Page 23 of Hap

Ghost’s hand grips the chair so tight his knuckles turn white. He lifts it and throws it across the room while expelling a loud, furious roar. The chair loudly collides with the wall, splintering into pieces.

“That chair was solid oak,” Hawk mutters over the call.

Ghost pants back and forth like a rabid caged animal. “Here, Pres,” I say, offering up my cigarettes. He snatches the pack from my hand and lights it, taking a long pull.

“Jesus, fuck!” he roars. “Jared, you better go. The less you know, the better,” Ghost orders.

“I hear you. Take this and call me. It only has one number, my burner. I will call you on it if I hear of anything else,” he states.

“Thanks, but I will give it to someone who won’t be going to fucking jail, as I certainly won’t be shoving anything up my ass,” Ghost retorts.

Jared’s lips twitch. “Fair enough.” He nods before walking out the door.

“Safe house?” Cash asks.

“Yeah, and fucking now. Reach out to the Satans and give them the heads up. For all we know, they could be dragged into this shit storm, too,” Ghost orders. He stubs his cigarette out before storming out of the room, not saying another word.

Following behind him, we see him telling Star. Fury and tears sting her eyes.

“Shit, we need to get her out of here. If she sees them arresting Ghost, she will lose her shit and get herself arrested, too,” Spider mutters beside me.

“He knows. The only way she will do what she’s told, leaving him here, is for Enzo. He will remind her of that,” Acid states.

Ghost looks up. “Get everyone to the safe house. Only those that are being arrested are to be here. I need the rest of you to stay the fuck out of jail so you can work on getting us out,” heorders. He looks down at Star and tucks her hair back behind her ear. “Pack everything up and go with Hap and Alina to the safe house,” he tells her softly. Her jaw is tight as she swallows, trying to hold back her emotions. Ghost kisses her. “This ain’t a goodbye kiss, darlin’. It’s an ‘I will be back real fucking soon’ kiss,” Ghost promises her. Star nods, and Ghost places a kiss on the top of Enzo’s head. Before she walks towards me, a baby bag on her shoulder and Enzo in her arms, she looks to Spider.

“You look after him. Anyone touches him, hurts him, you fucking kill them. You make sure he comes back home to us,” she rasps, her voice close to breaking.

Spider gives her a stern nod. “Of course.”

She swallows and leans in to give Spider a hug. “Be safe,” she says softly before walking out.

Ghost comes to my side before I can follow her out to the truck. “You take care of her and my son like they’re your own,” he orders.

“You know I will,” I assert.

Ghost turns and walks away, and I slap Spider on his shoulder. “Stay safe, brother,” I state before walking out to the truck, the feeling of dread lurking beneath me. Never has the club been this split before. I’ve never felt dread like this. It feels like the end of the Black Hearts MC.

CHAPTER TWELVE

ALINA

As I sat sippingtea while watching everyone around me be clearly upset, I felt awful. People I’ve never really met before are crying, a deep worry written across all their faces. I’m not sure what to say or do. They don’t know me, and I’m sure they don’t want to hear my thoughts.

One of the guys is on the phone, and as he disconnects, everyone’s gazes swing to him. “They’ve been arrested,” he states.

“Are they okay?” Star asks. She is the only one I’d met when I had taken the papers for Hap.

“Yeah, from what I can tell, there was no trouble,” he answers.

“Oh, thank god,” she sighs, a small amount of relief washing through her.

I feel a warm hand on the back of my neck, and I look up to see Hap looking down at me with a concerned look on his face. “You okay?” he asked.

I nod. I mean, what was I going to say? I can’t complain about being here surrounded by all these people that I didn’t know, especially when tensions are high and they are all clearlyupset. I’m not one to sit and wallow. Need fills me to do something. I can’t just sit here helpless.

“I’m just going to lie down for a minute,” I state. After placing my cup down, I stand, forcing him to release his hand from the back of my neck. I walk into the room I’ve been allocated and rummage through the clothes Hap had packed, hoping that he packed something suitable to wear. Relieved, I pull out one of my black dresses, and it’s luckily one with a bit of stretch in it. It has a V neckline and three-quarter sleeves. I find my thin red belt and fasten that around my waist, along with my black heels with red soles. I hit call on my cell as I look in the mirror to begin doing my hair and make-up.

“Hey, you’re alive!” Becky answers jokingly.

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