Page 3 of Protectors

Chapter One

Ghost

SITTING IN PHANTOMInk with Vault in my chair as I give him his latest tattoo, I can’t keep my mind from staying off of Alana. It’s been five months since I last saw her, since she was in my arms on the dance floor and every fucking day is the same. I wake up with her on my mind, wondering what she’s doing in Clifton Falls. No matter what I’m doing each day, little things make me think of her and I wonder if she’s thinking of Geek and myself at all as she goes about her day. When I get in bed each night after exhausting myself, I can’t fall asleep until I’ve jerked off to thoughts of Alana and what I want to do to her luscious body. Every fucking night I dream of her. No, they aren’t all dreams revolving around sex and the various positions I want to see her in between Geek and myself. I dream of building a life with Alana and what our future has the potential to look like.

Alana is sexy as fuck. She’s short as hell, the top of her head barely coming to my chest when she stands close to me. My girl has curves in all the right places and isn’t as thin as a fucking board. She’s not shy about eating and the food she loves is all over the place. Alana has the softest, palest skin with freckles covering her nose and just under her eyes. Her lips are soft and full, the kind of lips you want to kiss and get lost in on a daily basis. Alana’s eyes are the brightest blue that are light enough to remind me of a cloudless sky with bursts of darker blue all around. She’s got one tattoo on her ribs that her uncle Irish gave her the second she turned eighteen. I can’t remember what it says right now, but I have plans to see it up close and personal again very soon. In my eyes, Alana is sexy as fuck and I want to feel her body wrapped around mine as I slowly sink into her pussy.

Geek and I have had extensive talks about Alana in the last several months. We’re both on board with wanting her and sharing her. This isn’t some kind of game to us and we’re thinking long-term when it comes to her. We’ve all grown up and changed over the years, but I believe we’re all going to be explosive together and will make this work because in my eyes, there’s no one else for me. There’s no one else for Geek either. We want Alana and will do whatever it takes to make her ours and prove to her we’re the men she’s been looking for her entire life.

“You good, Ghost?” Vault asks me as I bring my focus back to the tattoo I’m currently inking into his body.

“Yeah. Got somethin’ on my mind and just tryin’ to figure out how to make shit happen since things aren’t goin’ how I planned or thought they would,” I answer him, wiping off the ink I’ve already put in so I can check what I’ve done so far.

“What’s goin’ on with Alana?” he questions me, letting me know he’s not as out of things as I thought when it comes to this.

“I don’t know. I’ve messaged her a time or two and haven’t had any responses back from her. Geek has messaged her too. Not gonna try to call her when we have no clue what’s goin’ on with her. I’m ready to head to Clifton Falls and bring her back here where she belongs,” I tell him honestly as I get back to tattooing his newest piece.

“Have you called and talked to Cage or anyone?” he questions, closing his eyes as he relaxes under the tattoo gun.

“Not yet. Gonna call him if I don’t hear from him soon,” I tell him honestly as my phone starts to vibrate on the counter next to me. “Geek and I talked to him at the weddin’ and he wasn’t sure if Alana was gonna go back to the asshole. He was gonna keep an eye on things and keep us updated on the situation.”

Looking over, I see Cage calling me. Speak of the fucking devil.

“Get it,” Vault tells me, getting out of the chair and stretching out his back.

“’Lo?” I answer the phone, not sure why Cage would be calling me.

“Ghost, need to talk to you about somethin’. You got a minute?” he responds, his voice almost devoid of any emotion and it instantly sets me on high alert.

When Cage loses all emotion in his voice, he’s about to fucking explode. I’ve witnessed it countless times over the years when shit has been going down with the clubs. Cage doesn’t let himself get to this point very often so I know whatever he’s calling me about is serious and I’m not gonna like whatever he’s about to say.

“I got all the time you need, Cage,” I inform him as Vault takes a seat once more and watches me. “I’ve got Vault here with me and I’m gonna put the phone on speaker so he can hear you as well. You good with that?”

“Yeah. This concerns him too. I’m only callin’ you because my girl wants me to and what Alana wants, she gets,” he states, clearing his throat and taking a brief pause before saying anything else. “When Alana got back from King’s weddin’, she went back to that stupid fucker, Terrence. He’s never been good enough for her and we’ve since learned exactly how wrong he is. Ghost, I know you and Geek want my girl. She’s a good one and I know you’ll do right by her. Both of you are the kind of men she needs in her life.”

“What happened to her?” I grit out, knowing deep in my gut and heart Alana is hurt.

Vault sits up straighter in the chair and his eyes don’t leave my phone as we wait for Cage to respond. We’re both on high alert as all sorts of scenarios run through my mind.

“She came over to decorate as normal for Christmas. Apparently before she even got to the clubhouse, Terrence picked a fight with her and she showed up with red, puffy eyes and the tracks from tears still on her face. She didn’t confide in any of us what happened that day before she showed up. Alana never does and that’s on us. A lot has come out in the last few weeks and it’s things we should’ve realized much sooner. Things we could’ve changed so Alana didn’t feel as if we didn’t give a fuck what was goin’ on in her life. Pops is the only one she’d turn to and she didn’t even turn to him with this information about her life.

“Anyway, when she got home that night, Terrence beat the shit out of my girl. She called me and passed out as soon as I answered the phone from her injuries. We all raced to the apartment they shared. Ghost, my girl . . .,” Cage stops talking, his voice breaking on the last word as rage fills my body and I know this fucker is gonna need to be taught a lesson that involves a ton of pain and very little break from the pain I plan on inflicting.

“What do you need from us?” Vault questions Cage.

“I need to get this out. I know she’s already talked to you about movin’ there so she can get the fuck outta Clifton Falls. For now, you need to know what you’re dealin’ with. Alana had so many injuries we couldn’t take her to the clubhouse. We had to take her to the hospital and she just got out two days ago. My baby spent almost two full weeks in there from her injuries. He broke her nose, hand, and ruptured her spleen. She’s got bruises and cuts all over her body and face, a gash on her head, and he fuckin’ sliced her with a knife down her chest. She’ll have a scar from that for the rest of her life. Alana is movin’ slow and all she does is cry when she’s awake.

“It took several days for her to talk to us and fill us in on what’s been goin’ on with her relationship. Terrence has been slowly abusin’ her emotionally and mentally. Six months ago he started beatin’ the fuck out of her. For six fuckin’ months this bastard has been puttin’ his hands on her and she didn’t say a fuckin’ word. Well, puttin’ his hands on her more than he was previously. She fuckin’ hid what was goin’ on to her even from her mom because Skylar didn’t even see the signs. Fuck! Skylar told them all about her past and that we’d always be there for them to help get them out of any situation they found themselves in. Alana wanted to take this shit on her shoulders and refused to say a word,” Cage informs us, his voice hard and cold as his breathing is picked up like he’s run a fucking marathon race.

“The second she’s ready to get here, we’ll be ready for Alana,” Vault assures Cage as I finally listen to what is being said by Cage.

“I know. There was never a doubt in my mind about you not takin’ her in if she’s already talked to you about movin’ there. I also know Ghost and Geek are the reasons she wants to be in Pine View. You’ve both got our blessin’ to be with her. However, Alana is adamant that she won’t go there until she knows Ghost and Geek want her there. Her next move is gonna be up to the two of you,” Cage states, a tenderness to his voice as he thinks of his daughter and what she wants.

“I don’t want her anywhere else,” I state my voice filled with determination. “Geek doesn’t want her anywhere else either, Cage. When it comes to Alana, we’re both all in and always will be. This isn’t some passin’ phase we’re goin’ through or any shit like that. We want Alana long-term and will give her whatever the fuck she needs because she’s that important to the both of us.”

“I know, Ghost. I could see it when we were at King’s weddin’. If I wasn’t ready to give my baby girl over to the two of you, we wouldn’t be havin’ this conversation. Alana is ready to get out of town and make her way to you. It won’t be immediately though. My girl is gonna head to the Fallen Brethren clubhouse to see Jameson and Reagan before makin’ her way down to Cedar Bay to spend a few days with Haley. I’d like Ghost and Geek to meet her in Cedar Bay so you can see for yourself just how much she’s changed before you get to Pine View. Can you give Ghost and Geek a few days off?” Cage questions Vault as I turn to look at my President and wait for his answer.

“You got it, Cage. The second we know she’s in Cedar Bay, I’ll send Ghost and Geek there to be with her. They can take the time they need to be there for her. What does she need when she gets here, Cage? The truth of what she needs. Counseling? More doctor visits? Tell me what she needs and we’ll make sure she has it without fail. Alana is family and we’ll always be there for family,” Vault says, his voice serious as he motions for me to grab the paper and pen on the counter behind me.

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