so calm. And so young. She’d thought he was closer to thirty when she’d climbed onto his bike the other night, but in the morning light, she would guess he was closer to twenty-four or twenty-five. His blond hair hung in disarray around his face, and she knew if his eyes were to open, they would be a beautiful green.

  He’d said he’d watched her around the clubhouse. What he didn’t know was that she’d watched him too. She’d noticed him her first night at the M.C.’s clubhouse, had wanted to go up and talk to him, but fear had held her back. She hadn’t pursued a man she actually wanted since she was seventeen, and back then it had been impressionable boys who were more interested in bragging rights than anything else. She’d never handled a man like Ghost before, and she wasn’t sure she had what it would take to tame someone like him.

  She’d seen the old ladies around the club, the few that they had, and she’d envied them. Those women had something she thought she’d never have. The love and respect of a good, decent man. All right. The bikers were probably into some illegal shit too, but in her book, they were the good guys. They rescued women like her and gave them a chance at a normal life. She respected the hell out of Ghost, but she didn’t know how to tell him that, or if she even should tell him.

  Shelly had never slept with a man overnight before. Her profession was all about the cash, and the quicker you got in and got out, the sooner you could move on to the next mark. It had been a numbers game. The girl, who had the most lays by the end of the night, received special treatment from Richard. And then the M.C. had moved into town and things had changed, she’d thought for the better, until she realized it was really all the same. Fucking random guys who didn’t give a shit about her.