Page 48 of Memphis

“That good, huh?”

“Keep running that mouth and...”

“Okay. Okay. You ain’t gotta be so sensitive.” Ghost chuckled as he leaned to the side to get a look at Toni. “Does baby girl know that you got the hots for her?”

I didn’t respond.

I just sat there glaring at him until Shep grabbed his arm and said, “Come on, brother. Visit’s over.”

“Ah, man. I was just gettin’ warmed up.” Ghost gave me a wink, then said, “You try to behave yourself, and if you need anything...”

“I’ll call anyone but you.”

“Well, how about that.” A big smile swept across Ghost’s face. “He’s got his fire back. It’s damn good to see.”

Ghost gave me a pat on the shoulder before heading for the door. Before walking out, Shep turned to me and said, “Get me that picture.”

I nodded, and he and Ghost walked out of the house.

Seconds later, I heard their motorcycles roar to life, and it was like a punch to the gut. They pulled off and I immediately missed the wind that I knew was rushing past them. It was a stark reminder of what I had lost.

Riding had always been my freedom, my escape. It was the air I breathed, and without it, I felt like a piece of me was missing. I longed for the rush I felt when I was out on the open road, and I wondered if I’d ever feel it again.

I wondered the same about Antonia.

I wanted her. That was undeniable. Hell, the second she walked into the room, my heart would race, and my palms would sweat. I’d imagine her in my arms and in my bed, and it was all I could do to keep my dick in check. I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d noticed the effect she was having on me.

Could she see all the crazy thoughts going through my mind?

Had I managed to hide it, or did she know just how fucked up I really was?

Damn.

The two things I wanted most were just out of my reach, and it was time for me to figure out what I was going to do about it.

Antonia

“Thank you for dinner. It was great.”

“It was just spaghetti.”

“Maybe so, but it sure as hell beat what I’ve been eating the past few weeks.”

“Yeah, hospital food isn’t the best. I wish I could’ve done more.”

“It was more than enough.”

“Thanks. I’ll try to come up with something better tomorrow.”

It had been a rough couple of days.

Things were crazy at work, which left me very little time to check into things with my father. The records Preacher had shown me had haunted me for weeks, and I wanted to find out if there was any truth behind them.

I went to the house to see if I could find any old statements. I even tried to log into his computer but had no luck there either. I tried talking to him, but Dad was anything but open about his life. It was frustrating, and I was at my wits end.

Sensing my unease, Wes gave me a concerned look and asked, “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just had a hard time getting everything squared away at work.”

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