Page 145 of Steel

Walking into the clubhouse, I see a few of the patch bunnies stocking the bar for the chapter mixer tomorrow night. We had to push back Chaos’s welcome home party after the Iron Sinners took Tempe and Austin hostage, but things have finally settled enough to celebrate our brother being home.

A few of the guys are milling around as I make my way through the clubhouse. They’re drinking, playing pool, and having a relaxing night. Still, I can’t shake the uneasy feeling that’s been stirring inside me all day.

“Everything good, Prez?” Soul yells from across the bar when he spots me. “Thought you were gone for the day.”

“I was.” I tip my chin up. “You seen Ghost?”

“Out back.”

I walk through the clubhouse.

Something’s wrong; I just can’t put my finger on it.

When I step outside, I spot Ghost sitting by himself on one of the chairs at the fire pit. It’s dark, and his face is only lit by the glow of his phone.

“You needed to see me?”

Ghost looks up, setting his phone in his lap and taking a sip of his beer.

He’s been quieter than usual. Keeping to himself. He says it’s because he’s focused on rebuilding our firewalls after the Iron Sinners broke in, but I sense there’s more to it.

“What’s the problem?” I walk up and drop into the chair next to him.

Ghost tips his head back, closing his eyes. “Remember the coding on the flash drive? It was too complex to be Richter, and I had this feeling Titan was working with a new tech guy.”

“I remember.”

Between the virus they planted and the fact that they were able to wipe Reyes’s real identity from every public record, we knew someone with more skill than Richter had to be involved.

Ghost looks over at me. “I figured out who it is.”

“Who?” I rest my elbows on my knees, leaning forward.

He picks up his phone and flips through it. His expression is tense as he hands it over, showing me a text on the screen.

Unknown: Been a while, Ghost. Did you think I’d forget about Albuquerque? Or about the girl? I warned you not to go digging. You should have listened.

My eyebrows pinch as I try to piece together what I’m reading. The club stopped running product through Albuquerque a little over a year ago when things went south with the Merciless Skulls. What started as a misunderstanding turned into a war we quickly squashed because the club was so small. Any remaining members fled or joined other clubs. But there weren’t enough to keep track of them.

We haven’t been back since.

I look up at Ghost. “Who’s the girl they’re talking about?”

Ghost looks over his shoulder through the glass doors that lead into the clubhouse. His gaze sets on Luna, who’s sitting reading a book, and realization hits me like a ton of bricks.

One year ago.

Albuquerque.

Merciless Skulls trophies aren’t the only thing we brought back.

“You said she was living out of a car on campus. You brought her in. You vouched for her.” I grit my teeth. “Where did you really meet Luna?”

He glances back at me, not answering my question. He doesn’t need to. I already know I’m not going to like whatever he has to say.

Ghost lied to his club—lied to me. And we’re all about to pay for it.

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