Ghost: The Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club, Book 8

by Blevins, Candace

  “Love you, too. I’m at the clubhouse. Tell the runner to go to the bar and someone’ll bring it across the street to me. He can have something to eat while we figure out whether I’m gonna sign it or not.”

  * * *

  I pulled my bike behind Hailey’s car nearly three hours later, and nodded to the man in the suit who opened the door as I stepped onto the porch.

  “Your girl’s talented,” he told me as we walked through the house. “She tells me you’re her security?”

  I’d stopped a half-mile away and put my colors on. I wasn’t sure why my wolf had wanted us to walk in as RTMC, but it’d sounded like a good idea to me, too.

  “Yeah. I’m with her when she’s on stage, and I make sure no one follows us when we leave a venue. If she’s going big-time, we’ll pull in someone to help me, but I’ll always be her head of security.”

  “We have a security team.”

  “Good to know. I’ll go through Drake Security to get help if I think she needs more.”

  I smelled relief. He’d probably been worried my style of protection involved bashing heads in.

  He walked me into a small room with a window overlooking a much larger room. “It’s a full recording studio and — as you can see — all walls and most equipment are green screen. She signed a simple contract saying we could record this, but it can’t be used unless another formal contract gives them both the rights to make it public.”

  The man working the controls glanced our way and then focused on the window again. “I’m Mitch, Charlie let you in. He’s manager and I’m either producer or director, or whatever else Will wants me to be.”

  I nodded acknowledgement but didn’t say anything because Hailey was singing with Byran Wilson, and they sounded amazing together. In her mind, she’s a musician who sings because sometimes musicians have to do that to get a playing gig, but I’ve always known she should sing.

  When they hit the last note, he turned to her, hugged her, swung her around, and gently put her down. “Best fifty grand I can remember spending in a long time.”

  Hailey grinned as she reached for a pencil and wrote something on a tablet propped on a music stand.

  “Easiest fifty grand I’ve made, but don’t forget my ten percent royalties.”

  “I’m Ghost,” I told Charlie and Mitch. “Hailey calls me Dare, but everyone else calls me Ghost.”

  “Why Ghost?”

  I shrugged. “Just a nickname that stuck. Can I see her?”

  Charlie leaned towards a microphone. “Ghost is here. Ya’ll coming out, or should I send him in?”

  Byran — or Will, I guess, leaned into the microphone to ask, “Is the sun down yet?”

  My wolf wasn’t happy about the hug, but he approved of the singer wanting to make sure Hailey didn’t get burned.

  “Not quite. I’ll send him in.” Mitch looked to me. “Turn right and take the first right. I’ll buzz you in so they don’t have to deal with it.”

  Hailey was in my arms seconds after the door closed behind me, and I smiled at Byran Wilson as I hugged her. “I came in on the end of the song. Ya’ll sound amazing.”

  He stepped to me and offered his hand. “My friends call me Will.”

  “Friends call me Ghost. Only Hailey calls me Dare.”

  Chapter 33

  Ten weeks later

  Ghost

  We only had a few weeks of privacy left and we were taking advantage of it.

  Will bought another home closer to town. It was up on the ridge and looked like a damn castle, and it already had a twelve-foot-tall brick fence surrounding the property. It offered the most beautiful views of Chattanooga, and would be his official residence so he could keep his privacy at his other home.

  Also, it was only a few minutes away from our compound, and not terribly far from my house, so it all worked out.

  Tonight, Will was eating with us at a VIP table in the back of the bar. He was faced away from the general public, but he was wearing ill-fitting clothes and geeky glasses along with a black wig, and no one ever recognized him.

  “No way are you nervous,” I told him. “I know the venues you’ve played.”

  “Isn’t about the venue, but about seeing people’s reaction to new material,” Will told me.

  I looked to Hailey, who shrugged. “We like it, our loved ones like it, but what will others think? You never know until you put it out there.”

  I looked to Animal, their drummer, and he showed me his steady hand. “I’m not worried. We kick ass.”

  I looked to Silver, their androgynous bass guitar player. To be honest, I don’t know whether to call Silver a boy or girl. Sometimes she smells one way, other times I’m sure he’s a boy.

  Silver shrugged and grinned. “I was originally more worried about the biker thing than the music part. Everyone’s been nice though, so I’m good.”

  Yeah, I’d been worried about how my brothers would react to Silver, too. I’d leveled with them at church, though, and told them how important it was to Hailey that her new family be accepted by our MC family.

  * * *

  Two hours later, my brothers and their ol’ladies were in the clubhouse, and Duke jumped up on a table to talk to us.

  “If you’re here, it’s because a brother has vouched for you. If you talk to anyone about what you’ve seen here tonight, there’ll be consequences for both you and the man who vouched for you.”

  The room went dead quiet for a handful of seconds, and Duke smiled. “With that out of the way, Hailey has some things to say to the group before we get started on the fun stuff.”

  Hailey jumped up on the table and took Duke’s microphone. “Some of you know I’ve been going through some emotional shit, but I’m not sure everyone knows how much Harmony has helped me work through it. While Harmony’s been talking to me and helping me get shit straight in my head, another godsend came along and gave me a musical outlet I never expected to have. My new friend is a successful recording artist, but he’s been hiring musicians kind of willy-nilly as he needed them. He wanted his own band — people he could form a bond with. He knew his own weaknesses, and he looked for musicians who could fill in where he struggled. Lucky for me, a few months ago he saw me fall apart on stage, pull myself together, and move on with professionalism. He invited me in for an audition, and our music clicked right away. Later, our personalities did, too. I haven’t known him long but he’s already a dear friend. I hope you’ll see him as the person he is on the inside, and not the celebrity you may think you know.”

  Will stepped onto the table in his full Byran Wilson getup, and most of the females in the room gave an audible gasp.

  “I’d like to introduce the members of Mythic Beast,” Will said into his own microphone. He has a stage presence you don’t get when you’re just sitting around shooting the shit with him, and I once again wondered at the little bit of Fae I occasionally scented on him.

  “You already know Hailey,” Will continued, “but she’s going to use her Cherokee name for her stage name, so let me introduce you to Suli on lead guitar, Animal on the drums, and Silver on bass guitar. Suli will handle both lead guitar and keyboard, though we’re playing around with bringing a grand piano out for at least one number.” He motioned to me. “And Ghost has become an honorary member of my security team. As he’s gotten to know us, he’s become protective of us all.”

  We’d pushed five tables together at the front of the clubhouse, and added some extra supports to be sure they held. Duke and Gonzo pulled the black fabric off the drums and guitars, and the musicians moved into place.

  The lights went down, Mitch worked the light and sound system he’d set up earlier, and the new Mythic Beast gave us a few kick ass songs, a slow ballad, a nice dance-worthy song, another slow song, and then some more kick ass songs.

  When Mitch brought the lights back up, bikers and ol’ladies were both clapping and whooping.

  Will sat on the edge of the make-shift stage with his microphon
e and said, “Serious talk, guys. What was your favorite song?” The television behind him came on with a list of the fourteen songs they’d sung, and when the group couldn’t reach a consensus between two songs, they showed at the top of the list with the number one in front of both. Will talked them through the list and once they got past the first half, he started letting them know the decisions they’d made for certain songs, and different ways they could’ve gone.

  My heart warmed as the men and women I love gave them the feedback they’d wanted.

  Hailey had lost everything, when it came to her music. She’d had to go through fire to get it back, but she’d done so in a big way.

  Harmony sat beside me and leaned in. “Your Shortstuff kicks ass.”

  “I can’t thank you enough for playing the part of her therapist these past weeks.”

  “No thanks necessary. Sometimes life shovels serious shit at you. She just needed to talk it out.” She looked up at me, waited for me to meet her gaze. “Your mom gets out of prison before too much longer.”

  I shrugged. “I got a whole lot of shit to deal with between now and then. I’ll figure things out with her when she gets out.”

  “And your dad?”

  “She graduated from the prison’s cosmetology program and has been working in their salon, but she might not be able to get a license to work in North Carolina since she’s a felon, so he’s trying to get permission to move her here. Tennessee’s cosmetology license application only asks if you’ve been convicted in the past three years.”

  “You look pissed.”

  I shook my head. “I get why he made the decisions he made when he divorced her and married Aggie, I just think they were shit decisions.”

  Will turned his microphone off and talked a little louder so he could be heard without it. He and Hailey were still sitting side by side, Hailey’s guitar still ready to play.

  “When I put the band together, I assumed I’d always be lead singer. I took my time and found just the right people, but I had no idea how my vision of us would change once we all found each other.” He looked to Hailey and back to the crowd. “We’re still developing it and hadn’t planned to perform it tonight, but if I can talk her into it, I’d like for Hailey and I to give you a preview of something special.”

  Hailey shook her head. “It isn’t ready for people.”

  “This isn’t just anyone,” Will told her. “These people are your friends. Just you, me, and your guitar. No mic, no drums. Keep it simple.”

  He looked to us. “I talked to nineteen guitarists — fourteen male and five female. I didn’t care about gender. I just needed an excellent guitar player I could click with. I was beginning to lose hope when I met Hailey, but I knew she had soul the first time I heard her play. I can’t wait to help her share this song with the world.”

  I don’t know when she wrote this song, and I was pretty sure the Concilio wouldn’t like it, but she’d phrased things enough so it sounded as if she was talking about taming her inner demons instead of what it took to control her wolf, snake, and bloodlust.

  The room was quiet for a second when she finished. It was the kind of song you need to let sink in before you can clap. As everyone in the room finally clapped, Viper walked to her, gently pulled her into his arms, and held her for a lot longer than most boyfriends would be okay with, but I understood and approved.

  I could hear the emotion in his voice when he turned to the rest of the clubhouse and said, “This is one of the strongest fucking women I’ve ever known.” He turned to Will and offered his hand. “Thanks for seeing her talent and her strength, and pushing her out of her comfort zone.”

  Will shook his hand, pulled him into a hug, and then looked back at the rest of us. “Thanks to all of you for your feedback, and for making us feel so welcome. Ya’ll cleared your clubhouse of everyone but your core group to give us input and let us keep everything under wraps until the promo stuff hits, and we appreciate it more than we can say. However, as a small token of our appreciation, you’ll find several cases of rum, whiskey, tequila, and vodka in your kitchen storage area, as well as a couple of kegs of various craft beers. Also, I’m told ya’ll appreciate barbecue, and the Sticky Fingers catering truck should arrive in about ten minutes.”

  “I feel like we should be treating you,” I told him from the back of the room. “You’ve given us our own private concert. I’ve always known how talented Hailey is, and I echo Viper’s thanks for pushing her out of her comfort zone.” I looked around the room and grinned at Harmony, who’d fangirled hard when Will had first stepped out in his Byran Wilson attire.

  “I know we said no pictures tonight, and here’s the exception. If you want your picture made with the group — Brain will take them and keep them safe, and once the group goes public he’ll email your picture to you.”

  Chapter 34

  Three weeks later

  Hailey

  I’ve played at large venues before, so it wasn’t the crowd of people making me nervous, but the fact I’d be singing solo halfway through our set, with Will backing me up. I’m not a front man. I’m the guitar player.

  I knew I’d be okay once we started our first song though, so I breathed through it as we walked from our bus to the stage.

  Dare was ten feet behind me because I’d asked him to give me some space before we went on. This was about the four band members working together as a group, and I was glad Dare understood.

  Our debut was at one of the largest music festivals in the world, and we were the final act of the night on the main stage. We were told we’d be seen by nearly two-hundred-thousand people live, and since video recording equipment was allowed, it was likely we’d be seen by a lot more.

  We’d given our very first interview to one of the entertainment news shows two hours ago, and we had several reporters lined up to interview us after the concert.

  But right now? It was all about the music. My adrenaline was already flowing when Animal tapped his sticks, and even more flowed into my veins as I strummed the first dozen notes of the first song.

  This was a Byran Wilson song the crowd already knew, and they screamed and cheered as they recognized the notes.

  I didn’t even think about being nervous when it was time for me to move to Will’s spot. I’d already been there for a few guitar solos, and now I was going to sing.

  The first time you hear your voice as the lead singer on stage probably shouldn’t be in front of so many people, and I stuttered halfway through the first line. I was on lead guitar, though, so I made an adjustment and repeated the first line without missing a beat.

  By the third line, it was just me and the crowd, with my people backing me up, and I belted out the ending before I was ready for the song to be over.

  “Suli Gryphon, ladies and gentlemen! You heard her here first!” Will screamed into his mic just before he grabbed me in a bear hug.

  “And it’s already midnight on the east coast, which means you can buy Fighting Myself wherever you prefer to purchase your music,” Animal said from the drums.

  “If you want more Suli singles, show her the love!” Will added.

  The crowd went wild, and I took a spontaneous bow, spun in a circle, and decided it was time for the next song. I started it, and Animal and Silver joined in.

  * * *

  I wasn’t prepared for the surge of people who broke through a barrier on our way from the stage to our bus. I pushed the wolf down, then the snake, and then the wolf again. Dare knew I was in trouble, but he was trying to keep us safe and couldn’t stop to help me through it.

  I was holding the wolf at bay with the last bits of control I could find when I realized he was pissed because we were letting others protect us. I was more than capable of protecting my damned self.

  Someone reached for my shirt as I made my decision, and I grabbed their wrist, pulled them to me, lifted them, and tossed them away from us. They landed in the crowd as someone reached for Will and I did the same,
and then started punching, hitting, and kicking.

  “Get’em out of here, Hailey!”

  Dare’s voice punched through the fog, and I maneuvered my bandmates to the bus while only punching a few fans along the way. I remembered not to hit quite so hard for these people, and hoped I hadn’t hurt the others too much.

  Will shook his head at me as I leaned against the bus door from the inside.

  “Everyone okay?” I asked.

  “We have security for a reason,” Will said, “you don’t win fans by punching them… but thanks for the save.”

  “I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing. I guess I’ll have to apologize to a few people. I may have hit the first couple of people a little hard.”

  I smelled pain and looked to Silver. “Are you hurt?”

  I followed his eyes — he smelled more masculine that feminine at the moment — to his arm, and saw three bloody lines where someone had dug their nails into him and scratched.

  “Damn. Let’s get something on that so it doesn’t get infected. Fuck, maybe I’m not sorry for hitting people a little hard.”

  I dragged him to the back, pulled open the first aid kit, and found the alcohol wipes.

  “Animal, get a picture of this before I clean it up. If we get bad PR for me punching people, we can show what they did to Silver.”

  * * *

  We barely had enough time to catch our breath before the first interview. Our tour bus is nice, with push-outs on the side to give us a huge living room when parked, but it’s still comfy enough while driving down the road. The big room in the back held four murphy beds and four small closets. When the beds were folded away, there was room to work out, which was good because Will works out at least four or five hours a day.

  Still, with the four of us, plus Mitch, Charlie, Dare, a camera crew, and the person interviewing us — I was a little overwhelmed.