Page 24 of Traitor

"Need you to do something," I say, my voice low. "Ely's past. Dig into it. Find out if she was ever tied to the Riders."

Ghost doesn't ask why. He doesn't falter. "On it."

I down the rest of my whiskey, the burn doing nothing to settle the tightness in my chest.

Because no matter how much I don't want to believe it, if this is true, then the woman I love has been lying to me since the moment she walked through our doors.

And that?

That would be unforgivable.

Two hours later, the phone vibrates in my hand, the screen lighting up with Ghost's name.

I've been waiting for this call. Dreading it.

I stare at it for half a second before answering, pressing the phone to my ear, my voice coming out flat. "Talk."

There's a pause, just a beat too long, before Ghost finally speaks. "I went to the Riders' usual spot. Talked to a girl there." His voice is rough, edged with something I can't quite place. "Showed her a photo of Ely."

My spine locks.

I don't want to hear this.

But I have to.

Because if what Tisha said was bullshit, I need to shut it down. Make an example out of her. If she's lying, she won't see the sunrise. But if she's telling the truth...

Ghost exhales, the sound low, clipped. Heavy. "The girl knew her, Bones. Said she saw her at the Riders' clubhouse more times than she could count."

A slow, sharp pressure builds in my chest. Tightens.

"That doesn't mean anything," I grit out, leaning forward, bracing my elbows on my knees. "She could've just been at their parties, same as anyone else. Doesn't mean she was one of them."

There's another pause. Another hesitation.

Then Ghost says the one thing that ends me.

"She thought Ely was Jinx's girl. She was always in Jinx's lap apparently."

The words land like a fucking sledgehammer to my ribs.

I stop breathing.

My grip on the phone tightens. My jaw locks so hard my teeth might fucking shatter.

Jinx's girl.

No.

No.

My stomach twists, something dark and ugly clawing at the edges of my mind. I shake my head, trying to force the thought away. "That's bullshit," I growl, my voice harsher than I intend. Harsher than I fucking feel. "She's mine. She's with me every night!"

Silence.

And then Ghost, his voice softer now, lower. "Bones... she hasn't been seen at their parties in almost a year. Girl said she figured maybe they broke up."

Something inside me cracks.

---